Quality First Builders - Sherman Oaks, California

Larry S.

Where do I begin? At times it feels like my life is just a series of poor choices. But when it came to hiring a contractor, I finally made a good choice—a really, really good choice—by trusting Quality First for my epic home renovation.
When I met Eli, I saw something different from the other contractors who came to look at my home. I felt like I was talking to an artist rather than a contractor, someone with a strong vision for what my home could be. Eli had been recommended to me by a good friend of mine who had work done on his home, and the quality of Quality First was evident to me.
Eli and Donna are experienced pros, and their team is exceptional. During the demolition, his foremen Gio and Wilder, came across some paperwork, pictures, and jewelry that they set aside for me. They could have easily tossed these things, but the fact that they didn’t is a reflection of their thoughtfulness and integrity. The two of them and everyone who works with Quality First are professional, hard working, and just really good people, which is something I was not expecting at all in this business.
Okay, so I’m just this dude that doesn’t spend a lot of time thumbing through design magazines or scrolling Pinterest. Choosing floors and tile and fixtures and vanities and lights is totally outside my comfort zone, and I was so grateful to have Eli’s incredible wife Donna help with the design and purchasing. Ideally, a person should go into a project like this with a clear picture of what they want—but I didn’t have this. I really didn’t know what I wanted, so I depended heavily on Donna’s suggestions, and I couldn’t be happier with the result. Like Eli, she is a clear and responsive communicator, extremely patient with me.
So many times throughout this build I had problems thinking through the myriad decisions presented to me. I cannot overemphasize Eli & Donna’s patience in dealing with me and my indecisiveness, holding my hand through the process.
When it became during the build that the old stucco on my home couldn’t be salvaged, Eli wanted to make it right. The quote he gave me for the stucco was far below what he should have charged me; he must have taken a loss. There were other things that Eli basically threw in that weren’t in the original contract—an upgrade of the back patio overhang, cabinets in the laundry room, a linen closet. Throughout the entire build, I got the sense that he didn’t want anything his hand touches to be anything less than his company’s name would suggest, “Quality First.”
As an educator, I try to teach my students that the principle of reciprocity is alive and well in this world. When others do something good for us, we feel an obligation to return the favor. I’ve never written an online review on these sites ever before, but I feel an obligation to bring my experience of working with Quality First to light. Thank you!

LARRY S.

Where do I begin? At times it feels like my life is just a series of poor choices. But when it came to hiring a contractor, I finally made a good choice--a really, really good choice--by trusting Quality First for my epic home renovation.
My home was in a state of tremendous disrepair--black mold, corroded pipes, leaking roof, windows that didn't open, rats in the attic and walls.
When I met Eli, I saw something different from the other contractors who came to look at my home. I felt like I was talking to an artist rather than a contractor. He had a vision for what this place could be--pushing out some walls, expanding the kitchen, creating a more open layout. At the time, it seemed a bit extreme, but it totally made sense.
Eli was totally upfront in telling me "There are cheaper contractors out there," which is true, and I appreciated that. But this was an investment, and I wanted to make sure it was done right and in a timely manner. Eli had been recommended to me by a good friend of mine who had work done on his home, and the quality of Quality First was evident to me. So I sucked it up, signed the contract, and now I am living in the home of my dreams!
Eli is an experienced pro, and his team is exceptional. During the demolition, his foremen Gio and Wilder, came across some paperwork, pictures, and jewelry that they set aside for me. They could have easily tossed these things, but the fact that they didn't is a reflection of their thoughtfulness and integrity. The two of them and everyone who works with Quality First are professional, hard working, and just really good people, which is something I was not expecting at all in this business.
Okay, so I'm just this dude that doesn't spend a lot of time thumbing through design magazines or scrolling Pinterest. Choosing floors and tile and fixtures and vanities and lights is totally outside my comfort zone, and I was so grateful to have Eli's incredible wife Donna help with the design and purchasing. Ideally, a person should go into a project like this with a clear picture of what they want--but I didn't have this. I really didn't know what I wanted, so I depended heavily on Donna's suggestions, and I couldn't be happier with the result. Like Eli, she is a clear and responsive communicator, extremely patient with me.
Everybody who has ever had a substantial amount of work on their home understands that unforeseen expenses emerge. You hope to be able to salvage something, but then you can't, and additional work and materials are required. That means additional work orders.
In my home, we thought that we could keep the external stucco, but once the old plaster came down, it became evident that there was a tremendous amount of damage to the wood and stucco; for me to have a home that would stand the test of time, all of the external stucco needed to be replaced.
This is something that wasn't in the original contract, but Eli wanted to make it right. The quote he gave me for the stucco was far below what he should have charged me; he must have taken a loss, but he wanted to make it right. There were other things that Eli basically threw in that weren't in the original contract--an upgrade of the back patio overhang, cabinets in the laundry room, a linen closet. Throughout the entire build, I got the sense that he didn't want anything his hand touches to be anything less than his company's name would suggest, "Quality First."
I try to teach my students that the principle of reciprocity is alive and well in this world. When others do something good for us, we feel an obligation to return the favor. I've never written an online review on these sites ever before, but I feel an obligation to bring my experience of working with Quality First to light. I wish you well on your renovation project--or should I say, your renovation journey. I hope reading this review has been helpful 🙂

Regina Q.

I can’t say enough great things about Quality First Builders. This company deserves 100 Stars! After dealing with several other dishonest contractors, Eli and Donna were a breath of fresh air. Finally, I found someone I could trust. At first, I was skeptical because of prior bad experiences but Eli assured me that his team would be different. They have exceeded my expectations in every way. My project was a disaster from using unlicensed individuals that had no clue what they were doing. Eli told me he was willing to take on the challenge and make my home a beautiful new space. His crew is very professional, they pay attention to detail and they clean up after themselves daily. They are friendly, courteous and fast. His team is always on time and they show up according to the schedule. They operate peacefully and synergistically, there was absolutely no drama. They prioritized my needs. What more could one ask for. Eli corrected errors that the prior architect made with poor placing of lighting, dysfunctional cabinet design and sloppy plumbing and water drainage. Eli is extremely organized and a master communicator. He kept me in the loop with regard to every hiccup that occurred with regard to permits and inspections. The only regret I have is that I didn’t find him first. They are not the least expensive but they are worth more than they charge. Take it from me! Do yourself a favor and call them if you want QUALITY home renovations. I guarantee you will be pleased.

Nguyen L.

As soon as we met Eli and Donna from Quality First Builders we knew they were they right team to hire for our project. We spent a lot of time interviewing different contractors in a span of months but nothing provided us the combination that Eli and Donna had.
They did a tremendous job with our new construction. Eli picked up the pieces from our last contractor and built the home that we envisioned. We couldn't have done without Eli and Donna. They make such a great team with Eli's construction expertise and Donna's eye for interior design. Donna made the whole process of selecting designs, fixtures and appliances so much easier because it would have been a nightmare without her. Eli was constantly in contact to make sure we were aware of the progress every step of the way through. They were both very conscious of our budget and made sure to keep us in line. Even the neighbors complimented on how professional the team onsite was. I can honestly say that Eli goes above and beyond to make sure you are happy.
I’m sure many will read this and have their own experiences or heard or horror stories of bad contractors. You won’t have to worry with Eli and Donna. They are professional, honest, trust worthy and they are always responsive!

Crystal A.

We had overall quite a positive experience with Eli and Donna doing an extensive remodel (starting with gutting): we redid the kitchen/dining room and a bathroom in a contemporary style, and created of a small laundry room, in our 60-year-old home. Quality First is far from the cheapest, so not for everyone, but the service level is high, and the quality seems to be as well. Anything that isn't quite right will be fixed. Donna has a great eye for design but she generally provides well-thought-out options and lets the customer specify, unless her preference is explicitly requested. Communication between designer and general contractor is good because they're a couple!

Things were generally done right the first time, and on the rare occasions they weren't, it was fixed promptly. Eli has a forceful personality which one might have to resist occasionally, but always trustworthy and honest. We are very happy with our beautiful new kitchen, bath, and laundry!

Devin S.

In December of 2021, we had a house fire that did an extensive amount of damage to our home. After the house was ready to be rebuilt, we decided to interview multiple contractors. From recommendations from friends and family to reach outs to some well-reviewed people in our area, we had no shortage of people to go with.

When we met with Eli and Donna, we immediately felt like they understood what they were dealing with. Both from a house and a personality standpoint. Both of us are extremely picky people but very strong in our convictions of what we wanted our remodel to look like. They handled both of us with ease, helping to explain certain unforeseen situations and extra costs that come with renovation a fire-damaged 90 year-old home.

Not only does the house look great, but the speed of the construction from start to finish was almost unbelievable. When we first met with Eli he told us we’d be back in our home before the end of the year and I scoffed. Our insurance had told us that they estimated this being an almost two year long repair. They had the house ready in just about seven months.

After our plans were approved, the rebuild went smoothly minus a few hiccups including extra damage and remediation that had been previously overlooked by our insurance. Their attention to detail and thoughtful design really helped us transform our home back to a place we wanted to be in after the trauma of our house fire.

Donna was so helpful in walking us through our floorplan options and working with us on the design details to make our home feel like ours. She sourced vendors that had similar furnishings to what we were looking for and at price points we were comfortable with.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone, even if you’re worried about being a little on the more high maintenance side like we are.

Robbie G.

We chose Quality First Builders to remodel our master bathroom and kitchen because of the great reviews we saw on YELP. And because of our initial meeting with them, we did something we rarely do…we decided to go with them without getting any other estimates. So I really can’t say how reasonable their estimates were, but it felt in the ballpark of what we thought it might be.

The company is owned by Eli and his wife Donna. Eli takes care of contracting the workers, and Donna is an indispensable part of the equation in that she helps in picking out the fixtures, and the furniture, and the colors, and cabinets, and tile and grout, and everything else you can imagine. Honestly, there’s no way we could have selected all the myriad of choice possibilities that need to be made without Donna’s help. She is schooled in interior design and she miraculously comes for free as part of the package.

We were told the project was going to take about 5 weeks to complete, which hearing the horror stories of other contractors promise of estimated time to complete a project, we were skeptical but hopeful. As demolition and construction began, there was some unforeseen additional work that needed to be added to the original time plan - partly due to the inevitable ‘surprises’ one finds during construction and also because of additions we requested. And, through no fault of theirs, items ordered to complete the project took far longer to arrive than we hoped, so there were several weeks added to the completion of the project. All in all, however, we were extremely pleased with the quality and timeliness of the work that was done, the professionalism of the workers, and most importantly with the way our master bathroom and kitchen turned out. We couldn’t be happier.

So, highest recommendations to Quality First Builders to anyone considering remodeling their home.

David H.

Quality First Builders did a full remodel of our 2-bed, 2-bath condo in Santa Monica.

The result is spectacular, and very well suited to our needs.

Eli provided a detailed quote, with lots of specific information broken out. It was very clear what was included and what was not. Eli and Donna were both able to provide expert advice and guidance. During the quote process, Eli identified some problems that others did not, which is one of the reasons we chose to go with Quality First. There was an attention to detail that was reassuring.

The project encountered some significant challenges, including the discovery of some questionable electrics and plumbing as a result of the previous owner. These added to the cost and the duration of the project, but I do not blame Quality First Builders for that -- I do not think these issues could have been foreseen until demolition was complete.

Eli and his team took deadlines seriously, and although the original deadlines needed to be revised to account for these additional surprises, the work was completed ahead of the revised deadlines, which we really appreciated.

The project included:

- Full kitchen remodel
- Extension of cabinets and counter tops through dining room
- Full remodel of two bathrooms
- Custom floating shelves and mantle
- New doors throughout
- Paint and flooring throughout
- Installation of recess lights and light fixtures throughout
- Tiling a large patio area, and replacing trellising

So it was a large and complex project, and the result was of a high quality. Time and money both ran over, but seemed to be within reason, given the surprises left by the previous owner. There seemed to be a genuine sense of urgency and of efficiency throughout the process.

The reason I cannot quite give a 5-star review is that the process was an extremely stressful one for us.

To be fair to Eli and his team, the main points of stress were where third parties were involved. Anything that was completely within Eli's control was handled smoothly and well. His team does not do everything, however, and so we had to work with some other companies to fix the air-conditioning, replace the fireplace, hook up cable and internet, install closets, and replace the tile drop-ceiling in the hallway. We also had to interact with a very frustrating and unpredictable inspector. There were a lot of challenges where these different groups intersected, and where it wasn't clear who was responsible for what. We had to be more directly involved than I would have liked, and the communication was often stressful and at times became heated.

My recommendation to others would be to handle as much of this sort of work as possible either before of after the main work is done. There is a clause in the contract about not working with third parties, for good reason, and in our case it turned out to be unavoidable (e.g. we discovered the AC work we had done prior was not properly permitted so the inspector would not sign off on anything else, the fireplace had to be installed before the tiling around it could be complete, etc). Eli was flexible in allowing this, and I appreciate that we got to a great result in the end, but the journey was bumpy at times.

Both Eli and Donna injected creativity and problem solving. For example, the way the master bathroom was previously laid out was not up to code, and the inspector drastically limited our options, and caused Eli's team to have to do unnecessary re-work, which was frustrating. We were able to make the best of a bad situation, and the result is good looking and functional, even though our original plan was not allowed.

The look and layout of our kitchen and dining area were more within our collective control, and together we achieved a really distinctive and appealing design, thanks to Eli and Donna's input.

Thank you to Eli and Donna for working with us through all these challenges and getting to a great result.