Fordham Building and Design

Shekhar I.

I would not recommend Greg to anyone.
Around Oct, part of my fence fell down during one of those very windy evenings. I looked up Greg on Yelp because of his high ratings and called him over for a quote. Instead of fixing just part of the fence I decided to replace the entire section because it was old and I was thinking curb-appeal. Big mistake !!!
The quote was reasonable and he gave me an estimate of a week, so far so good.
Work started promptly for 2 days and the entire fence was torn down (mind you this fence faces the road and my house was basically open for all). Then it came to a grinding halt for the rest of the week.
Before the quote, Greg would answer my phone promptly almost every time. After the work started not even ONCE. I could only get him to respond to texts occasionally.

The cat and mouse game of trying to get in touch with Greg and making progress on the work continued for 3 more weeks before the fence got done (1 whole month to finish a 40ft fence). All the while I am stressed out, on if the work will get done EVER or if my backyard will be open for the world to enjoy.

Now for the craftsmanship. I recently spoke with my gardener (who I found rather late, was also a contractor for 28 years and could have done the job ... kicking myself for that) who pointed out issues (mind you I am not a very handy guy and don't know much about fence dynamics, so judge for yourself.).
1. There is about 1/2 ft (to 1ft in some areas) of gaping hole at the bottom of the fence throughout. Easy access for racoons and other small animals. This, I knew was a problem, Greg had said he would fix it before the end. Still waiting for him to respond to my text
2. The lattice on top of the fence is already coming off. Apparently because it needs to be kept in place by strips, which were not installed.
3. The main poles that support the fence don't extend up to the lattice section. Apparently this makes the lattice more prone to falling off as it becomes an independent section altogether.

All in all I am going to have to get a fix up job on this brand new fence.

Avindra C.

I have to write this review to warn everyone about Greg. He replied on my husbands post and I have to explain our side; pardon my spelling as I have to typed this warning to everyone.


""Well, you can't please everyone"".


We are so easy to please as long as the job is at par. The edges of the wood are crooked in all the bedroom and squeaky. The putty's and fillers that the new installer put on the edges doesn't hide the ugliness. The thresholds and reducers that he is planning to put did not work because he scratched and nailed the top of the bamboo. The only way it can be right is by ripping off the whole floor and redo our flooring. He wasted the money we paid on the materials as well as the labor paid to him. The pattern he put in the hallway is so ridiculous that I have to ripped off the whole floor to make it right. The fireplace edges on our family room are so terrible. The new installer worked on the fireplaces edges in the living room and there's a major difference.

""For the record, the floors in question were 95% done when the clients informed me they weren't going to pay for the extra work necessary due to the age and construction of their home. They were late and/or short on every payment, including the first.""

If its 95% done, why do we need to call another contractor to finish the job. Why it took 3 months to finish a 3 week job both floor and painting? He didn't prepped the floor, he install the wood as it is. He damaged most of the bamboo and we are still working on removing the scratches and fixing the damage on the installed floors. You can feel the bumps within the same planks because the floor was not leveled. The new installer fixed the sub floors and level the portion near the pantry. As for the payment, we paid him 30% on the initial payment without starting the work and it is based on his bid price. CA law only requires 10% or $1,000 whichever is less. We took the chance because he need the money to buy the materials. We paid in stages bcoz the job is not progressing got stuck in 55%, paid more almost 85% of bid price. If he is professional, when he put the bid, there shouldnt be any surprises with regards to the age and construction of the home. The approach he did in installing the floors by gluing the bamboos on the subfloor, is a very big mistake. All the contractors who came by to bid in finishing his work told us that he is worse than their employee who is at first day on their job. Even a rookie can do better than his installations.

""I kind of feel like a restaurant serving up multiple courses that were all fine, until the bill arrives. Then everything was just terrible.""

No, we are never happy with the food being served. From appetizer to the main course, which is of course half cooked. or half prepared, its like ordering a prime rib and you got a stale steak from the previous week. Paying $150 for a 3 course meal and just getting a so-so appetizer and half prepared main course is not worth it.

""I did ask for specifics about the 'wrong and dangerous' part, and never got an answer.""

Why does he even ask? I'm not a contractor but I do have common sense of taping the paper to protect the existing floor (my dad slipped on the entry way and his hands were bleeding) or cleanup at the end of the day and dump all the waste. Our living and dining room became a huge dumpster with protruding nails that hurt my kid. He removed the door molding with nails stuck on the walls which scratched my leg. Our garage, big time dumpster, we had to beg him to throw all his trash. If he is a professional, he should know which is UNACCEPTABLE. All outlet are uncovered and paints everywhere He turned our dream house to a nightmare.

""My license is currently expired, but can be renewed if the project requires it.""

You forgot to mentioned that it was expired when you took the job with us. Please make sure to pay your bond. I hope the other person will also post his/her comments here in yelp so that we know his/her side of the story. Ask yourself, are you going to even hire yourself to do the job on your own home? We keep asking you the same question but you never replied. I guess the job that you took from us is way above your expertise or its way out of your league.

""Feel free to ask me any questions regarding this or any other job. Most of my clients are happy with the prices, timeline, and results.""

I'm not sure If I will believe in yelp anymore, having a 5 star rating doesnt say it all. He even asked my husband to remove his post here. I will try our best to protect other CONSUMERS so that they will not undergo the SAME EXPERIENCE WE HAD WORKING WITH GREG. You are welcome to visit our home so that we can show you how he trashed our place. The master bathroom is the worst. Ping me.

I dunno if this is all true, but good pics though. I will post the pics of his work in my house, I bet it will not be added on his portfolio.

Indrajit U.

Worst contractor I ever had... I will never recommend...
We hired him to install our bamboo flooring... he mentioned he will finish within 3 weeks ... it is already 2 and half month , still didn't finish the work...
He also lied about his License.. but in reality his license is expired.... He took most of the money but didn't complete the work ...

Some professional came to our home and checked his unfinished work and mentioned whatever flooring work he did was all wrong and dangerous....
Greg is basically an useless fellow... never ever trust him....

Never ever hire Greg Fordham....

Rick R.

Greg is the best extra set of hands you could want. Got a job that is too big to take on yourself? Greg is your man. Punctual, reasonable prices, quality work....what more can you ask for?

If I had to sum up Greg in one phrase it would be: ""Yea, I can do that, no problem""

Owen J.

We had our kitchen redone and wanted a tile backsplash. Greg responded quickly and showed up exactly when we said we would. His price was very reasonable, and it was obvious that he enjoys doing tile work. There wasn't much room for creativity in this project, but he showed me pictures of a number of his tile jobs, and it was clear that he has an eye for the artistic. He is very responsible, keeps the work area clean, and is honest, so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend his services for a tile job.

Joe K.

We brought Greg in to run a gas line to our kitchen and backyard BBQ. Greg was professional, and where others feared to tread, Greg persevered. It wasn't an easy job, but Greg saw it through to the end. I will definitely call Greg again if we need help with any other projects around the house that are just too much for me to tackle. Greg is reliable, honest, his prices are very reasonable, he's a good worker with knowledge and skill, and he's fun to chat with.

Pat T.

Greg Fordham repaired about 90 linear feet of fencing on two sides of our property. The fifty year old redwood fence boards had deteriorated at the bottom but Greg carefully trimmed and re-used them. This saved us and our neighbors who were sharing the costs a considerable sum as well as providing us with a strong and attractive ""new"" fence. Greg also found some rot on one corner of our house and repaired that for us. He is very reliable and honest. We and our neighbors were very pleased with his work.

patt

El Cerrito, CA

MJ H.

Greg installed my attic gable ventilation fan exactly the way I wanted it in a timely and efficient manner, taking the time to explain just about every step to me in detail and answering my questions and concerns patiently...he even went above and beyond and recommended a couple of items to include in the job that will enhance use of the fan...I would gladly hire him again in a heartbeat.

Hunter S.

Phenomenal work; built a redwood fence, securing and stabilizing it on a tricky slope.
Have seen other projects from friends he worked for after recommending him.
2 thumbs up, 5 stars, excellent all the way around.

He takes his time and care... uses top quality materials, gives extremely competitive prices. Your work may not be super quick, but thats a ""good* thing, and you definitely get work for a GREAT price and OUTSTANDING quality.

Highly, highly recommended. Puja D's review nailed it.

Cecilia G.

I am a kitchen & bath designer at The Cabinet Center in San Ramon. I recently worked with Greg on a bathroom remodel. My client had found Greg, and I'm very glad they did! I enjoyed working with Greg on this project, he is very professional, and his ability to assist the client with some finish selections was invaluable. Although my cabinetry designs tend to have a high level of detail, Greg was willing to work with me. The end result was a very nice bathroom that created a ""spa getaway"" look and feel in a small space. I am looking forward to working on a kitchen project with Greg.