Get matched with top brick or stone fireplace installers in Santa Cruz, CA

"After reading many reviews and checking out several fireplace stores I chose Penguin. I liked the emphasis on customer service, the fact that it is family-run, and that they feature Mendota gas inserts which are beautiful and offer many options. Ephrain is a delight to work with. He came to measure the fireplace, discuss the job and gave it careful thought. Gladys then gave me much additional information as I thought through the options, and Eric helped me select the traditional full insert when I came into the showroom. I especially appreciated Penguin’s dedication to customer service when I changed my mind about Penguin doing the tile work at the last minute. This was very inconvenient for them but they were gracious and made sure the new tile installers had all the information they needed to do a great job. And Ephrain came back to install the doors after the tile work was done, taking extra care that they were hung correctly and taking extra time to show me the details of the remote control I admire the approach Penguin Fireplace takes and I am thrilled with my new fireplace. It makes a big difference when the people running an operation have great values. I highly recommend Penguin Fireplace."

"Excellent. We replaced a wood burning fireplace with a gas fireplace. We asked the company to see if they could remove the old tile without damaging it, a tricky task requiring some finesse. They managed to do that very well, and we were able to clean the old tile and have them place the tiles around the new fireplace which required a lot of precise cuts to fit the new fireplace size. They did a great job, and replaced/repaired and textured the sheetrock surrounding the fireplace. The workers were very neat and cleaned up everything when they finished. Highly recommended"

"Very well. I bought through Angies List. I scheduled myself, as I needed to get this done within the week I called. I talked to the owner, Martin, who was so nice and in the process of moving his shop from Gilroy to Morgan Hill. Because I wanted this done relatively fast, I said I was flexible and could meet anytime, suggesting if they are out near Los Gatos, perhaps they could squeeze me in. He said in fact, he thought they might be in the next week or so, and he would text me. Well, the very next day, I got a text and met his guys and they did a good job. Plus they took the time to show me how the gas fireplace works. I was very pleased. Martin was very responsive continually and kept me posted or had his guys call to update me on time to meet. Martin also knows everything about BBQ's, so if your BBQ stops working, there is no better place to call for that too! I know I will!"

"See above.. He's great-  knowledgeable, prompt, profession, creative, and very talented!!! Price was competitive yet fair..
Fabulous job!!!
Hiring him again for some interior and exterior stencil work....If you're looking for faux and or stenciling work for your home..RANDY IS YOUR MAN!!"

"Excellent! Every time I asked for additional items to be done he never said no. Worked with very little space to create a mini laundry room as well as install and plumb my washer and dryer. Always cleaned up each day and is very professional with reasonable prices. Highly recommend"

"Having done numerous home projects over the past 20 years with and without contractors, I knew a complete bathroom remodel would take a lot of coordination between subs, so my wife and I decided to hire a contractor for this project.  We hired an architect several years prior to draw up plans for our remodel and we had done plenty of research on which items we would purchase. We weren’t doing anything extraordinary, just replace tub, vanity, tiles, repaint and remove shower to make room for a stacked washer & ventless dryer.  I had been on my building’s board of directors for the past 6 years, so I knew exactly what needed to be done to ensure condo and code compliance. Unfortunately, it didn’t go as smoothly as it could have.
In case you don’t want to read all the details:In summary, Rani, the owner, is a nice guy who communicates well.  Unfortunately, the people he subcontracts work to aren’t necessarily highly skilled. For our remodel, the electrician did very good work, the plumber did average work, the tile person did good work on the floor, but horrible work on the wall, and the supervisor was below average. The main overall problem was the workers’ lack of detail. While I would not use Inception again, I think they’d do an acceptable job for most people on simple projects or for “fix & flip” people who plan on selling their home right away.
The details:From the very beginning, instructions were missed. We requested several times to create a plastic barrier to block off the living room to limit the amount of dust that would go on my desk/computer area, TV, couch, etc. They said no problem, but it never happened. Also, our HOA requires that no supplies be left in the hallway after 6pm during the week or over the weekend, but 2x4s, metal pieces and runners were left out there multiple times.
The main problems started after demolition. The tile guy did a very good job on the floor with the Italian tiles, but did a horrible job with the white subway wall tiles. One evening, I came home to find that he used the wrong color grout – I had specified the exact color to be used and wrote it down in several places, but he ended up using a much darker color because it was in stock at Home Depot. So, I was happy when he redid it with the correct color, but then horrified when I realized that he grouted all the corners – expansion joints should be caulked, otherwise the grout will crack right away. And that’s exactly what happened after 1 day!  The tile guy came back to fix, but instead of cutting out the grout and applying caulk, he just caulked over the grout…with the wrong color!  At this point, I was done with the guy and just did it myself, spending 2 nights after work using a grout saw to cut out the grout and applying the correct color caulk.
After all the wall tile work was done, the supervisor hung the shower curtain rod and in the process stripped several screws and cracked a tile where the rod was mounted. Then the worst part appeared after a couple days – he obviously put too much pressure on the tile with his hand to cause it to crack, but that pressure was also on the metal corner bead, which caused movement that cracked 12 bullnose tiles.  This ended up being another multi-night project for me, since I no longer trusted the tile guy nor the supervisor to fix things correctly. 
Mounting a 40x30 medicine cabinet should be pretty easy, right? Well, first they chipped the mirror in several places. So, we had to order a replacement unit from Kohler. Then, the guys mounted the medicine cabinet upside down. After being notified, they said they’d fix it the next day. Well, after coming home from work, I found that instead of correctly installing it, they just rotated an interior product sticker to make it look like it was right side up. This dishonestly was truly disappointing. Yet again, this was something that I needed to spend time fixing. And upon removing the cabinet, I realized that none of the 5 screws they used to attach the top of the cabinet to the wall went into a stud. Really? It took me a few minutes to find the studs, but at least I know it’s secure.
From the very beginning, one of my requirements because of HOA rules was to have a drip pan installed under the washer. This was never done, so I had to order one and then hook up the washer and dryer myself. But during the installation, I realized that the water drain pipe was mounted too high – while the washer & dryer had been sitting around the entire duration of the remodel project and the installation manuals were provided to the supervisor, the workers just mounted the water lines like they’d do for a full size washer. Our Bosch units are compact and have certain requirements, so I had to come up with a workaround. 
The project seemed to be finished until I tried taking a shower.  First, the tub diverter handle was so loose, it felt like it was going to break off. Then, the shower spout was loose.  The Speakman tub diverter handle was an easy fix – I just removed the handle and tightened a few bolts. But I wasn’t happy when I removed the shower spout collar – the shower spout elbow wasn’t anchored to the stud. It was just next to the stud and it could easily move an inch laterally. After a few years of movement and stress, I envisioned the copper pipe cracking at some connection, so I immediately mounted the pipe correctly. 
This project was filled with many mistakes that could’ve been avoided. While subcontractors are bound to slip up occasionally, a good supervisor will notice this and have the mistake corrected before the client notices. My advice to Rani is to find a core group of supervisors that are capable and trustworthy before trying to grow Inception further."

"I called them for a quote to put granite tile down on my bathroom floor. They informed me there was a $1200 minimum to come out and do the work. I have a 30 sq ft bathroom floor. They wouldn't come out and do the job because of the small area."

"We had to get a pony wall removed so that the flooring guy could start installing and refinishing the floors soon. We also wanted to get our fireplace mantle lowered which required removing two rows of bricks removed. It was urgent and we had asked lots if folks for estimates and availability. Robert responded promptly and came over quickly to look over the job and give us an estimate. He sounded confident and we decided to give him the job. Since it was urgent, he was willing to come over the next day and get the wall out. he even suggested how we can paint the wall the same color to match the rest of the room and he saved a piece of the drywall to match the color (i didn't think of that!!) ... he also refinished the wall by putting in piece of drywall, textured it again and got it ready for paint and my flooring installers. He did a fab job, and completed the job in 2 days, cleaned up behind him. He was easy to got in touch with, always patient in answering questions I had. I would definitely hire him again!"

Located in Oakland, CA, 3D Studio specializes in steel and metal fabrication, Certified structural welding, architectural fabrication, and welding.\nWebsite www.3dstudiosinc.com\nCalifornia Contractors License #1064200\nBonded and Accredited.\n\n3D Studio Owner Joseph Farais founded the company in 1986. He has over thirty years as a highly regarded metal fabricator and metal sculptor. Joe oversees the production of a wide variety of custom designed metal fabrication as well as store development for high profile clients including Williams Sonoma, West Elm, Pottery Barn and Marine Layer. Mr. Farais has won numerous awards for his sculpture and has exhibited throughout the United States. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Miami University and a Master's of Fine Arts degree from San Jose State, and has also served as Assistant Director of the Sculpture Department at The San Francisco Academy of Art.

"I met with Eddie and really liked him. He told me he'd get back to me with a quote within a week. 2 weeks later nothing. I email him, call him, still nothing. I go ahead and call the office and then hear back from him within 2 hours. He tells me he tried calling me but my phone wasn't working. We then plan to meet to go over the estimate. That meeting is canceled due to his daughter being sick. We then do have a meeting to go over the estimate before he goes on vacation. We ask him if we can have some alterations made to the contract: add lighting, bathroom counter tops, subtract 1 window, get exact measurements for the kitchen island layout and line items for the costs. (We were having a hall closet remodeled to remove a coat closet & fit a full size washer dryer, removing a fireplace, a kitchen wall, new furnace, tankless water heater, new windows and a new tall custom kitchen island.) We didn't hear from him again. 
I did hear from the office manager? 6 weeks later to see how it went. I was really irritated because dealing with people like Eddie just wasted our time and delayed the start of our project. Anyone who is looking to remodel go to the stores you're looking to buy from and ask them for recommendations. Then get quotes from multiple people at the same time. And even if you think you've found the perfect person keep looking until you've actually signed a contract and you know the date they're going to start work.
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