"My husband and I give high ratings to Jim Gardner and Jim Gardner Construction. We needed extensive foundation and drainage work, including French drains installed on both the uphill and downhill side of our home. From my first phone call to him up to the completion of the work, working with him was a pleasure. He responded almost immediately to my initial call (the only person of several I called who did), quoted an acceptable rate, and began work on the agreed upon date. Despite additional work we had not expected, rebuilding our front porch and steps, he completed the job on time. Although the drainage and foundation work involved moving lots of dirt over a four week period, the crew was neat and did regular cleanup so that there was never any dirt in our home. The workers were easy to work around and Jim came by several times a day, and always at the end of the day, to supervise the work and make sure the job site was tidy and work was on schedule. I had dreaded this project but it proceeded painlessly. We feel that he and his crew did an excellent job. We live on a hill and always have had water in the basement after heavy rains. Since completion of the work our house has been completely dry. He did an excellent job on the porch and steps, getting all the necessary permits and making them look better than ever. He is always on top of things, highly ethical, and takes pride in his work, his staff, and his company. It was a pleasure to work with Jim, and we highly recommend him for any work one may need."

—Margy, Piedmont CA

"Jim Gardner Construction completed a total foundation replacement which included installation of a drainage system. I also had work done on my laundry room and a new concrete floor was poured. The project was completed on time and without issue.The crew of men were wonderful. They arrived every day, no excuses for why they could not show. They were polite and did a meticulous clean up. Jim is responsive to calls or e-mails, usually within hours. I could not have had a better experience with a contractor. I would definitely hire him again."

—Natalie G., Piedmont CA

"Five Stars… We had the best experience with Gardner Construction Inc. Jim & his crew did an excellent job on rebuilding a two story staircase, reconstructing our slanted driveway, re-working a concrete patio to fit a brick wall onto it,, re-doing our drainage system and much more…The company is very professional and completed the work when they said they would. They were always on time & cleaned up at the end of the day.. Jim and crew did a job that other contractors wouldn’t touch or simply couldn’t do. He gave us accurate estimates and got us through our city inspections. We highly recommend them and would use them again!!"

—Jo-Ann D., Oakland CA

"Jim Gardner of and his crew did excellent work for me in my house in Oakland. He gave me detailed written plans and a written estimate ahead of time and stuck to the estimate. He retrofitted my basement for Earthquake protection, built a retaining wall in an excavated area to support the foundation, put in drainage in the same area, and rebuilt my front porch and steps. Jim did great work for me at a reasonable price. Both he and his crew are very professional, polite, friendly, responsive, and easy to work with. I am totally satisfied, and recommend Jim very highly."

—Jeff Oakland, CA

"Jim is an excellent contractor. He always listens and can be quite creative drawing on his decades of experience to suggest a creative solution. He works and stays with any budget and can recommend alternatives to get the most from your money. It was a pleasure to work with him. I highly recommend him."

—Tucker D, Oakland CA

"I have a detached building that was originally constructed as a garage, then crudely converted (by previous owners) to living quarters about 40 years ago. By 2009, the structure had deteriorated to near-collapse and I hired a contractor to renovate all but the slab. The first winter after completing that work, water seeped in around the slab & thru the section of the original foundation that had not been replaced. A French drain had been installed along the rear and one side of the structure 20 years earlier, but it had not been positioned low enough to be effective. The slab along the rear wall is below grade and the original French drain had been located ABOVE the slab. At that point, I interviewed several contractors to correct the drainage problem – and hired Jim Gardner Construction. Jim struck me as being very knowledgeable. He was willing to discuss the problem & options in great detail, answering all my many questions. He also helped me understand the differences between his bid and that of a competitor. His bid was higher, but I felt more confident that his proposal would be more effective at correcting the problems. Together we nailed down the details, resolving several issues involving where to locate, wire, & drain the new sump pump. The job involved removing/replacing the original slab, installing a French drain with membrane system along 3 sides of this 460 sq ft structure, installing and wiring a sump pump, running a drain pipe from the pump to the street, and removing/replacing a concrete walkway where part of the French drain needed to be located. He subcontracted the concrete slab and walkway installation and finishing to a highly skilled team and also referred me to a stucco contractor whose crew did a wonderful job resurfacing part of the old foundation.

When work began, Jim arrived with a large crew that worked steadily and efficiently. They showed up on time and cleaned up at the end of each day, taking care not to damage any plants. They were especially diligent not to damage or disturb parts of the existing irrigation system located where they’d planned to run the pipe from the sump pump to the street. On top of that, the workers were very pleasant and friendly. Quite a few times during the job, a separate crew removed huge piles of accumulated debris. The workers also helped me out by removing the toilet, washer, dryer, and hot water heater (plus many large and small stored items) from the garage before beginning to demo the old slab. They also returned – at my convenience – several months after job completion to move everything back inside. If I ever need more foundation and/or drainage work done, I would definitely hire Jim Gardner Construction again."