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Greg Sylvis General Contractor Inc

Earthquake Retrofitting, Foundation Repair, Chimney Repair

About us

All estimates and work done by the owner, Greg Sylvis. No salesman or inexperienced workers. Licensed, fully insured and bonded. Local estimates are free. Refundable charge for out-of-area estimates when work is done. 28 years of experience. References available. Check our great Yelp reviews. Very competitive prices.

Business highlights

43 years of trusted experience

Services we offer

Foundation repair, cripple wall bracing, earthquake house bolting, house retrofitting, chimney repair, replace foundation, seismic bolting, earthquake safety, earthquake specialists.

Services we don't offer

N/A

Amenities

Warranties
Yes


Accepted payment methods

Check
MasterCard
Visa

Photos of past projects

Reviews

5.023 Reviews
Number of StarsImage of DistributionNumber of Ratings
5
91%
4
4%
3
0%
2
0%
1
0%


Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.9
professionalism
4.9
responsiveness
4.9
punctuality
5.0
Showing 1-23 of 23 reviews

Stephen R.
07/2017
5.0
earthquake retrofitting
  + -1 more
Great. I left a message for Greg on a Saturday afternoon and he not only called right back, he came out that afternoon to give me an estimate. I was with the city inspector when he reviewed Greg's work and there were no issues.
Description of Work: Greg bolted our foundation.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro

Patricia L.
05/2017
5.0
earthquake retrofitting
  + -1 more
Greg is professional, efficient, thorough and fast. It was very easy and I highly recommend him. The work was neat and clean. He does a great job.
Description of Work: Greg retrofitted my house for earthquake safety.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro

Christina E.
03/2017
5.0
foundation repair
  + -1 more
Well. He was knowledgable and and professional.
Description of Work: Foundation checked and advise given.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro

Jennifer Y.
01/2016
5.0
earthquake retrofitting
  + -1 more
Greg arrived on time and was very professional. He examined our basement and crawl space, checked around perimeter of the house and also checked out the cracks in our walls. In the end, he said our (flooding and walls cracking) problem was not a foundation issue, but a issue with landscape drainage and the earth moving. I thought he was very honest and I valued his opinion.
Description of Work: Inspected our foundation-- checked our crawl space in basement and some of the cracks in our walls around the house.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro

David T.
12/2015
5.0
foundation repair
  + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: Greg was fast, knowledgeable, and helped me get the retrofit of my tiny house within the refundable range offered by the state's Earthquake Brace and Bolt program. Good guy.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,790

Aaron H.
12/2015
5.0
foundation repair
  + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: Provided a proposal.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,000

Ara C.
11/2015
5.0
earthquake retrofitting
  + -1 more
I found Greg on the state earthquaqebolt web site. He gave me a simple and uncomplicated estimate. 10% down, and the remaining cost paid after inspection. Later, I asked him if he could do the work sooner than we had agreed upon. No problem. A Few days later he came out early and finished the work in a day. He is the first contractor I've seen that cleans after himself. When he left my house, I could not tell that there was a contractor that had done any work that day. Greg is knowledgeable and honest, and did I mention that he is a contractor? You get my point. Here is to nice guys like Greg, "I hope you're business thrives, and someday I'll see you on the SG mountain trails" He likes to hike...
Description of Work: Earthquake retrofit

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,300

S M.
10/2015
5.0
foundation repair
  + -1 more
Greg Sylvis did a great job on the seismic retrofit. He is a hard worker! He works alone and what he originally estimated would take two days he completed in 12 hours. He cleaned up everything including sweeping outside so that the area looked better than when he began. When I initially called to obtain an estimate, he responded by phone immediately and was available to come out the next day late in the afternoon. He was very thorough in his explanations of the work to be done regarding the cripple wall bracing and anchor bolting even showing me the anchors and bolts he would be using for the job. He obtained the building permit and emailed me the permit number ahead of time. All work was performed to current building codes. Because he works alone, he works only one job at a time from start to finish. He was booked two months out so I did have to wait from July when I signed the contract until September when he was ready to begin my house. He was always readily available by email to answer questions. The city inspector said he'd done a great job and he could tell he knew what he was doing. Everything passed inspection.
Description of Work: Seismic retrofit including anchor house to perimeter foundation and brace perimeter cripple walls plus bracing water heater and repair of cracked floor joist.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,200

Molly M.
08/2015
5.0
earthquake retrofitting, foundation repair
  + 0 more
Even though the work had already been done, Greg was funny and good natured about it. I thought that Greg exhibited great professionalism where others might have gotten upset. I would definitely hire Greg in the future if I ever needed his services again.
Description of Work: I had Greg come over to give me an estimate for earthquake retrofitting as part of the Brace+Bolt program. Unbeknownst to me, my home had already had the work done before I moved in. I of course would never have gone underneath the house to have seen that.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro

Russel W.
07/2015
5.0
foundation repair
  + -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: Earthquake hazard reduction. Bracing and bolting house sill to concrete foundation. Greg Sylvis was very professional, knowledgeable, very hard working in a tight crawl space. He did the job by himself quickly and efficiently--just amazing. The work he did probably would have required a 3-man crew by another contractor. I would highly recommend him to the Angie's list community.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,000

GEORGE A.
02/2015
5.0
earthquake retrofitting, foundation repair
  + 0 more
We bought an old house that had a lot of deferred maintenance but we were keen on addressing any/all issues related to roof/exterior/foundation first. We were contemplating a report from another company that called for the reinforcement of our floor joists at the cost of $3500. I looked to Greg for a second opinion. I like Greg because he does the work himself. His appraisal of our floor support was detailed and enthusiastic, giving us the confidence to invest the money in parts of the home needing more immediate attention. He provided a cost effective alternative but assured us that it was unnecessary and that our floor support was more than satisfactory. I'm always pleasantly surprised to meet a straightforward tradesman and Greg has earned my recommendation.
Description of Work: Inspection of floor joist support

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$100

Edward G.
01/2015
4.0
earthquake retrofitting, foundation repair
  + 0 more
unknown
Description of Work: earthquake retrofitted two buildings. One bungalow and one two story duplex. originally promised to work on fixing cracks in bungalow foundation for $100, but never did the job and treated me in an unprofessional manner when I asked when he would do this job. Otherwise did good work on time at a competitive price.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
2.0
responsiveness
3.0
punctuality
5.0

$9,400

Cara D.
05/2014
5.0
earthquake retrofitting, foundation repair
  + 0 more
Greg is outstanding. My wife and I received 5 estimates from foundation/retrofit companies to fix/replace our piers and posts and retro-fit our home. Some of them were regarded as the 'most reputable' in Los Angeles. All the estimates differed so we opted to pay for a consult from an independent structural engineer. He agreed with Greg's assessment of the foundation and scope of work. Greg was extremely reasonable, finished the job in 5 days (by himself!), was always on-time and gave us constant updates on his progress. He was considerate, trustworthy and cleaned-up every day. I would recommend Greg to anyone looking for an honest craftsman who knows his stuff and doesn't cut corners. Plus, he's a pretty funny guy.
Description of Work: Retro-fitting, piers and posts.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$8,600

Barbara M.
03/2014
5.0
foundation repair
  + -1 more
I would trust him on any project.
Description of Work: Greg was wonderful to work with and after vetting him I felt very comfortable with the entire process. He had to rebuild a large portion of my foundation and then found water leaks that I had to deal with and he even worked with the plumber.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$21,000

Dirk A.
12/2013
5.0
earthquake retrofitting
  + -1 more
Greg Sylvis is a licensed general contractor with more than 28 years of experience in the greater Los Angeles area. We selected him for our house in Pasadena (built in 1926) as some of our neighbors used his services and were very pleased. We also had quotes from two other earthquake specialists and Greg Sylvis came across as the most professional and also had the most competitive price. He is very thorough, managed to squeeze through some tight spots in our basement and cleaned up thoroughly so that the basement wasn't dusty. Very trustworthy individual. The City Inspector knew him and spoke highly of him. I strongly recommend his earthquake protection services.
Description of Work: Greg Sylvis made our house structurally safer for earthquakes with house bolting, foundation bolting, earthquake retrofitting and cripple wall bracing.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,800

Brad J.
01/2013
5.0
earthquake retrofitting
  + -1 more
I saw Greg quoted as a retrofitting expert in a long 2012 article about earthquakes in Popular Mechanics. I liked his no-nonsense comments in that article. I then read reviews on Angie's List and checked his license with the state. All of that checked out, so I sent Greg an email requesting an estimate. I liked his proposal and was impressed with his knowledge, so I gave him the go-ahead to do the work. Greg is a no B.S., straight-shooting, independent-minded fellow who is passionate about earthquake retrofitting. He does all the work himself and is incredibly efficient and driven. Greg insisted that the work be done by permit, which impressed me. He presented detailed plans to the city and obtained the permit. Greg started the project by taking detailed measurements under the house. I then had to go out of town for a few weeks. Upon my return, Greg came back with all the materials in hand--heavy-duty bolting materials along with plywood carefully cut to fit between the framing. Because of all that preparation he did off site, Greg was able to knock out the job on site very quickly. The building inspector signed off on Greg's work with no questions. If you're looking for a salesman/smooth-talking contractor who will give you a slick presentation, then go elsewhere. But if you want an honest, conscientious tradesman who will explain what needs to be done and then get the job done right, get in touch with Greg.
Description of Work: I hired Greg to earthquake retrofit our small [1,100-square-foot] 1920s house. I thought this would mean only bolting the house to the foundation, but Greg explained he also would install shear walls--heavy plywood installed, in the crawl space below the house, between the 2x4 vertical framing.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$4,500

Palma J.
09/2012
5.0
foundation repair
  + -1 more
LOOK NO FURTHER. . . . . . If you want an honest, straight shooter who is dependable, trustworthy, with tons of knowledge and experience, many useful ideas, solutions and a sense of humor, Greg Sylvis is the one! Not only did he repair my front foundation, he repaired the cracks in the stucco, installed a catch basin and sump pump to divert rainwater from getting under the house and fixed my garage door that wouldn't close (I didn't even ask him.) Each day he left the work place clean and neat. On the final day of the project all the work areas were left cleaner than before he started the project. I had done my homework and had gotten 5 estimates and reviewed them and their references. One of the references I called from a different company referred me to Greg Sylvis. After careful review of all the companies, Greg Sylvis was the one I choose. A short time after he completed the front foundation project, I called him back to repair the rear foundation, again I was more than satisfied and again he did extra work that he wasn't asked to do. He is a real gem. Call him, you won't be sorry.
Description of Work: FRONT FOUNDATION:Shored up bearing wall that had settled.Replaced and repaired posts. Dug and Poured 4 new footings that were needed.Repaired many cracks in stucco (scratch, brown and color coats) all around the house.Poured concrete catch basin. Installed a sump pump and PVC pipe to pump/divert water into a french drain many feet away. REAR FOUNDATION:Reworked and aligned posts and piers and reconnected where necessary.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$7,700

Vladimir N.
05/2012
5.0
earthquake retrofitting
  + -1 more
Greg is your man. No nonsense. Happy go lucky. Prices much lower than Foundation Works and other "brand name" shops because his overhead is just him. Go see his reviews on Yelp. He's got over 40 in the filtered reviews section.I did a lot of research and understand enough about construction to get myself in trouble. So the sell that some companies like FW try on customers just won't work with me. And don't forget... There's always a sell. Greg gave a reasonable price, and with that still made himself a grand a day. I checked his work myself. Crawled around. And my crawlspace is tiiiiiight. Asked him questions about where I thought he'd made a mistake on spacing. Nope. The mistake was mine. I like to be proven wrong by someone who knows what the h*** he's doing. Honest. Professional. Reasonably priced. Punctual. And a bit of a clown... But only if you clown back..
Description of Work: Earthquake retrofit per code.. Bolting and cripple wall shearing etc... Inspected and approved

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$4,100

Rita N.
09/2011
5.0
earthquake retrofitting
  + -1 more
I wanted to get my house retrofitted and hired Greg for the job because of his many years of experience and his reputation. He was always on time and has a pleasant attitude. He discussed the process in detail and made suggestions about how to rectify an area of floor that had settled. After taking a good look at the area, with a sophisticated laser level, he gave us reasonable options to correct the small area of uneven floor and never tried to scare us into unnecessary and costly repairs. He explained that the floor had settled about as much as it would and that there was no structural deficiencies in that section. (This is the point where he could have really scared us about the settling and really given us some scare tactics, but he didn't) He said that if we wanted to repair the floor for aesthetic reasons he would have to jack up the foundation which would cost over a thousand to do , just for looks and said it would not make the area more or less sound. In the end I opted not to spend for it but thought that the price was not out of line for what he proposed. I never felt he was trying to take advantage of me. In fact, he thought about alternate methods to get the floor more level and came up with a winner. Since the floor in the middle of the room appeared to be slightly bowed he proposed that he could lower the middle of the floor so that it would be more level and then that could make the uneven part less noticeable. He was right! the uneven part is a lot less noticeable and he only charged me $200 extra to do that. I was very pleased. The price I paid included the permit. He went to the city to file it and arrange for the inspector to come out and sign off on the job. Everything was done in less than a week! He also made recommendations about ways to prevent water from creating problems around the house. He gave us tips on how to adjust downspouts from the gutters to redirect the flow of water. I am a happy camper and I feel more secure that my house will be ready for the next earthquake. I would wholeheartedly recommend Greg Sylvis.
Description of Work: Greg Sylvis did an earthquake retrofit to my 1925 house. He did an excellent job and did some leveling of my floors as well.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,450

Bryan C.
09/2011
5.0
earthquake retrofitting
  + -1 more
Greg was punctual, did what he said he was going to do, and did it with professionalism. His work was detailed and clean. He left the job site in better shape than he found it and always asked if i was satisfied. He has his own brand of humor, but it never gets in the way of his work, he just has fun while he does an A++++ job. Also, Greg went above and beyond when dealing with another subcontractor so i didn't have to worry about it. Would hire him again in a heartbeat.
Description of Work: Greg executed seismic retrofitting on the foundation of our house. Bolting, plywood sheerwall, and installing 2x4 braces. He also secured a covered overhanging porch using a larger 2x6 beam. While he was here, I asked him to do a few other odd things around the house like remove air conditioners out of the wall, drywall patch, stucco patch, and lay some concrete around a drain downspout.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$5,000

Vladimir N.
04/2011
5.0
earthquake retrofitting
  + -1 more
He is doing the work right now, I'm seeing what he has done so far and I'm happy with that. He is an honest guy. This is 1990's structure and it was never done. This work was never done before. He gave me the best price. He is very responsive and he came in right away.
Description of Work: Greg Sylvis General Contractor Inc did earthquake retrofitting by bolting my house down today.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro

Meehan R.
11/2010
5.0
earthquake retrofitting
  + -1 more
I solicited five different bids for my cripple wall work from different earthquake retrofitting companies in LA, and did a lot of independent research on retrofitting recommendations and pricing. Greg was the first contractor to respond and come out and see the property, and had the most competitive bid, as well as being professional and very accessible by email with a number of questions I had before making my decision. Some of the other companies that bid, such as White Castle, were doing a lot of upsell and scare tactics about additional work I needed, but I knew the job was pretty straightforward and my foundation otherwise solid. Greg was also just a nice guy and pleasant to work with. He does all the work himself, no addiditonal crew, and I trusted him completely being at my property while I wasn't there. I highly recommend him and am ready for the next earthquake!
Description of Work: Greg installed plywood bracing for my tall foundation cripple wall and added additional bolting to my partially-bolted foundation to bring it up to current standards.

Rating CategoryRating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0

Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,500

    Contact information

    500 Bellmore Way ., Pasadena, CA 91103

    www.gregsylvis.com

    Service hours

    Sunday:
    7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
    Monday:
    7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
    Tuesday:
    7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
    Wednesday:
    7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
    Thursday:
    7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
    Friday:
    7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
    Saturday:
    7:00 AM - 9:00 PM

    Licensing

    Bonded

    Insured
    State Contractor License Requirements

    All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our State Contractor License Requirements page.

    *Contact business to see additional licenses.


    Service Categories

    Earthquake Retrofitting,
    Foundation Repair,
    Chimney Repair

    FAQ

    Greg Sylvis General Contractor Inc is currently rated 5 overall out of 5.

    Sunday: 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM

    Monday: 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM

    Tuesday: 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM

    Wednesday: 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM

    Thursday: 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM

    Friday: 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM

    Saturday: 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM

    Greg Sylvis General Contractor Inc accepts the following forms of payment: Check,MasterCard,Visa
    No, Greg Sylvis General Contractor Inc does not offer free project estimates.
    No, Greg Sylvis General Contractor Inc does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
    No, Greg Sylvis General Contractor Inc does not offer a senior discount.
    No, Greg Sylvis General Contractor Inc does not offer emergency services.
    Yes, Greg Sylvis General Contractor Inc offers warranties.
    Greg Sylvis General Contractor Inc offers the following services: Foundation repair, cripple wall bracing, earthquake house bolting, house retrofitting, chimney repair, replace foundation, seismic bolting, earthquake safety, earthquake specialists.
    N/A

    Contact information

    500 Bellmore Way ., Pasadena, CA 91103

    www.gregsylvis.com

    Service hours

    Sunday:
    7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
    Monday:
    7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
    Tuesday:
    7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
    Wednesday:
    7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
    Thursday:
    7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
    Friday:
    7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
    Saturday:
    7:00 AM - 9:00 PM