The MacDeskBlog

Okay, I know there are a couple of people out there who are looking for some insights on doing a project like this. For those of you living in the San Francisco Bay Area, especially in the East Bay, here are some vendors I have used, and tidbits of my experiences with them.

Contractors:
Ken Woon, Exclusive Construction Co. - My initial contractor. He was in way over his head. I hear he is competent on small projects, but he was completely clueless working on a foundation replacement. He underbid by about 200%, didn’t bring on experienced people early enough, and botched every aspect of the job.
Goddard Construction - These guys were recommended to me by Josh Fisher. I don’t have any personal experience with them yet.
W.B. Elmer Construction - Also recommended by Josh Fisher, also no personal experience.

Engineers:
Gregory Jones - My initial engineer, brought onto the job by Woon. He too was grossly incompetent. I fired him before I realized I had to fire Woon too.
Josh Fisher - This guy has moved out of the engineering business (for better pay, shorter hours, better career growth opportunities). He was extremely helpful and stand-up. His bark tended to be bigger than his bite when it came to dealing with the City of Berkeley, but he did a good job and I appreciated all of his efforts.

House Movers:
Solares - These guys lifted my house the first time. The only used 4 sets of cribbing to support the house, letting it sag in the middle. They also did not lift the house high enough by about 8″!
Rogers House Moving - Mike Rogers used 6 sets of cribbing to support the house, and essentially refused to lift the house until he was sure it would be lifted high enough. Fortunately, he lifted it two inches more than he thought was necessary, but we ended up needing one of those inches.

Utilities:
PG&E - okay, this is both obvious and obscure. I didn’t find out until far too late in the project that I was supposed to talk to the Service Planning Group before I ever started the project. They would have scheduled cutover from permanent power to temporary power and back to permanent power, and scheduled cutoff of gas service and restoration of gas service. Since I didn’t start off with the appropriate request first, I’ve been dealing with them on an ad hoc basis, at which they royally suck. Result: really poor service, billing problems and delays. So, talk to your utility company before you start and save yourself the headache. Oh yeah, they’re execution times are glacial, so be prepared.
National Construction Rental - They provide temporary power poles, port-a-potties, temporary fencing and other things. Kind of bureaucratic, but not bad.
USA 2 Dig - You should call them before you dig anywhere on your property so you don’t bust a gas or water main. 800 227 2600. National will automatically call them if they need to dig in a temporary power pole.

Equipment Rental:
Berkeley Public Library Tool Lending Library - I haven’t actually used this, but if you’re a Berkeley resident and you’re going to do the work yourself, get yourself a library card and take advantage. Okay, maybe Berkeley doesn’t suck completely.
United Rentals - I used the Oakland office on 98th Ave mostly. They’re good and flexible. I complained about a bill being higher than I was expecting and they revised it downward and gave me a discounted rate on my next rental. Had I not already spent a bunch of money with them, I doubt they would have been so flexible, but if you are renting from them a lot, ask for some discounts. I rented jackhammers, air compressors, Bobcats, a concrete vibrator and probably some other stuff from them. The only problem I had was with a power generator which was under powered and came from the San Leandro office. That office was not helpful at all.
Hertz Equipment Rentals - Hertz really doesn’t seem to be interested in renting to individuals. If you can personally walk into their store to rent each item, you’ll be able to work with them. If, like me, you need to phone in equipment rentals and have them delivered, Hertz won’t work out. They won’t charge to a credit card over the phone, won’t send out a credit card authorization via fax, and won’t open up an account for an individual. I have no idea how their equipment rates because they made it impossible for me to rent from them.

Concrete:
Right Away Ready Mix - We used them for some concrete and had no problems with them.
Sugar City Concrete - Slightly less expensive than Right Away, but one of their drivers pissed on my neighbor’s fence rather than asking for a restroom.
Larry Wirsig - All Bay Concrete Pumping - Larry saw the project and offered his services. He wasn’t very professional and I chose not to use him when we needed the next concrete pumper. He was really bad, but he was slovenly, his equipment was not well-maintained, and we had several delays while we waited for him to unclog his hoses.

Plumbing (DWV and Gas):
Plumbers Squad - I can’t say enough good things about these guys. Their work is quality and their rates are low.
Bell Plumbing - Their bid came in about 5* that of Plumbers Squad for the same work.

Heating:
All Bay Heating - Their bid was the lowest of the three companies. The sales guy seemed pretty knowledgeable over the phone, and agreed to send me two bids for two different options. Alas, he only sent me one, and he did not deal well the fact that the electricity and plumbing were already in. He said that the ducting should have gone in before electricity or plumbing. I presume he meant after the DWV lines and before the water lines and electricity.
L.J. Kruse - Their bid was the highest of the three companies. The sales guy had the same complaints as the All Bay guy.
Sears - They actually provided two bids, one for the high efficiency (94%) condensing furnace Carrier furnace I thought I wanted and another for the more normal (80%) furnace I decided to go with. Each of the bids was between the All Bay and L.J. Kruse bids. The sales guy even specified each of the changes that we would need to make to accommodate the ducting and explained to me why forced air furnace vents should be in the ceiling or top of the walls while gravity furnace vents should be in the floor or base of the walls. He was not daunted by the pre-existing plumbing nor wiring. You should be able to tell at this point that I decided upon Sears.

Debris:
Richmond Sanitary Service - I used them extensively for concrete and mixed debris boxes. They (or your local hauling company) are great when you know you’re going to have a dumpster full of debris within a condensed period of time. On some days, I had a box dropped off in the morning, picked up at lunch time, and dropped off again in the afternoon. But if you need more than their standard drop period (I think it’s 3 days for Richmond SS), then they’re not nearly as economical.
Ad hoc haulers - A variety of haulers will drop by and offer their services once they see a debris pile. Get their names, phone numbers and rates. They will vary wildly. It’s just garbage, so I can’t think of any reason not to just go with the cheapest one each time.

Garage door:
City Overhead Door of San Francisco - These guys screwed up so badly when I asked them to reinstall the garage door, that I recommend avoiding them. Their dismal service is only exceeded by their abysmal customer service. Further, their cash basis business seems pretty shady.