If you think the cost of a professional is expensive, Wait until you hire an amateur.
RBF - The Right Choice.

Our project with RBF Construction was a bit different than many for a couple of reasons; first and most notably because we continued to live in the house during the project and second because we wanted to reuse as much of the original cabinets and detailing as possible to retain the period feel of the house.

The scope of the project was significant. We have owned the house for approximately two years and bought it in part because it retained the late 1950s/early 1960s feel. It had remained largely unmolested through the years, retaining the original cabinets, cooktop, etc. and the original floorplan at around 1000 sq ft. Our goal was to add approximately 350 sq ft to the house by extending the floorplan into “corner” where space had been left between the garage, fence and existing back wall of the house, to  redo the existing bathroom and add a second toilet and powder room, redo the roof and update the electricals.

Richard recommended the architect/engineer as a way of preparing the bid package. The recommended architect did a very good and thorough job and was flexible, including taking care of the design approvals, etc. There were no significant iterations necessary with the plans being approved on the first go-through with the city of Huntington Beach.

Once construction started it progressed almost continuously, with stops only for curing of tile, etc. and for some specific material delays associated with Covid-19. During the construction Richard stopped by almost every day, including helping ensure that the bathroom was usable so that we could continue to live in and use the house and garage. He managed all of the contractors closely, regularly inspecting their work and ensuring they left the house clean at the end of each day. Some specific tasks like the removal of the original built in solid cabinetry he oversaw quite closely to try to ensure that no damage was done as they were to be reused.

Richard also worked closely with us on the selection of the tile, paint, grout, etc. to ensure that we were happy, including making quick and good quality repairs in the event anything was wrong. He also ensured that the little details were resolved including somewhat nuisance items for him and his team such as the reinstallation and troubleshooting of the original doorbell, a period detail we wanted to keep. He also helped us preserve some cool little details from the house such as some pieces of the original period wallpaper (that he framed a piece of) and some of the original cedar shakes of the house so that we could use them for later details.

The total project was completed from start to finish in 13 weeks with the exception of the final permit closure, which took a little longer but the house was fully liveable by that time. Richard was also very fair with the payment terms and collections, with no disputes around payments, etc.

When we selected RBF it happened quite quickly as we elected to stay in California vs. our other home due to the pandemic. Richard helped us move quickly through the process and we went from idea to plans in place in approximately 6 weeks. We selected Richard because he was local and the part that sealed the deal for us was actually that he had done several of his neighbor’s houses – a vote of confidence that was reflected in our own experience. We would recommend Richard for most any renovation project based on our total experience.

Ken Kaser