FALKON CONCRETE-MASONRY-PAVERS

I received 5 bids on this project and Val was neither the highest or the lowest, but clearly the best choice. There were challenges on this project that I feel if I working with anyone else but Val would have been much more difficult to get past. His judgement and advice were sound and he finished the project on time and in budget. Read the other reviews here. Val is professional, timely, and fair. His crew is fantastic and they collectively bring a good energy to the work site. I enjoyed having them around. I will definitely use him again. Thanks for the great work!

Val and his crew were great. Val's cost bid was between my highest and lowest bids. They did the work for the cost and schedule they bid. They were friendly, punctual, and meticulous. Val was there most of the time and was always ready to answer questions. Val or Charlie, the job foreman, asked for my opinion on how things should look at each step - from the desired dimensions, to where the brick ribbons should go, to the kind of finish I wanted. They made suggestions for the best quality and durability whenever they thought it was important. They started on a Monday and removed the old driveway and graded the dirt in one day. Tuesday through Thursday they laid down the brick edges and ribbons and coordinated with my Plumber so he could replace the water main under the driveway. The brinks were placed with extreme precision and the slopes and other dimensions were equally precise. On Friday they poured the first half. They did this for a good purpose. We could not walk on the new driveway for 2 days so for the weekend we walked on the dirt half to get to the street. They poured the second half on Monday and we then walked on the first half. We were allowed to drive on it after one week. We've been driving on it now for over a week and it is wonderful. After driving on cracked and root-lifted asphalt for many years this feels like floating. These guys were great. I would recommend them for any hardscape work.

The Falkon team were very professional and very attentive to my concerns over the way that water would drain. Each time they promptly came onsite and gave me good advice and made recommendations on how to ensure the new concrete/pavers would drain well and last a long time, followed by a detailed quote. Ultimately I chose to not move forward with Falkon but I was very happy with their service.

The service was excellent! The workers showed up when expected and finished the job earlier than I was anticipating. They did a great job and cleaned up afterwards in a very professional manner. Their quality of work was top notch. Val (the owner) was very personable and went out of his way to make sure that everything was to my satisfaction. I would definitely use these people again.

Val worked with us from start to finish. Very professional detailed itemized bid We changed our minds 3 times And Val was happy to write up a revised bid and sent it to us by email.I am very happy with way it all turned out. I was surprised that rebar was used in the driveway surprised but happy.The brickwork ribbons in the driveway Really ads to the appearance. Also all the brickwork planters look great.Only problem I have now is I have to Put out more money to bring the rest of the front yard to match the beautiful driveway and planters. Anyone needs quality work such as described Falkon is the place to go and Val and his talented professional Personal nice crew are a pleasure to wok with.

Before starting this project I had three separate masonry contractors bid for the project. Val Mataele of Falkon Construction surveyed the area and made three separate observations that were overlooked by the other contractors (1. the footing may have to be special given that the backyard slopes downward; 2. a tree would need to be removed; 3. my neighbors' wall created a challenge). His bid was competitive and he was very personable so I chose his company. I must also say that getting this project through my HOA was a huge pain but he was patient and navigated things smoothly. The wall was completed in less time than was quoted and his crew was amazing--couteous, efficient, clean, confident, cheerful and professional. I was away at work during the project and my wife was alone with my baby at the house. Charlie, March, and Byron were very respectful to my wife and very considerate with noise concerns given the baby. The wall is beautiful and perfect. It was so nice that I decided that I would have him do some extra work...he expanded my patio and placed stone pavers on top of it. This was actually a very skilled project given the slope of my patio and the need to ensure the rain water would drain in the right direction. It is absolutely stunning. Gorgeous. I just can't believe how beautiful it looks. The only problem is that it looks so good that I need him to do more masonry work now in other parts of the property! I can't say enough positive things about this company. Competitive pricing, amazing work, great detailed oversight by the contractor, and a crew of respectful, good natured people. It is my pleasure to write this review.

Here's an odd review. I'm giving Val an A+ though I've never met him or used him. Here's what happened. I called Val for a quote on a relatively small job -- a concrete step around my Ipe deck. He promptly gave me what, at the time, I thought was a high bid. The guy who was framing my deck said he could do the concrete work -- so I went with him instead. BIG MISTAKE. That concrete had to be jack-hammered out. So I called Val again to see if he could come out and do the work right. He said for the first time in a long time, his company was shutting down for 2 or 3 weeks so they could all take a much needed vacation. However, he recommended a guy who often did some work for him (as a sub, I'm guessing). When the guys showed up in a Falkon Concrete truck wearing Falkon Concrete shirts, I felt my shoulders relaxing immediately. I had a feeling I was in good hands and I was right. They were really great, friendly guys (from Tonga!) who did an excellent job at a very fair price. I can only assume the work they did is emblematic of the sort of work Val would do. And I am very thankful for his professionalism and his selflessness. He essentially let me use some of his crew -- without charging me anything at all. He was also very honest when I told him I needed some concrete work done around the coping of my pool. He said pools are not his area of expertise and recommended I find someone for whom it is. I appreciated that as well. Honest! Go figure! I am kicking myself that I didn't hire Val the first time. My attempt to save what ended up being around $400 actually cost me more money in the long run. Lesson learned. But Val helped that lesson to be less financially painful than it could have been. Highly recommend him.

From the beginning I was impressed by Val?s responsiveness, professional demeanor and willingness to answer questions outside of the scope of his involvement. I received multiple quotes and though his wasn't the absolute lowest it was very competitive. They did an excellent job pouring, grading and finishing the concrete. The workers were friendly and even told my wife when the concrete was ready for my children?s handprints. They also cleaned up very nicely when they were finished. When they were removing the forms I noticed a chip (~1?x2?) on the sidewalk and brought it to the worker?s attention. It seemed to me that he suggested I do the repair which I didn?t appreciate but admittedly it could have been a communication issue. I called Val to let him know about the chip and he was just as responsive as he had been before starting the project (and before being paid in full). The damage was repaired in less than a week. The repair job was extremely small but a bit sloppy and unfinished but my wife was satisfied so I was too. Overall I can?t speak highly enough about Val and his operation. I?ve had the misfortune of working and observing the processes of several contractors over the years and haven?t been nearly as satisfied as I am with Val. The work was excellent, his workers put their trash in the trash can, he was punctual and he remained responsive until I was satisfied. Thank you Val.

The work completed was to high standards. We accomplished our goals of having high quality concrete with good drainage installed in a timely and professional manner. There was effective communication between Val and us. He was always willing to discuss any issues or questions that came up. We had to wait awhile for the work to begin because this company is very busy. It was worth the wait.

Val and his crew were very meticulous in their work, skilled, punctual, and the results were outstanding. The price was very fair. They are very skilled in what they do and were really easy to work with. I would use them again in a heartbeat. I could not have asked for a better experience from a contractor. They really care about doing a great job for you.

It was time to replace the walkway at my parents house.They are older,So had to consider replacing the front stoop with something more easier to navigate. After getting two other estimates. I called Falkon. Spoke with the owner Val. Scheduled an appointment for the next week. Val was on time for work estimate. My parents found him very easy to talk to about the project. We were pleasantly surprised with his estimate for the work to be done.... So included plans for a new patio as well. Val Stopped by one more time with samples of pavers before the job was started. Very personable and professional. Val and his crew started the folowing Friday. They started on time..The job was to take two days. Amazingly enough it did. Val and his crew are AMAZING!! The pavers look fantastic.

After MANY estimates, ranging from $3500 to $8500 and not feeling comfortable with any of the contractors that I talked to, I finally decided to go to Angie's List and did the research on Falkon Const. and called Val. From the minute we met Val, I knew he was the company we needed. I work and Val worked the driveway installation around my work schedule. His crew is the nicest and most professional crew that anyone would ever want to meet. There were a few little things that weren't planned, like moving a couple sprinkler lines and they just took it right in stride and did it. If there were a rating higher than an "A" I would definately give it to them. I have some masonry work to have done in the near future and I absolutely will call Val. They finished our driveway this afternoon, on schedule and we are so thrilled with it. It came out just perfect. I would most definately recommend this company to any one thinking of a new driveway.

Excellent service. Saw the many good reviews on Angie's List and decided to call for an estimate. Val was immediately responsive and was very prompt in stopping by to provide an estimate on the walkway. After receiving his estimate by email and after getting two other estimates (one of which was nearly twice the estimate Val gave) I settled on hiring Falkon to do the job. Prior to doing the work Val contacted me about an increase in price from one of their suppliers that raised the price of the job by $300.00. I explained to him that that was ok and to go ahead and proceed. (Even at that price, it was still under the next highest bid received from a contractor). Val and his crew (Charlie, Neri, and Bairon) started promptly at 8:30 AM on the morning of February 28th. They completed the masonry portion of the job by noon of that day. Charlie, Neri, and Bairon completed the job the next day, starting the job at 7:30 AM, doing a great job laying down the concrete pads and once again finishing by noon. They also did all their own clean-up. Val returned to review the work, pay his crew, and receive final payment on a job very well done. They were all very courteous and personable guys and will recommend their work to others.

They did a great job. I would use them again.

We requested bids from Falkon and other contractors to remove and replace a large number of driveways (57) in our association. Instead of simply driving through and submitting a bid, Val met with the association, walked the entire job and then submitted his bid. We worked together to schedule the work to minimize the impact on our owners and Falkon was able to complete the job with a very slight, weather driven delay (project duration was roughly 8 weeks). The job site was cleaned every day and the utmost caution was taken on pour days to prevent damage to the alleyways and streets. They also worked hand in hand with our landscape company to insure all of the irrigation systems were undamaged prior to pouring. EXCELLENT JOB will not hesitate to hire them for future projects and HIGHLY RECOMMEND them for your project, big or small.

I called Falkon about doing a concrete hearth for my fireplace. They called me back within a few hours of leaving a message, and upon hearing what I needed were very honest in saying they didn't do that kind of work. The man I spoke with even went so far as to refer me to a site with the type of detail concrete guys I needed. I would definitely consider them in the future, they seem honest and straightforward.

They gave me an estimate about when they said they would; it was competitive with others. We agreed on a start date that moved by a few days because of rainy weather. The project was completed within the time frame specified and they did the incidental items with no problem. The work was well done and included a new approach which had to be inspected and passed by city planners. All personnel were friendly and polite.

I was EXTREMELY impressed with this company! They not only did an excellent job, but they were the nicest and most helpful guys. When I asked for extra work to be done (replacing the entire pipe instead of just repairing a section of it), they not only did it willingly, but acted liked they were thrilled to do it. The price was 15% lower than the next higher bid. Originally Val asked me to send a picture of the work to be done and he gave me a tentative estimate by email. Then when I decided on him, he came out and did a formal estimate, which was just slightly higher than the tentative estimate. The guys arrived on time, left the concrete looking great, and cleaned up everything. I highly recommend this company and have already told some friends about them. I would use them again for any future jobs.

They gave a very professional estimate. We recommended their bid to our Board because of our interaction and their detailed estimate. We are still waiting for board approval for the project to go forward.

The crew that came to do the work was very professional and completed the work earlier than we expected. Before the crew left, they made sure everything was clean. Since the fence was was on the property line with our neighbor, I wanted to make sure that her side of the fence area was also cleaned to her satisfaction. She was also very pleased with how the crew left her property. The blockwall fence looks great as does the section of driveway that was replaced. The owner, Val Mataele, was very responsive to our phone calls. If he didn't answer his cell phone when we called, he always called back within a very short period of time. The crew always showed up on time and answered any questions we had about the progress of the job. Even though this was a very small job, Val and his crew treated us like valued customers. We would definitely use this company for future work.

The process was very smooth. We feel Val listened to us and gave us exactly what we wanted.

Everything went as promised.

A little hard to get a hold of at first, but better than average. Once they came out and did the work they were excellent. They did a lot of concrete for me... a new driveway, sidewalk, driveway apron, walkway and retaining wall. My property was quite a challenge as it slopes in three or four different directions. It required a good deal of thought to develop a plan that would provide the proper drainage and yet look good. They were up to the task. The whole job was finished in about a week, less than half the time I expected, and worked well with city inspectors. Val even took the time to go to the building department himself to make sure all requirements were clear before starting the work. The work looks great and I would definitely use them again. I expect it to hold up for years.

If my business was not wanted I at least expected to be contacted so I would not be waiting around.

Val had a good bid compared to the other contractors from whom we received estimates. His professional manner and willingness to deal with some minor setbacks (including some mistakes by a demo subcontractor) sets him apart. The plans we had from an engineer were deficient in several ways so Val had to work perhaps a little harder than he might othewise have had to do but he found creative ways to implement our design goals while keeping the project within budget and meeting the requirements of inspectors and the city. His crew, especially Charlie his foreman, were diligent and always willing to make sure we got the job done the way we wanted. Val is incredibly patient with the lay person homeowner and, as he told us several times, he wants to keep the customer happy. We are happy to recommend Val andFalkon and given the major change in the look of our property now that he finished the job I suspect many of my neighbors will want to use him too.