Allen Construction

Allen construction has a phenomenal team. They strive to please the customer , they and constrictors, professional and knowledgeable.

They took over organizing everything, made some of the subs do everything over if it was not done well and made sure everyone showed up. I didn't have to deal with any of it. They didn't leave a mess anywhere. Then, a few months later, when I was having problem with the LED lights with the dimmers, they came back several times to be sure that everything was perfect. I waited to write this review because I wanted to see the results and I now only get billed once a year. My entire electric bill for the year was about $450 when I used to routinely have bills over 200/month. I run a lot of electrical equipment and also have an AC system with a fan that I run a lot without the AC because I have severe allergies. This was so much more than any of the other companies that were aggressively pursuing me had to offer and looked at options that were cheaper than installing more solar panels but still got the job done. They still have a couple of more things that I plan to do but ran out of money. I would hire them again any time to do work for me. I have a cabin on Big Bear that needs work and I wish I could bring them up there.

My historic electrical use is quite low but I plan to install an air conditioning system and to purchase a hybrid-electric car. I felt that installing a solar voltaic system would be an ideal solution to help offset my projected increase in electric consumption. I interviewed two solar installation contractors. I selected Allen Associates - Building Performance and Solar Division to design and install my solar system because I was impressed with the knowledge and professionalism of the building performance specialists. The listened carefully to my ideas and worked closely with me to develop a design and features that were in line with my projected electrical needs. Allen offered a number of valuable services beyond solar system design and installation including assessment of the energy efficiency of my home, the structural soundness of my roof for supporting the solar panels, and the condition and integrity of the roof covering. They applied for and obtained the building permit, re-adjusted their design to accommodate fire code changes that occurred immediately prior the permit application process, arranged their construction schedule to meet my needs, were prepared for building inspections, requested and obtained permission to operate from Southern California Edison, filled out and submitted the paperwork for the California solar rebate, set up my solar generating monitoring system, and were willing to answer all my questions and otherwise assist me every step of the way - even after the system was in operation. I also was impressed with the personable natures, creativeness, and workmanship of the sub-contractors Allen Associates used during the installation process. Allen installed 15 solar panels and micro-inverters and completed all peripheral mechanical and electrical work and other on-site construction in only 3 1/2 days. The equipment I purchased allows me to monitor on my computer, the monthly daily, and hourly production of my solar system. The total cost of my system after the California solar rebate and a 30% federal tax credit will be $12,741. I am now generating power from the sun and, for the first time in my life, the power company will be crediting rather than debiting my account. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Allen Associates for solar panel design and installation.

Allen Associates has done great work for us. They remodeled our house and built a small guest house 25 years ago. We were very happy with their work. Since then we have had them do some small repair work on a deck, add some grab bars to showers, add a railing to front steps, and other work. As part of a full service builder, the Building Care and Repair division has done some of the work themselves and sometimes located, hired, and managed subcontractors for certain trades. Most recently, they remodeled a bath in our guest house and updated the kitchen nook. The work included electrical and plumbing construction and tile for a shower and a stone countertop for the kitchen nook. The personnel from Allen were also pleasant, knowledgeable, responsive, and quite professional. We had some trouble with contacting and getting responses from the tile subcontractor regarding the choice and availability of tile. But a call or e-mail to the Allen Associates project foreman always resulted in a rapid resolution of the problem. We also had a deadline for completing the project with visitors scheduled to arrive at a certain date. Allen said they would be finished by that date and they were! WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND ALLEN ASSOCIATES FOR BUILDING JOBS OF ANY SIZE!

They were excellent. They had great communication and professional. They were also personable.

Did a beautiful job. They are expensive, but they do great work and you can trust them to work in your house without being there the whole time.

Allen Associates started in mid-June by completing the demolition work begun by the other contractor. We were assigned a project manager, Jeff Hunt, who immediately proved the value of the "management fee" included in the contract (a fee which was NOT covered by our State Farm insurance). On plywood sheets, Jeff laid out the actual dimensions of the front of the pool house, which was complex, with multiple windows, a door, an off-center gable and a retaining wall. His 1 to 1 layout showed a conflict between a window height and the retaining wall. This was much easier to correct on the drawings than it would have been if construction had begun and windows ordered. Throughout the construction, Jeff was on top of everything. He gave us regular updates on what had been done and what was coming up next. As we were going to select the tile and fixtures ourselves, he told us when specifications for these would be needed, as well as the dates for delivery. Whenever appropriate, he arranged for us to meet with the subcontractors to discuss options. The subs were all extremely professional and were almost always on time for a meeting. Although the physical size of the job was small - the pool house was just 10x14 - the scope was broad. The original building had to be completely demolished and removed, as the heat from the fire had weakened the brick walls and the concrete foundation. All the services (gas, water, electricity) for the pool equipment passed through or under the building. The sewer line needed a buried sump pump to push effluent uphill to the main line in front of the house. We wanted to plumb for solar heat. The electrical and gas services had to be resized to meet code. And the small workspace meant that various crews had to scheduled to keep out of each other's way. Although we didn't set a hard finish date, work progressed rapidly, with few days when there was no one working on the site. We were pretty much done in less than 3 months, but with some odds and ends, we didn't get our final inspection signed off until a year to the day after the fire. We were lucky with our rebuild - same footprint, minimal changes and a quick permit. Many others who lost their houses are either just now starting to rebuild or are still far from finishing. Allen Associates is doing a number of these rebuilds. Their professionalism will help reduce the stress on the owners. My wife and I cannot praise Allen Associates highly enough. While we are glad that our house didn't burn in the fire, if it had, Allen Associates would be the people we would want and trust to build our new house.