Bay Area Retrofit

Diane A

7 months ago

We chose Bay Area Retrofit because we watched the videos and got the impression that they did a better job than other companies. We knew that we would have to wait longer and were patient. It also cost more, but we wanted a job well done. It took 4.5 months from the estimate to get the work done. (see timetable below) The most surprising thing was when my husband went under the house to see what was done. He found garbage left behind: 31 plastic bags, 3 boxes, 1 broken hose, and 1 uninstalled bolt. Thirty-two bolts were supposed to be installed, but they put in only 31 and left the uninstalled bolt under the house. I would expect that if there is a change in the plan, it would be updated and we would know about it instead of just leaving the unattached bolt under the house. Time Table for Work 4/12 Initial Estimate at Property 5/2 Proposal for Work Sent 5/8 Customer signed papers. 5/24 Contra Costa Permit Application 6/2 Permit Approved by County Waiting to be scheduled for 58 workdays 8/28 Work is done. 9/12 received the permit in the mail. No pictures or other information about the work.

Nate Lampton

a year ago

Howard helped me with questions about a retrofit repair to my house structure. In the end, I needed the services of an engineer to which he provided a referral. I’d highly recommend starting any questions you have with them. They are clearly experts in their field with comprehensive explanations and a long history of sharing their experience through their (very helpful) website. Five star experience. Helpful and fast responses. What a gem of a resource for Bay Area homeowners.

Ryan Renslow

a year ago

A very honest company. Howard came out to my house, after providing a lot of information via email. We just moved here and we did not know if our home needed retrofitting for earthquake protection. Howard thoroughly checked our whole house, the crawlspaces, etc., and told me that because the house was newer and was custom built with an engineer, they had already included the things that a retrofit would bring. At the end, he said he didn’t recommend any changes, but he did say earthquake insurance was a good idea for us because we basically live directly on top of the Hayward fault (retrofits and good engineering cannot protect against everything, especially a big one when you live right on the fault). He could have told me a list of retrofit repairs that we should get and I would have had no idea our house was already secure, but he was honest and gave us peace of mind. I was happy to pay the very reasonable inspection/assessment fee. It is so nice to see a company that is transparent and honest about what you actually need. The other reviews talk about their great work when you need a retrofit, but it is so nice to see that they are not going to talk you into it if you don’t need it.

Donovan Ahlquist

2 years ago

Quality work by an expert in his field. Howard Cook’s teams use state of the art procedures and the latest hardware to improve and reinforce foundations and underpinnings to stabilize homes and foundations. He is always working at being the leader in his field.

Stephen Murray

3 years ago

Wow . After being here in Pacifica since 1993 we have had quite a few wake up calls in the way of tremors .Always lingering in the back of the mind ,”I gotta get that done .” . We just had our home retrofitted by two gentlemen from bay area retrofit .,Thupten and Julian. They did an amazing amount of work in short order .Seamless execution .In and out . Had everything they needed to do the job and a careers worth of tricks to get it done . Work was clean , done per plan . So glad we finally got that off the to do list. Within 24 hrs after finishing there was a good jolt ,4.0 in the east bay .Breathing a little easier now. Thanks Howard and Bay area retrofits. You truly provide a great service.

Read Vanderbilt

3 years ago

As far as I can tell, Howard Cook and his company are by far the most knowledgeable and expert retrofit people in the Bay Area. You can pay them a fair fee to come out and give you an expert plan. And then, if you want, you can hire them to do the work. My experience was exceptional. Howard and I traded emails, and I sent him a number of photos. He analyzed the situation, and then wrote: “I thought about your house some more and given you are in the middle of a row of houses that support your home on each side, plus the fact that your house has stucco on the outside I don’t think you need anything. I hate to talk myself out of a job but I think I would be wasting your money.” Wow! That’s the mark of a great business. Giving you their honest opinion, even if it’s that you don’t need their service. I plan to recommend Howard and his company to everyone I know in the Bay Area.

1 1 (11)

3 years ago

It’s not a secret that Bay Area Retrofit has a great website. very educational. It is definitely worth your time to study it. It had so much information that after a little study I felt like I understood exactly what I needed, could evaluate other bids, and knew exactly what I would be getting for my money before they started. I did have some questions and Howard was very patient and took all the all the time I needed to make sure my questions were all answered. He really is concerned about his customers and told me he put his website together because there was so little information out there. He said he had seen people spend a lot of money on work that did not do anything because contractors did not understand what they were doing and homeowners did not know what they needed. He reported it to the New York Times who discovered the same thing. Their article is on his website. He said if the government wasn’t going to educate and protect people, he felt like he needed to. I checked the work myself and got exactly what I was promised. Howard and his team can be trusted for sure. I could not be happier. Thupten and Guillermo did the work, they are a well-coordinated team, knew exactly what they were doing, and worked fast and efficiently. It’s no-brainer for me to recommend Bay Area Retrofit to others, not only online, but also to my neighbors in Castro Valley, CA.

Ann Johnson

3 years ago

While researching our retrofit, I came across Bayarearetrofit.com and thoroughly read Howard Cook’s informative website about all things seismic retrofit. Do yourself a favor and do that! Nowhere else can that concise, in-depth information be found. Two pages in, I was wishing I could have this company do our work. I assumed they would be too expensive, but not so– they were comparable to the 3 other bids I got from EBB listed contractors. Instead of a cookie-cutter bid for plan set A, which may not be the best fit for your particular house, Howard gives you a detailed, very specific proposal. His was the only bid that found and remedied the poor connection between our addition, and the original house. No others even mentioned it. His Field Supervisor Jason is true to his word on scheduling and getting the work done (expect a wait—they are in demand). The process was painless, taking a bit under 3 days for our average size 1 story bungalow. The workers were thoughtful, arriving masked, always closing up and cleaning up at day’s end. When finished, Jason promptly provided the promised photo documentation of the work done. We started with EBB program and were offered the grant, but our house was a few inches out of compliance with plan set A standards. I am very happy that turned out to be the case. We opted out of the EBB program and went with Bayarearetrofit. I am certain we got a much better job for it. The grant would only have brought the cost down to BAR’s bid, and added a lot of bureaucratic hoop-jumping. It’s a good thing you are doing Bayarearetrofit. Thank you.

Paul C

3 years ago

Howard is awesome! I’ve been looking to see what type of work I needed to do for a voluntary seismic retrofit of my house, since I’m already planning on replacing my siding. I had tons of questions, and my home siding construction isn’t standard (e.g. doesn’t have sheathing, with 2×4 blocks between studs every 2 feet, and vertical planks for exterior siding). Howard answered all my questions, and was super helpful in understanding where the strength of the house comes from, and what I should and don’t have to do. His experience and advice, along with the detailed explanations you see on his website, was invaluable in giving me piece of mind! He gives you real advice, and is looking out for your best interest (home stability and minimize cost), and doesn’t oversell you on anything. He’s someone I would recommend to any family or friends!

Linda Wroth

4 years ago

I was very pleased with the work Bay Area Retrofit did on my house several months ago. The latest earthquake fault maps show the Hayward Fault going right through my property, so I was glad I finally had earthquake retrofitting. The workers were very polite and cleaned up after themselves. It passed inspection so I have to think it was well done, even though I couldn’t check for myself. A reasonable price, too.