Maintaining customer satisfaction is a crucial aspect of any business, but it’s even more important for remodeling contractors that have earned the prestigious Diamond Certified award. For EDRI Construction, the key to keeping clients happy is simple: focus on providing a high level of service in every aspect of its work. “A lot of contractors struggle with customer service, but we’ve made it the focal point of our business,” says owner Avi Edri. “We take steps to ensure communication and transparency throughout the construction process, which makes our clients feel comfortable and confident.”

EDRI Construction provides a wide range of construction services for residential and commercial clients throughout San Francisco and the surrounding areas, from kitchen and bathroom remodels to accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and room additions. The company utilizes its full-service capabilities to manage each phase of its customers’ projects, from the preliminary designs to finishing touches like flooring and siding installations.

Unlike less experienced contractors that fail to keep their customers in the loop during their projects, EDRI Construction makes communication a top priority. “We create a WhatsApp group for each client so they can easily contact us whenever they have questions or concerns,” explains Mr. Edri. “Every day, we send them pictures from the field so they can see our progress, and we also hold weekly face-to-face meetings so we can go over the previous week’s progress and set goals for the upcoming week.”

Another distinguishing attribute of EDRI Construction is its thorough, honest approach to estimating. “We aim to finish each job within the original estimate that we quoted,” affirms Mr. Edri. “When writing a contract, we look closely at the jobsite and identify any potential problems that could come up during the project. This helps us maintain accuracy in our estimates and avoid price increases during the job.”

When choosing a remodeling contractor, it’s important to take your time and be selective.

If you’re planning to remodel your kitchen or bathroom, one of the first things you’ll need to do is find a contractor to facilitate the project. However, you shouldn’t just choose the first contractor you come across. “There are many good contractors out there, but there are also plenty of bad contractors, so you really need to vet each potential hire,” advises Avi Edri, owner of EDRI Construction in Walnut Creek. “Construction is very expensive as it is, but if you choose the wrong contractor, it can become way more expensive, especially if the contractor is dishonest. Basically, your remodeling project can be either a dream come true or a nightmare, and a lot of it depends on the contractor.”

According to Mr. Edri, the first thing you should do when vetting a contractor is ask lots of questions. “Ask about their background, their experience and their past projects. Next, get references from real people and jobsites that you can visit in person. Don’t settle for an ‘over the phone’ reference—it’s important to actually see the quality of the contractor’s work.”

Mr. Edri says you should also confirm that the contractor is familiar with local building codes. “Building codes are always changing, so it’s important to choose a contractor from your local area. By hiring someone who’s familiar with the local building codes, permits and inspection requirements, you can ensure a smoother job and avoid wasting money on fixing mistakes.”

Experts also caution against basing your hiring decision solely on price. While it’s important to find a contractor who is price-competitive, your main goal should be getting the most value for your money, and that doesn’t always mean the lowest price. Look for a company that takes pride in its work and is in business for the long run. By building a relationship with them, you can be assured they’ll be ready to help if you need more work in the future.

Q: What does your payment schedule look like?

A: Rather than taking a big upfront payment, we collect payment in stages as the work is completed. For example, there’s a payment after the demolition is completed, another after the framing is completed, another after the rough plumbing is completed and so on.

Q: Will I be able to get in touch with you during my project?

A: Absolutely. If we can’t answer your initial phone call, we’ll call you back as soon as possible.

Q: Will you stay on the jobsite until my project is completed?

A: Yes. Instead of moving our crews from one job to another, we wait until each project is finished before moving on to the next.

Q: How will you keep track of all the finish materials for my project?

A: We use Google Drive to catalog all the finish materials, from tile and flooring to plumbing fixtures. We’ll email you a link to the Google Drive folder so you can see everything that’s going to be used.

Q: What’s your approach to quality control?

A: It starts with oversight. We have a foreman on each job, as well as a supervising foreman and a project manager who checks the quality of the job on a daily basis. We won’t leave until everything is done correctly. For example, if the tile isn’t done perfectly, we’ll remove it and redo the installation.