California Construction Center

I am super happy with my decision.

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Given the nature of these reports, they can't really be anonymous to the contractor. I just am reporting as honestly as I can, without secondary motive or exaggeration. I hope that everyone can appreciate that. cabinet carpentry - mediocre Some of the drawers didn't quite open and close right, clicking and sticking. The cabinet guy came out and said nothing was wrong. So I met him there, and after 10 minutes arguing that they were fine, he got a tool out of his pocket and spent about four minutes adjusting the drawers. If he could finish the job in four minutes, why did we both go through all this hassle? The wood work on the cabinets is all square and of reasonable quality, but I'm pretty sure it is just mail order pieces adjusted to fit. The generic appearance and somewhat lightweight and rattling feel is a little less than we hoped for given our higher end fixtures and material. framing - solid The 2x8's and 2x6's in the ceiling and roof they put in look way better than the existing 2x4 construction. The structure seems to all make sense from an engineering perspective. electrical - haphazard One socket was installed inside the cabinet and the shower light switch was first installed in the kitchen. They added an extra socket outside the cabinet, but the exploratory drilling meant I needed to follow up with some wood work repairs. They moved the shower switch, leaving a hole to cover up in the existing hardwood wall. I suppose it is good that I asked for very little electrical work since it is easy to do myself. I am also disappointed that unlike everything else in the house, they didn't use metal conduits for the wiring, but I suppose that the codes allow for that. engineering & code - excellent I like that I can lay out all my wild ideas and Oz can quickly and clearly reframe them into a realistic plan. They are adamant about following building codes and they won't try things beyond their capability (without bringing in a licensed engineer/architect). granite - astonishingly good We picked exotic metallic granite from the supplier and had to sign multiple waivers during the purchase that we recognize that almost no one can work with the material without ruining it. While CCC had an allowance for $300, this stuff cost us over $2000 for a very small counter. I consulted CCC multiple times and they said it was no problem. I wasn't very confident, but our counter turned out nearly perfect. We actually needed a little extra material from the supplier to also include the window cove and that supplier had just gotten several small pieces sold back from someone else's failed job. mold - probably a scam They had a guy come in and do $400 mold tests before and after. We got charged $5000 for a guy to set up a mysterious tent around the bathroom for a of couple weeks after pretty much spending one day hacking at wood and then leaving a tube and fan pulling air out the window for the remaining time. I mentioned this to someone who lives nearby who had the same mold and they went to some official site which pointed out where to get tests for about $30 and that all you need is a good respirator, lots of chlorine, and lots of scrubbing. It sounds like this was a $1000 job marked up with scary props and wild stories of nasty toxins. But the mold could never start growing there if it wasn't already in the air around us all the time, right? I would like to believe that CCC is not in on the game and just trying to do a comprehensive job. negotiation - aggressive I guess some people can't handle aggressive sales. They want to get work and more is better. They will push for more things than you really wanted to get into. You just have to be prepared ahead of time knowing how much money you can allocate and what parts of your plans you are willing to change or extend. They did use the argument that you can save by doing multiple projects at once since they pay people by the day, but a lot of the work was done with 1-2 hour visits. But if it means a better quote for a more extensive project, I don't suppose that matters. Overall, for us, I thought it went pretty well. plumbing - good Mostly the plumbing was without issue, but we picked a deep kitchen sink and a large disposal, so the J tube didn't line up. They jimmied together some plastic pieces, but that soon cracked and leaked. I had to finish the work myself, but it did take searching around several smaller hardware stores to find metal pieces that could fit. schedule - unrealistic Just about every step took two or three times as long as projected. But once we realized this fact, we just adjusted our expectations for whatever time lines we were told. Maybe this is no different than any other industry. cleanup - limited In the initial negotiation, it sounded like the place would be sparkling clean after they completed the job, but they are not a maid service, I suppose. They collected up the big heaps in their van, but we spent many additional hours vacuuming, picking up small debris, and raking construction materials out of the ground. Also, if you want to keep anything in particular and you did not clearly spell it out, you should rip it out ahead of time or be very quick to salvage it from the heap. Nothing is obviously of value. You may be surprised.

Contractor responded quickly to call for quote-however when arriving and after explaining how his company is the best and we should contract with him right now since he has a current opening, never gave a quote-instead told us to get all our other quotes then call him back and he will provide us a very good quote but only if it fits into his "window of opportunity" otherwise his quote will be higher! After he left I called him back and stated he must have a quote amount in mind and I would like to know what that amount would be? He was very reluctant and said he did not like to provide a quote like this but eventually provided a ball park give or take $3000 but to call him when ready as previously discussed & he will provide a quote - all of this was verbal only! After I had all quotes from other contractors as requested, I called Cal Construction again and the salesman returned as we agreed previously. Upon his arrival he stated “OK are you ready to sign the contract?” I informed him again I have not received a quote or what’s included in the work? He was very indignant and proceeded to tell me how I AM WASTING HIS TIME & stated Its what I told you! I told him I would like something in writing and have not received an actual quote or what is included is his work. He insisted I should just sign with him and get on with it..and continued to argue with me about how I am wasting his time!! I could not believe his arrogance all the way until I showed him the door...This is exactly why Angies List exists so others be forewarned---I am not sure why/or how others rated satisfactory for this contractor but this is my experience and recommendation--STAY AWAY from California Construction Center!!

They didn't come to the house, we went to their office. It's been a couple of months now that we've been working with them. So far the work is great, we are very pleased with them. We work well together, we have good interactions, we like the work they are doing and the suggestions they've made. We are just in the design phase right now.

I had some general ideas about what I wanted for our backyard. CCC took my ideas and transformed them into 3d images so i could get a picture of the final outcome before we started. I had previously worked with this company for bathroom remodeling, and this second major project was not a disappointment. First, I value integrity and honesty. Secondly, I value quality and expertise. This is a truly honest driven company that does not promise more than they can deliver. They began this huge project immediately, and continued until the job was done. Their customer service and responsiveness is excellent. They may not be the lowest priced company, and I am very value-conscious. In the end, I feel that with this company you truly get what you pay for. Like many home owners, I was concerned about things like - will they complete the job, will they do quality work, will I have to hound them to get things done, etc. I honestly feel that they provided beyond what we hoped for. Finally, they are a very responsive company. We made many changes along the way with the location of our spa, the look of the waterfall, equipment, drainage, our outdoor cooking island. They were more interested in satisfying my wife and I than just getting the job done as quickly as possible. No short cuts, and we really appreciated that. When we made our final payment, it was made with complete gratitude and appreciation for a job well done. I could not recommend them more highly and have absolutely no complaints or cautions about using this high quality company.

The owner stopped by our old apartment gave us a wonderful presentation which ended up being the reason why we chose CCC over the other contractor. I had very extensive renovations done to my new home, but the people of CCC were very supportive of my time frame, my budget, and my emotions. I appreciate how they went that extra mile to ensure the quality of the work not just to their standards but to my demanding standards. I would gladly recommend them to all of my friends and colleagues.

The orignal project was for a second story addition. After about a year of architectural and structural engineering plans, it became evident that the costs would have been prohibitive to do this addition as we had envisioned and we decided not to do this project. However, OZ and Jonathan brainstormed and came up with ideas about expanding and remodeling the house so that we could have the house with all of the amenities that we wanted by limiting our square footage expansion to one floor and remodeling the whole house except for the kitchen. In the year that we worked with OZ and Jonathan, we developed a strong confidence level in their abilities as contractors and designers in helping us our with our project because we worked very closely with them in the lengthy preplanning process. So, when we decided that to go forward with the second project, we worked closely with their team in developing architectural plans and blueprints that were still complex (because of the hillside and foundation issues) and extensive in nature since it still was a major remodel that would take six months at fairly significant costs. Since I am a businessman, I did put the project out to bid to two other contractors, and although their bid was not the lowest, I was confident of their abilities as contractors in redesigning and rebuilding our home, especially in meeting the strict codes and building standards of the City of Los Angeles, giving us peace of mind that our house would be built well. In addition, we felt that the company would meet our standards of high quality work performed correctly and on time, the team would be easy to communicate with, and that we would have a high level of comfort that they will manage the project and not let things get out of control. Since we would be moving out of our home for 7 months, we needed somebody we could trust with our home. We chose California Construction Center and we are very glad we did! The project started out with OZ admirably performing the complicated task of our foundation work and passing inspections before we could proceed with any of the demolition work. The various phases of construction-reframing, roof sheeting and roof installation, electrical and plumbing work, drywall installation, tile installation, stucco work, support beam removal and reframing, removal of wood siding and installation of exterior lathing, new window installation, insulation of walls and attic and under floors, painting and installation of vanities, faucets, lighting fixtures and other decorative elements were performed in a relatively smooth manner passing all city inspections along the way. In addition, because we were satisfied with the quality of their work, we felt comfortable in giving them additional work by agreeing to sign "change orders" for additional projects that enhanced the value and beauty of our home. We recently passed final inspection and are happy and satisfied clients of California Construction Center!

Yani, from California Construction Center came out to our home to give us an estimate for building a Granny flat on our property. He was on time and professional, but that is where it all ended. He told us he would call us later in the week to see some of the homes he has built and we have not heard from him or his company since he left. We really thought he had some good ideas and wanted to see his designs, but we cannot do business with a company who does not do what they offered from the start.

One morning that same week I came downstairs to prepare breakfast and noticed the ceiling above the kitchen sink was wet and swollen. When I got up close enough to see what it could be, that?s when the wet portion of the ceiling crumbled and fell all over the countertop. I went online to BBB (Better Business Bureau) and did some research and found a few different companies. Jonathan Zildeberg (the president) from California Construction Center came and assessed the damage and said that we had a leak in the main master bathroom shower. He also looked inside of the big hole in our kitchen ceiling and told us that it looked like we had some sort of mold starting on the foundational wood under the shower. Jonathan was so incredibly professional and prepared, he had brought his own computer and portable printer?and while we waited he worked on our estimate, typed it up and printed a copy for us right there in our living room! Jonathan also made a company promise that once we agreed to the written estimate and contract, and they begin work on that PARTICULAR job and discover more work needs to be done, California Construction Center will not charge a penny more. My husband and I decided to go with California Construction Center and it was a true blessing because not only did we have mold. We were told that the type of mold we had was the Stachybotrys-Black Mold. This amazing company really took care of everything; they brought in the remediation specialists who took care of cleaning out the entire mold. Once the mold was taken care of they began demolition of the bathroom and from then on it was one incredible experience after another. They were at our home every day at the time that they promised they would be and they were never late. Their professional employees, whom not only did a great job on the task at hand but also treated the rest of my home with respect and precise cleanliness, prepped the area and the surrounding area everyday with tarp and covers and every night they broke it down so I would get my house back. They didn?t leave a mess, they cleaned up and swept the area and vacuumed if needed. Every job had a different and highly qualified specialist that was sent to work that day. Once we had completed the first bathroom, we asked them to check the ceiling under the second bathroom, and sure enough we found more Stachybotrys-Black Mold under there as well. We decided to redo the entire bathroom from structure to paint. All I can say is WOW! This new bathroom looks like its straight out of a 5 star hotel. We were so happy and satisfied with all of the work that had been done so far that we decided to go forward on some other projects we needed to have done. We spent about $60,000 and this included work and materials. We are so incredibly satisfied with California Construction Center and all of the work that they have done on our home! We have many more projects to do and we are definitely going to use them again!

Our experience was really terrific. Starting day one, owners Jonathan and OZ spent a lot of time with us discussing various design options, materials and cost. Once we were committed to the project with CCC the work began immediately, with crews on the job every day until completion. The crew members were always polite, professional and cleaned up the work area at the end of each day! Project manager, Eli came by daily to oversee the work and make sure everything matched or exceeded our expectations. Jonathan and OZ were only a phone call away should we have questions or need of them to stop by. Our project was like every other remodeling project...it had a few unexpected surprises once you open up the walls. However, CCC worked hard to keep our project on budget and they found solutions when most other contractors would have used the opportunity to apply very profitable change-order charges. CCC has a passion for service and great communication. Their office manager, Nina, kept us well informed and always made us feel as though we were their only client (in reality we were only one of many, many projects!!!). We truly appreciated the efforts of everyone at CCC on our behalf. Not only are they very qualified, competent contractors, they are fun people to do business with. We have recommended them to our closest of friends who have used them and recommended them as well. CCC is definetly our contractor of choice for all our future projects. They have more than earned the right!

We moved to California from the east coast in mid August 2009, expecting to remodel the kitchen and master bath only, and repaint. We got estimates from three contractors, one of which was California Construction. Of the three, California Construction had the most creative and practical ideas for our older house, and Jonathan was flexible and accommodating in working within our budget and overall design style. Their prices were competitive with the other contractors, but they had better ideas, especially about reconfiguring a problem bathroom. Once demolition began in the kitchen we learned that the old wiring throughout the house was faulty and needed to be replaced; the plumbing was also in bad condition, and needed repiping. At that point we decided to move temporarily into an apartment until the work was done, since the entire house would be torn up. Since this was a major and unexpected expense, and we were living out of our suitcases, completion of the job ASAP was critical. Ozzie, Elie & Jonathan were aware of the unexpected financial burden we faced, and the need for a timely finish. From start to finish, the whole house was completed in 9 weeks, which was within the original time frame, despite the fact that as the work progressed we added many additional jobs. Everything was still done in the time promised. The cabinet work in the kitchen, and built-in bookshelves throughout the house, are particularly beautiful, as is the kitchen and bathroom design. Several walls were taken down, new closets created, and doorways were reconfigured. There was someone working at the house everyday, and all of my calls were answered promptly. Either Ozzie, Jonathan or Elie were at the house at some point every day to make sure things were going well. In short, a very terrible experience and unplanned expense was made as easy as possible by this company. The work is beautiful, their crews are professional and trustworthy, and the supervisors/owners are hands-on. They use few subcontractors, so are flexible when unexpected problems arise. We are now having them do our outdoor landscaping. We feel extremely fortunate to have found California Construction.

While the project went a little beyond the estimated time, overall it was a very good experience. Remodeling a condo carries with it inherent challenges, like dealing with a HOA or neighbors, and the team at California Construction Center, particularly Tom Rotem, were fantastic. They were cooperative and willing to accommodate any scheduling requests that I had, and when problems arose they were quickly addressed. This was my first experience with a remodel of this nature, and I would definitely use California Construction Center again. The stress of a major remodel requires that you have a contractor with the right temperament and flexibility, and this is what I found with CCC.

They had a good discount because I had them produce the drawings. I felt that I got the right price and everything went very smoothly.

The workers at California Construction did a good job. They kept everything clean and they showed up on time. Their pricing was okay. They were very responsive and they did quality work.

Hi, my name is Nina and I had a room addition done to my house by California Construction Center, Inc. Actually I wanted to get my kitchen done and had a plans of adding to my house in the future but Jonathan (which is one of the owners) was so nice and his professional skills with using a 3D design program helped us a lot to really getting what I want, which is adding another room to my house. He even helped us with the financing so now I raised the value of my house and my home is much more spacious. Jonathan: Me and my husband just wanted to say thank you very much for all your help, we love our house!

I actually hired a different company before i hired California Construction Center and they took my deposit and ran away. When I called to look for them and tried to find out what was going on with my money, I never received calls back and then I found out that the company wasn't even licensed so I did some research and I found California Construction Center on-line. I checked their license and their insurance and after I had all legal stuff checked out I called for an estimate. A very nice Guy name E.Z came to our house and illustrated all kinds of designs on a 3-D program, very friendly and very professional and after he answered all my questions I decided to sign with the company. A day after they showed up to work and I couldn't wait to see my bathroom done. My wife and I could not find a better company that will work with our budget and offer so many designs. EZ Thank you again-we are planning to do our kitchen next year!