Karl is dishonest, shady, unreliable, and delivers defective work. Countless times he committed to showing up and didn't. When he did show up, the work he delivered was subpar. Karl and his team left numerous loose ends and refused to come back and fix them, demanding payment for the defective and incomplete work they had done before doing so. Working with this company has been a terrible experience from beginning to end. It is entirely likely that any positive reviews here were written by friends doing these guys a favor or possibly fake accounts. Don't think twice about going somewhere else for your construction needs. You will only regret working with these guys. read more

Karl Kardel Consultancy - Just pathetically poor workmanship. Completely unprofessional and just left here for me to deal with. - General Contractors Near Me - Piedmont, California

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Absolute disaster follows the initial knowledgeable and competent initial impression. The absolute worst home improvement decision i ever made and i regret to this day years later - every moment and the 6 figures spent. While the work can be good- Took us on a relentless ride of delays, odd personal stories, smoke/ mirrors- change orders, marked up revised bids, law suit threats, more odd personal stories etc. FIRM take aways PLEASE document everything... INSIST on signing off on every cost change order. And if possible reach out and connect to the negative reviews to understand dynamics and be better prepared. read more

Finding a building envelope specialist in the Bay Area isn't necessarily difficult however, finding one that actually can provide helpful information and a detailed reports is near impossible. We worked with Karl Kardel on our project that others were left scratching their heads about. You'll still receive an invoice even if the other services couldn't answer a single question so when you pay for real results and solutions to your issue it's worth every penny. We highly recommend Karl and his team. read more

I signed on with Karl Kardel Co. to repair two leaky decks and a shower pan. I was told the deck repairs would take 2 weeks. Once they finally began work (which was two months later than they'd indicated), the work took over 4 months to complete. Most days, the project sat with no-one present or someone coming by for 1 -2 hours. I tried to be understanding due to covid and life issues, but in addition to the timing...all else revealed itself as incompetent as well. I was double billed for some items (remedied when I pointed it out), and worst of all, all three of the projects that they addressed have significant failures. The work was sub-par and craftsmanship sloppy -- I was stunned. They did not re-install flashing at the top of the deck doors (as the contract had indicated they would), causing one door to literally rain water inside...then damaging the seal of the door and fogging the glass. Karl referred to me as "crazy" to think that his work had anything to do with it. He was rude, aggressive, offensive. Issues are still not resolved. DO NOT HIRE THEM. read more

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Karl Kardel is home saver on many different levels. Karl and his team are best in class craftspeople and honest business folks with integrity that seems seems to be a unicorn in construction field of work. I had a catastrophic situation at my home in which I had patio over a living area that failed and began flooding our home. I reached out to several contractors and the n every case a got a smile and $100K quote before any off them had fully assed the problem. Karl was the only contractor that took the Time to come to my home and help. Karl snapped into action. He quickly and correctly assessed the damage, prepared a quote and put his team to work. Even though conditions were severe, the team worked around the clock to stop the the flooding, identify all issues and rebuild the entire deck ahead of schedule and under budget. It's important to point out that Karl discovered design flaws in the original work/design of the home builder and took it upon himself to hire engineers and an Archetect to ensue a state of the art rebuild rather than an adequate repair. This was above and beyond the call of duty and outside scope of work. A testament to Karl's commitment to excellence and integrity. If you ever find yourself in situation with a deck or any water intrusion related issue, don't worry Karl Kardel can save the day!! read more

Karl Kardel Consultancy - a balcony with a view of the city - General Contractors Near Me - Piedmont, California

I had a horrible experience with Karl, complete with work stoppages, a proposal from him to increase the project budget by another 50% (he was already the highest bidder), a mediation with another licensed contractor, and more headaches. In the middle of all of the above, he informed me he was in the hospital with cancer, which engendered sympathy from me. However, when I expressed that sympathy to his son (who was doing the metal work on the house), his son had no idea his dad was sick. So, I began to ponder if Karl would tell a near-stranger about his illness and not his son, or whether his overall credibility was in question. In the end, I decided to pay more to get the job complete, but it was less than what Karl was asking. It was cheaper than litigation, I guess. The job was completed and it solved the original problem, but I will never again speak to Kardel. read more

We had major issues with paint adhering to our wood siding home and had multiple painters come to try to fix the issue. They couldn't. Karl Kardel came out and identified the problem in about 5 minutes, then helped us find painters that would follow his suggestions. This completely solved the issue. I recently contacted Karl with an unusual paint question and he took time to think about and offer suggestions for solving the problem. Karl is extremely knowledgable and I would recommend him to anyone who needed specialized help with paint. read more

We lived in the Oakland Hills for 17 years. Years ago we experienced severe weather damage - wind and rain. Karl Kardel and team to the rescue. Karl is super knowledgeable, technical and thorough. If you're looking for a quality solution you'll get it with Karl and his team. AND THEY STAND BY THEIR WORK. Karl also helped us navigate the insurance side of the damage. As with most wind and rain damaged homes, as the team worked on the house, opening up the walls, further damage was discovered resulting in more NECESSARY repairs - more work, more $$$. As with ANY construction process, especially repairs on your house/home, ask lots of questions; document work to be done and work completed, costs, and overall manage the project. We found Karl and his team to be fair, highly competent and capable. We were especially impressed with Armando and Joel. We trust them - they're honest, have integrity, and are competent and hardworking. Years after the repair (at least 10 years later) and years of rain, wind and overall weathering, an issue arose. Karl and team fixed it without question (arguably some may not have had anything to do with prior repairs). I recommend Karl and his team if you're serious about quality work and not a "bandaid solution" type of solution that doesn't REALLY fix the problems. read more

We have lived in our home for many years and our parking area sits on top of a portion of the house itself. Throughout the years, we accumulated various cracks in the concrete, which we repaired and repaired and repaired. We worried about leaks but we kept putting off a full remove and replace. Finally, after consulting and getting bids from multiple contractors, we decided to have KK do the work. Karl showed up and gave us various suggestions on what we could to to not only replace the concrete driveway but to also enhance and beautify it. He really has extensive knowledge on water leak detection and solutions. He gave us a written bid. Of course, there's always caveats included if additional issues are found. After 25 years, we did find additional damage, which he or his crew detailed for us, took pics etc. His work is solid and the enhancements are beautiful. Yes, we went over budget but we are very happy with everything. Armando was our lead and he was always available, letting us know when others would be coming in; tile and/ or painters etc. I believe our driveway is now solid for at least the next 25 years! read more

One star for the quality of the work which was fine, what I expect. Gene and Andrews experiences were very similar to ours. They upped the cost with changes that were not pre-approved as we had discussed. We had a very specific budget for a very specific job which they went over. We had paid half up front and their office started harassing us the second they were done. In the end we got an adjustment but it took several calls and letters from our attorney (my wife her time is another significant added cost.) If you work (not recommended) with them be very cautious, get EVERYTHING in writing up front. Ask lots of ?'s and you may want to consider a pre-job agreement. Oh and they also got my previous accurate review deleted. Wonder how long this one will last......... Updated: More hogwash in the follow-up comments! read more

Read the reviews, only after we had Karl over to look at the place. This was a mistake. Hate to trash a business out of hand, but this was NOT a good experience. I was looking to make the house more heat efficient, as well get a price for a window that was letting in a little water when it rains. Karl was big on the upsell. He had some grand plans for a total transformation that would make a big difference. So, without being rude, the next logical thing was to get a quote, right? Bzzzt. After emailing/chatting on the phone a few times, there was no quote forthcoming. According to Karl he needed to come over, to give "the whole 9 yards" (whatever that means). Too bad he never showed up. Two times, he had scheduled appointments, two times, he not only didn't show up, he didn't call or say anything. It sucks when you have to reach out to someone you are going to pay to ask them "Hey...are you coming today?" To sum up: Upsold a small job No estimate provided No show for 2 appointments Nothing to see here, move along, move along. read more

Stay away. They will give you an estimate and then jack up the price and act as if it is your fault. In once case they did not do work clearly in the contract. When I asked why they were billing me for it they said the had actually done something else in the same are. Then the leak there reoccurred and it turned out they had done nothing, though I had paid them. Then they finally did what they were supposed to do in the first place and wanted more money from me. Another leak they supposedly fixed is still there. I'll be calling someone else to fix that. I can not deal with them anymore. read more

I had a very similar experience as Andrew's here. Probably not a coincidence. I had KK come out and inspect a leak in our condo unit. He said the concrete deck outside was the cause of the leak as it hadn't been built properly and so it had to be torn up and r. Well, the bill came in at more than 3 times (!) the original estimate with all kinds of extra work added. We paid it promptly nevertheless. After all that, guess what, the leak reappeared after the next big rainfall, and it was worse than ever before. When tried to get Karl to come out and re-inspect the area I got nothing but excuses and band-aid type of ideas from him. After we finally agreed on a date no one showed up or even called. This is plain unacceptable. Too bad I'm not a lawyer and have no time to go after these guys legally. Terrible! read more

I'm only giving one star because they showed up. They milked my elderly parents out of tens of thousands of dollars to fix a leak that's still leaking. They did so many repairs that weren't needed, shoddy work(especially stucco). When the last rain came(this has been going on for five sad years) they gave a list of things it could be, instead of just owning up to the fact that they blew it. It's so frustrating just to think about it. When I see an ad for them, my stomach gets a ick feeling. read more

I don't know how Yelp decides when to put a review in the "Not Recommended" category where 8 reviews would give a rating of just shy of 5 stars to this consultancy firm. My experience with this company was outstanding, in line with those reviews. As noted by the name of the firm, Karl Kardel consults with clients about waterproofing and restoration. I called him after finding a leak in a room under my roof top deck. I was told he had won awards for his deck designs over living space, and I knew I found my man as he went around my house and quickly found the source of the leak. I still like Karl after almost 8 mo of construction by his twin company, Kardel Construction Co. He is expensive but for me it was worth every penny. read more

Karl himself certainly knows water proofing and how to repair defective work. However some of the finishers don't meet the standards they should. Like rolling on thick paint when it had to match thin brushed on paint. Like using serrated hammer for finish carpentry work (Karl's embossed trademark?) I think you can trust KK for advice. You may want to use the Consultancy and not the contractors. read more

We had an excellent experience with Karl Kardel. He completed a major restoration project on our house including removal/replacement of all stucco, windows, roof, etc. Karl was very responsive and professional, helped us negotiate with the insurance carrier, and innovative in implementing waterproofing solutions; he is an expert with regard to water intrusion particularly due to high winds in the Oakland Hills. The entire firm is really topnotch. I recommend them highly and would not buy a stucco home in the Oakland Hills without first consulting him. read more

Karl did an inspection of my home on short notice. I needed to close. He got an inspection together right away ( the next day), gave me a very valuable advice. He is an experienced and reasonable professional and I am grateful for his assistance in the process of selling my house. read more

Karl knows his stuff. Very experienced and knowledgeable. His crews work effectively. His approach is based on both building science and experience. He found, explained, and resolved a mysterious water leak on my home that 4 others could not. Needless to say, we were very pleased. He also installed numerous custom copper down spouts for us. read more

Karl and his crews have helped me out on my house a number of times. From painting to waterproofing work he and his guys are some of the best in the business, and certainly some of the most knowledgeable. If you have a difficult waterproofing issue or stucco building I would not hesitate to call Kardel. read more