Get matched with top fireplace & wood stove pros in Mar Vista, CA

"Mike and his team were incredibly responsive and did a great job with the project. The finished product is exactly what we had hoped. I would absolutely use Ashler again on any future projects."

"Renzo from Fireplace 911 did an amazing job cleaning my fireplace. It has never looked so good. I'll have Fireplace 911 come back once a year to clean my fireplace."

"Iâ ve had my wood burning stove for 20 plus years.Kelly made it to burn better than when it was new. I will recommend safe and warm to all my neighbors.Kelly knew more about my stove than I did. Highly highly recommend Safe and Warm ."

"Diagnosed and corrected serious flaws in the construction of the chimney and fireplace. Structurally, extremely knowledgeable and efficient. Have since noticed some minor inconsistencies in painted surfaces."

"We called Green Republic Landscapes and our first contact person Glenda, was both professional and friendly. Motti, the owner came to meet with us and think through the design of the area. He agreed that his workers will be able to remove the day lily, roses, dead sections of the bamboo and all the palm, as well as non-bamboo vegetation among the bamboo from the roots so they would not grow back. We agreed on a redwood wall with a mid section (about 2 feet) of plywood that will be painted black matte to double as a chalk board for our 6-year old; using all redwood would have been more expensive. The gravel will be covered with Angelus pavers with a small pipe underneath to drain any rain water that collects in the patio. We also decided to use the same pavers to cover a 2 feet wide dirt area that ran along the wood wall to make it a seating area. The total cost was $1750 for the vegetation removal, $4500 for the wall and $7500 for the pavers. We were introduced to Melissa, our project manager and Ivan the lead crew member. Everyone was polite and professional. Ivan, however didn't say much and was chronically late so if you work with this team please keep that in mind and refer all issues to Melissa and Motti. The work was completed as agreed and the patio looks really nice. We received our $500 Angie's List discount. However, be aware that you have to inspect the work regularly and hold the work crew accountable. Ivan reported to Melissa that he had completed the job but when we inspected the area the 1) redwood was not treated (he told her he had applied one coat - it was not true); the strip of sand at the edges of the pavers was not sealed either and a simple spray of water scattered the sand edging; and we found palm growing back from stubs he didn't remove (from the root). Melissa had Ivan and his crew come back to remove the redwood, treat it and replace all the planks. He sealed the sand with a glue like substance. He brought a drill to remove the hearts of the palm to "kill" them. The job was corrected quickly but I wish it had been done properly the first time. We are enjoying the area as an additional living space so I'm glad the job is done. However, I just found multiple strands of ivy growing back between the live bamboo and more palm fronds showing where they were supposedly removed so it is frustrating, and the bamboo was so unevenly cut that I've tripped several times walking through the area trying to trim the palm. I'm not sure if I should call Melissa again as we've signed the exit contract. I'd recommend them for their ability to work on both landscape and hardscape and for the responsiveness of the management but know that you'll need to keep an eye on the work crew especially if you are working with Ivan. And don't feel bad to speak up. For the total price, the work was mostly (90%) completed after corrections were requested. I really wanted to like this company as I have several friends who are also looking for team to help with landscaping and paving work. I might refer them with the caveats above. I would hire them again depending on the project."

"Juan de Jesus and his team did a fantastic job. Although we had detailed plans, Juan's expertise add the need ingrediencies to accommodate the drainage and design changes which created a finish product we will cherish for many years to come."

"We had several problems with our fireplace. It had started not drawing well despite the chimney having been cleaned a year before.  A lot of fire smell was entering the entire house even with an apparently clean burning fire.  Also the back wall of the fire box had a number of cracked bricks and an earlier patching job done by a former owner was crumbling.  There was similar deterioration on the firebox floor.































































































































Rich came on time for his estimate and immediately said the lower end of the flue might need to be recontoured because there was a flat spot that could cause the fire gasses to rebound downward.  He said the cracking in the back wall was probably due to moisture seeping down through an old chimney cap.  He told us at least some of the bad bricks should be replaced and any remaining cracks patched with the right kind of heat resistant cement.  He also recommended a new concrete chimney cap to keep moisture from penetrating into the porous chimney bricks.  He further suggested a vent to the outside at the back of the firebox to allow air to be drawn in to the base of the fire to assist in the drawing up of the gasses.































































































































But we were all puzzled by why the fireplace was suddenly not working as well as it had over the years. Rich asked if there had been changes in the house, like new windows or vents.  Yes!  We had moved our furnace into the attic and changed the cold air return from near the floor to the hall ceiling.  Apparently that caused an air flow in front of the fireplace that picked up the fire smell and drew it into the furnace, which propelled it throughout the house.  Problem identified!  Rich thought the air vent would solve this.































































































































Before Rich came to do the job, I tried the gas fire starter with no logs on the grate.  Surprise!  Flames rushed out of the cracks in the fireplace floor!  When Rich removed the brick around the line, he discovered a rotten pipe and no real connection between the gas line and the starter.  Another problem caused by the shoddy work done by (or for) the previous owner.































































































































Long story short, Rich arrived for the job exactly on time and spent the whole day with a helper doing all the work he had recommended.  It was noisy and dusty, but he put a tarp covering the fire box and also placed tarps on the floor.  We added coverings for the furniture.  In the afternoon we asked him to replace some more bricks so there would be less visible patching.  He managed to do this and was done before we had guests in the early evening.  We have since tried the fireplace and it works fine!































































































































We did have a little issue about the final bill, as the extent of his work had changed during the job and the effect was not clearly communicated.  We finally worked it out, but it pointed out to both of us the need to be clear about work changes.  We recommend Rich not only for his timeliness and good work, but his thorough diagnosis of, and solutions for, our fireplace problems.

"They had amazing price. They had amazing workmanship. They finished on time and came to work ready to work. They did a great job. I wished I could give them an A+."

"Jeff at Arellano Masonry was amazing. He rebuilt their interior fireplace. He was available immediately to give me ideas and pricing. Once we decided on the concept he and his crew jumped on the project quickly, efficiently and it turned out beautiful. Better than I could ever have imagined"

"We had a major remodeling of our primary and guest bathroom, walk-in closet, fireplace, and laundry area. We are glad to say they thrilled us about the results, now we feel like we live in a luxurious hotel every day! The good thing about working with Best Builders Group is that they have plenty of resources, and they have experts in different areas. We asked for a lot of changes and they always try very hard to accomplish them even though some of them were hard tasks. The team is very professional and what’s more important is that they are always patient in communication. We want to thank Zohar and all the team members who took good care of the house! We really appreciate their positive attitudes and energies towards work, and we feel very safe to see them working in our house. Not only did they take care of the project professionally, but they also helped with a lot of miscellaneous work such as helping deliver orders from local vendors and meeting with other vendors on making work smoother, which we truly appreciate!"