Anchorstrong Construction Inc.

11379 Playa Street, Culver City, CA 90230

"Steer clear of Joe Essy and Anchorstrong. Our experience was a disaster, both financially and emotionally. We made the mistake of hiring Joe for an interior remodeling project, including our kitchen, and it was nothing short of a nightmare. What should have been a straightforward project turned into a drawn-out ordeal that went far beyond the agreed-upon timeline. As of July 23, the work was still incomplete, despite a promised completion date in mid to late June. The quality of the work was appalling. Misaligned installations, incorrectly measured trims and blinds, and sloppy paintwork are just a few examples. The craftsmanship was far below what anyone should expect, especially given the exorbitant prices we were charged. Communication was a constant struggle. Whenever we raised concerns about delays or shoddy work, Joe was dismissive and defensive. It was nearly impossible to get him to acknowledge any of the issues, let alone take responsibility for them. We were left feeling ignored and frustrated at every turn. We also found Joe’s behavior to be often disrespectful and, in our view, dishonest and belligerent. We have witnesses who observed this as well. To make matters worse, our home was left in worse shape than when the project started. Joe often didn't bother to cover or tape anything while he worked, resulting in scratches, stains, and other damages to our brand new white cabinets and quartz countertops, our floors and other areas of our home. Despite this, he made no effort to address or fix the damage. On top of that, Joe told us he lost items from our home, including our front door key. A particularly troubling incident occurred when Joe contacted Costco about a property damage claim we had filed. Without our consent, he attempted to have reimbursement checks issued directly to him instead of to us. We were notified by Costco, who expressed concern over Joe's conduct. See the picture of the email from Costco. There is another email from Costco stating that they had to stop communication with Joe due to his inappropriate language and they informed Joe that they do not tolerate discrimination or harassment. I also posted a pic of this email. This disturbingly aligns with our experience with Joe. Ultimately, we had no choice but to hire a new contractor to clean up the mess Joe left behind. The new team was shocked at the state of the work and had to completely redo many aspects. We were left with a significant financial loss and a tremendous amount of stress due to Joe's incompetence. If you're considering using Anchorstrong, think again. Read the other negative Yelp reviews--our experience lines up with many of them. Be prepared for delays, subpar work, and a complete disregard for your property. Get everything in writing, and don't trust a word that isn't backed up by a contract. Our experience with Joe Essy and Anchorstrong was a total disaster, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Despite these issues, Anchorstrong has been unresponsive and unhelpful. The owner said he does not want to talk to us. Anchorstrong also offered to pay us to remove our negative review. Combined with Joe’s interaction with our vendor who left a negative review (see pic), which Joe allegedly pressured to remove, this raises questions about the integrity of Anchorstrong’s reviews. We noticed unusually high ratings of Anchorstrong, leading us to wonder if others have been paid or pressured to remove negative feedback. We have repeatedly asked Anchorstrong for a price itemization to understand the cost of what was completed and what was not. This reasonable request has been ignored or deflected multiple times. To Steve (the owner of Anchorstrong), is this how you handle customers who have paid over $34K, especially when there are serious concerns about unmet contract obligations, significant damage to their home, and what appears to be unethical behavior based on the emails we received from Costco? The numerous issues we've faced raise substantial questions about Anchorstrong's integrity and ethical practices."

"This review is tied to my wife Bianca's review, and together we feel compelled to share our dreadful experience with AnchorStrong. I don't usually leave negative reviews, but our experience with this company, especially with their contractor Joe, was so abysmal that I feel obligated to warn others. If you're considering hiring them, do yourself a favor and read this review first and the other reviews from 1-4 stars. From my experience and reading other reviews, there seems to be a pattern of substandard work and communication that warrants looking elsewhere for your contracting needs. We hired AnchorStrong for a renovation project that included kitchen demo, installation of new cabinets and countertops, new appliances, minor repairs, and painting. The total cost was $35,200, with an estimated timeline of 4-6 weeks. Simple enough, right? Wrong. What was supposed to be a quick job turned into a 10-week nightmare. We paid AnchorStrong and Joe $34,390, but the images included in this review show the state of the work when we exited the contract early—believing Joe couldn’t deliver a professional finish. In my opinion, Joe displayed a level of incompetence that made the process unnecessarily difficult. He often blamed external factors—particularly Costco and their delivery service DCC—for issues that were clearly within his control. For example, Joe cut a hole in our cabinets after asking DCC to install the microwave, causing the fan to break due to debris. He also blamed scratches on our flooring on DCC, even though they were likely caused by drywall debris he left behind. At the time, we believed Joe and submitted a damage claim with Costco. However, more concerning behavior came to light. Joe attempted to alter how the installer issued the settlement check for the damage claim, requesting it be issued directly to him without our consent. Costco reached out to us because such requests are often not legitimate. This only deepened our concerns about Joe's integrity and trustworthiness. After 10 weeks of delays, unmet deadlines, and subpar work, we returned from our vacation to find our condo still incomplete. Despite Joe’s assurances that the project would be finished, little progress had been made. When we confronted him, Joe offered a list of excuses, but the condition of the condo looked more like a high school shop class project gone wrong. When we finally had enough and decided to bring in other contractors, Joe’s behavior turned bizarre. He showed up unannounced during our meetings with other contractors, barging into rooms uninvited and sloshing paint on our floors. He even told my wife not to speak to the other contractors—truly unprofessional and, in my opinion, downright creepy. In the end, we hired a new contractor who brought in a team, fixed all of Joe’s mistakes in a week, and did it all with professionalism and quality craftsmanship. They even threw in some freebies that Joe was supposed to do because they felt bad for us. If you want your renovation done right, do not hire AnchorStrong or Joe. Joe and AnchorStrong tried to offer us a "reimbursement for any losses" if we would take down our negative reviews, which, in my opinion, only proves they know their reputation is at stake. After nearly 2 weeks of back and forth, nothing has been resolved—they haven’t even acknowledged our request for an itemized contract breakdown to discuss the contracted work versus what was actually delivered. My advice? Stay far away from these clowns. They don’t deserve your time, money, or trust. If you do work with them, show up often, unannounced, and be ready to walk away the moment you see red flags. Life’s too short to deal with people like Joe and companies like AnchorStrong."

"Just had Bolt and Brace done by the company. Project went smoothly and the staff is very friendly. Best quote from the vendors i checked."

"My experience with Anchorstrong Construction was excellent. From the initial consultation to the finished product, everything was done professionally and with great customer service. I had earthquake retrofitting done - and they took care of the inspection process prior to payment, so I knew everything was done right. Highly recommended! -"

"We used Anchorstrong for our seismic retrofit. Anchorstrong is the epitome of professionalism. We had an A+++ experience with this company. They really understood the ins and outs of the EBB program. We received a very timely inspection and quote. The initial inspectors knew exactly what they were looking for, took all the necessary photos, and under-bid our competing offers by $2000+. Once we gave them access to our EBB dashboard they uploaded the necessary documents immediately, and we were on our way. Due to city delays, we did have to request a couple extensions, but Anchorstrong took care of sending in the requests. They really made us feel taken care of during the entire permit wait. I was in regular contact with the owner, Zach, and office personnel, Rose - both were a delight to speak to. The job itself was incredibly smooth. Two guys got the job done in about 6 hours. Our home was left clean, and they did great work. We passed inspection with no issues. My wife and I also asked if they could take care of some debris under our home that had been there since we moved in. Zach was happy to provide us a quote, but once the guys saw the debris they agreed to remove it at no charge! We're so grateful for their amazing pricing, great customer service, and unmatched professionalism. This was hands down the best experience we've ever had with a contractor. Highly, highly recommend. Get other bids (as required), but no matter what, go with Anchorstrong for your seismic retrofit."