Get matched with top guest house builders in Portola Valley, CA

"In September 2024, I contracted with Scott C. McIntyre, the owner of Landscape Solutions to do landscaping work at my residence in Los Altos, Ca. The work consisted of replacing existing retaining walls and steps in my back yard and installing a new patio on an already flattened area on the hill in my back yard. Mr. McIntyre declared the work completed on November 4, 2024 although there remained issues with incomplete and substandard work and failure to adhere to rules imposed by the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB). I have filed a complaint (currently not resolved) with the CSLB. I paid Landscape Solutions $56,385.41 of a Total Contract Estimate cost of $58,790.00 (with a not to exceed clause of $60,000) with final payment to be made when the project was completed to my satisfaction. The project was never completed to my satisfaction with some (not all) of the outstanding issues described in this review. ISSUES WITH WORK QUALITY - NON-CODE COMPLIANT, SUBSTANDARD, NOT COMPLETE 1. The Guard Rail over the lower retaining wall is not building code compliant. The most serious issue with the work that Landscape Solutions did was that the guard rail built over a retaining wall does not meet building code and is not child safe. A picture of the guard rail is shown in the review I posted on Yelp (posted with a one star rating on January 20, 2025), but I am not able to show a picture on an Angi's List review. The guard rail is made up of vertical posts spaced approximately 45 inches apart and two horizontal rails between the vertical posts. The upper horizontal rail above the surface of the newly built patio forms the top of the guard rail. A second horizontal rail below it is halfway between surface of the patio and the top of the guard rail, leaving two large gaps between the horizontal rails, each gap approximately 19 inches wide. Code dictates the maximum gap in the guard rail is 4 inches. A child could easily fall through the large gap in the guard rail to the level below. A baby crawling on the patio could plunge head first off the patio to the lower level and be seriously injured. I emailed a picture of the completed retaining wall and guard rail to my city's Building Code Enforcement Division and inquired if it was building code compliant. A Code Enforcement Division representative replied with an email message (Client can provide the actual email message). Following text is from the email message: "The rail needs to be 42" high and there needs to be a maximum of 4" between the horizontal rails. The fence as shown does not meet the standards and intermediate rails need to be added." -----End of quote from email message sent by city's Code Enforcement Division------- NOTE: ALLOWING A CONTRACTOR WHO DOES NOT KNOW THE BUILDING CODES TO BE LICENSED PUTS THE PUBLIC IN DANGER. 2. Incomplete and substandard work i. There are areas with no pavers, just dirt, adjacent to the lower retaining wall. Contractor fixed some but not all areas along the newly built lower retaining wall. A picture showing an example of this issue is shown on my Yelp review but I am not able to show a picture on an Angi's List review. The picture shows where paving stones should have been installed next to the retaining wall. ii. Gate not installed in lower retaining wall. The retaining wall that was being replaced had a gate. I called this to Mr. McIntyre's attention in a reply message to his message that the project was complete. He replied in an email message that he would replace the gate. iii. In doing the work, Landscape Solutions workers moved items (e.g., wooden glider bench, other patio benches, chairs, patio table, an umbrella stand) from the flattened hill area to other parts of the back yard. I requested that the items be returned to their original locations. Mr. McIntyre, in an email message, agreed to do so. This was not done. Returning items moved to their original location should be a standard part of Landscape Solutions clean-up work upon completion of a project. ISSUES WITH NON-ADHERENCE TO CONTRACTORS STATE LICENSE BOARD REGULATIONS In items 3 and 4 below, quoted text is from Contractors State Licensing Board publication "Contracting for Success", which was downloaded from the CSLB website. 3. Contractor did not give buyer a copy of the signed contract as CSLB requires. "Before any work is started, the contractor must give the buyer a copy of the contract signed and dated by both the contractor and the buyer." 4. On the day work began, Contractor asked for payment of $15,000 along with the signed contract. "Except for a down payment, a contractor can't demand or accept payment for work or materials until the work is actually done or the materials are delivered. The down payment may not exceed $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract amount, whichever is less." Contractor gave following reason why he asked for $15000 at start of project. Quote is directly from an email message he sent client. Client can provide the actual email message. Text of email message from Mr. McIntyre, in quotes: "My son is out of state at college and it is very expensive. My cash flow and bank account funds do not allow me to pay for your materials before delivery and pay my payroll in advance of getting paid by you if this is what the CSLB requires." --------End of quote from email message sent by Mr. McIntyre-------------- 5. Contractor made additional changes not in contract without a change order being added to the contract. Contractor's office manager then billed client for the unauthorized work. The Contractors State Licensing Board publication "Terms of Agreement A Consumer Guide to Home Improvement Contracts" (downloaded from the CSLB website) states the following: "Extra Work and Change Orders become part of the contract once the order is prepared in writing and signed by the parties prior to the commencement of any work covered by the new change order.""

"Natural Vibrations Inc. just completed our second project with them, conversion of a 1960s rumpus room into a junior ADU, including bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and dining space. It required thoughtful design, placement of lengthy sewer and water lines, extensive new electrical work, addition of a window, HVAC heat pump system, removal and replacement of new sheetrock, insulation, porcelain flooring, quartz countertops, appliances, fine carpentry including custom shelving, restoration of antique stained glass windows, tiling, and a versatile lighting system with spectrum-adjustable LED illumination. This was accomplished with minimal disruption and maximum attention to our input at every stage. We enjoyed their cheerful company and parted, once again, on the best of terms."

"Excellent job! We contacted Geico Builders to renovate our Kitchen and two bathrooms - basically complete home remodel. The initial meeting was with Diane our project manager who upon meeting, felt like she was a great fit. She's very personable, straight forward, responsive, and always looked out in our best interest throughout the project. I can't say enough good things about her and Geico. The attention to detail is precise. They gave us the timeline for completing and kept me updated throughout the process. We're very happy with the work they have done and would not hesitate to go through Geico if we ever decide to have another remodel. We just love our new remodel bathrooms and kitchen."

"The Hall and Master Bathrooms were fully renovated with new cabinets, countertops, showers and fixtures. Leo from Skytech assisted me along the way with option choices and recommendations. The crew was exceptional in their workmanship and were very detail oriented and made sure to clean the area prior to departure each day. I have received multiple compliments on the finished bathrooms. I would highly recommend Skytech Builders to anyone considering renovations and Leo in particular."

"I found Build the Bay through Angi’s List and I’m so glad we went with them for our bathroom update/remodel! Working with Eitan and his team was like night and day compared to other contractors I have worked with in the past. Specifically what I appreciated is that he treated me with respect and would take the time to explain in layman’s terms what was needed. (I’m not a construction pro by any means.) Eitan even shared a list of vendors that he has worked with in the past for materials and finishes, as well as a checklist to ensure I ordered all the finishing pieces in time. He would even be willing to review any products I was interested in to let me know if it was good quality. It’s only normal for unexpected issues to come up during construction, and what was also great is how communicative Eitan and his team were with me. They would quickly let me know what the issue was, explain what my options were, the cost for each, and what those options would mean in the long run. Eitan always responded very promptly via email or text if I had any questions or requested any updates. Our project has been done for about a month now and I have to say that I strongly feel like Eitan and his team delivered high quality bathrooms in a timely manner. I would definitely reach out to the Build the Bay team again if we needed to do work on our home again."

"From the first consultation to the last walkthrough, the Bay Remodeling Kitchen & Bath team provided exceptional service. They remodeled our kitchen and laid new flooring throughout our house. Every step of the process was expertly and meticulously handled. They answered all of our questions, kept us informed, and ensured we were happy with the result. The quality of their work speaks for itself, therefore we're happy we chose them for our makeover."

"We were looking to remodel our kitchen or bath for a few years. We kept getting estimates from different companies and always felt the price was off or the person was not a good fit. Then, finally, we met Shai with Cal Green Remodeling. What a great guy! He is very upfront and honest about what we can expect in terms of cost and work flow. Because of his honest approach, we hired him. We felt he gave us the good and bad and how to resolve the bad as well. In the end, the process was fairly smooth, and the few hick-ups we had, for example, the city and their permit process, were well explained to us at the beginning, so we were ready. Our kitchen or bath looks amazing, and I plan to work with Cal Green Remodeling again. Thanks Shai!"

"Appreciate the great communication, Benjamin and his team was professional, clean after themselves and was delivering what was promised. Will definitely hire them again Thank you!"

"Fantastic team of honest workers. They took care of every problem and logistics in a professional and timely manner. Extremely happy with the final product, would absolutely refer."

"This was an outside deck with cover, so I was concerned about hiring a professional who had experience with this. Among the four I talked to, Jay was the clear winner and got the job. He delivered with an expert tile job. He also introduced me to Denise at the San Jose Tile Shop for selection of tile, pattern and colors."