Paul C8 days agoFrom
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 2x4 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!
Jonathon Taylor8 days agoFrom
I cannot recommend Bay Area Retrofit enough. I hired them to retrofit my home but only had them do a back addition (amounting to about half the total job) to start in order to space out the work and save money. I ended up doing the rest of the labor myself, but only because Howard and his group provide an incredible amount of information about retrofits free of charge on their website in the form of videos and tutorials. Howard was extremely generous in his willingness to share information and advice on an individual basis without expecting to be paid. In hindsight it would have been much smarter to pay them to complete the work. My relatively limited carpentry skills coupled with the irregularity of older home construction made the job much more challenging than I anticipated, and there is no substitution for the experience that Bay Area Retrofit brings. Kudos for being such an honest and quality business when there are so many contractors out there doing shoddy work for a premium.
Rebeca Boyte8 days agoFrom
I was contemplating buying a house but got some concerning information about its structure and proximity to the Hayward Fault. Before I made an offer, I sent Howard an email asking for his thoughts. I have never worked with Howard, so I was not sure if he'd respond.
I was so pleasantly surprised when he replied just a few hours later with his advice, steering me away from the purchase. Thank YOU Howard for your integrity and your willingness to help someone out with your insights and expertise. If I ever need structural help, you'll be the first one I'll call!
