This review is long overdue. Jay from heavy wood did our earthquake retrofitting, which even involved pouring more foundation to increase our home's stability in an earthquake that hit from another angle. His attention to detail was stellar. He was back and forth with the structural engineer pointing out issues with the design, and even proposing superior fixes which were incorporated into the plan and verified. The project went smoothly and I was able to keep my earthquake deductibles low. I just had a contractor doing a home inspection for me point out how solid the retrofitting work was. Definitely a good value and I would highly recommend Jay and his team! read more

Good quality work from a small local business owner. Jay and his team worked very hard and long hours to quickly get the work done.

I feel so incredibly lucky to have crossed paths with Jay. We're first-time homeowners who didn't realize how much we needed to catch up on, and Jay was kind enough to spend multiple hours over multiple days (on the weekend no less!) talking us through a variety of general tips and tricks but also addressing some specific remote inspection needs we had about our foundation. He really put us at ease, and I know he's going to be our go-to resource for everything moving forward. Very much looking forward to working more with you, Jay! read more

After interviewing 5 companies for my EBB foundation retrofit, I selected Heavywood Construction. Jay Beard is the owner and is flat out a direct, ethical and good human. He followed through on everything he said he would during my initial conversations with him. He showed up on time, finished on time and was so clean it was like he was never here. His work also passed the San Carlos City Inspectors with zero issues. Additionally, he made working with EBB very easy for me as he did all the uploading of paperwork. I cannot recommend Jay and Heavywood Construction enough. His prices are fair and is work is first rate. read more

We hired Jay to remove some unused ductworks from our crawlspace and retrofit our foundation to give us peace of mind in case of an earthquake. He was very honest and upfront during the initial inspection and we appreciated him crawling into our crawlspace to give us a quote of the improvements he suggested. In terms of the actual work, he did a great job installing the foundation anchor plates and securing our posts to the beams. The entire project only took about a week and he acquired the permit rather quickly. The only thing that we didn't like was some of the communication over email about covering out patio deck. Before starting work, we politely requested that he cover our deck with any form of tarp, cover, or even cardboard just to be extra safe to prevent any scratches from the duct removal but his initial response felt a little hostile. He quoted us an additional $132 in time/materials just to do this. Perhaps there was miscommunication in terms of what he thought we were requesting but in the end he did cover a walkway path with ram board and didn't charge us any extra. There was no damage or scratches to our deck. read more

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We found Heavywood Construction through the Earthquake Brace and Bolt program. Jay provided excellent communication and the finished work is impressive. I was especially amazed by the team's skill and hard work. It's not easy to crawl through tight spaces for multiple days with heavy machinery. Lastly, we sold our home a few months after our retrofit was completed, and I believe the quality of the work (visible in the crawl space) made a positive impression on our buyers. Jay's work definitely helped maximize our home's value. Thanks. read more

Jay is incredibly generous, I had a relatively urgent request last night and he offered his time and expertise to help us make a more informed decision. His responsiveness was so appreciated and the expertise he gave was thorough and detailed. Thanks for your help Jay! read more

Jay is a hard-working, fair, straight-shooter I'd hire again in the future. He came in to lift a sketchy, drooping garage roof and shore it up so I could enter the attic without worry about falling through. Very solid work. We then had him do the earthquake retrofit/bracing under our house (in a crawl space I would not wish on anyone!) Jay and his helper finished both jobs on time, within budget, with high quality workmanship. read more

Jay has been such a blessing to me! First he did my earthquake retrofit in 2019 and that went perfectly. He performed all the work, took all the pictures, dealt with the permits and paperwork (I wanted to get my 3K grant from FEMA, so there was plenty of paperwork!) and everything went smoothly and I got my 3K grant from FEMA within a couple of weeks. Then I had some flooding in my front yard--he did a kind of audit on the drainage systems of my lot and has straightened it out. Next, he is replacing my sump pump and I am thinking up new things for him to do. Bottom line: You can't go wrong with Jay at Heavywood Construction! He's knowledgable, honest, trustworthy, industrious, and extremely reliable. Thank you, Jay! :-) read more

Jay was so nice! I left a message on his website last Friday for a damaged "corner post" (actually, it was the siding trim but I did not know the right terminology). Jay texted me the next day and set up a schedule to meet. I think he was surprised when he found out it was not a post but a trim. He did not refuse this job, nor did he try to expand the job so he can charge more. Instead, he offered a simpler solution which cost a lot less than another quote I got earlier. This put me at ease. Because a storm was coming, he even made time out of his busy schedule to fix the trim for me the SAME DAY. I learned from their website that his company specialized in foundation retrofit. I feel like he accepted this job out of courtesy to help me out and I was grateful for this. I would definitely give him a call for future construction works because of this pleasant experience. read more

Project: Earthquake Retrofit in our crawling space Length: 2 days Jay has quickly responded to our needs to ensure that our home will be well protected by bolting down and putting additional inside walls. Speedy service and he was able to fit us in in his busy schedule. Now our home is a lot better shape and prepared. read more

We had an appointment for a bid. After being a half hour late without calling (red flag #1) I had to call him to see if he was still coming. He said he was. He never showed up (red flag #2). Irresponsible and a liar. Good to know before signing a contract. Glad a dodged a bullet. read more

We contacted Jay through yelp and he was able to come out very quickly to provide a free estimate of his services. He was also very transparent on his availability on when he could complete the work given it was the end of the year and around the Christmas holidays. We had an issue but we did not know the root cause. When Jay came out, he was able to diagnose our issue and provided very helpful information to us on what was the most practical and reasonable way to address it. We were not able to use Jay's services given our issue was not related to foundation but we were extremely grateful for his time and advice and will definitely reach out to Jay if we need work relating to foundation. Thank you Jay! read more

Jay just finished a two part project on our house reinforcing the main foundation as well as the garage. He and his team (Tom) did great work, and was very thoughtful in what work needed to be done and in coming up with suggestions for how best to do it. I would absolutely work with Jay again, he was responsive, showed up when he said he would and the work was top notch. read more

Jay was great to work with! Very professional, hard working, knowledgeable, and friendly. He was responsive, an excellent communicator, very organized and on time. Definitely will recommend him to any friends or family who are in need of foundation repair! Mahalo Jay! read more

Recently, I had my house's foundation strengthened and bolted by Jay. He was prompt, courteous, and did exactly what he said he would do. And he did it in three days after he got the permit issued. He definitely knows what he is doing and the work was quickly approved by Belmont. I recommend Heavywood Construction for any work you need done at your home. read more

We can see why the Better Business Bureau gives Heavywood a A+ rating. The owner Jay, did our work by himself. The total space from the dirt floor to the boards above in our crawl space is less than 3 feet. How Jay can stay in a bent over position for 3.5 days is a physical miracle. Heavywood completed the work in a timely fashion. Jay answered all of our inexpert questions as if they were posed by an expert. Will our house survive the next big one is as of yet an unanswered question. However, we can now approach that day with some degree of confidence. read more

Heavywood did a great job retrofitting our house. We didn't apply for the lottery to have a EBB funding (so that we could do it before we moved in our new house) so the work was scheduled and performed in just a couple of weeks. Jay was very helpful answering my questions and dealing with all the permit and inspection without me getting involved. We didn't have to meet (but did eventually) as everything was contactless and digital. read more

Jay provided a thorough explanation of potential services I may need for my situation. He did not try to upsell any services and explained everything in a way that I could understand, as I do not have any background in this field. I cannot wait to work with him in the future. read more

Just had Earthquake Retrofit by Jay Beard. Earthquake Brace - Bolt. It was so easy & absolutely worry free. All went as explained, & according to schedule. Marlene M. read more

We contracted with Heavywood to do an earthquake retrofit, he was on the list of contractors provided by the CA Earthquake Authority as qualified to do such work. After investigating the top rated ones, they were at the top of my list. Jay Beard came out and did a thorough inspection of our crawl space. A day or so later, I received his bid by email. We were on the CA Earthquake Brace and Bolt waiting list, awaiting funding for the next round, so I informed Jay that we would hold off until we qualified for funding. That was March 2019. In September 2019 we had waited long enough with no funding, so we decided to proceed. Jay and his assistant were here Thursday 9/5/19 and wound up by 2:30PM. Inspection happened the following Monday. They made a LOT of NOISE under the house. Other than that, everything was great. They even credited back a few hundred $$ for work they said we didn't need on what we thought was dry rot. Great communication! Jay was very patient about the EBB program. We just decided not to wait any longer. He was competitive too. Saying he would match any other (local) accredited company's bid. Highly recommended! Of course. No sooner had we scheduled, than CA EBB came through with funding. We missed out on the up to $3000 rebate from them. But we have the peace of mind now, knowing our house won't slide off its foundation in the next "Big One". I'd move quickly because he's likely to get very busy now. read more

We hired Heavywood Construction to retrofit our house in San Carlos and the work exceeded all our expectations. Jay was responsive, walked us through the process step-by-step and was patient with our many questions. His work was pristine, completed quickly and on schedule. We are very fortunate that we found Jay to do our retrofit. We highly recommend Heavywood Construction. read more

Jay, the owner, performed a partial floor level for my house and was professional, communicated well, and offered an excellent price. He offered a partial fix at first, instead of only offering a larger, vastly more expensive complete floor level job - and the partial was the one I want (for now - and possibly forever. ) He also offered valuable advice on drainage. I'd look forward to getting a bid from him for additional work. read more

Jay performed an inspection of the foundation of our home. He is very professional, knowledgeable, thorough in the inspection. Also very responsive through phone and email during the process. Thanks to Jay now we have piece of mind having a good understanding of the condition of our foundation and not having to worry about it! Would definitely reach out to Jay again when we are ready to do foundation work in the future. read more

I utilized Jay for earthquake retrofit work. He was very knowledgeable about CA earthquake authority requirements and had sound recommendations for measures to secure certain weaker areas of our home. His team was on schedule and agreed budget. I'm very pleased with the outcome and the process to get there. read more

Jay did a super job with a seismic retrofit, and as a bonus we got an upgraded storage room in the process. He did the work promptly and efficiently. Thank you Jay! read more

We were very happy with our decision to hire Heavywood Construction for our home's earthquake retrofit. Jay was beyond helpful throughout the process; he took care of everything, including the permit and the Brace & Bolt Program submissions, quickly and efficiently (and always returned emails promptly). He and his men are skilled, hard-working, tidy, respectful, and friendly. It really was a comfort having our project in their capable hands. read more

Although we didn't have the chance to start our project with Jay, he absolutely deserves this review, as a small token of appreciation. The previous five star reviews are right: Jay is honest and straightforward. He seems genuinely interested in helping people. He is very knowledgeable in structural foundation issues, has a great work ethic, and has been very patient with us. He is very thorough: spends a lot of time measuring and researching - in order to find out the exact issues - discuss the best options to fix them and give an estimate of the work. This speaks loudly to the values of this company and I am recommending it to anyone looking for earthquake retrofitting (and beyond)! UPDATE: Jay ended up helping us. He was everything we hoped for. As the previous reviewer said, I wish Jay could manage all our repair projects in the future. He deserves 1000 stars. read more

We wish Jay could manage ALL our remodeling projects -- he's that good at everything he does -- plus you'll never meet a nicer person. He is knowledgeable, meticulous, trusted by building inspectors, organized, reasonably priced and timely. All the positive reviews you see for him on here are so true! Talk about making a homeowner feel secure & well taken care of -- he even vacuumed our entire family room after he was done, not just the small area he was working in. You cannot go wrong selecting Jay as your contractor and the people who work with him are exceptional too. read more

I highly recommend Heavywood Construction for your retrofit project. Aside from performing professional and quality work, Jay was guiding my EBB application process meticulously from start to finish. He was very attentive and responded to my emails and phone calls quickly. He walked me through every step and made thoughtful suggestions for my home. He truly cares about making homes safer and takes pride in his work. read more

Good work! Tom and Jay helped us with beam replacement and work is done efficiently and nicely.

Our house in Half Moon Bay needed a foundation seismic retrofit. Jay from Heavywood Construction was responsive and helpful. He has a business license in Half Moon Bay, so he took care of the permit and plan checking with the City. He completed the work promptly and completed some additional items at no extra charge. I am happy to recommend Jay to anyone needing foundation work. read more

Contacted Jay with questions about load bearing walls, he called me back promptly and spent some time explaining structural engineering to me. I work in property management and deal with contractors & vendors on a regular basis, and Jay is an honest good guy that seems genuinely interested in helping people instead of looking to make his next buck. He was upfront with his capabilities and honest with his work load & schedule, and I will use Jay again when the next appropriate project comes up. read more

Jay installed an earthquake retrofit package on our house and helped us navigate the EBB rebate program. He was fast, thorough and a great communicator in every stage of the process. I appreciated his help in taking care of filing permits and the EBB program, he has been through it many times and knows what they need to see in the submitted materials. And we're happy to finally have our house better protected against earthquakes. Thank you Jay! read more

Jay Beard, the owner of Heavy Wood Constructions, was referred to me by someone I know personally. I had him bid on a major remodel, his being one of several bids I received,. His bid was originally higher than we wanted but he seemed knowledgeable, so we asked him if he'd resubmit at 20% lower. After much negotiation, he agreed to the lower bid. Well, less than 3 days into the work, he submitted a change order for, you guessed it, 20% higher, mostly for work he should have known based on his level of experience. At the end, he was nearly 40% over-budget. I give him 2 stars because he did the work and so far, it's been fine. It passed code. However, he did the absolute minimum to meet standards and charged me an arm and a leg for the privilege. (He wouldn't even throw away boxes for items he installed because I had bought the parts!). Well, I've learned my lesson! read more

We recently used Heavywood for major deck and retaining wall repair projects and have been extremely pleased by the results. We would definitely hire them again as it has been a pleasure doing business with them. Our deck was in sad shape and all of the other contractors wanted to do a complete tear down. Jay came in and gave us a good bid and great explanation of what he would do for a repair as he didn't think he needed to be completely torn down. He was right and our bank account thanks him for all of his hard work! The original scope of the project was just to do the deck repair, but after a few weeks, it was decided that we needed to do a large retaining wall replacement as well. Ugh! Definitely an expensive addition to our original plan, but Jay was very open and honest about what needed to be done. He organized all of the subcontractors and his team to get the job done in a very timely manner. Jay (the owner of Heavywood) is conscientious and a good communicator. We felt like he wanted to save us money if he could so would always give us advice about what was necessary vs. what wasn't. Obviously no one wants to spend more money than they have to and construction projects always go over the original budget, but Jay made sure we understood the reasons and made us confident that we were making good decisions. Bottom line: You can't go wrong with Jay Beard and Heavywood. Your job will be done well and in a timely manner for reasonable cost. read more

May have gone out of business? Their email addresses are no longer valid and I am not receiving any response from voicemails nor are they answering phone calls. read more

Jay is a very good contractor and engineer, he did a very good job of doing earthquake retro fit to my house in a timely manner. He is a reliable contractor and very highly recommended. read more

Jay helped with our earthquake retro-fit. Very prompt, professional and knowledgeable. With his vast experience, we will likely leverage Jay for additional work on our house. read more

Had a great experience with Heavywood. I had his team set up a backyard patio iron fence, which had some complex angles and required drilling into stone, etc. There were also missing pieces from the store i bought the raw materials from. So Jay's team worked around the limitatons and got the job done. When i reviewed the work, I felt one part could be done better, and they promptly came back and made the changes to my specifications (of course, at no charge). They worked fast, professionally, and had integrity. That was very important to us. read more