SOD Builders, Inc

We are extremely pleased with SOD’s remodeling services. We started with the downstairs and were so happy with the results that we then contracted with them for the upstairs. Oren, the owner, is a man of high integrity and stands behind his work 100%. We are perfectionists (wife is a designer) and even if there was a minor issue, Oren would have his team fix the problem at his own expense. Remodeling is never easy and a stressful process. However, if you use SOD, you will have peace of mind that you are dealing with an honest company that really cares about the project and completing it to your satisfaction. Our remodel is very high end. In the master bathroom, they installed a steam room with lights, music, etc. The kitchen is beautiful and has an amazing large island made of quartzite. SOD’s fabrication was perfect and there is not one seam (we used a very large slab). Our backsplash in the kitchen is onyx and our countertops in the master bath are onyx with an entire wall of limestone. Jaime is the person who did all of the stone work and he is a true artist and very detailed oriented. We got rid of all of our carpet and now have beautiful travertine downstairs and hard wood throughout the upstairs. We now just appreciate our remodel every day like a fine work of art. I have done remodels in the past and nothing compares to the service that we received from SOD! I can’t recommend them enough. We intend to use them build a balcony for us as the next project.

SOD Builders did our home renovation and it was such a great experience! I never thought that doing a home remodel could be so easy. We did an overall home remodel that included 2 bathrooms, kitchen and general renovations throughout the house. Like most we received multiple estimates but in the end decided that SOD Builders would be the best option. Oren and his team were professional and knowledgeable. Any issues that arose they were quick to solve. Even after the project was done they were happy to come out to fix a couple of small items. I definitely recommend working with SOD Builders!

I’ve been waiting for awhile to write this review. I was genuinely hoping things would have worked out between us and SOD but that was not the case. To be completely upfront we never got to the actual building/​construction part of our relationship with SOD. We worked with them for over a year and ultimately left with a sour taste in our mouth over the whole experience. I’m giving two stars because even though we didn’t end up working with them their designer (Michele (sp?)) and some of their staff were great to work with.
We wanted to do the following to our home:
Remodel master bathroom
Master bedroom — Install new flooring, paint, and sliding glass door/​one window replaced (They quoted $ 10,000 for *just* this — FYI)
Stairs — refinished
Living — build a custom bar, resurface fireplace
We reached out to SOD through Houzz and they were prompt to reply. They sent someone out to give us a quote. Everything went fine, and we called a few times after that but never received the quote. After a few months (we were slow to follow-​up too) they sent someone else out to give us another quote as it had been awhile since the first guy had come out to our house. That’s when we started working with Michael and things went terribly from that point on. I mean very very terribly.
Michael came out and did a walk through of the house with us. He was having a hard time grasping what we wanted and wasn’t understanding our vision. On top of that we were having a hard time understanding him and what was included in their services. At this point we were becoming frustrated but Michael assured us everything would be fine. After a month we received the quote from him. It was extremely poorly written and we couldn’t tell what was included and what wasn’t. We had three separate phone calls with Michael and still couldn’t tell what we were getting. We said we wanted to think it over for a few weeks. After a month we again contacted Michael and asked about the price difference between adding a bathtub to the master or not. He then told us we would need to pay him $ 5,000 for an architectural designer before he would do anymore with us. This set off major red flags for us. We were told before that design was included with SOD. Michael then said he was going to be out of town but he wanted to send his colleague, Ram, to our home to see it and take some measurements that he missed. We thought that was weird but agreed to call and set-​up a time with Ram. After speaking with Ram it became VERY clear to Ram and to us that Michael hadn’t work for SOD in over a month and Ram was very panicky because he thought Michael had told us when he clearly hadn’t. The most alarming part was NO ONE FROM SOD EVER CALLED US TO TELL US. So, we almost signed a contract with some other company and didn’t even know it…
At that point we called SOD and I feel like we were super reasonable since they never bothered to tell Michael’s clients he had left the company. We just asked to meet with someone else. They sent their designer out to our home. She was great and really restored our faith in SOD. When the owner returned he came out and sent us a new quote. We were discouraged to see the same quote style from Michael and ended up having to have ANOTHER call with the owner to figure out what was included and what wasn’t. We solved it by making a spreadsheet since about 10 items we asked for didn’t show up in the quote AT ALL. After that we took their final numbers and compared them to what Michael provided us in his first quote when he actually worked for SOD and they were much higher. We approached the owned about the difference and he said — doesn’t matter. I won’t go down to that price. So, he wouldn’t honor a price his former employee made and we spoke to SOD again.
They never called us after that. They never made any attempt to do right by us even though they basically set us up with someone who tried to defraud us. I am honestly just 100% disappointed in the whole experience.
I think they do great remodel/​construction work if you can get past the poorly explained process, bad company organization, and lack of customer service. We didn’t and we lost a year of our lives to it. I would not recommend SOD to anyone, and I don’t think they care about what they did to us or how our project was handled.

My experience with SOD was the best custom home building experience I have ever had. When looking for a builder it was paramount to me to find a person whom I could trust since the last experience I had was beyond terrible. Oren is honest, reliable, hard working and his attention to detail is supurb. His customer service is unbelievable! I was always able to get in contact with him and he responded to my calls and requests almost immediately. I have a beautiful custom home that I love and its appraised value right after finishing construction was significantly higher than its cost.
I first contacted SOD when I was in the process of purchasing a property and Oren provided me with valuable insight as to location, lot purchase price, and size of house I could build. He spent a great deal of time educating me about green building and the building process in LA, all of which was done before he was even hired. SOD gave me a recommendation for an architect that I couldn’t have been happier with and then they worked with me during the design process educating me about different building options and pricing. It was very important to me to maximize value and minimize price.
Building in the city of LA can be challenging at times and SOD was awesome at being able to navigate the project through the process. No matter how much planning and preparation is made prior to construction issues will arise during construction and Oren dealt with them efficiently and effectively. There were a couple of times that I was afraid that I had made some terrible selections (i.e. color, size, style, etc.) and Michal quickly alleviated my worries and we were able to work it through so that my end product matched my vision.
I highly recommend SOD to anyone desiring to build a custom home in LA. If you have any further questions about this builder I am available to discuss them with you, and do not hesitate to contact the builder for my phone or email.

We purchased a house in LA and had planned on updating it-​new kitchen and bathrooms. I looked on Angie’s list for a contractor that was experienced but also concerned about the homeowner’s wishes and trustworthy. We were doing this long distance as we don’t live in LA. I can also be a difficult person to deal with-​I have very definite ideas about what I want and don’t really care it it’s possible or not. Oren met with us at the house and we went through each room outlining what we were looking for. Oren made suggestions and recommendations based on his experience and the location (what people are looking for in that area should we decide to sell later.) We received a contract that was professional and thorough. As always happens though, the original plan kept changing and expanding. Oren kept us apprised of any issues or changes that came up. SOD uses a web-​based program where updates, pictures and emails could be accessed no matter where you are (again we were doing this long distance.) Oren was always accessible even on weekends. We would let him know when we were going to be in LA and he would meet us to walk through the progress at the house. Another thing I liked was his knowledge of the LA permit/​inspection process (and LA has a lot of inspection requirements.) Now I’m not going to say everything went perfectly-​there were some hiccups along the way like the job took longer than imagined. But I’ve dealt with other contractors and he is by far the best I’ve dealt with. I will commend his staff, especially Michal, the interior designer. I loved her ideas. With a project this extensive there are so many decisions to make it becomes overwhelming. Couple that with doing this long distance and working full time, I was so thankful for Michal and her ideas/​suggestions. Oren has always been responsive by email or phone. This last trip out to LA when I walked into the house I felt like I was on one of those HGTV shows. There was such a transformation, you would never believe that this was the same house. SOD Builders is now working on a plan for the outside. Can’t wait to see the finished product.

I chose SOD for a complete kitchen remodel and plumbing upgrade. Working with the designer, Michelle, was a pleasure. She had a clear sense of what we were looking for and knew just when to offer her opinion as we were sorting through the dizzying array of options. When the building actually began, everyone at SOD was easy to contact, the crew always professional. There were a few glitches, but they were minor, nothing out of the ordinary for such an extensive job.
Early in the process, Oren, the owner of the company, told me that he would do whatever it took to make sure I was happy at the end of the job – and he delivered. There was no request that wasn’t honored, no small issue that was ever contested. They never made me feel picky, even though there were times I felt that way.
Oren called me a few months after the job was done to make sure I was happy. When I mentioned a few minor issues that had come up (a cabinet door was sticking and the faucet had worked a little loose) he had someone come out within a day to take care of them.
SOD didn’t give me the cheapest bid (they weren’t the most expensive either, for the record) but it’s worth a little extra money to find a builder that does beautiful work and is willing to work with you to make sure you’re satisfied.

Overall the kitchen came in nice looking and within budget schedule was a completely different issue. I have previous experience working in home remodeling myself and I have relatively high expectations on fit and finish.
We are located in Huntington Beach and SOD is located up in Tarzana in the future I would only select local contractors that can adequately service the project. I happen to work from home and spent a lot of time supervising the crews… the project manager would rarely show up once a week. although I never got change orders for a lot of rework I’m sure SOD lost money on this project due to lack of supervisionand the amount of rework on certain items.
Workers rarely showed up on time and would never use the entry method we requested it would always come to our front door where she’s going through the back gateas we had requested. Not a major issue but a nagging one when you work from home.
SOD did work through it with us well on the design process but did not follow through. Our mistake was not putting all of our wants and needs in writing and thinking deeply about it.
A friend of mine did a remodel it virtually the same time in the workmanship of the cabinets and the timeframe much better.
I’m very realistic and I understand that kitchen model is painful and stressful and never goes perfectly. project took a total of five months to get building final permit and final inspection.

Oren has been Great! Thank you SOD Builders for the great service! Highly recommend.

Oren and his team are fantastic. We hired SOD builders to help remodel our new house. We renovated the kitchen, three bathrooms and lots of flooring in the house. We chose to contract with SOD because we felt comfortable and confident that they would provide a quick, quality job and they certainly delivered. The entire team communicated clearly and effectively the entire duration of the project. They were respectful, very hard working and delivered beautiful work. They were on time and on budget. We highly recommend Oren and his team for your renovation project.

We regret the day we decided to hire SOD builders to remodel our bathroom and kitchen project. Oren came to our house and looked over our project, at first he seemed to be very knowledgeable and professional as well as honest. My wife and I felt comfortable with him and wanted to believe that we are in good hands. Five days after they started the project and we already paid $ 12,000 Oren told us that there were some items that he had to charge extra for. He told us that the city had requirements that he didn’t account for and he had to add to our $ 40,000 kitchen and bathroom project, $ 11,500 extra. He said that if we won’t pay it he will just stop the work and leave.
After talking to some relatives we decided to make the extra payment.
The project got completed 3 months after the due date, when we started using the shower it was noticeable how the tile was unprofessionally laid. The pipes started making pounding noises each time we turned the water on. We feel we were taken advantage of by Oren and his company. We do not recommend using this company ever.

No no and no. This place is an Angie’s List scam. We got a condescending euro trash type here with way too much attitude and perfume. Just like the other 3 «A» list Angie’s list contractors that came over. One dude was told to leave and he sat down! ANGIE’S LIST is a scam avoid. Angie fuck you!

First of all thanks to A list members for their review. I read all the reviews and decided to contact SOD. I then sent S.O.D an email to begin with to see how fast they would reply. They were ridiculously quick! Very responsive with all forms of communication and very courteous, professional and just all around great people.
I do not wish to divulge the amount I spent but it was all well worth every penny. Hire these guys if you would like to have things done right. I’ve read some reviews where they say they are expensive but go cheap and you will have a headache. These guys are sure to please you and every penny you spend with these guys you won’t be disappointed. I am very picky and see every little scratch and detail and these guys were very happy to fix what I want perfected. Every thing was done to my satisfaction and they wouldn’t stop until I was completely satisfied. I worked with Elio, Wilson, and Darvin mainly. These guys are how I would like to describe as Batman and Robin and Superman. These guys can do it all. Very accommodating to my very neat and clean ways and made sure to clean up after they left. Clean workers. It is a renovation I know and it will get very messy but they will do their best to clean up. Elio, Wilson, and Darvin are a great pleasure to work with and enjoyed having them in my home. You can trust they will do great work and treat your home with respect.
Joe the project manager actually saved me a lot of money. He can direct you to a great hardwood floor supplier, an aside you MUST have Elio and Wilson do your hardwood floors. He also took the time to go with me to select tiles, marble, and countertop. He also can give you some good advice if you are undecided on materials. Joe did a brilliant job in fabricating my extremely beautiful stair railings and also finished it off in a beautiful satin nickel finish. I went with the industrial look with wood handles, which Darvin did a fantastic job staining it. Gorgeous! I’ve gotten so many compliments on them from friends and family. That is the beauty of skype.
Adi project coordinator at the office made sure the calendar was updated and ordered what in the contract needed to be ordered. Now, she had a lot to deal with because I was a very hands on homeowner. So we did work together to get this job done and she had to deal with me which is a big job in itself! She was fantastic. Diligent and aims to please.
Oren, Oren, Oren, he is a fantastic owner and really just wants you to be happy and make your dream home come true. I had such a fantastic experience that no words could express and this was our first home remodel in the States. I am now dreaming of my next dream home so I could do it all again. I do have future home improvements (exteriors) that I will definitely hire them to do.
Absolute joy working with SOD!
Betty Young

We did a kitchen renovation with another contractor, who we discovered was a middleman between us and sod builders. We realized this when we had some issues with the work that was performed on our kitchen and oren dagan from sod kept coming out to address them as they came up. I would not say that oren is the most punctual contractor in the world, but he takes his customers concerns seriously. He is extremely responsive by phone or text– and ensured that he does all he can to address all of our concerns. He never made me feel bad about complaining– he was always attentive down to the details. And the subs that sod hires are professional and respectful. Out kitchen renovation not only came in on time, it was a complete success! We have been getting nothing but compliments for our beautiful new kitchen. We also got sod builders to build us a custom built in bookshelf in a hallway nook across from the kitchen. The price was reasonable, the process of designing and scoping out the project was smooth and the end result was a beautiful set of shelves that look like they were built with the rest of the house — and the project cost exactly as quoted. I could not say enough wonderful things about oren and his crew– i would not hesitate to call on sod for our future home improvement projects!

Stop your search! USE THIS CONTRACTOR :) Honesty, I can not say good enough things about S O D builders. When my husband and I decided we wanted to do this remodel we talked to over 15 building companies. They all either quoted us WAY over S O D’s quote, or they basically told us that they couldn’t really say how much it would cost until they started. Oren (the owner) was one of the first contractors I met with. I didn’t hire him on the spot because he seemed to me to be a little young. Even though I really liked him when we first met his age concerned me so I continued meeting with other contractors. After meeting with many other companies we decided to go with Oren and I couldn’t be happier we did. I think the fact that he is a little bit younger then most guys worked to our advantage because he has so much energy, drive and passion for what he does. From top to bottom he did an excellent job. He ALWAYS returned text messages and phone calls in a timely manner. He constantly kept me in the loop about what was happening and when I could expect to see certain things done. His crew was always on time, polite, and clean. Most importantly the quality of work is absolutely wonderful. Everything is done RIGHT, no cutting corners or sloppy work anywhere. To me, the most remarkable thing about this whole project was that Oren was able to come in, listen to everything we wanted, give us a quote and stand by that quote. Throughout our project their were minor changes that I know for a fact made the project more expensive for him. For example, we originally thought the concrete slab under the garage was going to be able to be repaired so that we wouldn’t have to replace it. After further inspection Oren decided that it would have to be replaced, so he poured all new concrete and didn’t add a penny to our bill. The cost for a whole new slab came out of his pocket, he did not pass that cost onto us. He took responsibility and said that he was not going to change our contract because he gave us his word that it would only cost the amount he told us on the first day. I have already recommended Oren to my family and neighbors. I could go on and on about how wonderful our experience was but I think you get the idea :) I’ll close by saying if you are looking for a contractor who is honest, has VERY reasonable prices, will keep his word, keep a deadline and do a good job, this is your man!
Oren is NOT a salesman, All the other contractors I met with made me feel like they were trying to sell me a used car. Oren isn’t that way, he’s not slick or smooth. He doesn’t pressure you or talk you into things and at first that can almost seem a bit strange if you are used to the other guys. But take a minute and listen to what he has to say because you will like what you hear!
If you have any questions feel free to get my number from Oren, I’ll even let you come by and check out my remodel, I love showing it off :)
Best of luck,
Lindsay Arnold