Innovation Construction

Ben S.

Innovation did some ok-ish work for us in 2011 ... every time since has been an escalating disappointment. I called Andrew P (owner) with a list of several interior projects (home theater rough-in, add a floor outlet, disability grab bars in bathroom) in mid-Dec 2017. By the end of Dec, I'd done all the theater sheetrock and wiring work myself, as he couldn't be bothered to quote any of it or even call me back after numerous messages.

I still needed the grab bars prior to major foot surgery scheduled for 2/17. I oked his pricey bid in mid Jan 2018, with a caveat that it needed to be done by 2/10 latest, and hopefully earlier. As usual, IC missed 3 committed install dates for which I adjusted my schedule to be home - waiting fruitlessly. As usual, they didn't bother to call me any of those times - I had to call them when they were 30 mins or more late. Andrew told me after 2nd missed date that 1 part was still in transit (odd he had just noticed this), & he could commit to 3pm on 2/15. Again, no call and no show. When I called at 3:20pm - he said the ""new girl was sleeping"" and she forgot to put the parts on the truck. Its always something with Innovation - last time it was that she forgot to track the package.

As of 4:15pm, they are STILL not here. I called Andrew, he didn't answer his cell phone, and I cancelled (by voicemail & email).

IC quotes are not itemized, usually just a brief text email, and you have no way of seeing labor vs. matls costs, ensuring sales tax is handled properly, or making rational guesses about what an add or delete change will cost or credit.

The contracts are not presented ahead of time. Rather, the tradesman walks in with it on a clipboard to do the work, and you are expected to sign lots of fine print without any advance review. They also try to collect full payment upon completion - not necessarily standard, and very much not in line with ""let's be sure you are satisfied and we've done everything right"" attitude.

Andrew has a nice friendly personality, but he ignores 4 out of 5 phone msgs and emails. Its like he's trying to run the whole company himself on zero sleep, 24 hrs/day. Sadly, he doesn't show any respect for the customer's time and (as you can see in other reviews) the work quality is not always even as good as do it your selfers.

We've had it. We will never, EVER even think of using them again. I recommend others steer clear as well.

Nancy S.

Of course I needed both my garbage disposal and instahot replaced right before this Thanksgiving. I called Andrew and he said no problem...my guy will be by tomorrow. Sergey the plumber came and of course the instahot I had ordered was much bigger than the old one so no easy switch...but again no problem! Sergey worked his magic and installed both appliances. These guys are the real deal! And they do it ALL so I will be calling them again!

trami n.

I work in a small neighborhood bar in Alameda. Our pool table has a plug which is used to charge the pool table every night. It hasn't been charging very well, even though it's plugged in for 12+ hours at a time...

As I was starting my shift, I unplugged the table and the plug ripped off from the rest of the electrical cord!

I called Innovation Construction and after a short convo and a couple pictures, Andrew said he be able to come take a look it within the hour. About an hour later, he shows up and in under 10 minutes, it is fixed! He also let me know it was wired wrong by whoever rewired it last. That was probably why we've been having to recharge it more and more often.

By the way, this was on a Sunday!

Thank you Andrew and Innovation Construction!

Nick M.

I've been working with Andrew for almost 2 years now. He has done multiple large and small projects for me. While I can tell you he is not perfect, there are always problems in this difficult business. The thing that they have done right, the quality of the work is excellent. I've done a ton of remodel work over the years, dozens of kitchens and bathrooms and a few foundation projects. Andrew is a pro. The tile work, the cabinets, the plumbing and roofing are all excellent. To be honest and fair, there are sometimes issues with scheduling and clean up that are frustrating. But the bottom line is that you can be the cleanest and more respectful construction guy, but if your work sucks it doesn't matter. Andrew's work is first rate and his prices are extremely competitive. So plan for and discuss some small frustrations and you will get outstanding results. I've hired him again for a large scale renovation project and recommended him to many others.

Corinne B.

Don't deal with these people!! Monetary agreements written in emails (thereby provable) are not honored, and when brought to the attention of their secretary/phone person, ""A"", I was met with foul name calling (read swear words YELP won't let you write), and a hang up. 5-6 emails could not solve, and it is just too irritating to be hung up on.
How does she keep this job?

erin l.

Andrew and his guys renovated our 1920's era craftsman from the ground up. His quote was competitive and his work exceeded expectations. I had two little girls when IC did their work and I was impressed by how thoughtful they were about sound and dust. Let's face it, construction is dirty and time consuming but absolutely worth it in the end when your contractor thinks about all the little details that makes your house beautiful and convenient. Thanks IC!

rosemary c.

Innovation construction is the shotiest outfit I have ever come accross. The quality of the work quality is awful and Adrew is blatently dishonest. The work is rushed, and of poor quality. I would NEVER suggest anyone with any integrity pay for this company's service. This company promises and does not have either the will or the capacity to execute. Specifically all electric work that was done at our house is substandard and had to be redone. The woodwork will all need to be re layed and the cabinets are not straight.

Adrienne K.

Feeling grateful is how I would like to begin my review. I bought my place last June, a cozy condo in Castro Valley. I like the neighborhood very much, but the unit itself, I personally thought it needed a semi-major makeover before I can move in.

The makeover started with two handyman, my parents' referral. They had the best intention to help remodel my place. Did a beautiful job with painting all the walls and ceilings. Almost a month into the remodeling I realized what I needed was not a handyman, but rather a skilled person that can step in with knowledge, knows when to pull permits, and knows what little thing to do to bring out the best character of my little heaven :). I chose all the tiles and Andrew (owner of Innovation Construction) designed and put everything together. I love my new bathroom shower walls, the kitchen countertop and backsplash. He designed the pattern for my floor and stairs, and I absolutely love it!

Andrew is a super busy person, but he took the time to go shop with me what I needed for my place. He almost always pick up my calls. He is very professional, and he wouldn't do anything against code. For example, he took out my laundry room doors to work on the floor and when he was done he wouldn't put back the old ones because they were not the correct type of doors according to safety code so I had to get new doors. He said I can put them back myself, but for him to put them back they had to be the ones that meet code. Little things like that I appreciate. In long run what is a little extra money spent if that can peace my mind, right?

Andrew was a great guy to work with. He has a lot to teach and he's very direct. My remodeling work was not cheap, but definitely worth every penny. Thank you Andrew for turning my home into a beautiful place!

Lex B.

My husband and I used Innovation back in the winter of 2012, to build a bedroom in our very long garage in our -at the time- newly purchased home. I can't count how many times I have drafted this, but I'm finally submitting it because I'm shocked they are still in business.

To keep it brief, we were atrociously taken advantage of and the contract was breached multiple times. Since we were young and naive, we were unaware of our rights and were too trusting. We were also on a deadline since someone was moving in with us, something that was discussed from the beginning. IC extended the deadline and then still did not meet it, albeit weeks of no one even showing up. This was a simple, three to seven day job that took around five months. It wasn't even completed by them, my husband had to finish the details (trimming, painting, cleanup) and to this day the bedroom door they put in is backwards.

The price was raised a couple times with no room for negotiation, superfluous problems arose that later were confirmed by other contractors to have been bogus, and in the end it cost almost twice what was originally agreed. Since then we have spoken to other contractors who said the initial price, alone, was too high.

As if these facts aren't enough, the only reason the job was completed was due to my husband and/or myself incessantly calling (literally, daily) to be updated or request people come work on the job. We were never given legitimate reasons for no one showing up, and the men who did the actual work did not seem nearly as qualified as the front-man for the company.

Please do not use them, you will regret it. The high stars reviews on here also seem a bit fabricated- read the one star reviews!!

Taryn M.

I reviewed Innovation Construction in 2010 and was happy with the work at the time, but my how things have changed! We hired Innovation for a $150K job that included a new foundation and addition, plus new electric for the entire house. Andrew is much too busy now to care about the quality of any one job, even a large one like ours. He sent unskilled laborers to our house every day for 3 months without supervision. One day we watched as two guys moved a pile of dirt 4 times just to keep busy because they were not given any work instructions! After 3 months the poor guys had finally dug out our basement with 2 shovels. That's another thing, Andrew does not give his guys the tools that they need. More often than not, we would give our tools to the guys so that they could work more efficiently. After the foundation was poured, we canceled our contract because we did not think he was competent enough to finish the job. The next contractor we hired, finished the entire addition and finishes in 6 weeks!

The only thing you might want to consider hiring Innovation for is window installation. That is the only thing they seem to do well and at a reasonable price.