Client Testimonials

“I was very fortunate to find Tom as a construction consultant. I don’t think I would have purchased my house without his help.

The house I bought is 90 years old but has been kept up fairly well by previous owners. This is the first house I have owned.

Tom’s guidance was invaluable! He reviewed all the pertinent inspection reports and disclosures. Afterwards we talked about his observations and he gave me options on how I could take care of the issues. He also made an on-site visit to the house and inspected it top to bottom, not as an inspector, but as my advocate to learn as much as possible about the house. Finally, during his visit, he took photos of the roof, the crawlspace and everything else about the house so it was easy for me to show the contractors exactly the repairs/upgrades that were needed.

Tom is an extremely knowledgeable and trustworthy expert to have on your side when purchasing a house.”

Jon S.
El Cerrito, CA

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“Tom Anderberg visited my home in order to help me with a drainage problem.  During that visit, he was incredibly educational not only about the drainage but several other structural issues needing attention.  He came up with practical solutions.

As he looked at the foundation and structure of my home originally built in the 1880’s, he could give me a history of what happened, when and why.  Not only was that very very interesting, but I now understand structural issues of my house better than ever before and I have lived here 23 years.  That directly translates to my tackling problems sooner than later when they occur and being more competent.

I would recommend Tom in a flash to anyone who wanted to understand and solve a problem in their home.  Thank you, Tom!”

JB
San Francisco, CA

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 “My wife and I were first-time home buyers and seeked Tom Anderberg’s advice on two occasions.  The first was a house with settlement and drainage issues that were not disclosed during our purchase process, but when this information was revealed to us by Tom we were very grateful to get out of buying a money-pit.  The second occasion happened after the purchase of our home.  My wife convinced me to call Tom again before I went along with our contractors work on seismic retrofitting.  I am grateful Tom was able to meet with me so quickly before I had to make a decision with the contractor.  Meeting with Tom was priceless.  He explained what had to be done to make the house withstand an earthquake better, as well as why it had to be done.  His explanations were clear and simple and  made me realize how important it was to properly retrofit the house for an earthquake — specifically, the importance of making sure the house and foundation moved as one mass, and the correct installation of plywood shear walls that would make this possible.  I walked away from the meeting feeling confident in the decisions my wife and I need to make to make our house safer, and I will be using Tom’s references to complete the job.  With the highest recommendations, thank you Tom!”

Barak and Nicole
Alameda, CA

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“After working with several inspectors, it was an absolute pleasure working with Tom Anderberg!  He is a professional advocate for any homeowner or prospective buyer, with decades of experience.  His assessment of my property was thorough and complete.  I highly recommend his services to anyone looking for an expert inspector.  Thanks, Tom!”

Alice W.
Oakland, CA

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“Tom saved us tens of thousands of dollars.  I am SO glad we called him.  When we moved into our new house in Rockridge, we discovered that our basement accumulated water during the rainy season.  After calling in a number of contractors, I had estimates for repairs that ran from $8,000 to $40,000.  The big job required us to pull up much of our 50 year old gardens.  I was completely confused and had no idea what to do, so I called Tom.  He came out, told me all we needed was a sump pump, and recommended a contractor.  $2,500 later we had a sump pump and a solution.  We have not had a single drop of water in our basement in the intervening 8 years!!!  Thanks Tom for saving me money and allowing us to keep our beautiful gardens intact.”

Janine Firpo
Oakland, CA

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“I had a chance to work with Tom Anderberg recently and was very happy with the experience. We had a water leak in our garage/basement that looked like it was causing damage to the foundation. I had tried to find the leak on my own and I knew I needed a professional to find the leak.

Since the leak looked like it could cause foundation problems I wanted to make sure I hired the right person so I did research to find someone who has experience in this area. I thought the testimonials on Tom’s website were helpful.

Tom was very easy to work with. He started troubleshooting the problem after he collected all of the relevant information and within a short period of time Tom had identified where the leak was coming from. Tom has very good troubleshooting skills and has the tools he needs to troubleshoot a problem like this. After he had identified the problem he spent some time to do a walk through and provide advice on possible future seismic work that may be helpful.

I enjoyed working with Tom and if I ever have another water leak that is not easy to figure out Tom will be the first person I call.”

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“Our house is below grade and as a result, we have quite a bit of dryrot. Several inspectors prepared reports about it but each one had a different recommendation for how to fix it. It was very confusing! Finally someone recommended we consult Tom Anderberg because of his expertise with this type of problem. Tom used a special instrument to find out how far below grade our house is and gave us a recommendation on how to permanently fix the problem. He also gave us a plan for retrofitting the house that we can pass on to our contractor. He was very thorough and helpful and I am sure his advice will save us a lot of time, money, and headaches.”

K M
San Francisco, CA

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“My architect recommended Tom to me to evaluate drainage issues. Tom quickly drew up a proposed drainage plan, which we implemented several years later. He came back to review the plan and implementation. We were very pleased with Tom’s contribution to our project.”

Berkeley, CA

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“I am pleased to have had the opportunity to find you to help me and my son in the difficult task of proposing the best solutions for fixing problems associated with the structure of the progressing real estate deal.  You are the type of dedicated professional with a wide spectrum of knowledge that can provide support to anybody that needs technical advice with a house, big or small, new or old.  After more than 40 years in the construction industry, I believe to be knowledgeable in making the judgment and recommend you for your abilities.”

Dan Frank
Sausalito, CA

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“Tom is a consummate professional in his field of foundations, drainage systems and seismic retrofit.  He is brilliant and quick in his analysis of the task at hand.  He solved my foundation/drainage problem quickly and easily always with an eye to keeping within my budget.  His solution was creative, effective and cost conscious.  He is personable, engaging and funny, but most of all he is an expert in a field which can be extremely complicated, intimidating and costly.  He makes your problem easy and fun. I wish I had another construction project just so I could work with Tom again!  Anyone with a drainage, foundation or seismic retrofit problem should at least call Tom to get his opinion before engaging the services of anyone else.  He is honest, trustworthy and has the customer’s best interest at heart.  When you think of construction consultant, Tom Anderberg should be the first name to come to mind!”

Linda Chan
Berkeley, CA

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“Tom did an assessment of our drainage problem, and oversaw the implementation all the way through.  He explained everything, and made sure that every stage of the process was done perfectly.  He’s the Mr. Wizard of drainage!”

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“I needed someone to come out and help me with some structural issues, and he came out and did a consultation with me.  I was very happy with him – he was prompt, knowledgeable, and practical.”

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“He came out and consulted on how to take care of the drainage problem in my basement.  He drew sketches, explained everything in layman’s terms, and gave me suggestions of three contractors to contact who could do the work I needed done.  His service was very comprehensive.”

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“He was just wonderful.  He walks you through every part of the process, which is great when you don’t know anything about construction.  He quickly found solutions for our old house, and was always available.  I have great peace of mind knowing the work was done properly.”

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“Tom pointed out solutions to my plumbing leak I never would have thought of.  He’s awesome – definitely a keeper!”

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“We had an issue with a fence, and with a retaining wall.  He was perfect for what we needed!  He was very responsive, and answered all of my questions.  His advice was exactly what I was looking for.”

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“My three unit building was suffering from leaks for seven years. Tried quite a few contractors in a few different specialties, such as roofers, window specialists, thermographers, etc. No one could get the leak problem solved or even find the origins of the leak. It seemed to be all guess work. Finally, a contractor suggested Tom before doing anything else. Tom came over and was able to spot where the leaks originated from in record time. He recommended various approaches to solving the problem. Each solution had its own expense and period of efficacy. It was all laid out simply and understandably. Once the approach was chosen, Tom was able to refer me to the right contractor for the job. I wish I knew about Tom years ago. I would have saved a lot of money and time.”

Joe Ragen
Oakland, CA

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“The two unit condominium building my husband and I live in has a history of problems with leaks.  Although most were repaired when we first moved in and were the result of poor roof work, we had one persist leak that we were not able to fix, no many how many contractors, roofers and handymen we had come in to help find its cause.  The leak was particularly frustrating because water was entering our lower apartment unit through recessed lighting and was creating a flood when it rained; the upper unit of this two building unit never experienced leaks.  At the end of our rope, we searched for someone who specialized in leak detection.  I found a name that appeared promising, Tom Anderberg of Anderberg Construction Consulting, Inc.  I called Tom, but honestly was not too hopeful he’d be any more help than anyone else.  I was so wrong.

Although a number of other people live in this building, I have been the primary person responsible for maintenance of the building including working with contractors.  My knowledge is extremely limited and we have, unfortunately, been “burned” on a number of occasions.  I have become wary of contractors in general so I did not expect too much from my first appointment with Tom Anderberg.  It was because, again, water was leaking in to my living room from an unknown source.  We had recently spent a great deal of money sealing the deck above the living room but the work did not fix the problem.

Tom arrived with more technical equipment than I had ever seen before.  Using a thermal imaging camera he was able to pinpoint where water was entering the building.  He then manually checked those areas and nearby areas to see what could be seen visually and without equipment.  He followed with water testing.  I was really impressed.  Tom knew what to look for and where to look.  He explained what he was doing and why he was doing it using terms which were easy for me to understand.  Although he would not do the corrective work himself, he did, when asked, supply a list of contractors he thought might be able to help.   He diagramed what he had found so that I could supply this information to the contractor who would do the actual repairs.  He told me the contractor could call him at any time with any question – and he meant it because that’s what happened.   Using information supplied by Tom to the contractor we were finally able to fix our leak problem.

I have used Tom Anderberg several times now for several different projects.  Each time I had the same professional quality of work as on the first job we worked on with him.  His enthusiasm remains at the same high level.  I get the feeling he enjoys doing what he does and he does it exceptionally well.

Personally I have called Tom a number of times with questions about what other contractors have told me.  Tom is always available to answer my questions.  He always remembers me, the situation with my building and the jobs he has done for me.  He is just amazing and I cannot recommend him highly enough.

Please feel free to use me as a reference and to give out my telephone number to anyone who wants to speak with me personally about Tom Anderberg if you have any questions about his performance.  My name is Roberta Davis, I live in San Francisco and my telephone number is 415-265-7130.”

Roberta Davis
San Francisco, CA

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“I couldn’t help comparing working with you to those times when Sherlock Holmes explains his reasoning, and people say, “Oh, that’s obvious!  He didn’t do anything much.”  All the clues I needed were at hand, but I could not see them.  Then you explained it, and all was clear.

And I really appreciate the way you like to teach.  Most people are stingy with information, and only give the bare minimum.  It drives me crazy!  Now I understand that my basement is the shape it is because someone dug it out in the past.  I’ve lived with basements of this shape, in 2 houses, since 1985–And never understood.  Thanks.”

John Weidner
San Francisco, CA

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“Tom Anderberg is professional, knowledgeable and fair.  He was willing to take extra steps at his own expense to assure that his report was accurate.”

David Larsen
Oakland, CA

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“He is simply God stepped down on earth! He is a genius at what he does. Thanks to him my water problem was the city’s problem, and they will reimburse me for everything! Tom is simply the best.”

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“The problem:  Water incursion into the basement.  If it was as simple as digging a trench around the foundation to move the water somewhere else, there would be no need for Tom Anderberg.  The fact is, many times a simple trench is not successful and Tom can tell you why.  Suitable crushed rock, appropriate piping, a lesson or two on hydrology, and maybe a scribble on graph paper, and just where water is apt to travel.  Tom can set you in the right direction to take care of your water problems.”

M.  Hartley
San Francisco, CA

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“In the process of buying a house, we got a very conservative home inspectors report, so filled with gloom and doom that I was sick with worry that we’d made a bad choice.  Tom Anderberg came to the new place with two sets of coveralls and took me through the bowels of the house, showing me that most of the supposed problems were really nothing for concern, and helping me identify the few areas that really did need to be dealt with.  By helping separate the mountains from the molehills, Tom gave me the confidence to buy.  My family is now moved in to the new place and we’re all happy we moved.  Without Tom, it would have been too daunting a purchase.”

Andy Schwarz
Piedmont, CA

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I sought Mr. Anderberg’s expertise on foundation erosion due to drainage issues.  He took his time to carefully assess not only the foundation of the house, but also the drainage of the entire lot to address other issues on the property. He explained the anatomy of foundation clearly, and offered his most objective and concrete recommendations for my situation.  His recommendations actually saved me more money from the subsequent moisture barrier project than his consultation fees.   He came highly recommended, and I can clearly understand why.

Shelley Wu
Orinda, CA

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