Gardner Construction

I highly recommend Jim Gardner for his deep expertise, honesty, and professionalism. I contacted Jim to assess the drainage and foundation at my house. A lot of other drainage professionals I talked with felt like they are trying to sell you something or scare you into spending a ton of money right away--but not Jim! I was very impressed and appreciative that Jim was upfront and honest that we didn't need to rush into any projects. Jim's decades of experience led us to understand that there was probably nothing wrong with our house and should wait before deciding on any major projects.

He told us what to look out for in case something major changed in the future. If we ever have drainage or foundation concerns again in the future, we will definitely be calling Jim!

We recently bought a 1920s home and found there were some drainage problems and the wall cracks indicating settlement issues. Jim, from the get go, knows how to manage clients and their projects. He asks pointed, high-yield questions starting with his online questionnaire that help tailor his consultation to your exact needs and budget. He provides honest assessments and is uninterested in offering quick, cheap fixes that will not solve your problems - very refreshing and much appreciated. He is very knowledgable and reliable. We won't hesitate to reach out to Jim again when we have work that needs to be done!

Contacted Jim for work on our foundation and he said to fill out information on the website which I did. He emailed back asking for pictures and more details and estimated cost? (WTH am I some estimator?). I provided more details but there are no pictures that would be helpful to demonstrate what needs to be done. Plus am I an engineer? Does your auto mechanic ask you to diagnose why your car isn't working and how much you think the cost will be?

He emailed back saying no thanks your job is too small. I asked him how he knows this and what defines a "small job"? Never heard back. My recommendation is go with someone who will actually take the time and courtesy to evaluate the scope of a project. If you read the Reviews you'll see he'll cherry pick big projects and blow off anything else.

Never knew snobby construction companies exist but I guess they do. Jim, if you only work on top dollar projects then state that on your website and don't waste your time and mine with all this silly back and forth. I had no problem getting 5 other companies to come out and evaluate and give their bids. I bet he'll respond real fast with a reply to my review!

I contacted Jim Gardner Construction in regards to a retaining wall. Jim came out, spent time with us looking at our wall, and helped us make a decision to wait until the wall needs replacement and not to try and patch it now. I appreciated the honesty and desire to help us do the project right at the right time, not throwing on a bandaid that won't really fix the problem, in order to make a quick buck.

I highly recommend speaking with Jim. He knows his craft very well and he gives it to you straight. I called Jim because I was suspecting some foundation issues at home in the Berkeley Hills. He was very knowledgeable and honest in his assessment of my issues. At the very least, you should speak with Jim to see what he says if you are considering a project of this type.

Jim Gardner came to my house (masked! thank you, Jim!) to assess what we thought was a failing - and potentially dangerous - retaining wall in our backyard. I was anticipating a pitch for a very expensive solution to our problem. Jim not only did not "pitch me", he told me I did not need him for the kind of work that needed to be done. We thought we had an urgent problem that called for an immediate, extensive, and expensive solution. Jim told us we did NOT need major construction, and we did not need to hire a company like his.

He gave us detailed advice for how to fix our problem, right down to the depth of the holes we need to dig. If I ever have the need to build something or address a serious structural problem, I know where to go for the job. I feel very fortunate that I happened upon Jim Gardner Construction.

We are filled with gratitude at getting to have Jim assess our home's foundation. As our home is a 1914 craftsmen bungalow that had some questionable work done by the prior owner, we were expecting the worst and therefore had put off getting eyes on it for several years. We found Jim to be incredibly responsive, and he had us scheduled for an inspection immediately; upon which, he found there were no major issues. GIANT sigh of relief!

Big thank you to Jim for being thorough in looking over our home and foundation, thoughtful on his recommendations of the things we should do for upkeep along with maintenance needed on the small issues he did find, and respectful & honest in his assessments. He is a wealth of information, and was kind to share it so readily. We are now big fans of his and hope that someday if we ever do need work done, we get to work with him.

Jim just came by to check our foundation and drainage (older craftsman). He spent a considerable amount of time under the house and examining our porch for any structural deficiencies. Ultimately, he determined that we didn't require foundation work at this time, and I appreciate his candor. He is very knowledgable, and he helped to prioritize which improvements we should tackle first.

Jim is great. I reached out through his website, got a response back within a day or two and we were able to schedule a site visit within a few days thereafter. He gave us very good advice for next steps and gave us a detailed scope of work. It's been a great experience thus far and looking forward to working with Jim and his team.

Jim came to our condo to meet with HOA members and give us an estimate for some foundation and drainage issues. He was very responsive, on time, and friendly. We were concerned about a number of issues and Jim did a great job explaining everything to us. He definitely calmed our nerves and helped us make a plan to fix some of the simple issues on our own. He was very quick in providing an estimate. I would definitely call him again.

Jim and his crew just completed the replacement of the original 1909 foundation of our home in Berkeley. Some great things about working with Jim: - Excellent quality of work. Everything was done as agreed and I am so happy to have the peace of mind that comes with having my shoddy old foundation replaced. - Value. I received multiple bids for this project.

The proposals ranged from $120K+ with a whole bunch of added items I didn't ask for, down to much cheaper repair/retrofit options. Jim was straightforward that he wasn't willing to do a repair and a full replacement was needed, and compared to the other bids for replacement his was very competitive. - Flexibility. I reached out to Jim initially over a year before we actually began the project, and our timeline was derailed for personal life reasons.

When we were ready to begin work, I reached back out to Jim and he was immediately responsive, willing to take on the project at the original bid, and able to begin within the month. I liked how little BS there was in getting things going with Jim. - Communication. With any big project, there will more likely than not be bumps in the road. You want to work with someone who's communicative and ready to respond to your concerns.

In our case, the work on the foundation led to a leak in the water main. Jim was responsive late at night when I reached out about it and even sent his foreman out to address the issue. In another instance, there was an access point that wasn't completed exactly as expected. Jim and his crew quickly responded and resolved. - COVID safe. Jim and crew wore masks and took care to distance when my wife and I were out and about.

This is my first and only time having foundation work done, but based on my experience I highly recommend working with Jim on similar projects of your own. For what it's worth we hope to be replacing our garage foundation in the coming years and I will absolutely hope to work with Jim again on that.

Jim came to my house to discuss my project for 4 hours. He said it was a smallish project, but he would fit it in within 30 days. I pinged him after a month of not hearing back and he said a few more weeks, I pinged him AGAIN after that and he said "I can't do the project." I wish he would have told me he could not do it up front or at least gotten back to me with his change of mind much sooner.

As it is, I canceled appointments and got off the wait lists with others and wasted 6 weeks waiting on Jim. When he finally told me he could not do it, I had to get back on the wait lists for the others some of which were now 8 weeks long (I have an appointment in October now after talking to Jim in early summer). It was especially infuriating as he said while we were talking "I really hope you let me do your house." He may do good work, but he did not keep his word to me, he had no issue leaving me stranded and did not reply to my follow up emails asking him to at least provide a referral to someone who might help if not a later date when he himself could do the work.

I would advise anyone wanting to work with him to get a written contract before eliminating other options. His other references are good and he seemed to know what my house needed (a bit off from final assessment I now have, but w/o a structural engineer I think his assessment was the best he could do), so this review is not a reflection on his skills. UPDATE: I have since exchanged several messages with Jim where he was defensive for many emails and then after a few weeks acknowledged that this was his mistake, but he still takes issue with my posting my experience to Yelp.

I definitely thought a lot before posting this review, I waited weeks to give him a chance to get back to me, but I did not hear back until I posted this review and I am sure that without this review I would NEVER have heard from him offering to do this work at a later date, much less a date to my convenience. I think he thought he would do it, but then judging by other more recent reviews got bigger jobs and mine was not a priority so it got dropped.

Jim came out to my house to take a look at a water seepage issue through my concrete foundation wall. He spend a good amount of time reviewing the issue from the inside and outside of the house. He recommended starting with a smaller DIY solution to see if that solves the issue, and to give him a call during the next rainy season if water still makes it through. Very good and honest information, rather than just pricing something that may not be needed.

Like one of the other reviewers, Jim just came out to give me an estimate, but ended up explaining to me why I didn't really need his services. I have a few new cracks in my front concrete stairs that I thought might be causing a problem, but Jim patiently explained that the issue is cosmetic, not structural, and can be solved (for now, anyway) with some caulk.

I appreciated his willingness to crawl underneath the house to see for himself that make sure there wasn't a bigger problem. Next time I do need some work done, he'll be the first person I call for an estimate!

This review is only for initial contact, but I highly recommend people to contact his company. I filled out the web form to request a quote on the stairs/porch area and some structural concerns we have about our Victorian home. Jim responded via email within a couple of days to schedule an in-person consultation. Ultimately, the job required wasn't something his crew would typically work on, and it wasn't easy to estimate the cost because of the historical element of the house. Still, he spent a good hour evaluating the issues/structures answering all our questions and sharing his insights on how to approach some portions of the projects DIY or handyman route instead of hiring a crew. If you have a project that fits the work categories this company provides, you should definitely contact him to check it out.

This review is only for initial contact. Jim has never done work on my property, so I cannot speak to his work. I went his website to fill out a request for estimate and found it kinda harsh. I think the overall message is "don't waste his time". He responded to my request asking me to send pictures, provide him with measurements, and telling me that my idea of cost was way off base. Taking measurements and looking at the project should be his job not mine. That's what an estimate appointment is right? I went with someone else, and my estimate for work was spot on.

I just met with Jim this afternoon. He responded to my email quickly and was right on time for our appointment today (thank you). Jim took the time to not only inspect our foundation but went into great details about his findings - he also was patient with my many questions and provided great information. We are fortunate that in Jim's opinion we do not need extensive repairs but he did suggest some retrofitting we could do. I just want to say I appreciated his honesty and taking the time to explain everything. Thank you!

The main structural beam of our house on stilts was rotting which was very scary. We got all kinds of different estimates: Some very cheap offering to simply inject some Epoxi in the wood and some insanely expensive (and alarmist) offering to not only replace the whole beam but to also fix parts of the deck and replace a few additional posts. We were very confused to get so many different and opposite estimates for the same problem. Jim Gardner's estimate was a good inbetween: he wanted to replace the rotten part of the beam only and then to fix the source of the leak that created the rot in the first place.

The work him and his team did was excellent. He also was kind enough to take the time to answer ALL of our questions. We're so happy we found him and we'll definitely work with him again in the future!

Jim's work, and the experience of working with him, was absolutely outstanding from start to finish. The assessment of our project was spot on, the cost was competitive, the communication was excellent, and the quality and delivery of the work exceeded our expectations. We recently moved into a 1920s home that had significant foundation issues, along with some framing that had apparently degraded and been patched repeatedly over the years.

Between pest and foundation, we had received extremely pricey quotes. Jim provided us with an extremely thorough inspection of our foundation and subfloor (others just gave it a few minutes' glance) and was able to propose a solution that repaired existing damage while installing permanent drainage to help prevent future degradation. Of all the contractors we spoke to, only Jim was able to diagnose the underlying issue, and provide an economical solution that would actually solve the problem long-term. Permitting and scheduling were a breeze (Jim handled everything) and work began promptly after we accepted the bid. Jim's crew was a pleasure to work with, and were scrupulously respectful of our neighbors.

The job site was clean throughout, and the crew made it easy for us to go about our normal routine during the day. Additionally, they went above-and-beyond to keep the project moving on schedule - even though patches of rain. Through the entire process, Jim's communication was fast and thorough. We had a lot of questions, and Jim was kind enough to walk us through his team's process every step of the way.

The finished result is excellent. The subfloor is in great condition, the new drainage works wonderfully, and the team did a beautiful job matching the texture and color of our stucco. We couldn't have asked for greater ease, transparency, and quality on what we assumed would be a daunting project.

Jim came out to my house today to evaluate the foundation on our 1920s single story home. We'd had three previous people come out who ranged from willing to do the earthquake Brace and Bolt work with no second thought, to being very rude, to being alarmist. Jim spent more time with me than anyone else. He actually got under the house (with me) and discussed in frank and realistic terms what needed to be done.

He didn't try to sell me on a service that was just a bandaid for us and a payday for him (Earthquake Brace and Bolt retrofit) and he didn't tell me that I should freak out. He explained how and why my foundation will need to be replaced at some point in the future, what that would look like and entail, and - ballparky - what that would cost.

Now that I understand that a seismic retrofit would be work that would essentially be wasted once the necessary replacement needs to happen, I'll pass on the grant. Furthermore, I will not be over-swept with anxiety that at any moment my house will fall down (barring, of course, The Big One). Because of Jim I have a good sense of what work needs to be done, around what it will cost, and the understanding that I can work to save up that money in an unalarmed fashion.

If you have a project that's within his skill set, I'd strongly encourage asking him to come out and look at it with you and talk it over. I can't vouch for his work, but I hope to in the future when our finances allow.

Although a 100% 5-star record made me scratch my head, I reached out to them based on the reviews. But they proved to be pretty stingy/inflexible about where they work, regardless of the type of project or actual distance to the location compared to the predefined list of cities they serve. That is, even a location within the same radius from their office as the locations in their predefined list of cities served, is a location they refused to consider.

And jurisdiction is no excuse, as my community is unincorporated and other unincorporated cities in my county (i.e., same permit procedures, etc.) are in their predefined list. Such inflexibility leaves a bad taste.

I contacted Jim Gardner Construction to look at a drainage/sump problem I was having. He came out promptly and diagnosed the root cause of the problem. He made several recommendations which are now being implemented. I am confident that the problem will be solved.

Jim Gardner Constructuon did an amazing job replacing the foundation under our porch. They worked through the worst of the storms and completed the work on time. Thanks!

Jim Gardener just replaced the landing at the top of our front stairway. We were extremely impressed with Jim's knowledge, his professionalism, and his crew. The job entailed removing the original 90-year-old brick landing, the columns, and building a cement support wall underneath: the job was complicated. The work was completed quickly, even though we had rain almost every day.

The crew made sure the worksite was tidy at the end of each day. Jim went above and beyond what we expected and had the crew repaint all surfaces of our front porch. It's stunning work and I highly recommend Jim Gardener. I hope to use him again.

I filled out an estimate form on their website and Jim replied the next day. I'm still in the estimate phase with Jim, but he's been unbelievably responsive. We were emailing back and forth late last night, often with his replies coming back within minutes of my emails. He's looked at my schematics, photos, and asked a ton of questions before giving me a rough estimate, and the estimate was completely reasonable for the work. I'm super impressed so far.

Jim Gardner and his crew solved a long time water seepage problem with our downstairs living area. He installed a state-of-the-art drainage system complete with an industrial sump pump. The crew was amazing. They were prompt, courteous and incredibly hard-working. The work site was cleaned at the end each day. The job was completed on time and on budget. The quality of the work exceptional. Our downstairs is now dry and we have our livable space back. We give Jim Gardner Construction our highest recommendation.

Call Jim with the jobs where you want to be 100% certain they get it right. We worked with him to solve drainage problems at our house only after we'd worked with several other people who got it wrong. Jim understood the problem immediately, scheduled the work within a month of our conversation, the crew was on time, very communicative and helpful, quick and neat.

My favorite part, other than FINALLY having a functional drainage and pump system, was that the crew leader rescued a stepping stone from the rubble of the path that was to be replaced, and put it back in the new concrete path that was poured. The stone had been made by my son when he was little (he's now an adult) and it made my day to find it there, especially since I assumed it had been thrown out. Jim and his guys are great.