Alameda Home Repair

Annie H.

TLDR: Cannot thank Mark enough for his help in a time sensitive situation!

We moved into our 1940s Alameda cottage four months ago, our first home! I run a floral business out of our detached garage. With daylight savings on the way, and a few, late nights ahead of me, I decided to finally change the flood light on the front of the garage which has been non-functional since we moved in.

Anyway, in changing the fixture, I let the wires touch and short circuited the whole garage (I know I should have turned off the power first... I actually thought I had!) When I finished the job and went inside to our old knob and tube fuse box to try to turn everything back on... nothing worked. My husband and I fiddled around with it for a few hours, but the flowers in my cooler were starting to wilt and I needed help, fast.

Enter Mark. I found him on yelp as a local handy man and called in a panic. He was out of town, but wanted to hear about what was going on anyway. He confirmed I just blew a fuse and after hearing about the age of our home, had a suspicion there was another fuse box outside the house that ran the garage. HE WAS RIGHT! There was a locked box on the side of the house that we had never investigated. I broke off the lock and discovered a fuse box! Flipped the fuse on, and voila. My day was saved.

I cannot thank Mark enough for taking time out of his travels to walk me through this repair in what was, to me, a desperate situation. He demonstrated kindness, curiosity, and respect. I am so grateful!

John S.

Mark is a real pro, and very helpful person. He gave me great referrals and advice for a complicated problem.

M. J.

Mark is a great guy, does excellent work, keeps his word and is a pleasure to work with. I unequivocally give him my highest recommendation.

Michael L.

We had some beautiful, paneled doors on our carriage house that started to rot out. Mark did a fabulous job repairing them (so we didn't have to buy new ones). This involved dis-assembling and replacing the panels and molding, all with custom cut redwood pieces for longevity. I think the doors may be in better shape now than when they were new! I would whole heartedly recommend Mark for any repairs you need. He's very professional, skilled, knowledgable and does top notch work.

Chris S.

I dealt with Mark Gilman for a project painting a bathroom after an internet company did some damages to the skylight area while installing equipment on the roof.

Mark was poor with communication, showed up at my house on the wrong date unannounced before we had the chance to get the paint, then kept me waiting over two months only (he told me he was booked up the entire month of June) to finally return my call telling me he's not doing the work and to find a new vendor. He was very rude to me on the phone both times we spoke telling me he didn't work for me but for the internet company and telling me to check my emails - of which I did; we had no confirmed date (also attached to review).

If you're an Alameda homeowner looking for someone reliable and professional you've come to the wrong place. Alameda Home Repair is a very poor choice.

The attached photo that perfectly describes the level of service you can expect from Mark and his team. In my email I follow up to our phone call about picking dates and his response is ""we talked on the phone""

My only thoughts are my boyfriend and I were the ones getting the bathroom painted and perhaps he didn't like the fact I was gay? I can't really figure this whole situation out.

Eddie H.

The guy's a total scumbag. The guy totally disrespected me in my own home. Walked right in without taking off his shoes. Will not listen to me when I asked him to leave and had to call the police. Apparently he had talked to the landlord who probably told him I was a pain in the ass for asking him to fix my shower door for 2 months! I don't care its still my house when I pay the rent. He wouldn't answer or talk to me, just walked right into the bathroom and started to fix the shower door. But then he dropped it as I came in and put a dent on the tub. Then he told the owner that it was already there. Later on I heard him tell the owner that I was crazy and he should evict me. What a scumbag. I think he's a convict too from his demeanor! I've been meaning to write this review for a long time!

Michelle K.

Mark saved our kitchen sink!! It was getting pretty gross because it was clogged (the incinerator/garbage disposal wasn't working) and it was not draining any water, so whenever anyone used it, it became like a swamp (green and oily because pesto sauce was in it). I had used buckets to transfer water from the sink to the toilet for a few weeks. Even though Mark was booked up for now, he asked me what my issue was, identified the problem, and gave me clear instructions over the phone to fix it. I'm thankful, he was kind and his help has brought my quality of living back up... Thanks Mark!!

Robin K.

Mark was extremely helpful! Even though he was supposed to be off, he took my call, and even went so far as to come to my house on a moment's notice to help me diagnose our problems. Even though we didn't get to use him this time around, he gave me referrals to subs that would answer my calls and schedule me in so that we could actually get some work done. Definitely wouldn't hesitate to give him a call the next time something comes up!

T S.

Mark was really helpful, on time and got a lot done in the two hours we worked together. I'm super glad I called him and would again if I needed help. Recommend!

Jason D.

We haven't been completely satisfied with anyone hired to work on our home before. Mark, however did great work, offered fair pricing, and gave great advice too. He even fixed a broken fan rather than replacing it for far more money, and less work. We'll be calling him soon again for more projects.