Constraction reviews in Berkeley, California

I couldn't be happier with my new kitchen. My spouse and I live at the Watergate complex in Emeryville. I wanted a local, trusted contractor to redo our very old, small galley kitchen. After interviewing about a half-dozen contractors I selected CA Bear. Their bid was extremely competitive. They were organized and professional. And they really worked with me to realize what I wanted.

After waiting over a week for an appointment for a bid, we still haven't received it over 2 days since the appt. We had 10 others in and they sent bid same day. Also during the bid no measurements were taken...super strange

Good communication, excellent work, and helped me keep costs down where I could during a large project with lots of potential for cost overruns. Highly recommend Oscar, Julio and his crew!

We transformed a really ugly backyard and driveway with Oscar and his crew. The project included technical challenges of grade, slope and drainage. We re-imagined the hardscape on three sides of the house - transforming it from an eyesore we tolerated to spaces we actively enjoy. I'm working on another project with Oscar right now. He's professional and patient.

We used CA Bear Construction for a large renovation project in Marin County. They did a wonderful job and we would definitely use them in the future.

CA Bear Construction replaced the siding on the small upper portion of an exterior wall, facing our neighbor, that was weathered and hadn’t had any painting/maintenance done in many years. They put up scaffolding, pulled off two layers of siding, evened out some sections that were inconsistent, installed insulation, applied new plywood/waterproofing, redid the flashing around the edges, and attached and painted exterior siding. Beginning to end, they did the work in two weeks flat, with no additions to cost despite a few small surprises. They were a pleasure to work with!

I can’t say enough good things about CA Bear. We completed two large construction projects for our home with their team. The end results exceeded our expectation in terms of quality and timeliness. I really appreciated their conscientiousness regarding the budget. This team of professionals made the construction process as painless as possible. We could not have been happier.

I am currently in construction with Ca Bear and have only positive things to report! They are doing a fantastic job remodeling and adding an addition and deck to my home in Berkeley. Their employees are punctual, professional, and dedicated to promptly completing the job. I highly recommend their services. Couldn't be happier.

North Berkeley full remodel, renovation, and expansion to include ADU. Originally tried to use an architecture firm to manage the project but ended up pivoting to CA Bear Construction, as they were vertically integrated with everything we'd need. They finished plan sets, engineering, permitting, interior design, and construction top to bottom. They dealt with inspections and every minor detail in what turned out to be a very complex project. Everyone was very kind and professional but most importantly they took the guess work and stress out of a very important and large project. As soon we hired CBC a weight was lifted and I was able to focus on design choices and enjoy the process. I can't thank them enough and I'd be happy to share more with anyone considering them for their project!

I did a lot of researching and vetting of construction companies before I found CA Bear. They took on a remodel of my tiny garage to a tiny ADU. I couldn't be happier with the results so far. Extremely responsive team, wonderful and thoughtful. I've been most impressed by the attention to craftsmanship and detail throughout the project. Also they are very patient with me when it comes to my questions and concerns. The whole team is professional and listens to any issue that comes up. Highly recommend. It is isn't easy to find- so look no more, hire CA Bear!

I highly recommend CA Bear Construction for any building or renovation project. They recently completed a full kitchen renovation and bathroom refresh for my condo. Their people are professional, skilled, and they listen carefully to their clients and do their best to give them what they want at the most reasonable price. Everyone at CA Bear goes the extra mile, including both people on staff as well as their subcontractors. Very different experience than my other building and renovation projects.

We used CA Bear to remodel two bathrooms and couldn't be happier with the end result. From the very first site inspection to the final walk through, Mario, Brenda and crew were amazing. They listened to what we wanted and with Brenda's design expertise created bathrooms far greater than we could have imagined. Mario was always around to check on the job and available whenever we had questions. The daily status reports with photos were also very helpful.
One thing that really stood out for us is how clean they left the job site each day, not easy with all the rain and mud we had this winter!
We get so many compliments on our bathrooms and totally recommend CA Bear!

CA Bear Construction replaced an exterior wall on our building in order to address persistent problems with water intrusion/leaks. They showed up on time every morning, worked efficiently, and did a great job. There were some challenges with the existing wall – extra layers of exterior siding, inconsistent framing/wall thickness, dry rot – but they talked us through everything they found and how they planned to address the issues. I found them to be honest and transparent, and the end result came out looking brand new and will hopefully address all the issues we’ve had. In addition, we happened to have an old pipe burst above our garage and called Oscar Vega at 9pm on a weeknight; he had his plumber out to fix it first thing the next morning, when we hadn’t been able to find anyone else to come so quickly. Would definitely use them again!

Oscar oversaw the construction of a custom separate 850 sq. Ft. ADU that turned out perfect. His group worked very well with our architect and individual input. He would have finished close to on time if not for the numerous change orders. And his team came up with excellent recommendations to improve the final product. We've had many comments on the quality of the details. I've recommended them to others.

Mario and the crew at CA Bear Construction came to the rescue after a sewage flood in my bathroom and everything had to be ripped out and torn down to the studs. It was an incredibly stressful time and Mario and Laura were kind, patient and thoughtful as we talked through my budget and all the details of what needed to be done to put my bathroom back together. Mario and crew worked around my complicated schedule to get the work done and I'm so happy to have my bathroom back, even better than it was before. Everyone that I worked with at CA bear was great and I'm really pleased with the experience overall!

We hired CA Bear Construction to replace our 40-year-old roof, and they worked quickly and efficiently. Their large crew allowed them to remove the old roof, install new plywood, and apply the new torch-down roof in under two weeks, with a bit of additional time to address some other issues. They were proactive, suggesting the removal and sealing of an old, unused brick chimney that was causing drafts and leaks, at no extra charge. Communication was smooth, and the entire process was quick and hassle-free, with no changes to the original cost estimate.

I worked with CA Bear Construction to replace the siding in my home. They were professional as they communicated changes to the timeline (which was adjusted due to weather/rain). They guided us throughout the entire process with kindness and attention to detail. I would definitely work with this company again in the future and recommend the entire team with high regard. Thanks again to CA Bear Construction!

We had a great experience renovating a Berkeley home with the CA Bear team. Our timeline was short and most everything on the interior needed some touching - full interior paint, kitchen & bath remodel, flooring, electrical and more. Things shifted along the way, as usual, and the team adapted easily. I was thrilled to have a Project Manager support the process and help coordinate all the little details, including receiving materials which I was super grateful for since I was partially remote. Definitely worth connecting with Oscar on your projects to see if they're a fit!

As a plumbing contractor I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Oscar and his team, who have consistently shown themselves to be highly skilled professionals. The projects we have undertaken have been completed in a timely and efficient manner, resulting in extremely satisfied customers. If you desire a seamless remodeling or construction experience, I highly recommend entrusting your project to their expertise.

I’m the Treasurer for our HOA, which ended up using CA Bear Construction for several separate pieces of work. We gathered bids from multiple contractors, and CA Bear Construction was simultaneously the most responsive and consistently among the most competitive on pricing. We only got one major change order, based on surprises they found after opening up the wall, but they talked us through those so that we understood the issues and their recommendations for how to address them. The invoices we got from them reflected the exact hours worked and materials used, so that we could see exactly how the work was progressing against the estimate. I found them to be very communicative and easy to work with throughout the process.

I found Oscar and CA Bear Construction through the recommendation of my architect, and I couldn't have been happier with the work and service that they provided. Oscar was friendly, communicative, knowledgeable, and professional. We met on site several times before starting work, he accommodated our schedule, including coordinating with other workers (I had some floor refinishing work done by a different company), and the workers were on site promptly every morning and worked efficiently. I even got unsolicited feedback from my next-door neighbor about how conscientious the team was about noise and tidying up the job site each day. They laid down floor protection and dust barriers that helped protect areas that weren't being worked on. And most importantly, everything came out great! We had the following work done by CA Bear Construction:
- Added a second bathroom within the footprint of the existing guest bedroom, including tiling the shower stall, leveling and tiling the floor, installing a vanity and light fixtures, etc.
- Reconfigured the guest bedroom and guest closet space (moving and adding light fixtures, framing/finishing)
- Added a shallow kitchen pantry with hidden press-to-open doors and custom shelving
- Added a skylight in the kitchen
- Replaced the vanity, added a Sun Tunnel, and installed additional can lights in the existing bathroom
- Replaced old deck doors with fancy bi-fold doors, including adding insulation to that exterior wall
- Replaced all interior doors for better sound insulation

After using Oscar's team for the work on our own unit, our HOA hired them for some additional building work - replacing the roof, replacing an exterior wall that was leaking, and hiring the electrician he referred us to for upgrading our building's electrical panel.

We got multiple bids for all of these jobs, and Oscar's team was consistently competitive on pricing without compromising on the quality of work. Our project manager Julian was on site nearly every day and responsive to emails and texts as we had questions or needed updates. The workers were skilled and seemed really invested in the success of the projects and in my satisfaction. I would definitely use them again for future projects!