Avant-Garde Construction Enterprise - San Leandro, California

Suyog L.

Matthew and his team was very professional and helpful. He charged some $$ to give the quote but his team actually went to crawl space and come up with diagram about where concrete columns are and which beams have problems. His quote was little on higher side but he used URFP (instead of L bracket) and when I had questions about which bolts to use he compares the strength of different screws and recommended me the right size. He also took care of all the hard work to be done on EBB web site. I am happy with all the work he and his team performed and confident that my house will have better probability to survive the earthquake.

koorosh N.

Just completed EBB Earthquake retrofit by Avant-Garde. Very happy with the whole process. Very easy to communicate using email. Although I never met or spoke to Matthew, he was very responsive and helpful with instructions and answers to my questions using email. His team were also very clean. They did a great job covering the access path to the crawl space and clean after themselves when finished the job. All in all, highly recommend Avant-Garde. Oh, BTW, their pricing was also reasonable, as I got bids from 3 different contractors.

Jason D.

We have had the pleasure of working alongside Avant-Garde for many years now.
They are extremely competent in everything from retrofits to complete additions of homes.
Matt is a 2nd generation, skilled contractor who can quickly understanding plans and is able to understand structural issues and the ways to repair or reinforce.
Any question I have ever had regarding structural load to retrofitting, Matt has always had an answerer and been able to help guide me in the correct direction.
Highly recommend Avant-Garde to anyone interested in retrofitting or general construction.

Manan B.

Easy to work with, responsive and knowledgeable staff. Performed Earthquake brace and bolt Retrofitting on a very old house. Took about 8 hours for two guys to finish the job. URFPs, L90s and LTP5s were used per Plant set A minimum requirements. They provided several options as an add on apart from regular retrofitting work. They met our expectation for the contracted work. I would recommend Avant-Garde to anyone looking for a trustworthy, knowledgeable contractor.

Alfred T.

Avant Garde helped us complete an earthquake retrofit for our early 1970s house under the EBB program. Matthew and team were great partners and are very familiar with the rebate program.

The process started with a paid inspection and we were glad we did this. Their tradesperson will go inside the crawlspace and perform a detailed inspection for the scope of work that needs to be done. In our case they even reported a plumbing leak that we were not aware about. They also identified additional work needed related to our pier and beam foundation. At the end of the process the inspection fee will be credited back.

Once inspection is completed, they submitted a proposal which in our case was very competitive. It was also accurate because of the inspection, rather than ballpark estimate by others. Last but not least, Matthew is very familiar with the process and requirements of foundational work.

Once the project started, the crew were very professional and tried their best to keep the work area clean. Concrete damage (common for retrofit) were patched and painted like new. They also cleaned up after themselves and took care to remove materials from the crawl space.

At the end of the process, they also timed the city inspection perfectly and we passed with no issue. Matthew then provided exact instructions on claiming the EBB rebate check, which came promptly.

With the EBB part complete, we were also able to get a discount for our earthquake insurance.

Finally, they also sent lots of pictures of their work.

In summary we are very happy to have worked with Matthew and Avant Garde for our EBB earthquake retrofit and foundation work.

Angela C.

Avant-Garde did the earthquake retrofit for our house. We are very happy and impressed with their work and highly recommend them to anyone. Matthew's email responses were phenomenal, almost 24x7, and he handheld us in the application process when we ran into issues. His crew was punctual, courteous, efficient, and professional. We are so happy that we pick Avant-Garde for our earthquake EBB project!

Ari L.

I highly recommend Steve & Matt at Avant-Garde construction. Their specialty is earthquake retrofitting, but are also skilled with remodels, additions, and ADUs. They were very responsive, professional, and do super high-quality work. After speaking with Steve, I learned I could save $3,000 for a retrofit through the FEMA program "Earthquake Brace & Bolt". He led me through understanding the process every step of the way, which was super helpful. They will inspect your foundation for safety, take pictures, and upload them all to the database along with the permit, etc. What a breeze!

cynthia B.

I was referred to Avant Garde as an excellent seismic retrofit contractor. (Brace and Bolt) they were that and more, The workers were there every day, (dust from the crawl space underneath the house) professional, pleasant, careful to clean after themselves at the end of their day, laying plastic coverings on all the furniture that would have been affected by dust, laying painter sheets on the floors, etc. The work turned out to be more extensive than estimated; however, the company management charged only the contracted price. As well, they handled all of the permitting and photos processes. Very ethical! I would highly recommend! Cynthia Castro Valley