MCGRATH CONTRACTING INC

*RUN the Other Way -- Unreliable, Unprofessional, and Utterly Frustrating Experience* If I could give Paul McGrath and his company zero stars, I would. This has been one of the most frustrating experiences I've ever had with a contractor, and I feel obligated to warn potential clients: save yourself the headache and look elsewhere. We hired Paul to inspect a property we were purchasing, hoping for expert guidance on potential drainage and foundation concerns. In early July, Paul's recommendations seemed straightforward: "Just lower the soil grade by removing a few inches. Not a big deal," he said. He assured us in writing on July 10th, "I saw nothing to suggest you should anticipate any surprises going forward." Fast forward to after the close of escrow: We hired a landscaper to carry out Paul's advice, and the entire situation turned into a nightmare. The landscaper ended up breaking irrigation pipes only to uncover concrete beneath the soil--an unexpected and costly surprise. But the real problem isn't just Paul's initial poor assessment; it's his complete disregard for follow-through and professionalism. After months of us chasing him, he finally sent a team on October 25th to survey the new findings, promising us options and a new bid. We were relieved, thinking progress was finally being made. Nope. Crickets. When we followed up again, Paul emailed on November 6th, saying, "I'll send something over later today." It's now December, and still no bid, no response, no solution. This isn't just poor customer service--it's downright neglectful. I've seen other reviews echoing similar complaints: broken promises, delayed responses, and a total lack of accountability. This is clearly a pattern, not an exception. It's completely unacceptable for a contractor to behave this way, leaving clients in the lurch and offering false reassurances. Do yourself a favor: steer clear of Paul McGrath. I don't want anyone else to go through this maddening experience. His unprofessionalism has cost us time, money, and endless frustration.

I paid McGrath contracting for drainage corrections & foundation repairs back in 2015, which were advised in the inspection report I hired them to carry out prior to purchase. Fast-forward to 2021, and I had a pre-sale general inspection report carried out, which highlighted the SAME drainage issues as the previous report. Essentially, McGrath Contracting did carry out the foundation repairs, but not the drainage corrections. Which were paid for. I've been trying to get ahold of them for 2 weeks to get this sorted, and they are refusing to return my calls. It's completely unethical and unacceptable business practice, and I'm just so disappointed - especially since Paul McGrath is regarded as one of the best in his field.

He was pleasant, My house was retrofitted and it looked very professionally done. I realized when I moved in many months later it was not satisfactory with a few areas. I called and the crew came out to make me happy. It needed a little tweaking cause my house is not perfect and they came out to assist and made a few tweaks that helped. But when I noticed my side wall cracking I was concerned. I believe this is an easy foundation reaction that caused the smooth stucco to easily crack, at least that is what I was told happened. The owner said he would give me a name of a specialist he has worked with as a referral to help, but I never received  the info.  Between the several professionals that I enquired to present their opinion and dealing with the owner between his other jobs, I didn't want to waste more time and just chalked it up. Poor follow through with my complaints!

McGrath performed worked as promised in the planned timeframe, as slightly below quoted cost.

The staff was courteous, punctual, and professional. They completed the work according to schedule, they were tidy, and the finished product looks and works great. We are totally satisfied and have no complaints. Thanks for your help!

Absolutely superb! We met with lots of the top drainage experts on the Westside and we decided to go with Paul. He was extremely knowledgable and a pleasure to deal with throughout the process. His crew was so friendly, hard-working and did extra work not included in the bid that we tipped them all. We highly recommend Paul without any hesitation. The work looked extremely professional, with a great attention to detail. One of our favorite contractors!

I was pleased with the work and service provided by McGrath Contracting Inc.

The entire process was easy, professional and well-managed from start to finish. We were provided a clear and concise estimate for the work, discussed options and results, and then the work was done extremely well, with minimal intrusiveness to our daily lives. So far the work has been exactly as promised, fixing a major drain problem we had in our backyard and proving to be a smart investment.

They were very professional, fast, and clean. We were very satisfied.

I thought they were very good with the estimate; they were professional and put together. They are a highly professional organization but I didn't use them because their recommended work is what really needs to be done.

It took a little while between initial inspection and getting the work started but the work was done quickly and efficiently and we are very happy with the results.

After two seasons of heavy rains in which I experienced flooding on the ground floor of my 3-story house, which stands against a mountain side, I consulted McGrath Construction to determine how to stop the water intrusion. Paul observed the subspace in which the water was collecting and recommended that a drain pipe be installed to carry the water from that space to the street. We set a date for the work and his crew arrived at 7am that morning. They worked steadily for two and a half days to complete the project, leaving the work area completely clean. The drain pipe installation required excavation of a concrete side yard and a narrow section of lawn in the front yard. The concrete work to seal the excavation was expertly done and amazingly little damage was done to the lawn. Although the final test will come during the next rainy season, I was entirely pleased with Paul's approach to the problem and the quality of the work.

McGrath did foundation work after our home closing. They installed a drain and support under the house. This did a nice job overall with what I could see. They were very professional and neat, etc. My one issue was the following: They told me that they would repair the dryer venting under the house. They did the repair. I discovered several months later, from another contractor, that the dryer venting had not been done properly and that debris was collecting under my house. This is a fire hazard. Since I can't easily investigate work done under my home, it was disturbing to learn this. I have to wonder if the other work under the home was done properly. I emailed the company to let them know and they never responded to my email. I was expecting an apology of some sort or at least "we'll ensure this doesn't happen in the future."

Came recommended from the realtor. Was easy to work with, flexible with our escrow dates, fully explained the process and the pricing. Concrete work was done quickly and clean. The existing linoleum had to be demolished, but it was no loss. Great to work with, beautiful results.

This company is exceptional in terms of quality of service, honesty, and professionalism. Since the original job (see above) was completed in 2001, I have had several other independent contractors (plumbers and termite exterminators) comment on the "very high quality foundation work" under my house. I feel that the money I spent in 2001 on McGrath Contracting was an investment, and I feel very comfortable knowing that I can always get an honest opinion about what work could be done versus what work needs to be done.

They were TERRIBLE. Although I scheduled them 8 weeks in advance, they still delayed their start by 2 weeks. Then they went 2 weeks longer than scheduled. Afterwards, they did not return my phone calls to fix a pipe that they broke or to answer other questions that I had. I would NEVER use them again and recommend avoiding them at all costs.

THEY EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS WITH THEIR WORK. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEM. THEY ARE VERY PROFESSIONAL AND THEY DO REALLY GOOD WORK.