1. Universal Builders

    1. Universal Builders

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    Glendale, CA

    Universal Builders

    3.7 (88 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

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    Response time

    1 week

    Response rate

    35%

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    Reviews With Photos

    Jesse A.

    We hired Universal Builders for a home renovation (paint, kitchen, bathrooms, flooring), and the experience was pretty bad. The project timeline nearly doubled, often with only one worker present. We ultimately paid the final invoice with some pieces still unfinished, and--predictably--it was never completed. It turns out that much the electrical work was unsafe and not to code, requiring thousands of dollars in corrective repairs by a licensed electrician. We have photos, documentation, and dated materials proving responsibility. Paint quality was sloppy, concrete steps were poured unevenly, hardwood floors were damaged, and crews routinely left trash across the property. Items went missing and promised reimbursement was never provided. Poor supervision, zero quality control, and disorganized materials management. Lost original antique door hardware. Based on our experience, we strongly recommend avoiding this company. Disappointing.

    Final roof
    Kurtis R.

    I hired Universal Builders for a full roof replacement and honestly this whole thing turned into a nightmare. When I first met with their salesman Nick (superintendent), he told me straight up they wouldn't be the cheapest, but they'd give me the best quality, send their "A team," and that all the workers were Universal employees, not subcontractors. [[HIGHLIGHT]]He promised me a professional job with good communication.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] That's what I thought I was paying around $30,000 for. Unfortunately, that's not at all how it went. On day one, right after demo, I got hit with a massive change order for plywood decking. Nick had even promised there'd be a bathroom on site, but there wasn't. I had to negotiate the change order down, and then the next day I found out they were installing the wrong plywood thickness -- half-inch instead of the 5/8 I was supposed to get. Half the deck was already laid before I climbed up and caught it myself. They fixed it because I caught it, not because they were paying attention. That set the tone for the whole job. I kept finding sloppy, unacceptable work. Flashing around the AC curb, chimney, and skylight was missing or cut short and filled in with caulk. The cricket behind the AC curb was too short, with a big gap just smeared over with caulking. Vents were caulked with pinholes left. Brand new shingles were scuffed and scratched because nobody bothered to use foam pads. I found razor cuts in the underlayment about to be covered up with shingles. Decking boards not nailed into rafters properly. Bent nails left in rafters, overdriven nails in new shingles. Pee bottles in my attic. Trash left around my property. And nails all through my gravel driveway because nonexistent or poor magnet sweeps until I demanded it. I've had to pull nails out myself just to avoid flat tires. The "A team" Nick promised turned out to be day laborers paid cash by the day, not actual Universal employees. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Every time I checked, I found something wrong. Instead of owning it, Nick and his supervisor Tony turned hostile.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Tony even called me an "entitled homeowner" who didn't want to pay, and told me "this isn't our first rodeo" and that they had "tools at their disposal." Basically trying to intimidate me instead of fixing the roof.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] That was it for me, I refused to deal with them anymore. Thank God I have cameras all around my house because every conversation and interaction got recorded. At a certain point I basically had to act like my own lawyer, building a case in case this ended up in court. That's how bad it got. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Eventually I escalated things to Lily in their office and Armon, the CEO. Once Lily got involved, things did improve, she was professional and actually seemed to care but by then it was already the end of the project, and all that was left was chasing corrections just to get the roof to pass inspection.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] In Riverside county roofing contractors can self certify their permit, it's a county policy not something universal made up. But because of the problems not being remediated I wasn't comfortable with this and called the County myself to send out an inspector. Inspector Manuel Leal came out and wrote a correction notice with the same problems I had been pointing out: missing proper flashing around the HVAC curb, chimney flashing that had to go under stucco flashing, a cricket required at the garage to house valley, and vents that had to be properly caulked instead of smeared with caulk and pinholes left. He even noted "more corrections may follow." Without that inspection, Universal would've declared the job done and walked away. In the end, the roof is finally complete, but only because I caught mistake after mistake, documented everything with photos, emails and got the County involved. Without that, this roof would've been signed off unfinished and below standard. For 30K, I shouldn't have to climb my own roof and basically act as superintendent to make sure things are done to code. Even with all that, I still had to let some things slide just to get it over with, brand new shingles that are scratched or missing asphalt, broken pieces of shiplap that weren't damaged before this project started. I've got pictures and video of everything. At this point I just accepted it so I could move on, but it's a reminder of how sloppy this job was. Universal charges premium prices but what I got was poor workmanship, broken promises, bad communication, and misrepresentation of who was even doing the work. If you hire them, make sure everything promised is in writing, document absolutely everything, demand County inspections, and don't sign off until it's verified. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The one positive in all of this was Lily, she was professional and helpful but she's not the one out running projects in the field.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] By the time she got involved, the damage was done. Now I'll wait for the first real rain, check my attic for leaks, and if I find any, it'll be very telling to see how Universal handles fixing them.

    New Roof decking + shingles, and leaf guards installation. ‍
    Jennifer D.

    Professional and polite from start to finish. Timely and clean work. Kind employees at all levels, who prove their wealth of experience. Leo, Alfred, Andrew, Ralph, Nick, Keki, Armenak and a large team of workers who do this all day every day and know all the mandatory details. Highly recommended. So far so good. No complaints. We are consulting them for additional projects as well since our complete roof replacement seems to have gone smoothly. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Thank you guys again for turning a nerve wracking worry into a relieving experience.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Permits and inspections achieved quickly and roofing done in time for 2025 Jan/Feb rainy season. #LosAngeles #Construction #Roofing #Paint #Stucco #Plaster #LeafGuards #Heroic #Sympathetic #Kind #Polite #Professional #GoodCommunication #Timely #Efficient #Negotiation #PromisesKept #Honest

    The finished work

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    1 month ago

    [[HIGHLIGHT]]Had a great experience with Mark![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Very professional and guided me through the entire process. Highly recommend!

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    9 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Tom and Alex did a great job getting my roof deck repaired in one day. The work was excellent and all when as they said.

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Universal Builders

    Review Highlights - Universal Builders

    Huge shout out to Chris for managing the entire process and maintaining contact with me throughout the entire process.

    Mentioned in 7 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Creative Innovation Developers

    Creative Innovation Developers

    5.0
    (102 reviews)

    First time doing a project on this scale. With the terrible economy and housing market, we…read morepurchased an older home that had decades of neglect and ended up having many, many hidden issues. We thought we were in over our heads. Creative Innovation was consulted to do a whole house remodel. From start to finish, they were amazing to deal with. Everything is legit and every single person we dealt with was trustworthy. Thats something hard to find. Every hidden issue we found, they worked with us and were very accommodating. They also have an amazing network of vendors to get what we needed. We now have our forever home. Thank you so much Shlomi, Ozzie and team.

    I met Ben from Creative Innovation Developers today regarding the remodel of my property, and I was…read moregenuinely impressed. He took the time to walk through the project with me, answer my questions, and explain the different options without ever trying to upsell me or recommend unnecessary work. What stood out most was that his advice was based on what was best for my property and my long-term interests--not what would make his company more money. That level of honesty is rare, and I really appreciated it. I only wish I had met Ben before I started the architectural and design process. If I had, I would have had him involved from the very beginning. If you're looking for a contractor who is knowledgeable, honest, and truly has your best interests in mind, I highly recommend Ben and Creative Innovation Developers.

    Go Home Builders

    Go Home Builders

    4.9
    (41 reviews)

    I hired Go Home Builders to rebuild our home after it was caught on fire due to faulty electrical…read morework. We've interviewed a few home builders, checked out their work and reputation, and eventually decided to go with Gil, Oren, and the whole team of Go Home Builders. Working with the insurance was a pain, luckily Gil had experience working with Allstate insurance before, and he helped us a lot getting the money we needed to rebuild our home. The planning process took a bit longer than what we initially planned for. The county of LA took their sweet time approving our plans. Fortunately, after 2 sets of revisions we were fully approved. The construction wasn't bad at all, they had plenty of guys working on our home at the same time. The only time there was no work, was on inspection days. The finishes was one thing that was extremely important for us. My wife and I are detail oriented and wanted to make sure we're choosing the right company to do the finish work correctly. All I can say is that they exceeded my expectations. Overall the beginning of the process was extremely emotional challenging, but the whole team of Go Home Builders made us feel like we're not alone. My wife and I are very grateful for them. I'd highly recommend.

    Go Home Builders did a wonderful job with our primary bathroom remodel. We interviewed multiple…read morecompanies and went with GHB since they seemed the most design-forward and client-friendly of the bunch, and gave us a reasonable quote too. I had a rough vision in mind for fitting a lot into a relatively small space, but wanted to see the options rendered so I could better make the big layout and design decisions. Alexis was very patient and super helpful in mocking up each iteration until we locked in the final design. Once it was time to actually break ground, Gil, Oren, Uriel, and the rest of the team were really responsive and always available by text. Unlike previous contractors we've worked with, they usually gave us an idea of what was happening the next day/week and who to expect onsite. The first ~70% of the project went really smoothly and far exceeded my expectations. Demo, framing, rough plumbing, and electrical all largely went without a hitch. We ran into some problems towards the end around communication, timeline, and subcontractor oversight -- which led to more delays when someone punctured our new in-wall toilet tank and flooded both the bathroom and bedroom. We know every construction job runs into challenges so we weren't bent out of shape by it, and we did appreciate that GHB took full responsibility for fixing the issues. By and large we were really impressed by most of their subcontractors, especially the very professional and considerate plumbing, electrical, and tiling teams! After living with our new bathroom for a while now, we can definitely say it was worth the wait, and such a huge improvement over our previous dysfunctional layout. Thanks to GHB for their great service, amazing attitude, attention to detail, and for bringing the bright, colorful bathroom of my dreams to life!

    GK General Construction

    GK General Construction

    4.8
    (120 reviews)

    Gary and his crew updated our two bathrooms and kitchen ten years ago and the work still looks…read moregreat. I wasn't as active on yelp back when he did the work, but my dad and I still appreciate it. --Susan

    This is the second house we've had renovated by Gary. This house was outdated and unattractive but…read morewe knew it could be special. We are always happy with Gary's work. He is a competent professional and trusted contractor with a solid team of subcontractors who have been doing this work for decades. With this renovation, we brought our 1912 Craftsman bungalow down to the studs. This was a full-gut renovation that involved replacing all mechanicals, drywall, new bathrooms, new kitchen and doing a primary bath addition. With Gary's construction expertise, we were able to restore the home while maintaining its original charm and bring our design to life. Some of Gary's many contributions included framing a new tray/drop ceiling, installing custom window and door casings to match the originals. He also rebuilt the front porch railings and reinforced the porch ceiling so it would accommodate a porch swing. He built our backyard studio shed in just a couple days and it's adorable. While nearly everything is new, you can't tell. And that is a compliment to the quality of craftsmanship. Gary doesn't cut corners and it shows. It is very important that you trust your contractor and that they have integrity and do what they say they are going to do. Experience is also very important. Gary has all of this. We will definitely be calling Gary for the next house we buy. We can't recommend him enough.

    New Dawn Construction

    New Dawn Construction

    4.9
    (80 reviews)

    We hired New Dawn Construction to renovate two rental apartments in a building that's over a…read morecentury old -- two kitchens, one bathroom, and a rotating cast of surprises that come standard with any pre-war LA structure. The project ran about six months. The short version: we'd hire them again. The longer version: Jacob, the design lead, is the reason we went with them. He has a genuine passion for old buildings and pushed to preserve original details that another contractor would have torn out without a second thought. That instinct matters when you're working on something irreplaceable. Ken managed the project more quietly but kept things moving. And when issues came up after the job was done -- after the final check had been cashed -- Jacob, Ken, and the owner Sage came back and made it right. That's not nothing. That's actually rare. Were there setbacks? Yes. If you've hired contractors in LA, especially on older properties, you know what you're signing up for. New Dawn isn't immune to that reality. They're not the cheapest option and not the most expensive either. But they're the kind of crew that stands behind their work, and in this city, that's worth writing a review about.

    New Dawn just completed a bathroom project for us plus replaced the floors in two of our bedrooms…read moreand the work is top tier quality. The team was quick, efficient, and always responsive. Design lead Kim was friendly, helpful, and his suggestions were always on point. The day to day Project Manager Jorge was amazing, truly a standout in his field. I honestly can't overstate how refreshing and helpful it was to work with Kim and Jorge. The work was completed faster than I expected without being rushed, and it honestly blew me away how the crew managed it all like clockwork. All construction projects are journey, and this one definitely came to a happy ending.

    MDM Custom Remodeling

    MDM Custom Remodeling

    4.9
    (197 reviews)

    I reached out to MDM back in early 2025 and met with Mike right away so he could look at my…read moreproperty and walk me through what my wife and I wanted for our project. Throughout the entire process, Mike was very professional and the level of expertise he exhibited was obvious. Before Mike, I had met with 3 other contractors to compare services and quotes but what sealed the deal for me was the 3D render service Mike offered. It was affordable and it would be free if you end up going with MDM for your remodel. Mike was able to get the renderings to me very quickly and made adjustments whenever we wanted to change something. Seeing the details of the renderings really brought what we were envisioning to life and helped with the design process. Fast forward to beginning of demo/construction, Mike's employees were impressively fast and efficient at their jobs, but what really impressed me was how clean they kept our property after each day of work. And that stated true throughout the entire process of our 7 month renovation. During construction, if there were any last minute changes, Mike would always try to cater to our needs whenever possible. Even if subcontractors made mistakes with anything, Mike would make sure it is fixed and perfect right away. Keep in mind, you can't rely on Mike for everything (as much as you might want to). You really do have to do your research (in terms of design, finishing materials, sourcing those materials, and getting them delivered on time) and know exactly what you want and how you want it, that way, Mike can plan and put into action what needs to be done. After this entire process, we are extremely happy we got this project completed with MDM. What really sets them apart is the quality of work, dependability, and the great people that work for MDM. Shoutout to Mario! They really respected our home and were very considerate of us during construction. Even after everything was finished, they guaranteed that they would come back and fix anything that needed fixing. Cannot recommend them enough if you want to improve or build your new home!

    We had a great experience with MDM Remodeling on our downstairs, so we hired them again for our…read moreupstairs guest bathroom and they delivered again. Shawn was easy to reach, responsive, and great to work with throughout the project. The crew showed up on time, kept things clean, and finished everything in under 5 weeks. We did new tile, vanity, lighting, and a walk-in shower, and the quality really shows. Hard to find a contractor this consistent and reliable. Pricing felt fair too, especially for the level of work. Definitely recommend MDM Remodeling if you're doing a bathroom remodel in Los Angeles we'll be using them again.

    MMM Remodeling & Construction

    MMM Remodeling & Construction

    5.0
    (36 reviews)

    We previously used MMM for a small job fixing a beam that had a crack allowing rain to leak in our…read morehouse. Artin and his team was on time and meticulous in repairing the beam. So when we finally had our main bathroom redone after the Eaton fires he was the only contractor we called. And the results were amazing. Artin was very responsive to our texts and questions. As with any big project things can surprise you. We went shopping at Home Depot for our materials (tile, vanity, mirror, window). Along the way Artin gave us good feedback and direction as to what worked. He had a team of skilled workers (tile guy Jimmy was AMAZING, often working late to cut tile and finish off the floor and shower tiles) and all of his folks were a pleasure to work with. Artin and his team taped off our bedroom to keep dust off our room and was very careful about cleaning up as they went. We did encounter a few "ooopsies" like discovering shoddy workmanship from the prior builder and leaks causing wood rot over the years. Artin showed us everything and gave us options. He always was transparent about price and options. Because of the surprises the job took longer than anticipated but we wanted it done right. And MMM did it right. We truly feel we found the best contractor in the area. And we love our new bathroom!!

    Artin is an expert in his field--knowledgeable, straightforward, and completely transparent and…read morefair with pricing. He is also organized and incredibly responsive. But beyond the professionalism, what truly stood out was the heart behind the work. From start to finish, Artin made us feel genuinely cared for every step of the way. He went above and beyond--not because he had to, but because he wanted to help. His top priority was always ensuring our safety and peace of mind. He is honest, reliable, respectful, and a truly good person--and the same can be said for his entire crew. They treated our home and family with such care and kindness that by the end of the project, it genuinely felt like we were saying goodbye to family. I honestly don't know if I can put into words how grateful I am for Artin. I would recommend him a million times over. If you have the chance to work with him, take it. You'll be in the best possible hands--and chances are, you'll not only end up with a beautifully done project, but with a new friend as well. Thank you, Artin.

    Universal Builders - roofing - Updated July 2026

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