Schafer Construction

Nathaniel Slater

a year ago

Schafer recently rebuilt both the upper and lower decks on my house, which is located on a rather steep hillside in the Oakland Hills above Lake Chabot park. This was a complex project involving significant design and engineering work, and requiring scaffolding that was probably close to 60′ high. The upper deck is supported by concrete pillars dug deep into the ground. This allowed us to increase the deck size substantially, as well as add pergolas for shade. The lower deck, which is cantilevered, was also fully rebuilt and increased in size as well. The project has added significant living space to the house. The upper deck is now really an extension of our living room and kitchen, which open up onto it via sliding glass doors. The attention to detail on this project was the best I’ve ever experienced. Rudi from Schafer even had 3D renderings done of the upper deck and designed the lattice work in the pergolas based on the angle of the sun at the brightest day of the year! The carpenters and project manager assigned to the project were highly professional, always showing up on time. Rudi was extremely patient in dealing with the completely dysfunctional city of Oakland permitting process, pushing the city to issue the permits once the delays reached the point of absurdity. For such a large, complex project the execution was remarkably smooth and we couldn’t be happier with the way the decks turned out. I recommend Schafer unconditionally for deck remodels, especially if you have a complex project such as this one.

Steph A

5 years ago

5 stars! Wow, where do I start? I got about 7 quotes. Rudi from Schafer Construction came over and gave me a full education on my deck remodel. I now know more than I ever thought I would about decks, wood, joints, and more. A couple of the companies were trying to do way more than what was needed, and got a few options that I didn’t even consider. I do recommend getting a few quotes just to learn what else is out there, but go with Schafer Construction. They specialize in the hills of the bayarea. They are upfront about everything they found. As they tore down my old balcony they found some problems below the house. Thank goodness, because then we could fix it right there, then build the deck on top of it rather than having to figure out how to go around the deck or tear it down 3 years down the road. If you need a new deck in the Berkeley Hills or anywhere in the East Bay Area, give these guys a call!

S W

5 years ago

Yesterday, I awoke to my deck off my bedroom hanging by a thread and ready to collapse onto the deck off the living-room and possibly spill over on to a sidewalk and parked cars! Frantically I called Schafer Construction and Rudi Schafer made himself available to come over and assess the damage and safety risk. The deck was ready to collapse at any moment and if so, damage to my living-room was highly likely as one deck would crash into the other. He advised me to move all valuables/breakables and hope for the best. He assured me he could have a crew in the morning come to shore up the upper deck and then dismantle it. The deck hung on through the night and true to his word, a professional crew arrived and was able to take care of it. I am forever grateful for the prompt action Rudi and his team took to preserve my property from further damage and more importantly avoid potential harm to my family and neighbors. Job well done!

Stephanie Astige

7 years ago

I fully trust these guys