Recommend a contractor

The question I get most often from readers is: Can you recommend a contractor? Sadly, I cannot. But you can.

Have you used a licensed Southern California general contractor that did good work for you and that you would recommend to others? If so, please post below.

Here's a template you could use:

City or town you are in:

Name of contracting company:

Contact person at company:

Telephone number:

What this company did for you:

The cost of your project:

The duration of your project:

The reason you would recommend this company:

Your contact information (optional):

Thanks in advance!

Comments

[janetshermann]

type of company--general contractor

company Robyn's nest Inc

contact name: robyn weeden

location: south gate

type of work:

bathroom remodel: we live in a 1920's tudor house, he completely remodeled our bathroom at a very competitive price. He was willing to work with us on cost and design giving us what we wanted. Eg.. pics from magazines etc..

home office: Robyn created a wall shelving unit to house my 3000 record collection.

2nd home office: robyn helped my wife set up a sewing/craft room with custom made shelves. Just like the pictures from her magazines.

kitchen remodel- we will begin very soon on that.

why would you recommend him?--We would recommend him because he is personable, professional and experienced. He is willing to work with your budget. He is always coming to the work site and checking on his crew and making sure with his customer.

please give him a big shout out! He truly deserves it.

thanks!

[Peggy Olearczuk]

City or town you are in: Burbank, CA

Name of contracting company: Bethanis, inc.

Contact person at company: Mark Bethanis

Telephone number: 818.842.2300

What this company did for you:
Bethanis, inc. is in the process of restoring and remodeling our 1920's-era Spanish house. So far, they have done exterior and interior painting, restored our wood windows (including reviving windowsills we had assumed were beyond saving), and replaced our red tile roof, (re-using the old tiles to maintain the vintage look). They also repaired our crumbling terrace wall (exactly reproducing the distinctive look of the old stucco, and creating a drainage system to make sure the problem doesn’t reoccur).

They also completely restored our Art Deco bathroom, repairing the shower, matching the vintage tile, and adding a granite vanity top. They remodeled our garage, including custom cabinets, a new floor, roof, and door with automatic opener.

If you’d like to read more about our projects, please check out my guest blogs on Pardon Our Dust:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/pardonourdust/2007/11/guest-blogger-p.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/pardonourdust/2007/12/guest-blogger-p.html

The before-and-after pictures will show you what an amazing job Bethanis, inc. has done in "rescuing" our house! We are so thrilled with their work, we plan a kitchen remodel and master suite addition in the near future.

The cost of your project: $92,390.00

The duration of your project:
Many of these projects were done concurrently; overall it has taken about four months.

The reason you would recommend this company:
We wanted to work with a professional, experienced contractor who specializes in vintage homes, because it's really important to us to preserve the look of our house, while still adding modern conveniences like energy-saving windows. We chose Bethanis, inc. after seeing their beautiful work on other vintage homes, and the way they create a perfect balance between maintaining the authenticity of older homes and using contemporary materials and methods where needed.

Not only is the work itself excellent, but Mark is extremely patient and very good at explaining what needs to be done and why (for instance, why repairing/replacing our wood windows would be better than Pella windows for keeping the look authentic). He really listens, and is sensitive to our desires and concerns as homeowners. And because he is so knowledgeable, especially about vintage houses, he is able to offer ingenious ideas, solutions, and possibilities we never would have dreamed of. He’s organized, always returns our calls promptly, and keeps work progressing on time and on budget.

His crew shows up on time every day and does meticulous work, with craftsmanlike attention to detail (like perfectly matching the stain on the new windows to our original wood-beam ceiling). It’s obvious they really care about making everything exactly right.

We've already gotten so many compliments on our "new" old home--after the exterior painting was completed, someone said this is how the house must have looked when it was brand-new, circa 1929. Mark is keeping the promise he made at the beginning of the job--he’s making our house shine.