Bay Area Structural, Inc

Oakland, United States

4.2

6 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 510-547-8250
Website:
www.bayareastructural.net
Address:
1185 Ocean Ave, Oakland, CA, 94608
b/t Marshall St & Vallejo St
North Oakland
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
1.9 miLittle Puffer Steam Train Depot
2 miWawona & 46th Ave / SF Zoo‎
2.1 mi46th Ave & Vicente
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Description

Specialties

Bay Area Structural Inc. offers:

— earthquake reinforcing

— foundation upgrades

— drainage systems, sumps, pumps

— soft story reinforcement

— concrete piers, slabs, foundations, patios, sidewalks, curbs

— steel frame structural bracing of building and garage openings

— framing

— re-​leveling

— water proofing

— hillside retaining walls

— erosion control

— creek bank restoration

History

Established in 1976.

Bay Area Structural, Inc. is a general engineering and general building contractor working within Northern California. We were founded in 1976 and incorporated in 1982, and have been operating out of our Oakland/​Emeryville location ever since. Bay Area Structural provides expert earthquake retrofitting services — none of the homes we reinforced suffered damages resulting from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

Bay Area Structural is designated as a Small, Local and Emerging business (SLEB), minority-​owned and operated, and a graduate of the U.S. SBA 8A program. Our crew members have been with the company for an average of 20 years. This year, we are proud to acknowledge the hiring of a third generation member of our crew.

Meet the Manager

David Benaroya H.

Manager

David Benaroya Helfant, PhD, M. ASCE, ICC, Assoc. AIA, HSRRAC completed a post-​doc in Architectural Engineering at UC Berkeley, after completing a PhD in research methodology at the University of Chicago. He mentored in structural engineering for 10 years with the firm, Vinson-​Karaca, Structural Engineers. He authored the book, «Earthquake Safe: A Hazard Reduction Manual for Homes» prior to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

David has completed structural assessments and earthquake retrofit recommendations for over 10,000 buildings in his 30-​year career. He has served as Designer, Project Engineer, and Construction Quality Control Manager for private, commercial, federal, state, and city buildings.

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6 reviews of Bay Area Structural, Inc

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Place rating: 5
Richmond, CA
We had several companies out to give us estimate of structural/​seismic retrofit our house. David Helfant came and provided estimate and described in detail of what the work entailed. He also gave me reading on structural/​seismic retrofit which I appreciated. Once we hired them, his crew came and did the work in 4 days. The crewmen are hard workers and they cleaned up each work day. David came back few times as well during the 4 days to check up on the crewmen’s work and showed me few things that I needed to be aware of. Very thorough and polite workers. I would definitely recommend them to anyone who wants to retrofit their home.
They would credit their inspection fee toward the cost of the entire work which is a perk, I take it. :)
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
The owner of Bay Area Structural helped me in evaluating whether the home I was renting in San Francisco was contaminated with mold. As it turned out my home was so contaminated that it was dangerous to live in. I ended up bringing a lawsuit against my landlord and the report and tests that David performed were key in bringing my landlord to the settlement table. In particular David’s analysis was thorough, well reasoned and effectively anticipated the arguments of the other side. I would highly recommend David to anyone that wants to know if there are any dangerous conditions at their home; his reports are thorough and can withstand the rigors of a lawsuit.
Place rating: 1
Berkeley, CA
I had David Helfant draw up some plans for me to retrofit a structure. When I showed the plans to a couple of contractors they told me they’d never seen such an over engineered set of plans and that the retrofit would be well in excess of $ 100,000. Academically, his plans may be excellent. Practically, they are a nightmare at least for me.
Place rating: 4
Emeryville, CA
After a couple of years of talking with different contractors and getting quotes to repair/​replace our foundation, we couldn’t have found a better contractor for the job. David Helfant (engineer, owner) was easy to communicate with, and was extremely receptive to our ideas and limitations throughout the project. He was just as attentive at the end of the project as he was when we were still talking through the estimate. The crew did a fantastic job — efficient, very knowledgeable, they cleaned up every day, and kept the work area safely blocked off. Hugo runs a great group. In fact, we had no problem leaving the country for a couple of weeks in the middle of the project with such capable people involved! The finished product is better than we thought we would be able to afford.
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
The owner, David Helfant, has literally written the book on earthquake retrofitting, and has a Ph.D. to boot. His prices are reasonable, they work fast and neatly, and I have always been satisfied. You need retrofitting? And you want it done right? This is the place to go, bar none.
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
Bay Area Structural performed a structural /​seismic retrofit to the framing of our hillside bungalow, as well as installing new drainage systems on the uphill and rear of the house, respectively, to protect against seepage and flooding. My wife and I were very happy with the quality of the work performed, as well as the cleanliness, courtesy, and professionalism of principal, David Helfant, and the onsite work crew. Highly recommended.