Terra Nova Engineering

Chrissy C.

This is for a job done in 03/13:

While they got the job done, I ran into a lot of issues with these guys.

When I initially dealt with these guys I'd have to say they were very accommodating. The terms of the purchase of my house were a little different in that I'd agreed to cover sewer lateral (something normally covered by the seller and done before transfer of the property). Because of this I had to file an extension with the city and give a deposit of $1500. When I spoke to Sheila, they'd agreed to let me pay them the difference, and have the city send the deposit check to them after all was said and done, which means I ended up paying for the certificate up front as well. An unprecedented situation, but nice of them to agree to.

They based the estimate of their cost off of a bid I got from another company, knowing from the estimate it was a big job, they couldn't do better but they agreed to match the price. My issue starts here, in that they never personally came out to the property to inspect it themselves. The estimate they agreed to was replacement of the entire sewer lateral down to the street (140ft from in-law and main house), and included the cost of the certificate.

On the day they came out to work on the property I couldn't be there personally, and had to send someone to meet them. Instead of coordinating with him to get access to my basement, they broke in by forcing the latch. They also blocked off my neighbor's driveway for most of the day until I got home from work, despite my neighbor personally approaching them and asking them to move their vehicle.

On that first day they ended up telling me the job was more difficult than they'd anticipated (this is what happens when you don't actually inspect the property), so they had to re-route through my basement and they were just going to try and do a partial replacement (a partial replacement!?!? When the original agreement was for the entire thing???). This first attempt failed to hold, so they ended up having to go back to replace the entire thing anyways.

On top of these things, I too had issues with their communication. When complications on the job arose, they did not confirm the actual amount of the additional cost. They promised to call and disclose this cost to me, but failed to do so.

Because of roadblocks they encountered because THEY didn't do their homework, and the extra day it took them because they tried a shortcut, I ended up paying 31% more than the original estimate AND they did not cover the cost of the certificate as originally agreed.

Leif S.

These guys are on the ball. I just had them do a trenchless lateral replacement on a duplex, and they came through in a big way. The cost was fair, and best of all they were in and out in a day. Which was especially amazing, because the work itself involved digging up a ton of rock and concrete.

Thais S.

Tera Nova was very professional and helpful. They were very patient and they willingly explained everything they were doing to our sewer lateral. They also went the extra mile by showing up a day early (as a courtesy) and mark the areas they would have to dig up. (Which they put back nicely at the end of the job). They were far more thorough than any of the other competitors. They found issues that needed to be addressed that others had missed in their bids (NOT to be mixed up with unnecessary added expenses) . Also, they fixed the botched up job of a now closed competitor at a reasonable and competitive price. Value for your money.

Donald L.

Bought a house and needed the sewer lateral replaced. Seached on Berkeley Parents Network and saw Terra Nova recommended, so I went with them. Same experience as the others, except communication was perfectly fine, unlike the below reviewers experience. I'm glad I used them and will use them again if the opportunity come up.

Sue S.

I hired Terra Nova to replace my sewer lateral. They were not the cheapest bid, but Sheila was certainly the most knowledgeable. Mirko and his crew did a great job. They were on time, good communicators and cleaned up after themselves properly - and I'm picky! They tore out my jade plant which I was bummed about, but when they finished the work, they replanted it and it's even blooming now, so no harm done there! There's a grant program where I was able to get 1500 back from the county. I knew nothing about this, but Sheila did. She walked me thru the whole process and was very helpful even after they had been paid in full for their work. Solid work. Excellent service.

Jennifer C.

Terra Nova Engineering did a good job on replacing my sewer line, but their communication during the whole process was poor at best. First of all, they did not confirm the actual start date on the work with me, and went ahead to file all the city paper works without my knowledge. They are now stuck with this job, and had to lower their cost significantly so I would keep working with them. Secondly, when complications on the job arises, they did not confirm the actual amount of the additional cost. They promised to call and disclose this cost to me, but failed to do so. Instead, an e-mail was sent to me the next day with the bill 30% more then the original quoted cost. I tried calling and e-mailing them to call me back, and all I got was more e-mails and with quite a bit of frustrating, angry overtones.
Fortunately all was settled after a very long-exhausting e-mail chain. I don't think they ripped me off, but I would appreciate better, less chaotic communication. 30% on top of the original bill is not a small amount, and any customer would deserve some sort of cost disclosure before the work is finished.

Michelle L.

Terra Nova Engineering replaced my Sewer Lateral and they provided very professional service at a very fair price. They also helped me with the city grant application. Sheila was most competent and organized, and I really enjoyed listening to her calm voice over the phone! She made this a great experience!

Kiva S.

My mother, who lives in Berkeley, just had her old clay pipes replaced by Terra Nova Engineering. From the beginning to the end of the operation, Terra Nova (Sheila in particular) was efficient, helpful, fair, and informative. I have nothing but glowing things to say about Terra Nova. They're everything one would hope for in a small business--fair, reliable, personable, professional, and efficient. While the job was more difficult than they expected, they honored their original estimate. And they also seem to have good relations with the City of Berkeley. Lastly, Terra Nova is quick and hard-working! They completed the project in a single day after arriving at my mother's early in the morning and finishing at night. Rather than leaving after a 13-hour workday, however, they stuck around to make sure that everything worked, followed-up, and even responded over the weekend. I have to say that Sheila and her husband (the owners of this small business) are a terrific team, and I see why their honest, hard-work, efficiency, and overall gentility is so appreciated in the East Bay.

Madame C.

I received bids from three other companies before contacting Terra Nova. Not only did they do the complete replacement of my sewer line in one day (others had said it would take several days) but their bid was literally half the price of the highest bid. Sheila was competent and pleasant. Who could ask for more?

Erik O.

Terra Nova Engineering just finished replacing our Sewer Lateral and they did a fantastic job. The quote was provided very quickly and despite the weather not cooperating, the job was finished much sooner than I expected. Sheila came over the night before and worked with our neighbors to clear the street around our house of cars to make room for the equipment. The crew showed up the next day right on time and worked efficiently to completion with attention to detail. I'm very happy with how this project turned out.