I bought an old rotting, foreclosed duplex with a store in North Oakland that needed to be half gutted and made residential. It had some period details and a lot of potential. I made my offer through HUD’s 203K loan program so had to get several estimates. I chose Mares & Down because I had a good feeling when I met them that they knew how to manage my project to get it approved by the city, and because their bid came in at a really fair bid.
I didn’t have money for detail drawings or spec sheets and people told me that I would have problems. I am THRILLED to say, that in fact I got phenomenal quality. When a judgment call had to be made while I was away, we agreed more than 90% of the time. They didn’t skimp on any materials – always using the right kind of glue, screws, wood, wires, etc. They also accommodated me doing some of the work and didn’t make me feel in the way. They even let me borrow some tools. The workers on their team were great and answered questions I had on how to do some things. This combined with the consulting I got from owners, Archie, Dennis, Janet, made it possible for me to do work I didn’t have any previous experience with.
I upgraded to gas fireplaces and a new kitchen half way through the project. They found me quality cabinets for HALF AS MUCH as anywhere I tried. My time-line was 6 months, my actual was 6 months and 20 days. I had 10% contingency in my budget. Including my upgrades, I pretty much stayed in that range. Plus they got it ready enough for me to move in half way through construction which saved me a lot of rent.
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