G&A CONSTRUCTION

Description of Work: Note that this is a work in progress. Once the project is complete, I will update the report. (We estimate we'll be done in about 4 weeks -- construction began about 4 months ago.) We're doing a major remodel/addition in a very challenging situation. We have a hillside home, built in the late 1950's, where you enter on the top floor and work your way down to the second floor. Underneath the second floor is a massive enclosed crawlspace. By massive, I mean approximately 20' high in parts. We're in the process of converting the crawlspace into a new, third floor. Bedroom, playroom, bathroom. Nico & Franck (owners) oversaw the entire process, from design, to city approval (a massively difficult undertaking as we had to deal with the local design review board, then the LA building & safety dept, then the LA hillside ordinance folks) to permitting to construction. First, the house had to be updated to meet modern seismic code. That meant a huge foundation update. As we're on a hillside, almost all of the work was done by hand -- no way to get machines down the slope with our existing house in the way. This was the hardest, most time-consuming part of the project, which we knew it would be, but it's been done and approved by the city for about a month now. It involved digging 7 new caissons (by hand), 15 feet past solid bedrock. So most of them are over 20 feet deep. Then huge rebar structured were lowered into the holes, and more rebar connected the vertical caissons with each other, forming a new underground wall around our existing foundation. The two foundations were then bonded with more rebar and epoxy, and the entire foundation enclosed in new concrete. Once that was completed, the "fun" part began -- watching the new floor take shape. We just passed inspection yesterday for our interior framing, rough plumbing, and electrical. Almost finished... Until we realized the original builders hadn't waterproofed the house correctly, so now we're removing our old, fire-hazard (and ugly) wood siding, and replacing with more earthquake-resistant, fire-resistant, environmentally-friendly, insulating stucco. Scaffolding has gone up, but that's just begun.

Description of Work: Had him come to give me an estimate on some landscaping work I needed done.

Description of Work: I've used G&A's services about 5 times over the past few years. From converting a garage to building a closet and painting my deck with high end paint that won't need replacing every 3 years. I've also recommended them to many friends who have all had the same experience I've had. The crews show up on-time, they do what they promise to do, and they go the extra mile to get the project done right. They are the most professional contractors I've ever worked with, which is why I continue giving them my business. (The approx 25,000 I've spent has been for previous work, not for the job we're in the middle of now). At this moment in time, I'm doing the largest project I've ever done with them. We're about 10 months into the process of a difficult construction job, converting the crawlspace underneath my hillside house into a usable 3rd floor. It has required extensive engineering work and we'll end up with new caissons on top of everything else. We're also raising the roof of our house by a foot to add insulation and make the home more energy efficient. We haven't broken ground yet, but I'm anticipating that actual construction will begin in the next 3 months.