All reviews for Universal Home Improvement Inc

Had back of my house flooding after the big rains ! So I looked for solutions thru many contractors but Mark at Universal Home Improvement gave me that extra security knowing the job was gonna be done right the first time ! Very professional and my problem was solved saving me a ton of money on other repairs ! Btw I had French drains installed

i signed the contract then had to cancel for reasons.Mark the owner was super gracious and understanding about it. he even offered alternatives, insisted on returning the initial deposit. will keep this company in mind for later because I know Mark is true to his words and will do a good job. thank you Mark.

Mark Lavine of Universal Home Improvement, Inc. is a superior human being and excellent General Contractor. Even though he was extremely busy with dealing with emergencies all over the Peninsula due to recent storms, he made time on a Saturday morning to trouble shoot an issue with our sump pump. He found the problem in seconds and fixed it instantly. Skilled, knowledgeable, and compassionate. What more can you ask for? A++++++

I had severe flooding issues in my backyard. Universal Home Improvement helped me solve this problem that was getting worse. They found the issues, installed sump pumps in my yard, put in pipes and directed the flow to the proper areas to drain. It was an extensive job that required drainage work, cement and brick work, installing sump pumps, and other smaller issues. The work was done neatly, very professionally, and communication was clear. Mostly I can’t say enough about the follow up. When it got plugged, he came out right away, fixed it, no additional charges, and was so helpful explaining the issues and helping me figure out how to prevent the many issues I had with my drainage. So grateful for their help with this difficult problem in this very wet winter! They totally fixed an issue I’d had for years. I would highly recommend them.

I hired Universal Home Improvement to install a French drain system around my house and I could not be happier with my decision. From the very beginning they were responsive to all of my questions, and I had many, and I immediately felt at ease that this project would be completed successfully. Once the project started, the crews that did the work were very courteous and respectful and cleaned up after themselves each and every day. They were very aware of the fact that they were working where I was living and so they did everything they could to minimize the nuisance. The owner of Universal Home Improvements runs many projects up and down the peninsula at the same time, but stopped by my project every day to make sure that the work was proceeding according to plan and to ensure that I was happy with the way things were progressing.
Having now gone through a few rain storms I can also say that the drainage system that they installed works beautifully. So at the end of the day Universal Home Improvement did a great job from start to finish and I will definitely call them for my next home improvement project.

Mark built a French drain system for my basement which was flooding from time to time.  The work was well done and very efficiently. He also gave me a 10 year warranty. I waited for a couple of winters for the French drain to pass its test.  In 2022 and 2023 we had a lot of rain and the basement never flooded. Mark knows how to build French drains and I highly recommend his company.

About 10 months ago, Mark installed a drainage system with sump pump and battery backup in our backyard. The system worked without issue until today when there was a storm and power outage and the sump pump backup failed. Mark was immediately responsive to my texts for help, and he came by and quickly fixed the system (loose battery connection). He even left us with a new battery at no charge in case the current one had any more issues. Appreciate Mark’s service and responsiveness!

Mark is AMAZING!! our house located near SFO is suffered from flood in the basement since last year. Mark is very professional and built a french drainage system for our house. First, he came to check the situation, proposed several different plans, detailed explained it and answered all my questions. He let me see what has been done in other projects he completed so I had a clear vision of how will he solve the problem. His quote is very reasonable (one of the quote I got from OTHER contractor was almost double price than mark and with NO plan, can you believe that??).

When the project started, mark has a great and efficient team. It has the tractor to help dig the ground, it completes the project faster than expected. Mark come the check everyday, show you around, let you know the progress. Overall we are very satisfied with the french drain! We are away from the flooded basement now:)

I first called Universal Home Improvement because I needed a couple of new retaining walls and a french drain installed. I was very happy I was able to deal with Mark the owner who came out to give me a estimate for the work. He was on time and very pleasant to deal with. He gave me a fair bid and even offered me a payment plan of 0% for 12 or 18 months in order to pay for it, I thought I was dreaming 0% payment plan. Well it turned out to be true and he did such a great job on those projects I decided to ask him to install a new foam too. Since I was so happy with the work I referred a few of my friends from the bridge club that also needed work. Hey Universal, keep up the good work!

Mark and his crew did a great job sealing a below-grade room attached to our house. They sealed the foundation, and installed french drains and a sump pump. Mark's crew worked very hard and completed the job two days ahead of the estimated due date. Mark was on hand every morning and kept us updated of the work progress and answered any questions we had. His crew cleaned up the completed work area and were always very courteous. Thanks Universal Home Improvement!

Mark quoted a fare price for a job that many others were not sure how to tackle. Many over thought and over priced the job, and one low ball never followed up with me - very poor business practice.

Mark and his crew were all professional, timely, clean, respectful, and did the job right, on time and on budget. The drain system that was installed finally resolved a problem that was created when the house was first built.

This experience was so good, I’m now asking Mark for bids on other work that is needed. Couldn’t give a better recommendation than that.

David K

Mark took the time to go deep into the details of the project he and his team would be doing on our way home. He gave us a very competitive bid to demo our concrete walkway, waterproof our foundation, and install pipes, a sump pump and french drains. We were very happy with the service and would happily use them again if we have any needs in the future.

Mark and his team did a fantastic job installing a French drain along my house. Mark’s proposal was the most thorough of those I received for the work, and included mitigation for a valid issue affecting our yard that none of the other contractors had noticed. His team arrived promptly every morning and cleaned up thoroughly at the end of each day. Mark was willing to make adjustments as the project progressed as well, adding a second catch basin to the end of the drain path at no charge to ensure the system would work through even the heaviest of downpours. I highly recommend Mark to anyone in the Bay Area in need of a residential drainage solution.

Quoted one price and at the end it almost doubled. Scam.

Spam calling people on weekends and evenings. Confirmed the number

Booked a job and paid advance but when the time came for work Mark never came back with a fixed date. When followed up I was told Job was reserved few weeks out and until then I was no longer interested. Asked for a refund and no response from Mark. So lost money without getting any job done.