FALKON CONCRETE-MASONRY-PAVERS

Val was responsive and very professional. The job went smoothly and was completed in the time quoted. His men were excellent workers that knew their stuff.

The process was efficient and the job was well done. Great service, punctual, expedient, and very satisfied with the results.

My husband and I had quotes from a few contractors for new pavers. We went with Val because he didn't try to sell us anything we didn't need or want like other contractors. Val's quote was within our estimate. The price we received from Val was the price we paid. There were no surprise at the end of the project regarding added cost to the pavers. From beginning to the end, Val (the owner) was very responsive and very professional. Our back yard had hodge podge areas of cement labs that was poured at different times and there were unsightly cracks in different areas. The demo contractor came in and demolished and removed the concrete very quickly. Then Charlie and his crew came in to prep the grounds to lay the pavers. Charlie is very good at his trade and a perfectionist. There were a few minor glitches, as with any construction projects, but Val and Charlie always made sure the situations were corrected very quickly. Charlie and his crew installed about 1800 square feet of pavers in our yard and it is beautiful!!! We would definitely use Falkon Construction again.

We selected Falkon construction and were very pleased with the final result. Our job had some unique aspects that required good communication and coordination with our contractor. The job was to install 177 feet of block wall around the perimeter of the property of which 53 feet in the back required a hybrid retaining wall. In addition, we wanted stone veneer pilasters to terminate the side walls. We submitted drawings to four contractors for estimates. Falkon was among two other estimates that were very close in price but we were convinced they?d do the job like we wanted and would do it right. We picked Falkon because Val listened patiently to our goals, understood the options we were considering, pointed out where there might be permit issues and finally, when grilled with questions, answered each thoroughly. Val was a pleasure to work with right from the initial site visit, through design iterations, through the permitting process and finally throughout the construction. The contract was detailed and the estimates were clear. Val was key in helping us find city drawings where we could combine a block wall and a pilaster to terminate the wall. Although most cities provide ?handouts? for block wall specs, not all provide ?handouts? for pilasters and that was the case for us. We were able to merge these drawings and obtain city approval. The other key contribution Val made was to get clarification on what the city required in terms of a retaining wall. Because of the slope behind the wall there was some question about what portion of the wall had to be retaining vs. freestanding. I had been to the city Building and Safety department twice (with pictures) and couldn?t get a clear answer from them. Val cleared it up when he went through the final permit process. Once we selected Falkon they put us on the schedule about 6 weeks out but were able to start a week early. They completed the job in exactly two weeks as promised. The excavation crew had the existing wooden fence removed early on the first day after which Val and his foreman Charlie set the string for the wall location. One of the things that impressed me about Falkon was that they wanted me to be there for all the critical events in case there were any questions. I was able to help answer questions about the property line and setting the exact wall location. Throughout each step of the process I felt like they were consulting me when required and listening when I responded. Correspondence was frequent and through email or phone. Val was there for all critical events. Charlie was always available. The crew was there promptly at 7:30 every morning and available to answer questions or discuss concerns. The excavation crew hand dug all the trenches and hauled out all material in wheelbarrows. They started setting rebar in some of the trenches on the second day. Excavating took a few days and all rebar was set by the fourth day and ready for inspections by Friday. All the footings were poured and the first row of block set by Friday night. The second week they set block. All block was wheel barrowed in and staged for the crew. They set a few courses each day. By the end of the second week the walls were up and we had the final city inspection. Stone veneer and top caps were installed on the last day. We really liked how the stone veneer looked on the pilaster. The walls were straight, plumb and level and that?s exactly what you want in a block wall. Val recommended we not tool the mortar joint on the side that was going to have stucco to prevent ghosting. Good call. All in all we were very happy with the final result and would not hesitate to call them back for additional work. Customer service was outstanding and the primary reason we selected Falkon. The entire crew was very dedicated, hard working, professional and skilled. They all take pride in their work. It was a pleasure to work with them.

The existing driveway was thin and cracked, no rebar. Water pooled in a low spot on the driveway at the grass in front of the kitchen window. The retaining wall and stairs were makeshift and dangerous--a real eyesore. This house is a rental that was built in the 50's by my husband's father. The driveway level is about four feet above the level of the walkway at the side of the house. Val was able to assess and expand on ideas to solve elevation issues in this case. He was very organized and detail oriented. Very professional. He maintained good communication on the progress of the project. We were very pleased with the results.

great. Would hire them again in an instant

The crew was prompt to get us an estimate. The lead time before construction was reasonable, it took us almost as much time to get HOA approval of the work as it took to get them out to do the work. The construction was done cleanly and professionally. Communication was regular and clear. They cleaned up after themselves fairly well. Overall, I am happy with the work they performed.

The project went according to plan. It was easy to work with Val and his foreman Charlie. There were a few hiccups (as with every major project), but we were able to resolve them quickly and with minimal stress. The quality of their work was very good. My neighbor, a person in the construction trade, was impressed with their work and is now thinking about installing pavers for his driveway too. Charlie's attention to detail was very good. I mistakenly left my yard sprinklers on the day before the pavers were to be sealed. Charlie cleaned off the water and bird dropping stains that were on the pavers prior to applying a sealant to it . I was very impressed with their pride in their work.

After seeing all the great reviews, I called Val up to come take a look at my project. We scheduled a meeting day for the following week and he was right on time, very friendly and easy to talk to. I had a large hedge comprised of about 10 different trees/shrubs growing in and around an old 1950's era 4' tall wire fence. I talked with Val about my idea of a stucco wall to improve privacy and security. We agreed that I would be responsible for sourcing a tree removal service for all the plants (see Lopez Tree Service) and he would remove the fence. He was extremely patient in listening to all my ideas and answering my multitudes of questions - there is a large tree growing on my property line that I wanted to keep - so, I wanted to curve the wall behind the tree. Val said, no problem. We spent about at least an hour discussing how it would all get done and what to expect. He emailed me a bid 2 days later that was very reasonable and expected. He got me onto his schedule within 10 days but because of my busy schedule, we decided to start a week after that. His guys showed up at 7:30am, exactly when scheduled and were extremely professional and courteous. We talked over again exactly how the wall was going to curve around the tree - marked it off with spray paint and they got to work. They were lightning fast! The demo, trenching, footing pour, wall build, mud and stucco took a week total. Every day the guys showed up first thing in the morning and got right to work. I was fascinated about the whole process, and they didn't mind me watching them as they worked. Approx a month later, I noticed there was cracking along the mortar line in several places that was even chipping the stucco away - I called Val and he came out a couple days later to check it out. He had his stucco guy come take a look and had me back on his schedule for the repair. They ground out all the stucco cracks along the wall and re-mudded, bonded the patches and painted my entire wall to match my house color (the original stucco stock color did not match my house color perfectly as it was painted earlier in the year - originally it didn't bother me, but Val said they would paint after the repair so it would match). No joke, I get about 4-5 compliments a week on how great the wall looks by locals walking (and driving) the neighborhood. Val and all the guys at Falkon were amazing. So patient and professional. They do an excellent job and they do it right. I will be calling them up if ever I have need for them again.

This review is shamefully overdue. Our experience with Falkon was fantastic and I should have posted this long ago. We needed to have a long retaining wall that sits in front of our house and borders a city sidewalk replaced. Falkon's bid was substantially less than bids we received from other companies, though not the lowest; we believe it was extremely fair. We felt that Falkon worked hard to keep costs down on this project. From the start, Falkon was a joy to work with. Although Falkon is very busy, Val, the owner, was more hands on with our project than we had a right to expect. There were a large number of issues that arose during the work - some of them extremely difficult and none of them Falkon's fault and due to problems with the engineer's plans, unforeseen plumbing problems, City officials being unreasonable, taking inconsistent positions, insisting on numerous changes and additional permits, and reneging on previously-approved matters, etc. Throughout it all, and despite the hardships this imposed on Falkon and the project's extensions and delays, Val remained cool, calm and extremely professional. He was very good about adjusting the work plan as needed, and working with us, due to the various issues and problems that arose. I am embarrassed to say that we can be demanding/needy clients, and Val handled our very frequent calls and texts with grace. Val was outstanding at keeping us informed every step of the way and at returning calls/texts very quickly. Can't say enough good things about how great it was to deal with someone like him, who really knows his stuff, is patient, flexible, and thorough, and (bonus) has a good sense of humor. Val is just a truly nice person. There were a couple things that arose after-the-fact and needed some re-doing. We contacted Val, expecting some delay in addressing them and/or need to push. Boom, Val simply scheduled the additional work and it was done promptly, without complaint or charge. That kind of service is above and beyond and so appreciated. Falkon's foreman, Charlie, was great to deal with. What a truly nice guy who takes pride in doing good work. The other guys who worked with him were great as well. All were friendly, hardworking, respectful of our neighbors, cleaned up every day to make the situation more livable, punctual, and as unobtrusive as they could be with a project of this nature (lots of demolition, bobcats all over, massive mountains of excavated dirt, and so on). This project was supposed to take about two and a half weeks and ended up taking at least six weeks due to the unforeseen issues and problems the City caused for us. Val and the rest of the guys at Falkon handled these unexpected delays and changes with an extremely high level of professionalism, and made what for us was a grueling/stressful experience much more tolerable. We felt very confident having Falkon do this work for us. We have received LOTS of compliments from people in the neighborhood, both during the project and thereafter. If we ever need any work done of the type Falkon handles, we will call Falkon in a heartbeat, and we highly recommend that you do the same.

Val, with Falkon Construction, responded promptly to my emails and phone calls, and upon my request, worked directly with a residential neighbor of the shopping center to repair her wall damaged by the Center's tree roots. He also repaired columns at the Center with a rock fascia. Not only did we feel the cost was fair, he did an excellent job of cleaning up after the work. We would certainly recommend and use Falkon Construction in the future.

My wife and I operate a property management company that placed this project out to 5 bidders. Falcon bid in the middle of the grouping. It was a fair price and Val (the owner) was very responsive by phone, e-mail and in person, answering all of the many detailed questions we presented promptly. We were undecided about the look of our project, Val took the time out of his busy schedule to help us craft the best result. It took us months to go through a number of revisions to the project and Val was always helpful, provided great input, had a patience of the saint, was never pushy and walked us through the whole project. His communication was excellent, he got ahead of all potential problems and prepared us for the unexpected. Val was always on top of his team. The foreman, Charlie, is outstanding: He is a hard worker, understands his craft and creates great teamwork. The crew is polite and friendly. They always showed up on time, kept the worksite clean, cleaned up after themselves and secured the worksite every evening. Securing the property and safety of our tenants was our primary concern but it was professionally handled by Falkon Construction. The crew worked quickly and efficiently and it was evident that they had worked together for quite some time, the workflow was smooth and flawless. There is great attention to detail, and the workmanship is outstanding. We had some change orders along the way and this was not a problem. The price was very fair! They fixed unexpected issues that naturally happen with such a big project without hassle and always presented great suggestions to solve the inevitable unforeseeable issues that arise. My wife handled the daily oversight and change orders and Charlie and the team were always very respectful and polite. The tenants of the apartment complex are thrilled with the high end look of their new driveway. We have also received many compliments from our neighbors. We are very happy with the workmanship and the quality of the product. Falkon Construction went above and beyond our best expectations. We deal with many vendors in our business and this is definitely one of the best experiences we have had with a contractor. We will definitely be using Falkon Construction again for paver projects on other properties we manage.

We had shopped many different proposals for this project. While Falkon Construction was not the least expensive, they were fair priced and the most professional company that we dealt with. I could tell from the very onset that Val Mataele ran a very efficient operation. There were NO surprises. The proposal was very detailed and ALL questions were answered fully in advance of the project being given to Falkon. I have dealt with many contractors in the past, but have never dealt with any that have dedicated themselves to levels of customer service that were demonstrated by Val and his crew. Val kept in contact with us during the entire project and, when I did call him, he returned my calls in a timely manner. Charlie, who was on the project everyday, gave us design ideas that helped us tremendously. Best I can say is..... If you are looking for an A++ company that knows what they are doing, Falkon is the place. They are up front about their service and expertise, and very specific on the services they offer. In other words, these people are PRO's!! If the job requested is not part of their expertise, Val is up front and let's you know. They offer a service for a fair price and do an excellent job!! As they say, you get what you pay for!! In this case, I can say... I GOT MORE THAN I PAID FOR!! Thank You Val, and Charlie!! You are a rare breed these days, we will definitely use you on future projects!!

great. Quick, quality, pleasant service.

I had Val come out to make an estimate for driveway and stepped landings. After pursuing several bids other bids. I settled on Val because he was very willing to talk to me about my concerns. I had a situation where rain water would flood my garage. Val put in a line drain and a sump pump which carried the water to the street. He let me choose the pump. To complicate things, I was also working with a fence and gate contractor who required the post to be set after demo and before the driveway pour. Val was flexible enough to have this worked in without a hitch. He communicated with the inspector who had special demands on the entry and side walk. Most important was his crew. There was plenty of skilled labor on hand during the day of the pour. The foreman Charlie was knowledgeable and skillful. After finally getting our first heavy rain, I can vouch for the grading grading and sump pump operation. I am very happy with the job.

They did a great job and cleaned up after themselves. Broke a few sprinklers that were at the border to the grass, but that's understandable since they were working with a bobcat. I was happy with the service and the price.

Amazing. Val was always checking on his team's work and was very conscientious. The work was great, his workers are great, and i can't say a bad thing about any of them. Please do yourself a favor and try them if you need masonry work. You won't regret it.

The team worked quickly, finishing the job in the estimated time. The wall and repair look great. I was contacted often whenever any decision needed to be made, and I appreciated being kept in the loop. Falkon's workers were extremely friendly and professional. I am so happy with how things turned out that I plan to go through Falkon when I decided to put pavers in my back or frontyard.

I contacted Val via email. Val promptly returned an email and a time to meet. Val and his crew by far have the best customer service and are very professional. Val's price was fair and his workmanship is amazing. They installed a concrete driveway, a 61 LF Retaining wall, customized area for a sliding gate and added a additional low rise wall extension. The crew came early on a Friday and began the demo work. By 10am, they were done. We were amazed on how fast they worked. On Monday, they began to do the retaining wall. Val's crew was very friendly and worked very hard. What we liked about them was how detailed they were in their work. Val wanted to make sure that we were happy with the job. After each and every day, they cleaned before they left. By the following Friday, the retaining wall was up and the concrete driveway was put in. We are so happy with the job Falkon Construction did. So far, we've had many compliments on the work. I will be using Val and Falkon Construction in all my future masonry work. Thank you Falkon Construction, Sincerely, Brian

We interviewed several contractors for this work. Falkon was far and away the most impressive. Not only did they come in with the lowest bid, but Val was the only one of the group that was not condescending to my wife (who has been overseeing all of our repairs/upgrades since we bought our current home.) All of the work was completed within the time and cost estimates. Once the job began, Falkon's crew was working every weekday except for Christmas and New Years. The only times they stopped before the later afternoon were when they had to wait for materials to dry. The English-fluent crew were unfailingly polite, and they did an excellent job of cleaning up once they were finished. We're entirely happy with the quality of the finished product, and we have received several compliments from our neighbors about the attractiveness of our paving. Falkon will certainly be the first company I call for our future construction needs.

They came out and did an estimate. They didn't ask any questions about what we wanted beyond "a driveway". They didn't ask if we wanted pavers or concrete, or any accents in the concrete. When they did finally send the estimate via email (all our other estimates have been written up on the spot) it was 5 days later than when we were told it would be sent. UPDATE: A few weeks after this review was posted, they called back to argue with me. I would think they would want to make it right rather than argue with a customer. I'd hate to think what their work ethic is like if that's how they treat potential customers.

I appreciate Val, the owner of Falkon Concrete. He listened to my concerns and offered ways to improve the situation so water would not damage the driveway as it had in the past. His demolition crew did a good job and there was no damage to the existing concrete foundation of the neighbors wall or to our home where the driveway connected to the house. The crew worked diligently and very hard and spent extra time (until 7:30 pm) waiting for the poured cement to dry so they could put the final broom finish. The dirt (clay-like) under the previous driveway was so water logged they had to do extra work to bring it back to a normal situation. ( We had a big rain storm the day before they were to pour the concrete, which delayed them two days). Val used three different crews for each part of the work to be performed. Each crew exhibited expertise and professionalism in their respective duties. From demolition, to preparation of the ground and forming the borders; to pouring the concrete with the correct mix and then floating, troweling and brooming for the finish. It was like watching artists at work. They also built a catwalk for our grandmother over the poured walkway so we could exit the house while the cement was drying. Val was always available by phone and Charlie, his foreman, was on the site for all of the days his crew worked. Val was on site also for most of the crucial aspects.The job was completed as agreed and within cost quoted. There were NO EXTRA CHARGES, even though they had to do extra work which took extra time. I would highly recommend Val and his company of men and would use them again without hesitating.

The owner Val Mataele was fantastic to work with. When I first called to get an estimate, he called back on the same day and set up a visit on the next day. His estimate is very detailed and professional and he was so prompt in answering my stream of questions via email. His crew showed up exactly when they said that they would and the job was performed over 4 days, exactly as specified. His crew was quiet and professional and they kept my property clean and tidy over the 4 days. During the job, Val explained all the steps and made sure that he knew which direction I wanted to go when it came to all design decisions. Sometimes contractors think that they should make minor design decisions, but Val provided expert advise and then let me make the final design decisions. The finished product is beautiful. The bricks are laid perfectly and while the concrete was being poured, 2 crew members were constantly wiping down the bricks to keep them clean and free of splatters. The concrete was laid and finished flawlessly. My neighbors immediately commented on how fantastic the work is. I am completely satisfied and I would highly recommend Val and Falkon Concrete.

Val showed up on time and spoke with my husband regarding the work to be done in the garage. It took a few days and we received an estimate for the work to be done. My husband contacted Val to let him know we would like to go ahead with the work. He emailed that he would check his schedule and get back to us. To date, 11/14/13, we have not heard from him again. I appreciate the response; and as mentioned it would have helped to let us know as we have a schedule as well. I understand your conflict; however, it appeared to us that there would be no date set. Thank you for taking the time to follow up. I will change our overall rating.

We received immediate response from the owner (Val) and made an appointment for the following day for Val to come out to provide an estimate. The quote was pretty much what we expected. We received a detailed estimate within a few days and scheduled the job for two weeks later. His crew always arrived on time and always put in a full days work and the job sight was always left clean at the end of the day. Val shared that he and Charlie, his "expert" on the job, spent a good part of the first day planning the design of the drive and how to layout the ribbons (with the circular drive, we have a lot of odd angles). Val phoned on a regular basis to keep me posted on the project and to seek my input regarding questions or concerns that arose, and always had great suggestions to resolve the issues. Email inquiries were answered promptly. We requested two change-orders (the added walkway and adding the bricked-in section) which were no problem for the Falkon group. Job was completed on time even though we added the two extra items. Val was a pleasure to work with and Charlie is a true artist of his craft - his workmanship and the finer details of cutting brick to fit curves etc, is simply exquisite. We couldn't be happier and we truly feel we had the best crew for this job.