RDM Construction

Ron did a "great' job..he arrived promply for an inspection of the damage, and gave me a written estimate by email within a few days. He seemed to know what needed to be done, and told me exactly what needed to be done...he recommended getting a newer roll up metal door, instead of the old heavy wooden spring loaded door that was demolished. The new door is so much better, much lighter to use, and takes up less space than the old one. the stucco work was impeccable., he also replaced the header , and right side of door with pressure treated wood, so it wouldn't rot out... One cannot tell where the damage occurred, and after repainting, the garage looks fantastic.

Rick seemed knowledgeable and professional. We discussed the project and some options and now I'm waiting for his estimate. UPDATE: No agreement was reached, no work was done.

Talked about using subcontractors, ripping out stuff he hadn't even determined needed it, seemed unable or unwilling to consider replacing stucco stairs and stoop with a deck. He kept asking if this was an historic house (hysterical yes, historical no) and seemed to think stucco stairs would be required for the neighborhood. I wanted imagination and willingness to do something different. This is a modest house in No. Berkeley hills, not a grand house or a development w/ homeowner association restrictions. This continued after I pointed to neighbor's front deck w/ steps. He couldn't rough out or ballpark costs until 3-4 days later, didn't try to visualize it for me or seem to have an idea of what he thought should be done other than essentially re-create what is. All in all, he may be very reliable and do good work but I couldn't get to that pace where we were communicating ideas, and I did feel like he wasn't "getting" me for this project. I assume that even though I'm a retired, single woman, I can still communicate clearly. I wouldn't rule him out in future, esp. if the project were more routine or if this was a more modern house or one in a recent development. Actually, this area was a development once - in the 1920's!

We had a good experience getting a quote from RDM Construction. He was friendly and professional. He listens to our concerns and what we wanted to do. He had some good suggestions.

Rick has been amazing. He has been responsive, adapts well to changes in scope and plan and has always been professional and polite. Most importantly, he knows how to deal with the sometimes finicky City of Alameda and has been able to get permits and plans approved rapidly and efficiently. Inspections always go quickly and without any issues. He has worked well with subcontractors that I've brought in for different parts of the project and has had no ego or concern working with others. His employees are polite and courteous as well. If I needed him to do something on the job site, he always makes an effort to do it right away. He KNOWS foundations and structural work. He seriously gets excited to do jobs like this and I can't tell you how happy I've been to work with him on these projects. His finish work is also well done and my only criticism is that he doesn't quite get as excited or have the same energy for this work, but when he does it, it's done well. We will continue to use him as our go-to general contractor for our work here and I look forward to working with him for years to come. Future projects we intend to use him on: bathroom and kitchen remodel. I don't easily or often give "A"s but Rick has earned them all.

The wooden front steps on our house had been deteriorating since we bought it, and we knew they wouldn?t last another winter, so it was time to have them replaced. We interviewed three contractors, all found on Angie?s List. Rick Miller (RDM Construction) bid slightly higher than the lowest bid, but well within the ballpark. We hired Rick initially to tear down and rebuild the front steps only, but during the job, it became apparent that the uncovered portion of the front porch also needed repair due to deteriorating wood. Although this seemed like it would be a fairly straightforward job, it was anything but. In getting the permit, it was discovered that the dimensions of the original steps weren?t up to code, so the new steps would have to be slightly different, which then necessitated tearing out and re-pouring a concrete anchor step at the bottom. The porch work required tearing out some of the inside porch siding, which is no longer manufactured. Finally, we wanted hand rails to be installed, which Rick would sub-contract. Rick took care of the permitting process and got started on time. Work began in mid-August, with an estimated completion date of August 31st. The steps and porch were finished on time. All the work was done well, with a minor step issue discussed below. Our one minor complaint about Rick is a lack of proactive communication. To be fair, during our job, Rick was in the process of moving his office and had no internet or email, so some issues were understandable, and he always answered his phone promptly. But we were frustrated by a lack of advance communication when something was needed from us. For example, his worker came one day and needed to access electrical power inside the house, but we were not given a heads up. Similarly, Rick stopped by a few times looking to get paid or review the work, without letting us know he was coming, which meant that we weren?t home at times. I asked Rick several times to let us know when he would need us to be there, but he rarely did. Again, to be fair, he was very responsive by telephone, but I didn?t feel that I should have had to call him frequently to ask him when I should be home. (This is the reason for 'B' in Punctuality) Finally, the hand rail installation was delayed for about two months. The sub-contractor that Rick originally hired was in a car accident and ultimately could not do the job. Once that became clear, the second contractor that Rick contacted did the job quickly. However, it took two months to move on from the first contactor to the second, and we never heard any updates as the delays got extended, so I ended up having to call Rick every week or two to ask what was going on. Again, not Rick?s fault due to the car accident, but I never got the impression that he considered the hand rails a high priority once his team had finished their work. One issue with the original steps and porch that Rick noticed was that they were not properly slanted to allow for water drainage, which resulted in water build up and ultimately hastened the deterioration of the wood. The steps and porch were re-built with a slight slant, and now they drain properly. There was a minor problem with the bottom wood step, which we recently noticed was still pooling water. We called Rick and he sent one of his workers to fix it. This was long after the initial job was done, so I give Rick kudos for sending a worker to repair it (no extra charge) even though he had completed and been paid for the job months before. Ultimately, all the work got done, all of high quality, which is the most important thing. The steps are solid and the porch and hand rails look great. Rick was also able to find some siding panels that were almost identical to the discontinued ones on the front porch. Rick is a very personable individual, honest and direct, and it?s clear his friendly and professional team enjoys their work, which in my opinion reflects well on the owner. Despite the minor communication isues, we always felt like were were in good hands with RDM Construction. I know our mail carrier is VERY happy that the steps got fixed!

This service provider did not provide services in my area, which wasn't clear on the offer. Angies List refunded the deal.

Mr. Miller came by to look at the repair that I was considering, but he never provided an estimate to me, even after two followup calls.

In July my office was flooded by a defective water cooler. I had to have a water damage company come in to remove an inch of standing water. They cut 2-inch holes around the walls to check for water damage. They were supposed to come back and repair the damage. Once they were paid for the water removal they never returned my calls. So I went on Angie's List and I found RDM Construction. I sent an email To Rick Miller requesting an estimate for the repairs. Rick's reply was prompt and we made an appointment for him to come out. The day after our appointment I had an estimate to give to the water company. For the next five months the water company gave me the run around as when and if they were going to pay for the repairs. Rick was patient and professional through out the whole process. When we finally got the go ahead to start the repairs Rick had everything set to go in little over a week (it takes a week for the carpet to arrive from the mfg.). Once the carpet arrived Rick called and asked if he and his crew could come in that weekend to work so it would be minimal disruption to our office. His crew is clean, polite and professional and I felt very comfortable having them our office. They dismantled our cubicles on Friday afternoon, laid the carpet and repaired walls on Saturday, reassembled the cubicles on Sunday and by Monday morning my office was business as usual. This included making sure all the phone lines, powers lines and ethernet lines were where they were supposed to be. Not only did they make a drawing of where everything was so they could put it back correctly one of his crew used his smart phone to video the office as an additional reference. Everything was handled with respect and care. Rick always arrived when he said he would (the carpet guy was a little less punctual). His crew cleaned up after themselves (trash and they vacuumed!). The only thing we really had to do was pack and unpack our personal items. I would hire RDM Construction anytime!

Overall the project went extrmely well.

We called and left a message describing the work that we wanted to have done. We never received a call back=unprofessional.

Rick of RDM was prompt in returning my call, came to see the site, and returned a full estimate for the work to us in a few days. He was responsive to questions, and we set a date for the work. He and his crew arrived at the time agreed on the day of the work, re-verified the sections of concrete to be removed and quickly re-described what would be done. The job turned out to be a bit more complicated than we anticipated (the concrete did have some reinforcing, which did not seem to be the case originally), but the team returned the next day for an extra half day of work and completed the concrete removal. The site was left clean and orderly. Rick and his team were polite, responsive, and overall excellent. I'll be using RDM again in the future.

Initially, I called Rick on a Saturday intending to leave a message and hoping he would call me the following week. To my surprise, he answered his phone and we chatted about the project. Within a few days he checked out the damaged areas and provided me with a detailed estimate of the cost of the project. We appreciated the fact that he searched for the best deal on our custom windows, and he even made sure to order the exact texture of privacy glass I picked out from the manufacturers website. It took an unexpected 3 weeks for the windows to arrive, but Rick's team was able to start work on the project within a few days of their arrival. Rick and his team were friendly and attentive to our questions throughout the project. They cleaned the area and removed all debris after completion. Our windows and drywall really look great now.

He straight up told me no and that he was too busy hanging cabinets. I'm not even sure what that means. I was waiting for him to say when he would be available or at least give me some more options. There were none. It sounded like he just wanted to rush off the phone. I felt that this was not very good customer service. In my mind, the right thing to do would be to tell me when he could help me. If he can't help me right now, I understand, but it would be good to know when he is available. I just felt it was inappropriate. This guy is on Angie's List and offeres the work so I took the time to give him a call. We are all busy. I just feel he should have given me some more options. It was like he didn't even want my business.

While gathering quotes for the project, I met with Rick Miller from RDM construction and he gave me a thorough explanation of what they planned to do and their quote was substantially lower than the other I received. Rick and his team were very professional and conscientious, and I was impressed how well Rick handled the change orders that arose. He explained the range of possibilities ahead of time, so that I would be aware that there could be additional cost once they saw the extent of water damage behind the stucco. When it turned out that the water damage was not bad, the additional cost was minimal. The stucco work was superior to the work originally done on that side of the house, and they were able to track down a hard-to-find paint to repaint the side of the house. They also fixed a lock that normally would have been costly to repair, just to be nice.Additionally, Rick saved us $300 by allowing us to extend the use of the scaffolding to repair a 3rd story window, and there appeared to be no markup on the repair work on the window by the sub-contractor. When I talked to the people at the window company and told them that Rick was helping us on the job, they were extremely complimentary of Rick and said that they'd been doing business with him for 10 years and had nothing but great things to say about him. It definitely re-enforced our initial opinion of Rick as honest and professional.I highly recommend RDM Construction because their price was good, the work was done well, and I felt well looked after during the whole process.

See above. We went with another company.

This company was solid. Rick is very responsive and very professional. He got the job done at a competitive price without delay. The driveway simply exceeds expectations. We talked a little about design. Rick created a look that was very unique without being overstated. When I first saw it I was pleasantly surprised and happy that I chose RDM.

Rick Miller was fast to respond to my original phone call asking for his availability. he gave an acceptable preliminary estimate for the price over the phone, and then asked me to send him some electronic copies of photos of the damage, so he could see what the project looked like before arriving. due to competing projects, he asked me the day before if i would be able to delay the work appointment by one day, and because it actually was better for my schedule to push it back a day, i took him up on the offer. i asked him to arrive promptly because i had a shorter window of time for the work to be done on the second appointment date, and he had his employee at my house 5 minutes before the work was to begin, so i was very pleased with that. see above for the overall experience, as i incorporated it in description of the services performed. his employee Jorge was very respectful and professional and efficient in his work. he always asked me if he had any choices for how to do the installation, to see what i preferred, and was very respectful about not wearing his shoes in our house (no one wears shoes in our house). he finished the job ahead of the estimated time for completion. and the job looks GREAT and we're very pleased with it. in sum, i am very pleased with RDM Construction. i would definitely hire them again.

After examining the reviews of some companies, I chose RMD Construction to make an emergency repair to my exterior entrance. I was contacted by the owner personally by phone. The repair crew arrived ahead of schedule and did a very professional job of securing the exterior entrance. As soon as I select a replacement door I will contact them for the installation.

Service went very well. Punctual, professional. Decided to use a different contractor strictly because of price.

The cabinets were re-installed and leveled, and as a result, the floor trim didn't fit, and RDM did an awesome job cutting the crappy ikea boards to fit (there was over 2 inches from the lowest to the highest point.. Talk about a crooked House!) The countertop was leveled, and as a bonus, the dishwasher was fixed to the countertop! The backsplash looks amazing.

I called Rick the owner of RDM. Rick came out the same day to give me an estimate on the work. Rick listened to what I was trying to accomplish. (A dry, clean mold-free basement.) And gave me two estimates based on different methods by the next day. After reviewing the estimates from four different contractors. I chose Rick. Rick's professionalism showed throughout the whole job. 1. Responded quickly and had the requisite knowledge, equipment and experience to do the work. 2. Gave an accurate estimate that matched the one I made myself. (Without his knowledge.) 3. His estimate of costs was very close to what my estimate was. 4. His price was fair and appropriate for the work being done. 5. He was ready to start immediately. 6. When we ran into some unforeseen problems, we discussed them found solutions and acted on them quickly. 7. At the end of the project Rick's crew cleaned up and left the site as clean or cleaner that it was before the project started. 8. Rick followed up twice after the job was finished to make sure that the job was completed properly and had corrected the problem we were trying to fix.

He was great. Very professional. Very responsive.

This 40?s bungalow of mine needed a new furnace, but I couldn?t have one installed, because the door to the crawl space was too small. Enlarging the door or putting in a new one was not going to be easy, because there was very little vertical space to work with, and the job would involve cutting into the foundation as well as the wall. I had a couple people come to estimate the job and they were scratching their heads over the problem. Then (thank heavens!) somebody recommended Rick Miller of RDM Construction. The first thing that struck me about him was his very positive, can-do attitude. He has a ton of experience and had no problems whatsoever dealing with the foundation as well as the walls. He checked things over and gave me two written estimates: one for enlarging the existing door and one for installing a new door in a more favorable location. Both estimates were very reasonable. We went with the new door, and he showed up promptly on the scheduled day. Boy did he have his work cut out for him, figuring out how to get the necessary height on the door. But that?s what I like best about Rick---he?s a born problem solver, VERY resourceful. He can roll with the unexpected twists that come up and work out a solution. (He actually keeps thinking about your job even after he leaves for the day. I know because he came to work on the second day full of ideas.) In the end, to solve the height problem, he cut into not just the foundation and the wall, but the plate above the wall. Then, right on site, he cut and installed a sturdy new header, followed by blocking and supports, and finally he clamped the section tight to the foundation. (I would say that when the ?big one? finally hits the bay area, the only section of wall left standing will be the one he worked on, lol!!) He was open to my input while the job was going on, and even put in extra work getting the door just the way I wanted---yet he was not going to charge extra for that until I insisted. My overall impression of Rick Miller/RDM: Professional and reliable?gives you an estimate you can understand, shows up when he says he will, sticks to the schedule, answers calls and emails promptly Gets the job done right?a real craftsman Great problem solver Reasonable rates As we get the wherewithal to do the projects on our wish list (deck, kitchen remodel, electrical upgrade), this is the guy we will call.

After discovering the damage, I notified the Oakland police department which told me to file a police report which I did. I contacted my insurance adjuster, who came out to give me an estimate of the damages, and cost for repairs. At first, I contacted "Servicemagic" under "garage door contractors" . Two of them responded quickly and came to my house, and verbally said they could handle the repair,and replacement of the garage door. However, after 1 or 2 weeks, i had to contact them, but they didn't seem to keen to do the job. My relative said I should try "Angies List" since he heard good things about them. I called, and the customer service person, set me up for an account which was refundable if i was not satisified. They told me to contact "general contractor" on their list. I contacted two "contractors from "Angies List" and they came very promptly, and were very professional and told me upfront that they could do the job, and would both would submit a written "estimate" within several days. Both contractors came through, and I went with RDM Construction, being the lowest bid, and being located only 10 minutes from my home.. Rick is the owner and general contractor of "RDM Construction". He wrote out item by item what needed to be done, and the cost to have it done, was itemized to the penny. Anyway, after I gave the okay, he was able to start work a week later, and it took about two weeks over all from start to finish. The actual demolition and reframing, and stuccoing was done within several days, but what took the extra week, is that Rick had to subcontract the "door work" due to the new door having to be custom cut and constructed to fit my opening. From previous remodeling work done to my old 1925 home, I knew there would probably be some extra cost, due to unforseen problems. Luckily Rick was able to keep very close to the estimate, which I appreciated very much. Anyway, the garage door, has been reframed , and the stucco work he did looks great. I could not tell the door and framing had ever been damaged. I am very satisfied with Ricks work, and would highly recommend him and his company.