Gelu Ilie Construction

It has been my pleasure to work with Gelu on a bathroom remodel project that increased to ceiling scraping, wood paneling removal and drywall and paint project. We intend to start master bathroom and kitchen reno with his team over the summer.
His tile work is impeccable.
He has a great eye for design and is a problem solver.
He manages his team well and delivered on timeline and budget.
He communicates well and is available to discuss last minute changes.

We hired Gelu to remodel our small bathroom in Dec. 2014. While the tile work is great, the actual craftsmanship of the rest of the project leave something to be desired. Maybe we were just unlucky as Gelu injured himself before starting our project and he hired all the work out to others. But we are now on leak 3 since the job was finished and it’s beyond frustrating.
Pros: He finished our project on time and on budget. The tile work is very good (except for the caulking used — more on that below). His drywall and paint guy is also top notch.
Cons: Communication was very spotty leading up to and during the project. He injured himself the day before our project was to start and we had to postpone the work. That in and of itself wasn’t an issue — if you’re injured you need to take care of yourself. However, during the 2 weeks he was out, we never heard anything from him or anyone else as to what was happening or if he would even be able to do the project. We were about to move on and hire someone else when he finally called us back. He explained that his injury would keep him from doing the work but that his crew (which I believe included his brother) would handle everything so we scheduled a day to start the work. However, almost from the beginning, there were issues between us, his workers, and him, mainly because Gelu wasn’t actually overseeing any of the work. Things were getting lost in translation right and left and weird simple mistakes were happening. One example: his crew switched the ceiling insulation and wall insulation (different R values). I caught it before the drywall went up, luckily. The electrician also did not do the wiring for my vanity lights when he did the wiring for the overhead fan, even though we showed him the fixture and told him where it was going. When I brought that to Gelu’s attention, he had the electrician come back out, much to the guy’s annoyance — he was not very nice. The electrician also did not level the light switch box so our light switch is a bit crooked. My fiancé talked with him about that and the guy swore there was no way to make it level. Having since replaced some electrical boxes throughout our home, I don’t buy it.
However, the biggest issue has been the three leaks we have had since work was completed. The first leak was below the bathroom sink a few days after work was completed. It damaged our new vanity. The second was discovered almost 2 months after work was completed and occurred where the tile and tub meet. The caulking his sub-​contractors used either never dried properly or wasn’t waterproof and it was soft to the touch in the area below the faucet. Gelu came out and tried multiple excuses as to how this wasn’t his crews fault. At the time, I had another contractor at our house doing a kitchen remodel. He had actually been the one to discover the leak and pretty much set Gelu straight and told him what product he should have used to create a water barrier (sikaflex). Gelu, to his credit, went and got that product but he only used the sikaflex on the area most in need of it (the area below the faucet) and told us the rest of the caulking was fine. It wasn’t and I ended up digging out the bad caulk and resealing with the sikaflex a few weeks later. That, coupled with the way he deflected blame really rubbed me wrong, especially after we had spent a good chunk of change on the remodel. The third leak was just discovered today so I’m spending my Saturday evening with a heater running to dry the damage before I figure out what to do next. This one is now along the side of the tub and all the drywall and mud his employees used was soaked with water and had to be torn out.
Usually I would reach out to the contractor and alert them to the issue and try to come up with a solution together. But based on my experience with Gelu on the previous leaks, I’m cutting my losses and hiring someone else to help me fix his mess.

Came to give me an estimate. He did not have a tape measure. I had to give him mine. He never called back with an estimate. He kept saying that the bathroom floor was «very bad.»
Insulting, reeking of cologne, no tools, did not write anything down.
It’s been almost two months.
Bad experience for me.

I couldn’t recommend Gelu more highly for complex tile work. I had Gelu replace some flooring with with porcelain tile in 4 rooms of our house — a family room, kitchen, bathroom and laundry room. The final product was fantastic. What was most impressive is how Gelu handled some unexpected complexities that arose as the project unfolded. He had to move a 1,000 pound + wood stove, toilet, free standing sink, refrigerator, washer and dryer and figure out how to tile around an ‘immovable’ hot water heater. During the demolition of the project, he was able to problem solve when one of the concrete slabs was found to have multple and significant cracks. 36 hours later, he had arranged for a new topcoat to be put on the slab minimizing the likelihood of buckling in the future. His costs were fair — not the lowest but I had confidence in him as he pointed out during the bid process some of the nuances of the project that could cause unexpected trouble. He was consistently on time, communicated well throughout the project and was respectful of our family trying to have a sense of normalcy while living in a week-​long construction process. I not only recommend him fully, but plan to have him back to redo our master bathroom in the next year or two when we get around to that project.

I found Gelu on Berkeley Parents Network. He is a tiler and did an excellent job tiling and was able to fix a persistent mold by tearing out rotten wood and permanently eliminating the problem. Next he and his excellent crew converted out children’s bedrooms into a beautiful 2bedroom apt. He has since retiled a kitchen floor and repainted it. In short, there is nothing that Gelu can’t do. He’s very enthusiastic and works hard, is usually prompt.

Don’t hesitate to hire Gelu– he’s the best! We first heard about Gelu on Berkeley Parents Network last spring when we were looking to remodel two bathrooms. He had great reviews and was quick to respond when we contacted him. He met me at the tile shop and was helpful, knowledgeable and patient as I picked out what I wanted my new bathrooms to look like. He also had much needed advice about design choice and what would look the best. He is a pro! We love our bathrooms!
Fast forward to this fall when we needed a backsplash for our kitchen. I called Gelu and once again he responded quickly and guided me through the process like the professional he is and now my kitchen looks amazing! And he is a great guy!

Gelu could not have done a better job for us! We remodeled an 8′ x 5′ bathroom, and Gelu did incredible work. As tile is his specialty, we were particularly pleased with that aspect of the work, but his subs also did a great job with plumbing, electrical, and paint. He gave us a very reasonable estimate, and wouldn’t accept payment until we were satisfied with the job (which, of course, we were). He was a great communicator by cell and text, and finished the job ahead of schedule (quoted 1 – 2 weeks, finished in 6 days!). Couldn’t recommend him more highly. He’s a breath of fresh air in an otherwise unreliable contractor market! I’ll add pictures soon, and you’ll be impressed.

Such a waste of time. I had Gelu come in to look at two bathrooms so he could give me an estimate. After waiting a week to hear about the estimate, I reached out to see when I should hear. No response. I waited a few more weeks and reached out again, no response. I finally got him on the phone only to be told he didn’t remember which house I was and I had to send pictures of my bathrooms to remind him. I sent pictures and got no response. I finally spoke to him where he told me that he had sent me an estimate (via text) after our first visit but 1) didn’t have the estimate any more (so couldn’t resend), 2) wouldn’t be able to put together an estimate without setting up another house visit (apparently no notes from his first visit 7 weeks ago) and 3) that he wasn’t responsible for replying to me to answer my questions inquiring to where the estimate was because he is so busy. So I’m supposed to be getting an estimate via text but can’t expect that he will respond to me via text or phone (he asked for my email address at the visit but apparently doesn’t want to use it)? No record of him ever sending me a text. And just such an unhelpful attitude. Seemed like a really nice guy and someone I’d want to work with which is why I reached out a few times, but this is just ridiculous.

I had a difficult small job, just the kind contractors hate. After months of contractors not returning my calls Gelu arrived on a Wed evening and offered to start Fri morning. I worried this was maybe too good to be true. His 2 workers arrived 10 minutes early and began to hack away at the 4″ thick concrete counter top. I was sure it would take all day to get it out but 2 hours later concrete and rebar were gone. By that evening the new foundation was in place, positioned perfectly so I did not have to lose use of a drawer that another contractor had said would happen and the tiles were set. Sat morning they were grouted (with the better colored grout that Gelu had suggested). Fifteen minutes after the tile person left the plumber arrived and the job was done before noon. Gelu’s crew were goodnatured throughout the many frustrations of getting the concrete out. They listened to my concerns and did a better job than I had I had hoped for.

Beautiful work. Very responsive. Flexible. He helped us figure out what tile to use, showing some similar showers he had done. He tiled our shower and was fine with me requesting a section be left open for me to mosaic. He said he would come back and grout my mosaic after I was done and even though it took me almost a year, he was good on his word and came back to finish the job. Be clear with him what is included in the cost. I was confused and thought he was going to do the entire shower including the door, but I had to get someone separate to do that, which turned out fine. Gelu gave me a number of a great guy who is going to do that. We haven’t used the shower yet, waiting for the shower door to be finished, but I’m assuming it will be great and I can come back and fill in the last star. But anyway, so far, I would recommend you use Gelu Ilie. Thank you Gelu!

Gelu and his crew are awesome. Thank you Gelu!
I have a duplex in Oakland and chose a thin 2“x8″ tile which is a lot more work, I will use them again for the other unit because
1) on time and on schedule
2) great attention to detail — my 1924 tub was slightly unlevel and they were able to cut the tile to make it look great
3) Very nice work around shower alcove and placement of tile visually (where the joints appear)
4) they even cleaned off the tub after finishing the work
You can tell these guys are experienced and smart about their work and take pride in it.
Thanks again!

Fantastic tile work and reasonable prices for professional conduct, patient discussion of design ideas and rapid installations. Best contractor we’ve worked with in 3years of a huge remodel/​construction project on two different areas of the house. Bathroom tub surround, walls and floor with Heath tile and 400sqft roof patio in clay tile, turned out beautifully. Very impressive work.

Gelu worked on a small (125 s.f.) and somewhat complicated, exterior deck tile installation in May for me. It can sometimes be difficult to get contractors to respond to small projects, but Gelu was quick to respond and get the job completed in a timely manner. He was helpful with suggestions as to grout color, tile size and layout, and very easy to work with. I would most definitely recommend him, and would use him in the future.

We had Gelu handle a kitchen tile job — very happy with the job, the quality and the price.
He handled removal of old floor, re-​leveled the sub floor, installed radiant heat coils and set the tile perfectly.
We highly recommend Gelu Ilie construction to anyone looking for professional, courteous and clean tile setting at a fair price!

Fantastic work! The job wasn’t easy, tiling an uneven second floor kitchen. Gelu knows what he’s doing, and does the work at a fair price. I can highly recommend him for any tile work.

Gelu Ilie tiled our new kitchen floor, two small bathroom floors, and bathroom walls beautifully. He is highly skilled, energetic, resourceful, and easy to like. Gelu did the work fast, at reasonable cost, and quite soundly as far as I can tell at this point (two months later). We benefited from his aesthetic sense, especially in meeting challenges of layout in irregularly shaped rooms, and from his experience in coping with subfloor slopes. Our many visitors have offered nothing but complimentary reviews. Some uncertainty developed about workday scheduling and finish details as Gelu juggled other projects with ours, but he stayed in contact and completed the job in less time overall than we thought would be needed. The rating here is 4+ stars, perhaps to be revisited and upped to 5 after quality of the installation is confirmed over time.
Update 3 – 4 months after initial review: I’m ready to go with all 5 stars now. Gelu’s work has held up perfectly, in contrast to the job done by another installer that a general contractor brought in for part of the overall house project. We recently called on him for one more small piece of work that was beyond the original project scope. As before, Gelu was accommodating, skillful, fast, and reasonable. This guy is a serious pro; he really knows what he’s doing around tile.

We highly recommend Gelu Ilie (510 506 5073) for tiling work.
We have remodeled one bathroom and also built a new bathroom as
part of an extension. Gelu Ilie did an excellent tile work in both bathrooms,
both floors and walls. He did both the preparation and the actual laying of the tile.
Part of the work was with marble and the rest was
with ceramic tile. In both of the bathrooms there were significant
challenges as we were very picky with the symmetry lines and patterns even
in cases when the wall configuration was complex. Gelu was very
accommodating to all our wishes, even if that meant doubling the number of
cuts or more delicate planning of the layout. He did the job very
patiently and skillfully, with a very nice end result. On top of that he
is very trustworthy and a very pleasant person to have around. We will
hire him for the next job without even considering other contractors.

I am in the process of preparing my house for sale, and a kitchen/​bathroom remodel was in order. Gelu inatalled tile floors in both rooms, and they look wonderful. The job was done quickly, on budget, and he cleaned up at the end of the day. The colors and designs he recommended are perfect, and I know that the work has added beauty – and value– to my older house.

I own rental property in North Oakland. Gelu has installed a number of floors and tiled several complete bathrooms much to my satisfaction. His work was steady and on time. He was neat and always cleaned up at the end of each day. Not only is he a good installer, he also has a good sense of design and is more than willing to share his ideas.
David L.

I recently remodeled the bahroom of my Oakland home. The tile work was done by Gelu Ilie, he tiled the floor and walls around the shower/​tub. Gelu did a terrific job!
Contact info: Gelu Ilie Construction
(510) 506‑5073
Sandi M