American Attic

Before hiring American Attic for general contractor work in Oakland, take a few minutes to verify their qualifications and confirm they are the right fit for your project. The right general contractor for one homeowner may not be the right fit for another, so do the diligence up front.

Verify licensing and insurance

Confirm that American Attic carries an active CA contractor license appropriate for the scope of work, plus general liability and workers’ compensation coverage. Ask for the license number and look it up on the state board website. A general contractor that hesitates to share these details is a red flag, regardless of how favorable their reviews look.

Get a written, itemized quote

Request a detailed written estimate that lists materials, labor, permit fees, timeline, and payment schedule. Itemized quotes make it possible to compare American Attic side-by-side with other general contractor options in Oakland, and they protect you from scope creep once the work begins.

Ask about project experience

Ask American Attic how many projects similar to yours they have completed in the last 12 months, whether they will be the primary on-site team or are subcontracting, and how they handle change orders. Request two or three local customer references and actually call them — reviews on Google are useful but a five-minute conversation reveals much more about how a general contractor actually shows up.