South Land Remodeling

Our experience with Southland remodeling has been wonderful. My family came to Ilan with a vision and he and the company turned it into a reality! They are a 5 star company for a reason. The communication and attention to detail Ilan had made us feel heard and truly appreciated. He treated our home like his own and cared for the wellbeing of my families future with this project. He was very knowledgeable and was extremely helpful and supportive. We turned an old garage into a two story ADU, that will be able to help future generations of my family. Thank you so much for the hard work and everything you did for us. We will always be referring southland and Ilan you’re the man! Thank you 🙏

We found South Land Remodeling through Yelp on account of their excellent 4.9 star reviews. We reviewed 8 companies. The estimates for our project ranged in price from $290k – $350k. We decided on South Land because Ilan (the GC) and Oren (the owner) were very personable; for a 1 year long project, getting along with your contractor is essential. South Land was the lowest cost estimate with the next being Goldenline. It was a toss-up between the two, but in the end, we went with South Land because they were $10k less. Scope The original scope was to 1) knock out 3 exterior facing walls to install a 5, 3, and 2 panel multislider 2) vault the ceiling in the master 3) reconfigure the walls to solve the maze like existing layout 4) replace the doors 5) create a new powder bathroom 6) create 4 closets 7) demo the walk in closet for open concept 8) redo the ceiling recessed lights 9) install a ton of led strips and lights. This was the original scope. The estimated time frame was 4-6 months. As we progressed, certain unexpected changes were added. South Land also convinced us to vault the ceiling in the kitchen and gave us a good price. We also had to redo the floors because of all the open holes from the concrete pads for the support beams. Expect your budget and the timeframe to double. In the end, we spent $450k with South Land and another $300K for other contractors and materials and vendors. Subcontractors As with most contractors, South Land contracts with other subcontractors for which they pay a lower price. Some of these contractors were exceptional. Some, not so much. Jacob was absolutely fantastic. His guys did the framing, supports, concrete pads, I beam supports, insulation. He was an extraordinary problem solver. I drew out the fireplace and he created it to the 1/8”. He knew exactly what needed to be supported, where the shear walls needed to be. He did about 60% of the renovation, all the most challenging parts. I wish his team would have stayed on for the entire project but he was slightly more expensive than other later contractors and South Land decided to use other contractors. This was disappointing as some of the replacement contractors were not quite as good. The electricians were good with some of the workers excellent. The plumber was competent. The painters were an issue. The quality of their work on challenging parts like mudding in the led channels was pretty bad. I had to hire my own painters to redo the work that they did to smooth it out. Drywall was good as were insulators. Floor Tile guys were good also. Positives Communication: I was always able to reach Ilan. Ilan arranged for a lot of the work upon request and was very responsive. The prices quoted were reasonable. Work that I had not planned on was quoted fairly and they were never pushy on scope additions. The work quality overall was good. Negatives The project lasted almost exactly 1 year. For the first 80%, South Land was very good. But for the last 20% the quality dropped to good. I don’t know if it’s because they were ready to move on to the next project but we had disagreements on timing of contractors showing up. Also, there was work that I had assumed was included in the paid for scope that I had to pay extra. Much of the last 20%, I used my own contractors to complete, including my own painters to correct the poor job the contracted painters did. I also hired my own handyman who took care of a lot of things. Throughout the project, I was very hands on and it felt like I was taking on the main role of GC. In a perfect world, South Land would have solved many of the problems that I had to solve myself such as sourcing materials and figuring out LEDs. Conclusion Overall, we are happy with our experience with South Land. They are honest and reputable and deserve their high rating. We rate them a 4.7 out of 5.0. (including before and after photos)

This review is long overdue. Thanks to Oren, we have a beautiful new space that we get to enjoy every day. I interviewed 22 contractors, by the way, and I chose Oren because of his experience, honesty, calm demeanor, and good reviews. Oren was excellent at communicating with us, and was always available to take our calls and make our dreams become reality. If you’ve ever done a large home building or remodeling project, you know how stressful it can be, and I was happy we hired Oren for the job. He’s very hard working and honest. Thank you, Oren!

We got our house in Solana Beach about a year ago and met with Eido from Cal Renovation. From the very first meeting, we felt the difference — in a really good way! 😄 Eido was super detailed, explained everything clearly, and always took the time to answer our questions. We went with a really unique bathroom design that had a lot of porcelain fabrication (you can see it in the pictures!) and it came out amazing. It wasn’t cheap, but totally worth it — the results don’t lie! 100% recommend working with Cal Renovation.

We have used South Land Remodeling for at least three or four major projects over the past five years (and a few small projects, too). The fact that we keep coming back should tell you a lot. Oren is very honest, responds quickly to any phone call, and their work comes in on time and within the budget. Their estimates are generally in line with other contractors I've contacted. In the past they have done our roof, remodeled our Master Bath, rebuilt our garage door, and resurfaced a small front balcony. South Land just completed their most extensive job for us. Our two-level 1,500 square foot deck was riddled with dry-rot and termite damage. We decided to replace 90% of the support beams, posts, and struts. They also added new concrete footings and improved the support system under our huge two-level deck, and did a fantastic job. We opted to use pressure treated wood for the support struts, and a composite material made of bamboo and recycled plastic for the decking surface. That will avoid any future dry-rot or termite damage, and we'll never have to paint the deck surface again! The work crews always showed up on time, and did excellent work. Milton oversaw the construction and he has amazing skills. The only delays were due to weather, and some delivery issues of the composite decking material. Oren took complete responsibility for dealing with the manufacturer to be sure we got the materials we needed as quickly as possible. We are extremely happy with the finished deck. It is not only beautiful, but so well built and very solid. I often give Oren's contact information to our friends looking for a contractor, and I highly recommend South Land without hesitation.