Handyman/Contractor/Landscape/Drainage specialist recommendations
I purchased a home recently that is a bit of a fixer-upper. I need to get some quotes on installing a French drain, repairing or replacing a driveway on a hill with a damaged retaining wall, and landscape design/landscaping. Is it possible to find one company to take care of all of it? Who would you recommend for this type of work? I also have a bunch of small jobs around the house that I need a good handyman for, if anyone has recommendations in Oakland.
Jan 16, 2024
Parent Replies
I highly recommend Bay Area Drainage (BAD) in Moraga. Their number is 925-377-9209. They installed a new french drain and replaced a retaining wall and did an excellent job significantly cheaper than the highest bid. They also do landscaping I think.
Sarah Ray installed my French drain a number of years ago as part of a larger landscape project. She is a designer but she also has a great team to install. Highly recommend.
http://www.sarahraylandscapedesign.com
I had a French drain installed by All Seasons Construction in Oakland. Jeremy Ke managed the project. I'm no expert but I thought he did a good job at a fair price.
Hey Sarah,
I had similar problems with my house when I first moved in and I wanted to renovate a few things, my friend gave me the number of Thiago who works for K1 services. They did such an incredible job I was able to renovate the inside and outside of my house. Now my house looks brand new. I definitely recommend them! Their number is 510-327-9327!
Sure, try Edwin Perez. 510.472.3905. Licensed contractor. Drainage specialist. Can do French drains, retaining walls etc. 25 years experience. Did good work for me.
I wouldn’t look for someone that does French drains and landscape design. Best to stick to contractors that don’t dabble all over the place.
For a modest house not on a hill, you should budget for $25-30,000 for the drainage. Could be much more. Might be more if you need a pump. Retaining walls can vary depending on many factors. You mentioned that you’re on a hill, so budget for more expense. Retaining walls could be $10,000 to well over $100,000.
Landscape. For a modest house could be $5000 to $300,000. A quality architect and good install for an average house would be $200,000. This would include grading, paving, irrigation, fencing, planting etc. If you use premium lumber the price could be much more. I used a mix of standard lumber and some premium materials/lumber and did fencing, grading, paving, planting, irrigation etc for backyard only not front of house and price was around $200,000. Quality install, not budget and not super fancy. Good landscape outfits are Garden Architecture, Goodman Landscape, Latitude 37 degrees, Larman Garro, Lazar Landscape. If you’re looking for a budget landscape try Rare Earth Landscape or Nina Mullen Landscape. They would be more than 50% less cost, probably even more than 50% less. Recognize you mostly get what you pay for. Budget will be basic design, basic rockery, cheaper materials, no stone etc. For example say they installed lawn edges. Budget contractors use plastic. Mid-range might use thin prefab metal ones. A higher end would use 3/8” steel custom pieces and welded on site. Or fencing could be knotty construction redwood on the cheap; mid range might use select Cedar; higher end might be old growth vertical grain redwood. Prices vary by several magnitudes. Larman did work for me. Quality work.
Good luck.