ABOUT US

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10/14/25 : Great job on our house, they were very thorough and professional throughout the process. Also helped us with the EBB and Berkeley transfer tax city forms, and throughout the process.

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10/3/25 : Matthew is an excellent, prompt communicator, which is rare from my experience working with contractors! He responds quickly and with detailed responses to any questions; everything, from scheduling, contracting, and payment, is extremely easy and smooth. Just a very professional experience from the customer point of view.

I’ve had a plan A seismic retrofit through EBB done with Avant Garde, as well as a follow up seismic gas shut off valve. Matthew was very prompt in providing the needed photos for us to get our rebate check from the state. Their pricing was competitive relative to other bids we received.

As a result of the above experiences, Avant Garde will consistently be top of mind for any future work I need done on my house. A bonus that they are local in San Leandro.

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9/23/25 : Avant-Garde was the perfect choice to perform the earthquake brace-and-bolt (EBB) work on our house. Matthew is knowledgeable with the EBB requirements and very helpful through the whole process. He was very responsive to my inquiries – both in terms of time and thoroughness of his responses.  The project was completed in a day and they did a superb work. As a retired Structural Engineer, I cannot recommend Avant-Garde highly enough.

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9/12/25 : Good to work with for informative and thorough inspection and estimate on foundation repairs. Thanks all!

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8/6/25 : Excellent experience with EBB program. I requested 3 inspections before picking a contractor- of them Avant Garde did the most thorough inspection and also offered the most competitive price. (Note however that they provide a rough initial emailed estimate based on house info like sq footage- for an in person inspection there is a fee, but it is credited towards the final cost if you go with them. They do an extra thorough inspection and provide full documentation so in my experience it is worth it even if you don’t go with them.) Other free inspection contractors by contrast ran through quickly and provided few to little details on the actual reinforcement plan.

My crawlspace had a section of perimeter foundation that was blocked by concrete and required drilling a hole to properly reinforce- none of the other contractors noted this. Avant Garde not only noticed this but also did not charge extra for it.

After the work they worked quickly with us on the documentation to get us our grant check. I did crawl the crawlspace just to inspect the work and it was done neatly and the area was left clean. Very happy with the experience and would not hesitate to recommend.

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8/1/25 : AVANT-GARDE was the perfect choice for our brace and bolt project.  Very helpful with the application process and all work was completed on time.  Excellent work, Great service and all was as promised!

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7/7/25 : I very highly recommend Avant Garde Construction for retrofit or any foundation work. From first contact Matthew was very professional and exceeded my experience with other contractors. He was knowledgeable, very patient and quickly answered all my questions before during and after the work. The entire team working onsite was awesome from start to finish. I had the bolt only retrofit done plus some additional separate work on support for a cracked beam in my crawl space. It was not easy to work in the space but the crew never complained and they went above and beyond to ensure that none of the dust came into the house or garage. Three weeks after the job was finished I had a jolt late one night, I live in an area with frequent ‘wake-up-shakes’. I could actually feel a difference in the way the house felt during and after the quake. There was not as much swaying or rattling in the house following the quake, as was usual before the retrofit. I did not expect to be able to tell a difference in minor quakes but I did and I’m even happier with the result after that experience! I give Avant Garde 5+ stars. Call them if you want the best.

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6/3/25 : Matt and his team installed French Drains and a pump system at our home seven years ago and did a great job. He has helped us upgrade the pump when needed. Very responsive and efficient! Highly recommended.

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5/23/25 : Avant-Garde was timely, professional, effective, and fairly priced in their work on my earthquake retrofit. During the quoting stage, they were the only contractor to take the work seriously (take photos, show up on time, clear communication, etc). Some might be put off by them asking for an initial deposit for the quoting stage, but this was well worth it for their final output. Would recommend to others.

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4/11/25 : Avant-Garde was the perfect choice to perform the earthquake brace-and-bolt work on our house. Not only was Matthew’s assessment of our house structure and foundation thorough and knowledgeable, he helped me through the whole process with the EBB program folks. He was always responsive to my many questions and requests, both in terms of time and thoroughness of his responses to my emails. And when the time came to actually perform the work, Matthew and his crew did superb work. And fast! Four days of A-G’s 2-3 man crew’s hard work, and it was done. I cannot recommend Avant-Garde highly enough.

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3/18/25 : Very responsive, most thorough initial inspection, and reasonable overall price. Great experience!

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3/5/25 : It was a pleasure working with Avant-Garde. They were consistently reliable, helpful, clear, professional, and communicative! The work was done on-time and easily passed the inspection. I highly recommend them.

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2/3/25 : First class company – they helped when I got stuck in this application – completed the work in one day. The person Mat sent around was wonderful to work with – would highly recommend Avant Garde Construction for this type of work.

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1/28/25 : Matthew and his team was very professional and helpful. He charged some $$ to give the quote but his team actually went to crawl space and come up with diagram about where concrete columns are and which beams have problems. His quote was little on higher side but he used URFP (instead of L bracket) and when I had questions about which bolts to use he compares the strength of different screws and recommended me the right size. He also took care of all the hard work to be done on EBB web site. I am happy with all the work he and his team performed and confident that my house will have better probability to survive the earthquake.

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1/21/25 : Just completed EBB Earthquake retrofit by Avant-Garde. Very happy with the whole process. Very easy to communicate using email. Although I never met or spoke to Matthew, he was very responsive and helpful with instructions and answers to my questions using email. His team were also very clean. They did a great job covering the access path to the crawl space and clean after themselves when finished the job. All in all, highly recommend Avant-Garde. Oh, BTW, their pricing was also reasonable, as I got bids from 3 different contractors.

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1/13/25 : Just completed EBB Earthquake retrofit by Avant-Garde. Very happy with the whole process. Very easy to communicate using email. Although I never met or spoke to Matthew, he was very responsive and helpful with instructions and answers to my questions using email. His team were also very clean. They did a great job covering the access path to the crawl space and clean after themselves when finished the job. All in all, highly recommend Avant-Garde. Oh, BTW, their pricing was also reasonable, as I got bids from 3 different contractors.

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11/1/24 : We had a basic retrofit and duct work done. From start to finish we were kept updated and the guys were quick and efficient.

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10/31/24 : Avant-Garde recently completed a seismic retrofit (plan set A) of my house. This company is top notch. Matthew is extremely knowledgeable, and his employees are experienced. They completed the job in 2 days. Their work was high quality and their price was competitive. Matthew handled the permit and assisted me with navigating the brace and bolt program. I highly recommend Avante-Garde.

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10/29/24 : My friend used Avant Garde when they had their retrofit and recommended it for my father’s house retrofit. It was obvious I could rely on them to complete my project. always ready to answer questions and always helpful with filling in info and uploading photos and documents to the EBB. Would definitely use them again.

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10/27/24 : Avant Garde did an excellent job. They are very experienced and do good work. Matt is extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. I would highly recommend Avant Garde to my friends and neighbors.

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10/2/24 : Avant Garde was amazing! Very efficient communication, clear description of work involved, very skilled at what they do. Highly recommended!

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10/1/24 : Look no further. Avant Garde submitted a fair bid. Matthew was very responsive to my inquiries, and took care of all the photographs and paperwork required by the Brace and Bolts folks. The workers (Eric and Oliver) were focused, thorough and tarped everything up and then cleaned up after themselves. The work (basic retrofit required by the grant) was completed in half a day. Be aware they like to start at 7 am :-).

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9/26/24 : I got a grant to “earthquake brace and bolt” my house. After talking with Matthew at this company I hired them to do the job. Having experience with the process, he walked me through it and made it easy. The crew was great and knew just what to do to comply with the grant requirements. I heard the inspector say “great job” and I have to agree. They were very professional and did not waste any time. In fact they were always on time and got it done ahead of schedule. I highly recommend Avant-Garde. Thanks guys.

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9/15/24 : Avante-Garde did my neighbor’s retrofit a few years ago, so I requested a quote and decided to use them. They were responsive, professional, and handled all the contractor related elements in the dashboard easily. It was well worth them handling the permits. It was seamless. The day of the job was smooth, inspection happened, and the job was completed by the late afternoon. By end of day I had an email with final receipt and papers. I am highly satisfied with their level of service and made the process extremely easy.

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9/15/24 : Matthew at Avant Garde was very professional and communicated the step by step process for me so there were no surprises. The 2 men who did the actual work were friendly, pleasant, always on time and did a great job of cleaning up after themselves at the end of each day. I would definitely recommend this company to others.

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8/16/24 : Matthew was very helpful in explaining everything. He is very quick to respond. His team was quick, courteous, and kept everything clean while entering/exiting our crawl space. Highly recommended!

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6/22/24 : Avant Garde was a pleasure to work with meeting both the project deadlines and accommodating my family schedules for the retrofit. Matthew was the Avant Garde Project Manager and was especially responsive and cooperative. Appreciate the on-site team lead by Eric, being punctual and professional completing the retrofit on schedule. Eric returned to meet with the City Inspector as well. Documents were handed over upon sign-off.

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6/4/24 : I selected this outfit for my seismic retrofit in Belmont even though other contractors came in with a slightly lower bid, because I was impressed with the thoroughness and professionalism of the estimator, and the work proposed. I was not disappointed. They set aside five days for the job & completed it in four. They arrived promptly every day at 7:00 AM and by the time it was completed the underpinning of my house had been completely reinforced all around and down the centerline, and on Friday an automatic shutoff valve had been installed on my natural gas meter. One week and I feel so much safer in the event of an earthquake. Al throughout the crew was considerate and professional, and took all my concerns into account. Highly recommend this contractor.

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5/1/24 : Our experience with Avant Garde was excellent. Communication with Matthew could not have been better. The work was done efficiently and in a timely manner. We highly recommend Avant Garde.

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3/3/24 : I reviewed bids from a few companies for soft-story earthquake retrofit plus additional finishing work that would make our garage space usable. Matthew thoughtfully drafted a few solution that met FEMA requirements and my needs. His team was efficient, punctual and took care of my house as if it was their own. Throughout the project Matt was great with communication and he helped walked us through the EBB grant process. I highly recommend Matthew and the Avant-Garde team.

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2/16/24 : Extremely responsive, fair price, showed up on time, worked hard, and did a good job. Avant Garde was a pleasure to work with and I would recommend them to anyone.

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2/16/24 : Avant made the whole process very easy and they are extremely reliable, affordable, and professional.

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2/16/24 : Avant-Garde did a very good job getting our EBB retrofit work done. They led me through all the steps from completing the application to securing the grant payment. We were accepted in the EBB program in mid-December 2023 and received our grant check in mid-February. Smooth! All my many questions were answered very promptly! The workers doing the work were friendly, prompt and efficient. To others considering an EBB retrofit, if costs are more than say, $5000, consult with a structural engineer to sort out what retrofits might be the most effective mitigating potential damage.

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1/19/24 : Avant Garde helped us complete an earthquake retrofit for our early 1970s house under the EBB program. Matthew and team were great partners and are very familiar with the rebate program.

The process started with a paid inspection and we were glad we did this. Their tradesperson will go inside the crawlspace and perform a detailed inspection for the scope of work that needs to be done. In our case they even reported a plumbing leak that we were not aware about. They also identified additional work needed related to our pier and beam foundation. At the end of the process the inspection fee will be credited back.

Once inspection is completed, they submitted a proposal which in our case was very competitive. It was also accurate because of the inspection, rather than ballpark estimate by others. Last but not least, Matthew is very familiar with the process and requirements of foundational work.

Once the project started, the crew were very professional and tried their best to keep the work area clean. Concrete damage (common for retrofit) were patched and painted like new. They also cleaned up after themselves and took care to remove materials from the crawl space.

At the end of the process, they also timed the city inspection perfectly and we passed with no issue. Matthew then provided exact instructions on claiming the EBB rebate check, which came promptly.

With the EBB part complete, we were also able to get a discount for our earthquake insurance.

Finally, they also sent lots of pictures of their work.

In summary we are very happy to have worked with Matthew and Avant Garde for our EBB earthquake retrofit and foundation work.

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1/13/24 : This contractor is very professional and communicates very well. Staff always showed up on time. Installation crew provided for project cleanliness. Would definitely recommend them to other customers.

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11/24/23 : Avant Garde was completely professional during the entire process of our retrofit during August-October 2023. Matthew was one of the very best communicators I’ve experienced in any industry. In every case he responded to emails and phone calls very promptly, usually within an hour or so. He was proactive in making our interaction with the EBB website easy and efficient. He was flexible with the dates that we could have the job done.

Eric and his partner were efficient and thorough in performing the retrofit work. When I went into the crawl space, I confirmed that the work was done as agreed.

In short, it was a total pleasure to get our retrofit done by Avant Garde.

Rob C., San Lorenzo resident

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10/17/23 : My mom needed to find a contractor authorizedunder the Earthquake Bolt and Brace progam; Matthew was among the first to submit a thorough proposal. Not easy for me and my sister to manage this remotely for my mom, but he was very responsive, thoroughly explained the process and demonstrated his knowledge of the program. His crew arrived on time and completed the job as expected; they also noticed a small thing that the inspector would have picked up on and fixed it for my mom instead of pointing it out for us to get someone else to take care of. Afterwards, I was anxious to complete the paperwork so my mom could qualify for a reduction in premiums – within 15 minutes of asking for help, Matthew had the form filled out and ready to go. I rarely give 5 star reviews because it means someone has gone above and beyond what is contracted. In this case, I would have LOVED to give Avant-Garde SIX stars for Matthew’s timeliness, attention to detail and finishing up all of the paperwork. I deal with a lot of contractors and Matthew is among the top tier. Most especially, I feel like Matthew took care of my mom as he would his own mom. That means a lot to me. THANK YOU !!

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11/19/23 : Avant Garde was completely professional during the entire process of our retrofit during August-October 2023. Matthew was one of the very best communicators I’ve experienced in any industry. In every case he responded to emails and phone calls within very promptly, usually within an hour or so. He was proactive in making our interaction with the EBB website easy and efficient. He was flexible with the dates that we could have the job done. Eric and his partner were efficient and thorough in performing the retrofit work. When I went into the crawl space, I confirmed that the work was done as agreed. In short, it was a total pleasure to get our retrofit done by Avant Garde. Thanks to the EBB program for providing such a benefit. Rob Cooper, San Lorenzo resident

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10/20/23 : They were very clean and informative and seemed to complete the task without any problem!!

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10/13/23 : Avant-Garde was awesome to work with! Great communication, on time, kept job area neat & clean, passed inspection. Super experience!

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10/10/23 : I approached 3 contractors for estimates, and all estimates were similar in cost, and I ultimately chose Avant-Garde because of their thoroughness in their understanding of EBB work, and the general impression I received that they would perform the work well and on schedule. Avant-Garde were responsive and thorough. I appreciated the way they approached the project from beginning to end. They are very familiar with the EBB program and provided me with everything I needed to go through the program smoothly and efficiently. The crew who performed the work were friendly and tidy, and I wouldn’t hesitate to hire them again for future projects.

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10/10/23 : Matthew is a great contractor!! Very helpful during the entire EBB process. If you need an EBB contractor Matthew would be an excellent choice.

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9/12/23 : They showed up on time. The communication is frequent. The workers are faster than most and the jobs were done correctly according to inspector.

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9/2/23 : Matthew has been responsive and informative from the beginning of this project. His team was prompt and thorough. They even repaired a minor issue (not related to the project) in the crawl space found on the day of the project. Working with the city inspector post work completion was straight forward. Working with Matthew on this project was a pleasant and effortless experience. I highly recommend Avant Garde for anyone’s earthquake retrofit project.

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8/10/23 : After being on the Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) program wait list for about a year, I received the good news that I was finally accepted in the program. Since it’s a lengthy process with many steps involved, I chose Avant-Garde for the retrofit based on their many outstanding customer reviews.

I sent an email inquiry to get a quote, and Matthew got back to me in a few hours to set up a day and time for someone to come out and quote the job. The guy came out right on time, taking photos of the house exterior, crawl space and water heater. Matthew shared the photos along with other relevant information with me in a Google drive folder, as well as uploading the photos to my EBB web based dashboard.

I went with the standard Plan A retrofit. When the installation day came, the crew arrived on time and put down tarps to protect the flooring and walls from any dust. It took less than a day to complete, and post-retrofit pictures were taken and uploaded to the EBB dashboard. They also took care of getting the building permit, and scheduling the city inspection on the same day after the work was completed.

Even though it’s a quality job and I’m now prepared for an earthquake, I just hope the bracing never needs the opportunity to be tested.

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8/6/23 : Matthew Gatterman owner of Avant Garde is exceptionally friendly and extremely responsive to the customer’s needs. Amazingly so! His workers that did the work on the house, David, Jose, and Oliver were a reflection of their boss and were also very nice, friendly and informative. The work that they did, was expertly done. As evidenced by the building inspector; who told me when he came, that their work was significantly better than what was necessary. One could not help being impressed. I would recommend Avant Garde to anyone wanting a job done to perfection. I am so thankful that my friend, John, recommended them to me. Elliott Nebenzahl

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7/20/23 : I needed my floor reinforced for upgrading to a larger aquarium, I had a bunch of messages for free quotes but not really sure what would they do or their plans- shooting in dark. Matt from Advant-Garde reached out with a few solutions and a general quote for each along with photos of previous work- I only supplied a few photos and no pictures of the crawlspace. Once they arrived, it was clear my framing was different than I imagined (4′ OC 4×6 joist) and they were able to pivot – suggest a new option with in budget quoted.

The crew was on time, professional and easy to communicate with along with being clean and respecting my home. They used tarps and poly to mask off the crawlspace access. They were able to compete the work and clean up no issue.

The bounce in the floor was removed and the area in question feels much more fortified than previously.

Very happy with my experience- highly recommend them.

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6/23/23 : Avant-Garde did the earthquake retrofit for our house. We are very happy and impressed with their work and highly recommend them to anyone. Matthew’s email responses were phenomenal, almost 24×7, and he handheld us in the application process when we ran into issues. His crew was punctual, courteous, efficient, and professional. We are so happy that we picked Avant-Garde for our earthquake EBB project!

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6/22/23 : Avant-Garde did a seismic retrofit on a 1400 square foot single story rancher 1950’s vintage. They knew exactly what to do, gave me several add-on options (we took all but one), got the permit, and completed the work on schedule. The retrofit is very impressive and no doubt secures the structure quite well. They were friendly, efficient, communicative, and knowledgeable. There is nothing I would improve about Avant-Garde’s performance.

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6/21/23 : Avant-Garde did the earthquake retrofit for our house. We are very happy and impressed with their work and highly recommend them to anyone. Matthew’s email responses were phenomenal, almost 24×7, and he handheld us in the application process when we ran into issues. His crew was punctual, courteous, efficient, and professional. We are so happy that we pick Avant-Garde for our earthquake EBB project!

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6/12/23 : Matthew and the team at Avant-Garde are friendly, responsive, professional, timely, and overall a pleasure to work with. It was our first time working through an involved application and permitting process on our home so the extra care that Matthew offered was really helpful. As much as could be automated was, and the few items we needed to do were well documented by Matthew and he guided us if we got stuck on an item. The team worked around our busy schedules and cleaned up after the project well. Crawl space work is a little tricky as the home-owner doesn’t often get under the home, so there is a bit of trust that occurs with a foundation project. Avant-Garde made me feel confident in their work and the pics (and other work) proves the point.

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6/9/23 : We’ve been working with Matthew and his team on our Brace & Bolt retrofit project and I couldn’t be more pleased.

Matthew’s communications have been such a pleasure – fast, thoughtful, and extremely accommodating.

We’re not exactly the easiest clients with our busy schedules so the fact that they tried working around them was greatly appreciated.

Matthew also planned ahead on the project and scheduled things in way in advance so we weren’t waiting long after getting FEMA approval. I’m hearing from others trying to get through the program that after they got approval everyone was super busy so they won’t have their projects done for a few months.

We have a few smaller projects that we’re definitely going to work with them on going forward. Matthew’s suggestions on how to complete them were top-notch and really appreciated.

A special thank you to Jose, Dan, and Oliver who made the Brace & Bolt retrofits happen on our home!

I’m beyond thrilled to have found Avant-Garde.

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5/30/23 : Thank you Avant-Garde for helping us to work with the city to have our crawl space earthquake retrofit. The project went very smoothly. Matthew was very prompt and patient to answering all my concerns and questions. David, Oliver, Jose, and Eric were tidy and clean. They worked hard and got the job done in time. I would use them again for any of my future construction work.

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4/22/23 : Matthew Gatterman and his team are the best. Working with Matthew is truly enjoyable. The communication with Matthew made the whole process super easy, his team is very careful and effcient. I am very happy with the result of the work. I definitely recommend Avant-Garde Construction Enterprise. Believe me you will be in good hands.

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4/11/23 : Avant-Garde are amazing to work with! They are punctual, they communicate and made this process seamless! Matt and Eric both are easy to work with and the team were great! Do not hesitate to work with these guys!

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3/30/23 : We were very pleased with this contractor. Kind, courteous, efficient, and took care of all the details. They took extra care to keep the house clean as we had inside access to the crawl space. They had the most detailed assessment and bid. I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

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2/13/23 : Avant-Garde was extremely easy to work with. Their bid was thorough, timely and easy to understand. They were the only bidder that explained the the minimum required does not bring one’s house up to current building codes and offered various options if we wanted to get closer to current building codes. The people that did the work were on-time and professional. The company was extremely responsive to questions. I highly recommend Avant-Garde if you are going to get earthquake retrofit work done.

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2/9/23 : I had a wonderful experience with Avant Garde. Matthew is extremely helpful, after they finish the bracing, Matthew reviewed it and decided he wanted to put more bracing in with no extra charge to me. I am very satisfied with the work done and have room for a couple of my friends to Avant Garde for bracing and bolting.

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2/1/23 : Matthew and his crew was a delight to work with. They were on time and kept things clean. Matthew gave me detail breakdown quote which I appreciate, transparency is very important. Two other quotes were not as detail. They completed on time and let me know ahead of time the delay was coming from the city inspection. I highly recommend this company for your earthquake retrofit.

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1/23/23 : Just completed an earthquake retrofit with this company. Couldn’t be more pleased. They are professional, responsive, punctual and efficient. All the 5 star reviews before mine are well deserved. In addition the crew doing the work were right on time and super nice.

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1/5/23 : Matthew Gatterman and the Avante-Garde Construction team were wonderful to work with. They are clearly knowledgeable about the EBB process. They took care of getting the permit and they promptly uploaded the required documents to the EBB Dashboard. They were on time for every appointment. Any postponement (for example, due to weather) was communicated to me prior to the appointment time. I’m impressed with the care they showed for my property during the retrofit and how well they cleaned up their work area after they were done. I’d rate my experience with Avante-Garde Construction Enterprise as Excellent.

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12/30/22 : Excellent work done by Matthew and his crew at Avant-Garde. Work was completed on time, on budget, and with quick EBB program approval. We were very satisfied with the communication with the team and the quality of the work.

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12/5/22 : Very prompt and easy to work with. I had a lot of questions regarding the process and the sequence of events. Matthew @ Avant-Garde always took the time to explain how it would play out and was very prompt and clear in doing so. The work was completed as per plan and Michael who did the work was very methodical in going about it. He arrived on time. He made sure to lay runners out to protect the floor as he carried his equipment in/out and ensured to wipe the floor clean after he was done. I’d highly recommend Avant-Garde for the professionalism shown all the way through.

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12/1/22 : Working with Avant-Garde construction was a good experience. They responded in a timely manner to my questions and concerns. I liked the way they structured their estimate with a number of options (minimum requirement to multiple enhancements.) Matthew G. is very familiar with the process and timelines working with city planning departments and EB&B. The estimator was knowledgeable and explained the foundation upgrade process as it pertained to my home. The work crew started on time and finished on time with no interruptions.

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11/29/22 : Matthew is very responsible and very good communication with. He explained very detail of this project and followup with each step. His team started project on time as scheduled. The rebate process was smoothly and successfully. Thanks EBB and Avant-Grade. Highly recommend this program and this contractor.

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10/18/22 : The crew member from Avant-Garde works extremely professionally and efficiently. They were in and out within a few days. They did their best to clean the work area clean and remain quiet while my wife worked at home.

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10/11/22 : We are very happy with the work of Avant-Garde Construction. This is our second time using them. Clear and precise answers by e-mail guiding us every step of the way through the EBB application process. Their work is top notch. Fast yet careful and to the highest standards of current building codes according to our high-end contractor who has viewed Avant-Garde’s work in our home.

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9/19/22 : Look no further! Avant-Garde was a pleasure to work with. There was professionalism, great communication, and punctuality at every step of the process. I recommend their services without reservation.

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9/7/22 : Matthew and his crew were great, they started and finished the work on schedule, inspections went smooth, and all the paperwork was completed in a very timely manner. I will certainly recommend Avant-Garde Construction Enterprise to anyone who needs this type of retrofit. Again, Thank you Tom Cintron Berkeley, CA

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8/13/22 : Avant-Garde is great to work with. I always communicated with Matthew over e-mail and he always response within a few days. His e-mail is always clear and direct. His crew show up on time, courteous and efficient. Avant-Garde get the whole job done without much surprises. Avant-Garde’s pricing is reasonable. The only slight negative in my experience is the initial process of getting all the doc submit online for EBB approval cuts pretty close to deadline despite my email reminders. Otherwise, I have a great experience working with Avant-Garde and will not hesitate to recommend them.

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8/12/22 : Avant-Garde made this process super easy. Fast response, great guidance, competitive bid, and excellent installers. Best all around experience I have ever had with a building contractor. I highly recommend.

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4/15/22 : We had a great experience working with Matthew and Josh on two small projects. Our structural engineer suggested that we get a joist sistered, and Matthew replied to my call immediately and had somebody on his team sent over within a few days. It was the best quote we got and they did a great job. We’re hoping to use them for a larger remodel.

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3/27/22 : Working with Avant-Garde was a wonderful experience from start to finish. Matthew took care of everything and patiently answered all my questions about the retrofit. He offered additional options to further reinforce the house and worked well within my budget. I appreciated him taking care of the building permit and inspection and uploading all the information into the EB&B website. The team that actually did the retrofit worked efficiently and cleanly and was a pleasure to have in the house. Finally, the estimate and final cost for the work were lower than other estimates I received. I highly recommend Avant-Garde.

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3/15/22 : Our contractor was Avant-Garde in San Leandro and they were extremely helpful and professional from the pre-retrofit to the post-retrofit stages in getting everything done in a timely manner. One the job they did excellent work for us. They worked hard all day for 2 days to get it done. We were impressed by their hard work and neat work habits and would recommend any of our friends to retrofit work with this company. George and Linda Sugimura

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2/17/22 : I would highly recommend this company for work in the Berkeley area. They handled our job professionally and navigated all of the complicated Berkeley regulations without fail.

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1/27/22 : I went through Avant Gard for the Earthquake Brace and Bolt program. They were AWESOME!. They have done so many of these so they know exactly what the EBB program requires, handled all of their steps quickly and came out in 1 day, and secured my house to its perimeter foundation. I paid them and in 1 week I had my reimbursement check from EBB. I really enjoyed working with Avant-Garde – a fun, knowledgable, and respectful crew.

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11/29/21 : Matthew was very patient and easy to communicate with during the lead up and his crew extremely hardworking during two week process it took to retrofit my basement. When I noticed a small detail to be addressed the day after work was completed, someone showed up within fifteen minutes of sending out an email. These guys really care about their work and I’m sleeping better at night.

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8/18/21 : I appreciated the prompt e-mail responses. The actual construction took 4 days. The crew laid sheets over the floor and vacuumed up afterwards every day. I could hear them working hard. The longest part was getting the permit, which took months. However, the assessor’s office wasted no time after the permit was approved to try to increase the value of my house so they could raise the tax. Thankfully Matthew told me how to reply to them. That construction and the gas shutoff valve gave me peace of mind when a small earthquake rumbled through soon after the work was done.

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8/12/21 : We have had the pleasure of working alongside Avant-Garde for many years now.
They are extremely competent in everything from retrofits to complete additions of homes.
Matt is a 2nd generation skilled contractor who can quickly understanding plans and is able to understand structural issues and the ways to repair or reinforce.
Any question I have ever had regarding structural load to retrofitting, Matt has always had an answerer and been able to help guide me in the correct direction.
Highly recommend Avant-Garde to anyone interested in retrofitting or general construction.

Positive

Responsiveness, Punctuality, Quality, Professionalism, Value

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7/24/21 : They were competitive with respect to price. Very professional and promptly responded to e mail questions. The workers were professional and completed the work in the designated time. They were slow to get the final paperwork done, but that was not a real issue. I would definitely recommend them to others.

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7/20/21 : At Avant-Garde Matthew and his team made getting the retrofit reasonably worry free. From the initial estimate to the final sign-off things went smoothly. The work was delayed by about a month as a result of a personal matter experienced by Matthew. The only “glitch” was a stray Internet cable (a thin black cable in crawl space darkness) was severed. I give great credit to the worker and to Matthew for their immediate willingness to pay for any costs associated with its repair. I would wholeheartedly recommend Avant-Garde and would use their services again.

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7/13/21 : Matthew & his team made the whole process easy & seamless. Very clear in explaining the options, risks, costs & benefits. Managed getting the permit & submitting all the required information in a timely manner. Job was executed flawlessly, on time & on budget & ensuring signoff by the city inspector. Highly recommend Matthew & his team.

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6/29/21 : My experience with Avant-Garde was very positive. They worked closely with me througout the process and promptly responded to my questions and concerns. They sent an excellent team to do the work, which they finished in half a day with minimum disruption of our daily activities. They left the house cleaner than it was when they arrived. The representative sent to work with the city inspector was similarly friendly and efficient. I would recommend Avant-Garde without hesitation.

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6/13/21 : I got 3 estimates and the reason I went with Avant Garde was that not only was its estimate the cheapest, the number of brace and bolts they were going to put in were a lot more than their pricier competitors. One company in San Jose quoted me $1500 more but offered less materials. When they asked why I didn’t pick them, I told them the truth. I did have to wait longer than I would have like for the work to be done because of Avant Garde’s busy schedule. On the day of the work was done, the crew arrived on time and finished on time and cleaned up If I am to nickpick,I would say that they forgot to take a couple of pictures and forgot to put dates on a couple of pictures. We resolved that. Overall, Avant Garde is awesome. Thank you so much Matthew!

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6/7/21 : All work was done as promised. They did an excellent job. I would not hesitate to use them again for all of our foundation needs.

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6/3/21 : I was referred to Avant Garde as an excellent seismic retrofit contractor. (Brace and Bolt) they were that and more, The workers were there every day, (dust from the crawl space underneath the house) professional, pleasant, careful to clean after themselves at the end of their day, laying plastic coverings on all the furniture that would have been affected by dust, laying painter sheets on the floors, etc. The work turned out to be more extensive than estimated; however, the company management charged only the contracted price. As well, they handled all of the permitting and photos processes. Very ethical! I would highly recommend! Cynthia Castro Valley

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5/24/21 : We had Avant Garde do our earthquake retrofit as part of the State Brace and Bolt program. They were as good as we could have hoped – – prompt, courteous, reasonable in price and very helpful with the process.

It’s not an easy job, getting under our house and working there for hours, but AG’s employees did it all without any fuss. And this was in the midst of covid, so they had to mask up and be mindful of protections!

They earned their stars with the job they did for us.

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5/21/21 : All I can say is that Avant-Garde did an awesome job and I highly recommend them.

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5/19/21 : I can’t tell exactly what was done under my house, but Avant-Garde was prompt and helpful in all communications and tasks related to the seismic retrofit and the EBB rebate. I recommend them.

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4/30/21 : These guys are awesome!!! They are professional, courteous, neat and focused on completing the job. I would refer them anytime.

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4/27/21 : A+ from start to finish ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Thorough, efficient, reliable, credible, punctual and most of all, gives an immediate response to concerns and detailed attention to task.

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3/16/21 : Matthew and his crew were great. Matthew submitted all the work for me to EBB and got the required permits from the city. All I had to do was give his crew access and electricity. The work was done ahead of schedule and everything was cleaned up and cleared out when they finished. You won’t have know they had been there at all.

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3/15/21 : Matt and Avant-Garde were fantastic. A thorough and fair quote, knowledge about the EBB program, and fast, efficient, and clean work. They really made this whole process as easy as possible by submitting most of the documentation themselves. I recommend them fully.

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2/12/21 : Hired Avant-Garde to bolt and brace the house for EB&B (Earthquake Brace & Bolt) rebate. We ended up bring 100 year old house up to new building code. Wonderful contractor to work with. They took over all the uploading all the requirements of EB&B and the permits. Very accommodating and reliable. When inspection was made, the inspector said Avant-Garde did a beautiful job.

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2/10/21 : Great contractor to deal with. Very accommodating and professional. When city inspector saw the job for sign off, inspector said it was a beautiful job performed. Highly recommended.

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1/27/21 : Great experience. They made the process very smooth and simple. Good communication throughout, great friendly crew, very professional.

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1/26/21 : We hired Avant-Garde again based on their California Earthquake Authority Brace & Bolt work in our crawl space in 2019 (see my other review here). They did such an excellent job on that that I did not hesitate to hire them for our soft story (bedrooms over garage) earthquake retrofit, a much bigger job. For the soft story, it required engineering plans that some of the other contractors who bid did not understand. No problem for Matthew and his crew. It was clear they had done this type of work before. They worked pretty much non-stop and always kept me apprised. A real plus for us was that they were able to take down a massive 15ft by 6ft open cupboard storage cabinet on our long wall and a work bench from our front wall without scrapping them. They put both back as good as new without charge! Thanks! They didn’t take off without warning as some contractor crews do. I really believe I got a great deal on all the work they did.

When the Big One comes, we are ready to rock & roll!

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12/31/20 : Avant-Garde was familiar with and helpful throughout the EBB process. This year, despite the pandemic, they did a solid job of our retrofit including extensive dry rot repair. Their crew has a positive attitude and has been a pleasure to work with.

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12/28/20 : As you read the reviews about Avant-Garde you’ll see a common theme: Matthew and his crew take care of you throughout the ENTIRE EBB process. These days quality workmanship & customer service are rare to find so I’m taking the time to give Matthew the credit he and his team deserves. Excellent communication, fair prices and he follows through on all his commitments. Trust the stellar reviews you just read and hire Avant-Garde for your next project.

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12/24/20 : Avant-Garde is exceptional, During this Covid crises Matthew kept me up to date on the process. When I E-mailed Matthew he responded within a couple of hours, Avant-Garde made the process painless. His crew is also exceptional, courteous, clean. They covered the entire work area in plastic, They are the BOMB!! ,

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12/14/20 : I highly recommend Avant-Garde for their proficiency and courteous personnel. They performed the basic requirement plus some suggested add-ons. This gave me enough protection to possibly cancel my earthquake insurance. Matthew was very responsive whenever I had a question or request. The workmen, especially Cameron and James, were very dependable and friendly in their job performance. I would definitely hire them again.

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12/8/20 : I requested for three estimations for the EBB project. Avant-Grade was the most reasonable one. It was very easy to work with Avant-Grade. After signing the contract for the project, I, didn’t need to do anything. Their persons were very polite, always on time, and cleaned up the site well after them. My experience with Avant-Grade was very positive.

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12/7/20 : Matthew and crew were awesome to work with. Helped us get an extension on our grant due to slow permit from the city of San Leandro due to the COVID Pandemic. Very satisfied customer

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11/28/20 : Avant Garde was referred to us by a close friend and client of the EBB process. Avant- Garde workers were excellent! they had a very narrow crawl space within which to work and they performed really well. We had them do the extended project as we’re close to the Hayward fault. We are very pleased with our completed project and with their performance. We highly recommend them!!

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11/18/20 : This was a wonderful company to work with. Everyone was polite and very responsive. I enjoyed working with them and I highly recommend them.

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11/18/20 : Look no further! Avant-Garde’s team is simply amazing from start to finish from my initial contact with Matthew followed by an in-person visit and evaluation the same day, ensuring all of our paperwork was correct through all the submissions, extensions and approvals from beginning to end. EVERYTHING (all paperwork, including permits) was handled by the Avant-Garde team. Email me at BruceJohnson@rcs.edu for my complete evaluation of Avant-Garde and the companies who assisted them.

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11/18/20 : Earthquake Brace and Bolt Evaluation of Contractor, Engineer and Sub Contractor

Look no further! Avant-Garde’s team (led by Matthew) is simply amazing from start to finish – always punctual, usually early to arrive, never late . . . from my initial contact with Matthew on June 22, 2020, followed by an in-person visit and evaluation by Cameron the same day, ensuring all of our paperwork was correct and correctly loaded on the EBB Website, right up through all the submissions, extensions and approvals to the work beginning November 9 by Eric, Anthony and Bobby and ending Thursday, November 12, and then Bryan showing up on Friday, November 13, for his final look at the work and ensuring that the Alligator Plumbing team (Mike and a co-worker) were prepped for the gas shut-off installation and then the owner of Alligator Plumbing (Jason DeBonis) came out on November 17 when I had questions about the gas reset (impressed he came out personally to refrain me 🙂 to the final submission of all paperwork by Matthew . . . EVERYTHING (all paperwork, including permits) was handled by the Avant-Garde team . . . so thankful that we found them as we had no idea what we were doing . . . thankful for the program and for companies like Avant-Garde and Alligator Plumbing and their tremendous teams . . . so thankful for the EBB Grant . . . and these two great companies and their individual and collective staff . . . all I had to do was register, get the engineering done (Jeff at Greenwood and Moore were tremendous) and turn everything over to Matthew . . . Blessed beyond measure . . .

Bruce D. and Linda Lee Johnson
Castro Valley CA

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11/8/20 : Excellent! They went above and beyond and made the process super easy!

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11/5/20 : They are very responsive. The San Leandro City inspector commented that he was glad we chosen Avant-Garde

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10/29/20 : Avant-Garde provided excellent service and craftsmanship. Throughout the process they kept us informed and aware. They were helpful at each step and are very knowledgeable with the EBB process. We essentially received turn-key service – very easy. There was very little we needed to do to make our retrofit project a reality.

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10/16/20 : Matthew and his crew were polite and friendly and answered all my questions. They arrived on time and did the work in the time estimated. The only problem was that one of the workmen was a bit careless and drilled through the sheetrock in 5 places, making 4 holes in my garage wall and one in the back of my house. After some miscommunication as to when they were coming back to fix it, they came, patched and repainted the holes and were very apologetic. I still would recommend the company.

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10/13/20 : My Retrofit was completed in August 2020. If I had to do this all over again, I would most certainly choose Avant-Garde again. Cameron was the young man I dealt with most often. What a pleasure to work with him. He was knowledgeable, polite, cheerful, and very professional. The young men that worked under my house were respectful of my property, they cleaned up after the work was finished, and they were also nice young men to have around this job. I give Avant-Garde an A+. Dan T

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10/11/20 : Avant-Garde was an excellent company to work with. They coordinated the project well and their workmanship was above standard. The employees I had contact with were polite, courteous, and well qualified. The work was completed in the estimated time and inspections passed the first time. I would highly recommend Avant-Garde to anyone planning this type of work.

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10/6/20 : Avant-Garde was super communicative and always forthcoming with information. All their workers were on-time and very nice and helpful when it came to the actual project. We’d definitely recommend them to anyone looking to get earthquake retrofits to their home.

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8/12/20 : Great team to work with on a retrofit. Professional and Knowlegable

Before you hire anyone to retrofit your home do your homework! You will find very quickly that there are standards required (Plan set A) and the states EBB program is a great place to start to be informed about your houses needs. If you are smart you may be able to get $3000 rebate on the cost of retrofitting your home from the state. Avant Garde and Matt will help you with this. process Get a number of bids and don’t be surprised if many competitors come in higher (100% more) than Avant Garde, but at very similar cost numbers??? Get the best installation materials like they use in your bid.

Be clear about what’s to be installed and a map prior to installation of which product will go where under your house like AV does. Be wary of estimators who spend 5 minutes under your house. Don’t hire anyone who does go under to look at the project. Be leary of attempts sell you work not connected to Plan A . You should get a video of the work foundation plates installed after installation is complete and the permit is signed off like AV provides.

Matt is a great guy to work with and super responsive to insuring the job gets done right. The two young men who did the job in one day in about seven hours of continuously hard work.

Avant Garde Construction has my highest unconditional recommendation for retrofit work.

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7/31/20 : 7/31/2020 Matthew and the team Steve, Eric, David? and Cameron at Avant-Garde are very nice to work with. Matthew was prompt to respond, coordinated everything, city permits, plan A, inspections, etc. Steve assessed the scope of the work, spent good time in the crawl space, provided options, took many pics & uploaded some docs. Eric the team leader and David did the retrofit in two days and Cameron corrected/finished a small area. I recommend Avant-Garde the crew is professional and efficient.

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7/24/20 : Very good experience overall. Our house needed a basic bolting job and we received an estimate of all costs quickly with Matthew always providing timely information and quick responses to any questions we had. He coordinated the job’s timely completion and uploading of all necessary information on the dashboard even though we were delayed by the City’s permit process thru the pandemic difficult time.

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6/23/20 : Avant-Garde did a great job. They stayed on top of the project through interruptions caused by Covid-19 and some permit problems associated with our house. I highly recommend them.

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6/21/20 : Hi, Avant-Grade contractors were great in keeping me updated and assisted me in uploading the necessary documents when I had difficulty submitting them on my end. I am very pleased on the work they performed. Thank you, Elena Mathews

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6/11/20 : Matthew, Steve, Cameron and other Avant-garde-Garde crew were very prompt, communicative and professional during the scheduling, work, follow-up and final permitting. I highly recommend them.

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6/11/20 : Hi, Avant-Garde performed the soft story retrofit on our home, and we were very satisfied with the work done. Matthew Gatterman was in constant communication with us, telling us what was going on, coordinating everything, and the workers, Eric, Bryan, Bobby, and Anthony were very professional and courteous. Great work! Best, Mike

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4/29/20 : I was very thorough in reviewing all the authorized seismic contractors within a 30 mile radius of Walnut Creek. I then had a few contractors come and review our house in person. Avant-Garde is a company of young, hard-working committed people who do nothing but this kind of work. They offered a range of options with very competitive pricing and demonstrated superior knowledge and skills and references in comparison to the competition.

They helped me locate a grant to pay for a piece of the work. They gave me a menu of options. We ended up securing everything including the inner pillars to the posts and beams, adding blocking, extra hardware, double density spacing. Others offered to do just the basic work and were not keen at attempting to drill into the piers. Avant-garde drilled, filled with epoxy and ensured that they cannot be separated from posts or beams. For me, the house is a major asset and we’re talking about life saving – so laying down a few thousand extra is well worth it. They did provide the most competitive pricing even for the most basic package – so the choice is really yours. They did a great job.

They completed the work on schedule, were dressed in COVID-safe uniforms with masks, they sheeted off a tunnel from the front door to the crawl space access to eliminate any chance of COVID transference.

They arranged for the inspectors to come bless their work – which went very smoothly. I cannot recommend them highly enough. The inspector went under the house. So did I! They are clearly the best in this area and it’s not even close. The next best bid was not only more expensive, but was also a less comprehensive.

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3/31/20 : Avant-Garde’s personnel are very nice to work with. The appointment was on time & the quote for the job came quickly. The price is fair considering the access point has plumbing that restricts passage to the perimeter & low crawl space. The contractor provided all required documentation & city permit/inspections arranged expeditiously. The representative that assessed the scope of the work made some upgrade suggestions, but do not hard sell their recommendation, which I really appreciate.

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3/27/20 : Matthew and team at Avant-Garde did a great job taking care of all the necessary paperwork for the application and completed the work on time per their schedule and passed permit inspection the first visit! Everyone was professional and great to work with!

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3/5/20 : Great job and a great team. The guys were professional, polite, and made good attempts at being neat. They completed the project in a jiff and worked from sunup to sundown to get the job done in a day and a bit more. Class act and highly recommend.

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3/4/20 : Liked working with this company, very easy to work with taking care of all the documents and photos, Work done in a very timely fashion. Workers very nice and friendly.

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2/28/20 : Excellent company. Each gentleman provided the very best work with great skill, professionalism and efficiency. Bravo!!!

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2/21/20 : Great communication and efficient work. Feel totally confident in the work that was completed.

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2/15/20 : Avant-Garde did a really great job. They took the time to explain all the options available to me for our retrofit. I liked that their expertise is not just limited to brace and bolt jobs. Matthew (owner) was super responsive and helpful at each step of the process. I highly recommend Avant-Garde.

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2/15/20 : Avant-Garde did a seismic retrofit for our 100+ year old house. Their bid was competitive, their workers were professional, and they made sure that every was completed correctly. They were also really helpful when it came to working with engineers and city inspectors.

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2/5/20 : Wonderful to work with. Very responsive to questions. Work was done quickly. I would highly recommend.

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2/2/20 : Easy to work with, responsive and knowledgeable staff. Performed Earthquake brace and bolt Retrofitting on our 1958 built house. Took about 8 hours for two guys to finish the job. URFPs, L90s and LTP5s were used per Plant set A minimum requirements. They provided several options as an add on apart from regular retrofitting work. They met our expectation for the contracted work. I would recommend Avant-Garde to anyone looking for trustworthy, knowledgeable contractor.

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1/30/20 : I’m so grateful that we were encouraged to choose Avant-Garde for our retrofit by our daughter who had hired them last year. They were very helpful in any aspect or question I had with regard to forms and requirements etc. as this process can be a little intimidating if you’re unfamiliar with this type of work. I would highly recommend them!

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1/27/20 : This is an A+ contractor. Cost was reasonable. Contractor was on time and work was completed on schedule. Contractor cleaned up upon work completion. Workers were friendly and professional. Lead person (Brian) went above and beyond to make sure everything went well and that I was informed about work progress, etc..

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1/23/20 : Great job! The guys worked very hard.

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1/22/20 : Would highly recommend Avant-Garde. They were prompt, very courteous and more importantly very experienced with the Brace and Bolt program. The work at my house was done in early Jan 2020 and I have just now submitted my application for final review by Brace & Bolt. Avant-Garde made the process painless ~ they are a good group of guys.

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1/3/20 : The team did a great job which start and complete precisely as planned. The city final inspection went thru within 10 minutes without any issue. The team leader Eric was very responsible by checking every detail of the retrofit, from starting to the final inspection. Matthew from the marketing team answered all my questions super clear and fast, the reply can even came back in the late evenings.

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12/21/19 : Matthew and his team at Avant-Garde did a fantastic job in retrofitting my home! They were very responsive before, during, and after the project, completed the work swiftly and ensured that everything was done according to city code, and worked around my schedule as much as possible. I will definitely use them again for future needs, and have recommended them to friends.

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12/21/19 : Matthew and his team at Avant-Garde did an excellent job with my home’s seismic retrofit! They were very responsive before, during, and after the process, completed the work swiftly to meet city codes, and worked around my schedule. I will definitely use them again for future needs, and have referred them to friends.

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12/9/19 : This company did our earthquake retrofit to our foundation through the CEA Brace & Bolt program. Their bid was fair and they included more work than CEA required, including an automatic earthquake shutoff for our natural gas inlet. They were easy to work with and knew the online “Dashboard” for the program, helping me to qualify for the subsidy. The program paid for 1/2 my cost. Their workers were invisible to us and worked hard. The work was completed in two days, a real plus!

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12/8/19 : This company did our earthquake retrofit to our foundation through the CEA Brace & Bolt program. Their bid was fair and they included more work than CEA required, including an automatic earthquake shutoff for our natural gas inlet. They were easy to work with and knew the online “Dashboard” for the program, helping me to qualify for the subsidy. The program paid for 1/2 my cost. Their workers were invisible to us and worked hard. The work was completed in two days, a real plus!

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12/5/19 : Five-stars for Avant-Garde for My Retrofit
Avant-Garde gave me the best prices, clear explanations, several options, and flexible payment terms. Estimator Steven Wilson was knowledgeable, positive, and professional. He promptly provided work descriptions, drawings, photos, and a contract. Both Steven and owner Matthew Gatterman were flexible, courteous, and responsive.  The hard-working crew arrived on time and took only short lunch breaks.  Supervisor Eric Cunningham was enthusiastic and helpful. The team left everything clean and tidy!  Avant-Garde is a company that has its act together! Five stars for this great team!

Anna D.
Oakland, CA 94605-4226

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12/4/19 : Well done! Quite responsive whenever we had a question.

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12/3/19 : Avant-Garde was responsive, knowledgeable, articulate, ethical, reasonable in price, and very pleasant to work with all involved. I appreciated that the company gave me flexible terms of payment. They arrived promptly both days and left everything tidy upon completion. I am thrilled with their retrofit job! I enthusiastically recommend this outstanding company.

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11/30/19 : Our experience with Avant-Garde was outstanding. They did a careful assessment before submitting a project cost estimate. They were on time, very professional and easy to contact. Bottom line, we feel much better about the safety of our home and we did get the CEA $3000 grant and insurance premium deduction. Very happy with Avant-Garde.

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11/24/19 : Guys worked well and did job fast. Still waiting for inspection to complete the process.

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11/8/19 : Avant-Garde was great. They provided a very professional estimate with options, coming when scheduled. The work was performed on time in a very professional manner by skilled and hard working technicians. They kept me fully informed and were extremely patient in dealing with Concord City inspectors who seemed to be on a different page when it came to performing needed inspections. They successfully completed the CEA Brace & Bolt retrofit satisfying all CEA system requirements.

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10/17/19 : Steven did an inspection of crawl space, took pictures, and submitted estimate for basic retrofit. The estimate if $3,000 plus permit cost. I have advised this company I want them to do the work

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10/10/19 : My experience with Avant-Garde has been very good. They were on time, they were very courteous and very considerate of my house. The used tarps and plastic sheeting to minimize dust and they cleaned up all their stuff when they were done. It only took one day. Steven Wilson was especially helpful in taking all the pictures getting the permit and uploading everything to the dashboard. I would definitely refer this Co. to anybody.

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10/10/19 : My experience with Avant-Garde has been very good. They were on time, they were very courteous and very considerate of my house. The used tarps and plastic sheeting to minimize dust and they cleaned up all their stuff when they were done. It only took one day. Steven Wilson was especially helpful in taking all the pictures getting the permit and uploading everything to the dashboard. I would definitely refer this Co. to anybody.

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9/11/19 : My experience with the contractor and workers were pleasant and satisfactory

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8/12/19 : Avant-Garde was great! Evaluation and estimate free of charge. Their quote was competitive, and they were excellent in their communication and follow-through. They quoted both the EBB minimum and some recommended add-ons and helped us decide on the best choices within our budget. They did a great job, stayed on schedule, and were super responsive throughout. They also clearly know the EBB program well and dealt with all the “paperwork”. All of the crew members were professional and polite.

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6/18/19 : In 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake struck near Santa Cruz. It was a 6.9 quake and did extensive damage including loss of life. If the quake struck on the Hayward Fault, the force of the quake would be 16 times more powerful. The Loma Prieta earthquake was not “The Big One,” Earthquake retrofitting requirements have evolved since many homes were built. To protect your home, it is important to have it retrofitted. I highly recommend Avant-Guard. They are knowledgeable, professional, and do great work.

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5/18/19 : Awesome company. Steve is super friendly and professional. The estimate was thorough and explained the what/why of their suggested work, which I really appreciated. I called them for retro-fit work but turns out they so small jobs, too. Highly recommended!

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5/15/19 : Working with Avant-Garde construction company was a breeze! Called and requested a earthquake retrofit for my home and spoke with Steven, a very friendly young man who came out and did a very thorough job explaining the process and informed me on what the process was going to be.

Once the team began working I was rather surprised to see their attention to detail when it came down to maintaining my home clean, as my crawl space entry is inside my home. Every morning they would create their own hallway with new plastic leading from the crawl space to their staging area (my garage as requested by me) to prevent any dirt or grime from the crawl space to enter my living spaces. Every evening they would take every bit of plastic down and thoroughly clean my floor and organize their tools neatly!

I was told they would take a week to finish my retrofit and was amazed to find the job was completed in three days leaving the fourth day for inspection and one last detailed cleaning of any areas they came in contact with!

Super happy customer overall with the experience and would absolutely recommend Avant-Garde to anyone looking to retrofit their home!

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4/21/19 : We were extremely happy with the service provided by Avant-Garde. They did a comprehensive retrofit of our house foundation. They were thorough and conscientious. Matthew was straightforward and honest. He worked with us to strengthen the foundation even stronger than the code required for earthquake resistance. Their price was reasonable and lower than the other quotes we received. We appreciate the good work.

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2/8/19 : We are very grateful to Avant-Garde for their work in doing a seismic retrofit of our 1920’s California bungalow in Oakland, CA. Steven and Matthew guided us through every step of the way in appling for the State of California $3000 reimbursement for this work. In fact, they did most of the online work at the EBB website for us!
The guys that did the work at our house were totally professional, did excellent work and finished in a timely manner. They did the same work for my wife’s mother’s house.
They get our top recommendation!

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1/31/19 : Do you need help deciding if your house is ready for an earthquake? You have come to the right company. They will inspect your foundation, recommend improvements, and do the job! Have Steve come to inspect your home.
They can also help you get your work paid for with up to $3,000 from a government payment program!

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1/7/19 : Avant-Garde was fantastic. They were easy to work with from start to finish. Steve came out and did a very thorough inspection of my home. Because of how my house is situated, he did recommend I also get an engineer to do a further inspection and was very instrumental in helping me choose the right one. The crew showed up early and worked very hard. They made me feel comfortable throughout the entire process. I would recommend Avant-Garde to anyone looking to get an earthquake retrofit

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1/3/19 : Hired them to retrofit my house and they completed in two days, took care of the inspections, and even managed to get me a $3,000 grant from EBB!

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1/2/19 : I highly recommend Steve & Matt at Avant-Garde construction. Their specialty is earthquake retrofitting, but are also skilled with remodels, additions, and ADUs. They were very responsive, professional, and do super high-quality work. After speaking with Steve, I learned I could save $3,000 for a retrofit through the FEMA program “Earthquake Brace & Bolt”. He led me through understanding the process every step of the way, which was super helpful. They will inspect your foundation for safety, take pictures, and upload them all to the database along with the permit, etc. What a breeze!

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11/26/18 : Estimate was offered with options. Project started on time and communications were great. Project completed as scheduled and clean up was very good.

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11/14/18 : Steven and his team retrofitted our home. They also got the permits from the City and got the inspection done after the work was complete. The job was done in 2 days. I would recommend them to anyone looking to bolt their homes.

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11/8/18 : Excellent service all around !!

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10/25/18 : Avant-Garde is awesome. Two other contractors turned me down because my job was small, and they didn’t think it was worth their time. But Avant-Garde said “yes.” and they came when they said they were going to. They responded 90% of the time to my emails and phone calls, and didn’t try to upsell me or talk about something they weren’t knowledgeable about. When I asked them something they didn’t know, they said they would find out for me. I would definitely pick them again.

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10/14/18 : These guys are just amazing! Steven came in to do look at the house and give a free estimate, next day the guys were here working. They were super clean and fast, they came in and and three days after they were done! 100% recommend their services!

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9/17/18 : Some of the best workers around

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8/22/18 : Steven was very nice and gave me lots of information in the initial stages when I was selecting who to choose for my retrofit. The young men who have been working on my house are prompt, efficient and hard workers.

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7/20/18 : Efficient, timely and extremely helpful and friendly. I would highly recommend this company to anyone.

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7/6/18 : I interviewed 4 different Contractors for my Retrofit and Picked Avant -Garde to do the job . And I’m glad I did . They were very Knowledgeable , Friendly and Efficient A++++ = .

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7/6/18 : Very respectful and diligent workers. Both the workers and the owners took the time to explain the work that they were doing. Very clean- they covered the pathway they took through our house in cloth and plastic and would wipe up the area before they were done for the day. Price was middle range but they went above and beyond the EBB guidelines. Provided a detailed plan and gave us several options to select from.

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6/22/18 : We had a great experience with Avant-Garde. Work was completed on time and the whole process was easy for us. Communication the entire way was very good. The work appears to have been done very well and they did not leave any mess behind. Would recommend this company!

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5/15/18 : Matthew’s crew brought a dedication and professionalism to their work that was amazing. Our house is a challenge because our crawl space is quite small. The crew all spent days under there doing very high level work, and always came out smiling. Add to that the daily cleanup to minimize dust and dirt, and you have a fantastic combination. I highly recommend Avant-Garde.

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12/31/17 : Matthew and his crew were wonderful and friendly. Matthew gave me the best price and options of all the contractors who reviewed my house and gave a quote for earthquake bracing. Many people I contacted for other types of service often gave his name or asked if I had contacted him. He even let me make a few payments on a sum I couldn’t pay all at once. He is extremely booked and busy but started and ended exactly when he said he would. I’ll be bringing him back in 2018 to do some more work he recommended. He will be straightforward with you about what you do and don’t need. Honest guy and a great local business to support.

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12/5/17 : Matthew was very professional when he came to give the estimate. He sat down with me and showed pictures of my foundation and what they would to to retrofit it. He answered all my questions. I felt confident in his knowledge and that he would do a good job. When he arrived with his crew of 3 other guys who were all very personable, they were on time, they went right to work, they answered any more questions I had, and cleaned up at the end of the day. I highly recommend Avant-Garde.

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12/2/17 : Thorough, estimate was in the middle of the estimates I received, estimator showed up on time, work was done well, workmen were efficient. They always called back whenever I left a message. Lots of contractors would not return calls for estimates. Work was started 2 days later than originally scheduled but that was agreed to. company provided extra workers so the delay was not an issue. I was satisfied 100 % with the work, no complaints or issues.

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11/30/17 : Our home had a unique problem whereby much of the foundation’s mudsill could not be accessed for bolting or clipping. Matt Gatterman was the only contractor we talked to who had a ready solution that would adequately retrofit the home and satisfy the city engineer. Work was completed a day ahead of schedule and we are very happy with the work. Most importantly, the building inspector was very impressed with the solution and quality of work as well. I highly recommend them!

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11/26/17 : I recommend Avant-Garde and Matthew Gatterman very highly. The company just completed a seismic retrofit on my 100-year-old home in Oakland, and they did an excellent job. They followed the retrofit plan prepared by a structural engineer very carefully. There were no issues with the four inspections that were done, two by the engineer and two by the city. Matthew is very straightforward and a pleasure to work with. He started on the job exactly when he said he would, and his crew worked diligently and steadily for over two weeks. They clearly worked hard, arrived at the house promptly every day, and cleaned up well at the end of each day. Avant-Garde was very helpful with meeting the requirements of the state’s Earthquake Brace and Bolt program, to ensure that I receive my rebate. They also handled the city permit process smoothly. There were hardly any issues that came up to delay the work, but Matthew adapted quickly and easily when adjustments had to be made in the plan or the schedule. When the project was completed, Matthew showed me what had been done and provided numerous photos and a video as permanent documentation.

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11/19/17 : Contractor was always available by phone or email. Contractor was very helpful in filling out necessary documents. Work was completed on day scheduled. There was a minor problem with some missing pipe hangers. Contractor returned and fixed the problem promptly. I am very satisfied with his performance.

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11/10/17 : I highly recommend Matthew Gatterman and Avant-Garde Construction for Earthquake Brace and Bolt work. He and his team did high quality work, always communicated well, and handled all of the permit and EBB paperwork flawlessly. It was always a pleasure to talk with Mathew about the project as he obviously is extremely knowledgeable and shows great care in the quality of his work.

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10/31/17 : Matt Gatterman was professional, always on time and executed the engineered design perfectly. His crew did great work and left the construction site tidy. I have no hesitation recommending this contractor for residential retrofit work.

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10/31/17 : Matthew and the Avant-Garde team were professional, thorough, forthcoming, and responsive to any concerns that we had along the way. They did an excellent job on our retrofit and on the finishing details. We would highly recommend them.

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10/26/17 : Matt and his team did an excellent earthquake retrofit job on my home. And Connie is very helpful regarding any questions that one might have. I highly recommend!

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10/8/17 : I was initially impressed when Matthew spent the time necessary in the crawl space under my house, then outside during the initial inspection. When his crew did the work, I was impressed again. These guys were on point and focused, but enjoyed what they were doing. I highly recommend Avant-Garde in San Leandro.

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10/4/17 : Avant-Garde is a very reliable company. From the first meeting and appraisal of the retrofit Matthew showed great diligence in examining every detail of the job. He made sure I understood the nature and scope of the work to be done and was very patient with me. He and his crew arrived on time and were very respectful of me and my home. Matthew and his wonderful wife walked us through all the necessary paperwork. I highly recommend this company and would give them the highest rating available.

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10/2/17 : The owner , Matthew Gatterman, was prompt, extremely knowledgeable, polite, respectful of our home, and did a great job. The inspector was impressed with the extent and quality of the work. Matthew also had his part of the Brace and Bolt paperwork submitted within a day or 2 after completion of the job so we were able to apply for our grant right away. We highly recommend Avant -Garde!

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9/27/17 : A first class job. 100% recommendation. Owner Matthew knows his business and he is completely transparent in his estimates and bids. Quick, clean and very efficient crew. Not one problem. You know they are the best because they have so much work they can’t take any more reservations till 2018.

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9/25/17 : Matthew and his crew were amazing. The job was done quickly and thoroughly. His original visit was impressive as he personally spent time in our crawl space and gave us an in-depth explanation of what was involved in the project and what he would do, as well as a very competitive estimate. We hired him on the spot. We highly recommend Avant-Garde!

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9/11/17 : Matthew and his team were awesome. Communication was great from beginning to end. Started and finished on time, with no problems. Highly recommend, one of the smoothest projects we have had done around our house. Thanks Matthew for doing such a great job!

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8/10/17 : Excellent work. Thorough, timely, and very, very complete. We could not be happier. Matthew Gatterman is a disciplined, informative, and communicative contractor – a true professional in every way. Not only was his work superb, his advice concerning the scope of the work was very educational and invaluable to us homeowners. A really good experience for us.

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7/21/17 : Did a great job. We were very pleased with his work, which was completed on time. I highly recommend him to others.

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7/17/17 : Matthew and his team are highly knowledgeable and very professional. They did the work within the time that set in the contract. They did very good work and organized the inspection. Matthew was there till all the procedure was finished. I will recommend Avant-Garde for seismic retrofitting 100%

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6/30/17 : I was very impressed with the integrity of this contractor and his workers. I would use them again. Kathy Srader

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6/9/17 : I highly recommend Avant-Garde. Owner Matthew Gatterman thoroughly examined our crawl space. He carefully explained what we needed and why. His rates were very reasonable. His work and clean up were excellent. It was a pleasure working with him.

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5/30/17 : They are very professional, knowledgeable in their trade and communicate well. They also have reasonable price. I totally recommend them.

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5/21/17 : Avant-Garde/Matthew Gatterman is not your typical contractor. I hired Avant-Garde for a retrofit to comply with the State’s Brace & Bolt program after receiving several bids. Not only did Matthew come in at the fairest price, he was also the only contractor to crawl underneath and accurately assess my crawl space before providing his quote. Matthew was exceptionally responsive, efficient and easy to work with. He took care of everything, and quickly. The entire process couldn’t have been simpler! Hire these folks for a professional, fairly-priced, hassle-free experience. I can’t recommend them more highly.

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5/13/17 : Avant-Garde did a great job of earthquake retrofitting my house at a reasonable price and I highly recommend them. They gave me a quote at no cost, handled all the paperwork with EBB and got the permit from Alameda county. The day of the job they were on time and finished bulk of the work in one day. It was easy to communicate with Matthew by email or text if I had a few questions. Thank you Avant-Garde for a job well done!

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5/13/17 : I hired Avant-Garde to earthquake retro fit my house under the EBB subsidy program. They were on the approved list of Earthquake Brace and Bolt contractors.

Avant-Garde did a great job and I highly recommend them.

Matthew from Avant-Garde came out to inspect my house at  no cost and gave me a competitive quote that included the basic retrofit as well as some add-ons like reinforcing the floor piers.

I elected to go with the basic retrofit that included blocking of the floor beams.

Avant-Garde handled all the paperwork with EBB as well as getting the permit from Alameda county.

On the day the work was scheduled Matthew and his crew arrived on time and  finished the bulk of the work in one day.

I appreciate that they made a special trip back to repair the plastic of my plastic encapsulated crawl space. The EBB required that the plastic which covered the foundation be removed in a few places to prove that the foundation was concrete.

i also appreciated that Avant-Garde took the extra step to vacuum the moisture barrier(plastic) to remove the concrete dust generated by the drilling into the foundation which had to be done to secure the retrofit hardware.

It was easy to communicate with Matthew by text or email if I had a few questions.

Thank you Avant-Garde for a job well done!

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4/26/17 : Based on last month’s recommendations from neighbors who have gone through the EBB process, I obtained quotes from those recommended. I chose Avant Garde (Matthew). During his visit he spent considerable time in the crawl space under my house–inspecting taking photos, measuring etc. (Note: he was the only vendor who did this. The others just looked under the house). He sat with me for over 1/2 hours showing me all the data he collected and on which he would base his estimate. More importantly he distinguished what was required by EBB and what items where optional yet highly recommended for safety. He provided a detailed estimate within 24 hours of his visit. After a few clarifications, I chose him as the vendor and he will do the work in July. So far, I have found Matthew to be meticulous, transparent, thorough, knowledgeable and confident about the EBB process, and well versed in the field of earthquake safety. He is friendly, patience, easy to speak with, and responsive. The process so far has been seamless. I highly recommend your seeking him for an estimate if you are in need of earthquake safety modifications. I’ll update you when the project is completed.

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4/23/17 : Contractor is providing us with a Contract, amount of deposit for the job and communication via email.

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4/18/17 : Avant-Garde was fantastic; I highly recommend them! Matthew Gatterman explained what needed to be done, provided responsive service, took care of all the permits and EBB file uploads, and provided craftsman-like work product. I will use Avant-Garde again for additional retrofit work or remodeling. Matthew’s team arrived on time, worked hard, was kind, and delivered a great product. I couldn’t be happier with Avant-Garde. Thanks Matthew!

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4/18/17 : Avant-Garde was fantastic; I highly recommend them! Matthew Gatterman (President / Owner) explained what needed to be done (residential earthquake retrofit project on a home built in 1954), provided responsive service, took care of all permits, and provided a craftsman-like work product. I will use Avant-Garde again for additional retrofit work and/or remodeling. Matthew’s team arrived on time, worked hard (in a difficult environment: 18″ crawl space with utilities all over and baby powder-like soil), was kind, and delivered a great solution. I couldn’t be happier with Avant-Garde (including clean-up . . . best clean-up job by a contractor, ever!).

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4/13/17 : I would definitely recommend Avant Garde. Matthew definitely knows the EBB program and uploaded everything to the site on my behalf. I just had to fill out and submit the W9 and payment authorization form and was good to go. His crew was professional and cleaned up well.

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4/5/17 : Avant-Garde did a retrofit on my house, their work was great & very professional company. We will use and recommend them for future projects. Highly recommended.

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4/1/17 : This was as near a perfect experience as one will ever have with a contractor. The three young men who did the work (including Matthew) were very polite, thorough, prompt, helpful and cleaned up daily…Although I never made it into the crawl space to check, the photos showed good work. Matthew had come highly recommended from a long time neighbor…so I didn’t even bother to get a second bid, since he’s such a swell kid. Five stars…

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1/14/17 : Totally agree with all the positive comments. I have hired 100’s of contractors in my time and used to be one part time and Matthew is completely impressive! And apparently he also has a very solid reputation with the local building inspection department who seem to have the highest respect for him.

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1/4/17 : We had a lot of contractors visit and provide bids for our seismic retrofit. Matt distinguished himself by being the only one who took more time in our crawlspace to really understand the project. Actually, most of the other contractors just looked through the crawlspace opening and didn’t even go in! Matt followed up with a very reasonably priced proposal, calmly and thoroughly explained everything to us, and in the end even overdelivered. He and his crew were professional, thorough, and left everything in order. Matt is responsive, responsible, very knowledgeable, and very easy to communicate with. All in all such a perfect experience with this contractor that we’ve already recommended him to our friends and we’ll be sure to contact him for future work.

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12/13/16 : Matthew Gatterman is such a pleasure to work with! He is responsive and definitely knows residential seismic retrofit. Our retrofit required structural engineered drawings and Matt delivered the project as designed.

My parents just received their reimbursement check from the Brace & Bolt program.

Matt’s crew is professional, tidy and the whole project took only a week. The bid was reasonable and Matt facilitated the inspections and document uploads to the Brace & Bolt portal.

Without hesitation, I recommend Avant-Garde for your residential seismic retrofit. They do solid & professional construction and return your phone calls!

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9/28/16 : Thanks to Matthew and his team, we are very happy with the outcome our earthquake brace and bolt retrofit project.  Matthew is responsive, focused and fully engaged as he and his team works effectively to finish the project as predicted.  Great customer service, patience, timeliness and simply a joy to work with are just a few of the words to describe our experience. Plus, now we have a gas shut off valve!

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10/19/15 : It was great pleasure to work with father, Gary, and son, Matt — both of whom were extremely pleasant to work with.