Contractor for Bathroom Remodel
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Archived Q&A and Reviews
Contractor for kitchen and bathroom remodel
July 2013
We are looking for good, and well priced contractor to do a bathroom and kitchen remodel and some minimum work in bedrooms. For bathroom, we would like to remove a wall add some space from the bedroom closet to creat a niche for a two sink counter, add new light fixtures, sinks, faucets, cabinets and backsplash. Then the bedroom needs to be modified to add an IKEA closet. For the kitchen, we want to reface the cabinet, add new counter top with new sink and faucet and new light fixture. A microwave needs to be moved inside a cabinet too, so some mill work as well. For our other two bedrooms, we want to change our existing wood sliding doors to mirrors, and creat bigger opening for a hinged door closet to add mirror sliding doors for that room as well. This is the scope of our work, I am a designer, so the drawings are ready, I need somebody to build it!
Just at the end of a major bathroom renovation (and new deck construction) with Tom Parenteau from Carr Custom Builders. It's been a great experience (excellent quality of work, good organization, really nice and trustworthy workers). Happy to pass on a recommendation -- carrcustombuilders [at] gmail.com. Elizabeth
For kitchen and bathroom remodels I senthusiastically recommend Robert Brown. 510-427-4722. He remodeled our bathroom and reconfigured an awkward part of the house between the main and addition, which included two doorways. He is talented and experienced, reasonably priced, and he is very pleasant to work with. I'm happy to provide a more detailed recommendation for him. Heidi
Due to excellent previous reviews on BPN, we hired Berkeley Construction in Feb. of 2013 for our bathroom remodel and kitchen painting, and it is still not finished, 5 months later. The project is currently running 3 months behind. Many mistakes were made. The ordering of supplies and fixtures were ''forgotten'' numerous times. Excuses have piled upon excuses. Communication between us and the owner has been non existent to very poor. He prefers to relay info through his workers who give nonspecific answers to our questions. Some of his subs, especially the granite fabricator and the second painter, were unprofessional. We actually repainted the trim work in the bathroom ourselves last weekend just to get it done. The painter went back and forth between sanding and painting, and got sanding dust in the paint, yet used it anyway. I regret that I did not get more current info on this contractor. still in limbo
Constantin from CGBuilders did the remodeling in my house. My conditions among other things where a 'good and well priced contractor' same as you are looking for. I was very pleased to work with him. He is a good contractor and for my project was a well priced contractor. You can contact him a 5103055680, info [at] cgbuilders.info. Don't forget to visit his website www.cgbuilders.info diana
We would highly recommend Emanuel with Bay Area Pacific Construction. We hired them for a kitchen remodel, 2 bathroom remodels and electrical work; excellent work to code, good communication, very clean/neat, respectful of our home, meticulous work indicative of craftsman-like passion and old world pride, plus they finished the job over 2 weeks ahead of schedule. We cannot recommend this company enough and are more than happy to give references. You can reach Emanuel at 510 484 5765 or online at www.bayareapacificconstruction.com Greg & Celeste
Bathroom re-tiling logistics
June 2013
We need to have our shower stall re-tiled and we don't know how to go about it- should we hire a licensed contractor, or go with a handy person that we know and trust? And how do we navigate the permit process? Does property tax increase? Just looking for some opinions about how to navigate the Berkeley system. Thanks, anon
Hi. Re-tiling a shower stall (or even a bathroom) will not require permits. The most important part about re-tiling in a wet area is making sure that water does not get behind the tiles. It is important to hire an experienced and good tile person to perform the work. Not sure if the person should be licensed contractor. You should look for recommendations for good tilers. I'm new to the Berkeley/Oakland area and unfortunately unable to recommend anyone. But that's where you should start looking. skys mom
Anon, My name is Mike. I live in North Oakland. Hiring a licensed contractor tends to cost more but the insurance they come with may be worth it. If you have the time you can act as your own contractor and hire a handyman to complete the work. I have both acted as my own general contractor and hired general contractors. If their are no structural changes I usually pull my own permits and draw my own plans. If there are structural changes I will bring in a general contractor. If you need help with the permit process start with the zoning department for the city. I am not sure about the increase in property taxes. If you need an affordable experienced contractor try Angel's Construction in the east bay 415-810-5049. Or if you really want to save money and aren't concerned about the the license try Carlos Mejia at 415-786-2919 - he is a handyman. Hope this helps Mike
You might give Robert Robbins a Call. He works by the job and within your budget. His number is 415-545-8542. He has some pretty good ideas even if you decide to go with someone else. Mike
Bathroom contractor recommendation wanted
March 2012
We're considering reinstalling a tub (previous owners removed and put in a large walk in shower), hopefully a fairly simple job, minimal demo, maybe some plumbing and a little tile work. Appreciate recommendations for quality, reasonably priced contractor. Thank you! Audrey
We're using Michael Colombo of Miccolo Construction (michael [at] miccolo.us) 510-848-8188. He also did our kitchen. He does great work and is very honest and careful.
I used Will Perez and Luis Arreola for several projects in my home and they are excellent carpenters. Neat, reasonably priced, efficient, honest, smart, and thorough. They did carpentry work and repaired a difficult plaster ceiling for us. The work came out fabulously. I recommend them highly. You can get in touch with Will at 415-806-3859. Ellen
I can only say that Marius Construction has proved to be a real lifesaver for me and for my neighbors. He is prompt, his workers are quiet and well-mannered, and above all he sticks to two things like Crazy Glue: A-the price he quotes is the price you pay and B-he completes the work on time. All this plus he is an artist with a vision at a modest and fair price. He's on the web and you can check his ratings on several sites. Susan
Contact Eric Sterken--he's everything you'd ever want in a contractor. He does great work, he listens and communicates well, he's reliable and honest, he's reasonably priced, and he's a joy to have around. These are rare qualities in contractors, as you may know. He's a FIND! Also, his wife runs the business and she is also very sweet, and very competent. He loves doing bathrooms, kitchens and decks, and has built quite a few whole houses. They are E Builders: www.EJBuildersInc.com Cynthia
I can very highly recommend Seth Melchert as a general contactor for new constuctiuon and remodel projects. We have hired him over the years for everything from bathroom remodels to a newly constructed studio on our property. He is very thorough and has high quality standards as well as easy to work with. He can be reached at Master Buiders (his company) at: 510-654-2746. Roger
Hi Audrey! I highly recommend you contact Sorin Feraru with Feraru They remodeled our bathroom not long ago and did an amazing job. Sorin was always there for us with his knowledge and advice. His team is very well trained, skilled, and had great respect towards our property. The project went smoothly from beginning to end and the price was within our budget. Call Sorin at 510- 228-7366
I highly recommend Eco Logical Builders. They did a complete remodel on our bathroom--gutted a very sad,tiny bathroom with lots of leaky issues--now we have the most gorgeous functional bathroom ever. They are very reasonable in price, delivered on time and were very customer focused. I would also recommend them for kitchen remodels as well, as they are full on with all plumbing and electrical. Eco Lgical is also a Green Certified Builder. Contact info is Willie at 415-823-5525. website: ecologicalbuilders.com Kelley
Eric Sterken, of E & J Builders has a lot of experience with these kinds of jobs, and also with rebuilding decks, in case the next poster is reading here, too! He's personable, honest, and very easy to live with (minimal noise, cleans up at the end of the day, understands that you need to live your house, too). Let him give you a free estimate. Nice reviews on Yelp, too. http://www.ejbuildersinc.com/E_%26_J_Builders/Welcome.html signed M
Our landlord hired Mike Rudd to redo both bathrooms in our house (new tile, new floors, new counter, paint). He was a careful worker, very affordable and considerate! The work has held up well. I've recommended him to friends too. His email is handyman [at] lmi.net Phone: 510-703-1657 License #908064 Kristine
Sink, Bathtub, and Tile Work - separate? Together?
March 2012
Hello, We need some work done in our bathroom (1916 home). The sink & bathtub need replacing, and we would like new tiling done on both the floor and 'tub surround'.
If you needed this work done, would you hire a plumber to do the sink & tub and then someone else to do the tile work? Or, one contractor to do all 3 parts of the job?
Do you have recommendations for a contractor and/or plumber and tile work person you might hire? Anyone you've had great luck working with, did a fantastic job, and didn't charge an arm & a leg? How many bids did you get? Any other information or recommendations for this job (or these jobs?) Thanks very much. Needing a useable bathroom
I know an excellent plumber whom I have used for years. He is reliable and his prices are always really fair. He just remodeled our bathroom. He can do the tile as well or he can recommend other contractors. My house was built in 1914. His name is Robert Esposito. Flowmechanic [at] hotmail.com or cell#510 725-9763 good luck! Stacey
Our long-time contractor Lowell-James Hicks recently did a major bathroom and kitchen remodel for us in our 50+-year-old Berkeley condo. The plumbing, the excellent tile work, the bamboo floor, etc.
He is licensed and insured in California. He has, over the past twenty-plus years, done for us more than a dozen moderate-to large projects which included everything from framing and finish carpentry to electrical, plumbing, tile, roofing, and HVAC maintenance. He is a craftsman and an artist, two qualities which show prominently in his work. Whenever we have recommended his service to our friends, the reports have come back with an abundance of thanks and praise. He is fast accurate, clean, reasonably priced, smart (a member of Mensa), and, perhaps most importantly, utterly dependable. His contact information is: Lowell Hicks fcleffer [at] yahoo.com 510-612-9988 John B
Hi, we just completed a bathroom remodel using Marius Adamache. It was quite extensive as we had bad wood rot issues. Marius, his business partner Dan and all of his workmen were wonderful to work with. Marius will come promptly, assess your situation and give you very reasonable pricing, depending on what you want to do. He is straightforward, honest and always checking on progress and troubleshooting any unforeseen issues. He has a large enough team of skilled workmen that he can always have someone come quickly to deal with a particular issue. He even had someone to fabricate granite at our home-no worries about someone getting the measurement wrong. Marius' workmen were quiet, clean, considerate and polite.Their workmanship is excellent. My dog's first stop this morning was to poke her head in our new bathroom to see if any of Marius' guys were there. Like it says on the refrigerator magnet 'I wish I was the kind of person my dog thinks I am.' Well Marius and his crew are those kind of people. I would absolutely ask him to coordinate your bathroom work. Donna
Tub/shower install--bathroom with slanted ceiling
Oct 2011
We are looking for a contractor to install a basic, modern tub/shower combo in the space where a club-foot tub now sits(with a shower attachment) in our upstairs bathroom. Our house is over 100 years old and the bathroom has a slanted ceiling with a skylight in it, installed many years ago by the previous owners. The shower curtain set- up that we now have is quaint, but a mess. We are on a tight budget but hope there are some contractors out there who have dealt with similar situations. Karen
Our house is 90 years old built in 1921. Most of the walls and ceilings in our home are slanted from what I believe to be settling due to the age of our home. A portion of our master bathroom use to be a triangle shaped closet prior to our remodel. Our contractor, Amir was fantastic, came up with solutions that worked and stayed within our budget. Call Amir of Integral Home Improvements at (510) 904-2786. Berkeley Home Owner
Two bathrooms, two issues; one fixer?
Oct 2011
Hi all, Both of our bathrooms are in need of some repair. If one person (contractor? handyman? plumber? tiler?) could do both jobs, that might be great! Otherwise, if you have recommendations for either, we'd love those!
Bathroom 1: built only 6 years ago, but the roof is leaking during the rain. Not sure if this is work only for a 'roofer', or if a 'contractor' or other professional could do this.
Bathroom 2: Needs a sink replaced, bathtub replaced, floor and wall tiling re-done.
Both of these are TINY bathrooms, if that makes any difference. Any and all recommendations welcome and appreciated! (Any you'd stay away from, on the other hand?) Thank you. Time to get it done!
Andrew Nardinelli did an outstanding job with our bathroom and kitchen remodel. He is particularly talented with tile design and install and very competent with plumbing. Shortly after we began working with him, we realized that the bathroom tile we had selected was much too expensive. He redesigned the tiling using a large amount of inexpensive tile and a small amount of expensive tile for decorative insets and edging. It turn out gorgeous - actually better than we had originally envisioned. He has handled two small but kind of complicated roofline/gutter issues for us, so I suspect he could easily handle a small roof repair. Sometimes, though, the big time consuming challenge is finding the exact source of the leak, not actually making the repair. I believe his phone is 510 219-9653. His email is andrewnardinelli [at] hotmail.com. Laurie
I would highly recommend Amir of Integral Home Improvements (510) 904-2786. We used him initially on our rental property to complete a bathroom remodel. He gutted the bathroom, reconfigured the space with new plumbing, new fixtures and great title work. We recently used him to give a our master bath a mini- remodel that included a new window, fixtures and paint. Amir did an excellent job. Jess, Oakland
In regard to your two tiny bathrooms remodeling I wholeheartedly recomend Constantin. He can do any of the work that is require in your bathrooms including roofing, all the bathroom fixtures instalation, plumbing electric... He is a general contractor and he did several projects for me, first, and then for several of my friends. I am really happy with his work and that's why I keep recommending him. Give him a call at 510-305-5680 or email him at info [at] cgbuilders.info. By the way, if you want to see some of his work go to www.cgbuilders.info Diana
Juan Manuel Diaz is your man. He has done several recent projects for us, including tiling a shower (after framing and sheetrocking it to create the space), opening up a doorway, finding the source of a pesky leak, and finding a cheap and creative solution to a drainage problem. He does great work and is very creative with solutions for tight spaces. (Your bathroom can't possibly be smaller than our bathroom.) He's a real artisan with tile and plaster -- he has done a lot of work for my mother-in-law over the years, and she recommends him highly too. And he's friendly, responsible, and very easy to work with. You can reach him at 415-678-9591. Jennifer M
Call Sorin Feraru with Feraru & Associates Building and Design. He just finished a major remodel for our house. He is reliable, trustworthy and very professional. And you get all that at a reasonable price. Sorin took care of our remodel from beginning to the end and worked along with us as a consultant. He was always in contact with us and answered his phone, or called us right back. Things went smoothly and the remodel was finished on time. Sorin's crew builds dust barriers in the house so the dust doesn't spread to the part that was not remodeled. Also they left the job site clean at the end of each working day. We highly recommend Sorin Feraru. Please call him at 510-228-7366 or go to his web site www.feraru.us
Great Contractor for Tub/Shower Remodel
Sept 2011
Can you recommend an affordable and reliable contractor to do a simple tub/shower remodel in our modest home and ONLY bathroom? We just need a new tub/shower with either tiles on the walls or a tub surround if the space permits. We're also desperate for the job to be done quickly and reliably - we're expecting our second child in November! Thank you much! Tubfanatic
For a great contractor, call Robert Leitz at Decade Construction. I used him for a small job and he's excellent. They are also green and also certified to do no-lip shower installations. You can get an excellent sense of him and how he works by looking at the photos and videos on his website: http://www.decadeconstruction.com/ Best
I suggest you give Dan Martinez Construction a call. You say you want it done on time - Dan's guys show up EVERY DAY and get the job done on schedule. (I know, shocking.) He is reasonably priced. You can call 510.893.0485. Feel free to say I recommended them. Dawn
Need a reliable and affordable contractor for bathroom remodel
Oct 2006
Hello. We're fairly new to the Richmond area and we're starting to plan a bathroom remodel in our small home. We're open to suggestions on good, reliable, and affordable contractors (w/ or w/out permits) and places to go for fixtures. All postings are dated, so hopefully someone out there has recently gone through a successful remodel. Thanks in advance Elaine
I have someone absolutely great to recommend for your bathroom remodel (and he does other stuff, too!): Gabriel Ortiz Kobban (cell: 510-228-7924). Last year, we re-did an existing bath and added a new one. He and his crew did a great job on both. Also, I was very pregnant when we started, and they got everything done in time for our baby's arrival. His pricing was very reasonable, too. He also was really helpful in finalizing scope to fit in our budget. He is a licensed contractor, and he managed the inspections with the city. Also really important is that he's bilingual (Spanish and English), so he could communicate well with us as well as with his Spanish-speaking crew. He lives in Oakland. Feel free to call me for more details: 415-846-2207 Laura
I would recommend BuildMark. Emanuel and his team did an excellent job and we love our new bathroom! The BuildMark crew did high quality work and were unobtrusive as they carried it out, which was really important as various family members were working and studying from home. In addition, the workers were very respectful of our space and careful to ensure our dog did not get out as they entered and exited the house. Emanuel was always responsive to us and came by our house several times before starting the work to respond to our questions and explain the way they would approach the job. Emanuel’s estimate of how long the work would take was spot on. We are very pleased with BuildMark, Inc. and would highly recommend them. You can contact him at 510-484 5765 emanuel [at] buildmarkinc.com
I had my whole house redone by Elliot Build (https://elliottbuild.com/) -- I was always impressed by the design eye of Kirsten, the owner. BTW, it was a huge project that took almost a year, including foundation work, and they came in on time and on budget. They also took care of all the permitting. Totally recommend.
I wanted to share with you all the excellent experience we’ve been having for our remodeling project with with our contractor, Marius Adamanche and his team (adamache [at] comcast.net (adamache[at]comcast[dot]net) or marius@mariusconstruction).
Context: we needed to have the kitchen and bathroom completely remodeled (we’re talking pushing walls etc.) in a rental unit.
Our experience after 1.5 months of working on the project:
Overall, I would say that our main feeling was that Marius’ and our interests were aligned. We felt that he was as invested in completing the renovation as we were. He was budget-conscious, advising us against certain details that could significantly increase our budget. However, he wisely recommended a sump pump to ensure proper drainage and protect our first-floor unit against water damage. We greatly appreciated his judgment calls.