Bolt Down the Bay Area

"We contracted Bolt Down the Bay Area to do our Earthquake Brace and Bolt retrofit. They initially sent out workers to go into the crawlspace, take measurements, and lots of pictures. The workers were on time and very respectful. They also took a look around the crawlspace for any leaks or anything suspicious and didn't find anything. They generated a quote based off of the measurements and pictures and made the pictures available to us through an online website. The quote was not the lowest that we saw but was reasonable. Once we selected them, they handled managing the entire process including updating the Earthquake Brace and Bolt application online. Their client support person Courtney was very responsive in emails and helped us through the entire process as well as answered any questions we had. On the day of the retrofit work, their workers showed up exactly on time and first laid down protection to protect the floors in our house leading to the crawlspace opening. Then, they brought their equipment and tools in and while they worked, they tried to keep the dust to a minimum. The noise was tolerable and expected considering the work they were doing. They finished a few hours ahead of schedule and cleaned up themselves and their equipment. Throughout, they were polite and professional. The workers also took many detailed pictures of the job they did which was again made available through their website. The final inspection was scheduled for a week later and they first asked us for our preferred day and time for the inspection. The inspector looked at their work through their pictures and passed them. He also noted that they did good work and was thorough in placing the retrofit hardware. Overall, it was a great experience and we would recommend this company for anyone looking to do retrofit work on their home."

"From the beginning of the process until complete, Bolt Down the Bay Area exhibited a high degree of professionalism and workmanship. They first explained what to expect from the long multi-step process. This made completing it without delays go well. Once the construction work continued, the crew worked and completed within the two-day schedule. They received superb credit from the City of San Jose inspectors on the quality of work. In fact, the inspectors said that they provided more support for the house than code required. Job cleanup went well and post installation instruction again were clear and simplified the multiple steps required to receive the EBB rebate. The really test will come when a sizeable earthquake occurs. We feel we have a stabilized system in place for our 1918 home and an excellent chance of keeping the home on the foundation. We are glad we made the investment. Thank you Bolt Down the Bay! Lorin Fink"

"Bolt Down the Bay Area was an excellent contractor. They responded promptly to our request for quote which they provided soon after a site visit. From then on, they managed the entire process with only occasional questions and requests. They told us the schedule of implementation and met it exactly. After the completion, they scheduled the inspection which passed as they had provided us all plans and pictures. EBB relatively promptly approved the work done and paid the grant. Bolt Down the Bay Area waited to be paid until after the EBB had sent us the grant. The whole process was seamless and excellent and on schedule. They are highly recommended for the retrofit work."

"Extremely happy with the work Bolt Down The Bay Area did to handle the CA EBB Seismic retrofit in my house. They were professional during all phases of the project: - from the bidding phase, where they explained everything that they were doing, what my CA Seismic Retrofit Grant would and wouldn't cover and what their suggestions were, - to the scheduling, where the office staff were professional in explaining the next steps so I always knew what to expect next, - to the installation, where they were respectful of my property and ensured everything was done correctly the first time. - and ensuring the final inspection went smoothly. Overall, I would not hesitate to go with them again."

"Bolt Down the Bay Area made our seismic retrofit happen! After approaching several contractors about working with us on the CEA Earthquake Brace & Bolt grant program to improve our 1950 foundation, with little response, one referred us to BDTBA -- as a specialist in this area of work (along with being a licensed home contractor). From the first interactions with Cortney (client support), John (project mgr), Kevin (permit mgr/draftsman), and Alex who inspected and photographed our foundation, we could see they would handle every detail of this process with great communication, patience, and professionalism. There are many steps and certifications in the EBB program, including photographs and engineering drawings, permit applications with details about the hardware/techniques to be used, EBB extension requests, and scheduling of inspections. Our project took about 5 months (November-May), with the bulk of that devoted to documenting our home's characteristics and revising permit applications to meet our town's requirements as well as those of the CEA; we needed 3 extensions from the CEA EBB program, which BDTBA got for us. The actual work to install the bracing solution to our foundation/crawl space area took one full day of work by a team of three, who also produced the final 65+ photographs and 10 videos needed to confirm that the work was completed for final verification by both CEA and our local inspectors. We had excellent communication the whole time via email, phone, the CEA EBB dashboard, and the BDTBA client dashboard where all project documents, photos/videos, etc. were available online. BDTBA handled all interactions with our town permit office, even answering some questions by phone during our final inspection, then provided required documentation, including the all-important DRV form -- Dwelling Retrofit Verification. Our home insurance/CEA policy was adjusted within a few days, and the CEA EBB grant payment came through about a week later (well in time to pay BDTBA). We couldn't have done this process without them, and highly recommend Bolt Down the Bay Area."