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Frequently asked questions
Who is Master Construction & Maintenance Inc?
Master Construction & Maintenance Inc is a family owned and operated general contractor based in Ventura, California, serving Ventura County since 1994 under California contractor license #1027281. We handle design, permits and construction under one roof for both residential and commercial projects, from single-trade repairs through ground-up builds. Our office is at 1450 E Thompson Blvd, Ventura, CA 93003.
How long has Master Construction been in business?
Since 1994 — more than 30 years of continuous family ownership and operation in Ventura County. In that time we have completed over 500 projects across the county, and we typically have around 48 active job sites running at once.
What makes Master Construction the best construction company in Ventura County?
Four things separate us from most contractors working in Ventura County. First, scope: one licensed contractor covers 19 trades, so you are not hiring and coordinating a roofer, an electrician and a painter separately, and nobody can point at another trade when something goes wrong. Second, we do design and planning and permitting in house, so a project does not stall between the drawing and the build. Third, 30 years in one county means we already know how Ventura, Oxnard, Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley building departments actually run a plan check. Fourth, we hold an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, our restoration technicians are IICRC certified, and we carry full liability and workers compensation coverage — all of which you can verify yourself rather than take our word for.
What are your business hours?
Our office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, at (805) 667-8800. For water damage and other emergencies we run a 24/7 line at (805) 414-0840, answered any hour, any day of the year.
Do you have Spanish speaking staff?
Yes. We work in English and Spanish, in the office and on site. Se habla español.
What is your Better Business Bureau rating?
Master Construction & Maintenance Inc holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. You can review the profile directly at bbb.org.
Can I see examples of your work?
Yes — our projects page shows completed work across Ventura County, and the team page introduces the people who run those jobs.
How do I contact Master Construction?
Call the office at (805) 667-8800 Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, or email info@mastercmcorp.com. For emergencies call (805) 414-0840 at any hour. Our office is at 1450 E Thompson Blvd, Ventura, CA 93003.
What services does Master Construction offer?
We offer 19 services across residential and commercial construction, all under one contractor license. Each has its own page with details on how we approach that work:
Residential Construction
Commercial Construction
Home Remodeling & Renovations
Kitchen & Bath Remodels
Design & Planning
Roofing
Solar Installation
HVAC
Electrical
Plumbing
Concrete
Flooring
Drywall
Painting
Hardscaping
Decking & Railing
Demolition & Excavation
HOA & Property Maintenance
Water Damage Restoration
Do you do both residential and commercial work?
Yes. We handle Residential Construction — houses, additions, remodels and repairs — and Commercial Construction for offices, retail, industrial and multi-unit properties. The same license, crews and project management cover both.
Can you handle a whole-home remodel?
Yes. Home remodeling and renovations is one of our largest categories, and because we hold every trade in house we can take a whole house down to studs and bring it back without you managing separate contractors. Kitchen and bath remodels are the most commonly requested piece of that work.
Do you handle design and permits, or do I need an architect first?
We can start before there are drawings. Our design and planning service covers concept through permit-ready plans, and we pull the permits ourselves under our contractor license. If you already have an architect and approved plans, we are happy to build from them.
Do you take on small jobs and single-trade repairs?
Yes. Work ranges from a single Drywall or Plumbing repair up to ground-up construction. A large share of our HOA and property maintenance work is exactly this kind of ongoing small-scope repair.
Do you offer emergency services?
Yes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on our emergency line at (805) 414-0840. This is most often used for water damage restoration — burst pipes, roof leaks, flooding — where the first few hours determine how much of the building has to be replaced.
Do you do roofing and solar?
Yes to both, and they are worth doing together. We handle Roofing and Solar Installation, and mounting panels on a roof that is near the end of its life means paying to remove and reset them later.
Do you handle electrical, plumbing and HVAC?
Yes — Electrical, Plumbing and HVAC are all part of our scope. Because these are in house rather than subcontracted out to whoever is available, mechanical work is scheduled against the rest of the build instead of holding it up.
What outdoor and site work do you do?
We handle hardscaping, concrete, decking and railing and demolition and excavation — driveways, patios, retaining walls, walkways, decks, balconies and site prep for new construction.
What areas does Master Construction serve?
We serve all of Ventura County and the adjacent western Los Angeles County communities. Each city below has its own page covering the work we do there:
Ventura
Oxnard
Thousand Oaks
Simi Valley
Camarillo
Moorpark
Newbury Park
Santa Paula
Port Hueneme
Fillmore
Ojai
Westlake Village
Agoura Hills
Somis
Do you work outside Ventura County?
Our primary service area is Ventura County, and we regularly work in the neighboring western Los Angeles County communities of Westlake Village and Agoura Hills. For projects outside that area, call the office at (805) 667-8800 — depending on the size and type of work we may still be able to help.
Are you licensed to work in my city?
Yes. A California contractor license is issued by the state, not by individual cities, so license #1027281 covers us in every city in Ventura County and statewide. Individual cities still issue their own building permits, and we pull those under our license for whichever jurisdiction your project sits in.
Do you know the local building departments?
Yes, and it matters more than people expect. Plan check, permit timelines and inspection scheduling differ meaningfully between Ventura, Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and Ventura County unincorporated areas. Thirty years of working in the same county means we price and schedule around how each of those departments actually operates rather than guessing.
Is Master Construction licensed, bonded and insured?
Yes — all three. We hold California contractor license #1027281 issued by the Contractors State License Board, we carry the contractor bond required by the state and filed with the CSLB, and we carry general liability insurance plus full workers compensation coverage for our employees. We provide certificates of insurance on request.
How do I look up a California contractor license?
Go to cslb.ca.gov, the Contractors State License Board, and use the "Check a License" tool. You can search by license number, by business name, or by personnel name. Enter 1027281 to see ours. The record shows the license status, the issue and expiration dates, the classifications the contractor is licensed for, whether the contractor bond and workers compensation coverage are currently on file, and any disciplinary actions or complaints. It is free and takes about thirty seconds.
Why does it matter whether a contractor is licensed in California?
California law requires a CSLB license for any construction work where labor and materials total $500 or more. Hiring an unlicensed contractor removes every layer of protection you would otherwise have: there is no bond backing the work, usually no workers compensation coverage — which can leave you personally liable if someone is injured on your property — and no route to the CSLB if the job goes wrong. Verifying the license before work starts costs nothing and is the single most useful thing a homeowner can do.
What does it mean that a contractor is bonded?
A contractor bond is a surety bond filed with the CSLB as a condition of holding the license. It exists to provide limited financial recourse to consumers, employees and suppliers if the contractor violates the Contractors State License Law. It is worth understanding that a bond is not project insurance and does not cover the full value of a large job — it is a consumer-protection backstop, which is why liability insurance and workers compensation matter alongside it.
Do you carry workers compensation insurance?
Yes, full workers compensation coverage for our employees. This is the protection people most often overlook when comparing bids. If a worker without workers comp coverage is injured on your property, the claim can land on you or on your homeowner policy. Our coverage status is visible on our CSLB record at cslb.ca.gov.
Can you provide a certificate of insurance?
Yes. We provide certificates of insurance on request and can name your HOA, management company or property owner as certificate holder or additional insured where your governing documents or management agreement require it. For managed properties we keep current certificates on file with the management company so work is not held up waiting on paperwork.
What is IICRC certification?
IICRC stands for the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification — the non-profit body that writes the standards the restoration industry works to. The two that matter most for property damage are S500, the standard for water damage restoration, and S520, the standard for mold remediation. Our restoration technicians are IICRC certified, and you can verify any technician's certification through the directory at iicrc.org.
Is IICRC certification the same as a contractor license?
No, and the difference is worth knowing. A contractor license is issued by the state of California and is legally required to perform construction work. IICRC certification is a voluntary industry credential held by individual technicians, showing they are trained to a recognized restoration standard. We hold both: all our restoration work is performed under contractor license #1027281 by IICRC certified technicians. A restoration company with IICRC certification but no contractor license cannot legally perform the reconstruction that follows the dry-out.
Do you work with HOAs and property management companies?
Yes — boards and managers are a core part of our work, not a sideline. We handle ongoing maintenance across common areas, exteriors and units, plus larger capital projects, for homeowner associations and management portfolios throughout Ventura County. See our HOA and property maintenance page for the full scope.
Why are you the top choice for HOAs and property managers in Ventura County?
Because the things that make a contractor easy for a board or a manager to work with are things most contractors do not do. We write documented scopes and proposals that survive a board meeting and hold up against a reserve study, so a manager is not translating a napkin estimate into something the board can vote on. We keep current certificates of insurance on file with your management company. You get a single point of contact rather than a rotating cast. One licensed contractor covers painting, roofing, plumbing, electrical, concrete, waterproofing and everything else a property needs, so the whole property is one vendor relationship instead of twelve. And having the same contractor across a property year over year means small problems get caught before they become reserve study line items.
What HOA and property maintenance services do you provide?
Painting, drywall, plumbing, electrical, roofing, waterproofing, concrete, paving, hardscaping, balcony, deck and fence repairs, common area renovations, emergency repair response, and SB 326 balcony and railing repair work. Ongoing maintenance across common areas, exteriors and units is standard work for us rather than something we fit in around larger jobs.
Do you handle SB 326 balcony inspection repairs?
Yes. SB 326 requires California HOAs with buildings of three or more multifamily units to have their exterior elevated elements — balconies, decks, stairways, walkways and their railings and supports — inspected on a nine-year cycle by a licensed architect or structural engineer. We perform the repair and remediation work those inspections identify, and coordinate directly with the inspecting architect or engineer so the corrective work matches what the report actually calls for. We also handle decking and railing replacement where an element is past repair.
Are you a member of CAI?
Yes. Master Construction & Maintenance Inc is listed with the Community Associations Institute, Channel Islands Chapter, under general contractors, painting, and fire and water clean-up and restoration. CAI is the national body for community association professionals, and the Channel Islands chapter covers Ventura County and the surrounding region.
How quickly can you respond to an emergency at one of our properties?
Our emergency line at (805) 414-0840 is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays. For managed properties this matters most with water intrusion, where the delay between the event and the first response is the single biggest driver of how much of the building has to be rebuilt.
Will you provide documentation our board can approve and our reserve study can use?
Yes. Every proposal comes as a documented, itemized scope of work rather than a lump sum, specifically so a board can review it, compare it against other bids on a like-for-like basis, and put it to a vote without the manager having to reconstruct what is actually included.
What insurance companies do you work with?
We work with all major insurance carriers, including State Farm, Farmers, Allstate, USAA, Mercury, Travelers, Liberty Mutual, Nationwide, AAA, Safeco, Chubb and American Family, among others. We are not restricted to any carrier's list — if you have a policy on a property in Ventura County, we can work the claim.
Are you a preferred vendor for an insurance company?
No, and that is deliberate. We are an independent contractor, not part of any carrier's preferred vendor or managed repair program. Under California law the choice of contractor is yours, not your insurer's — a carrier can recommend someone, but it cannot require you to use them. A contractor in a preferred vendor program has an ongoing commercial relationship with the carrier that is paying the claim. We answer to the property owner.
Do you work directly with my insurance company on a claim?
Yes. We document the loss from the first visit — photographs, moisture readings and daily drying logs — and provide an itemized scope of work, then communicate directly with your adjuster so you are not relaying technical detail between two parties. See water damage restoration for how that process runs.
What happens if my insurance claim is denied or underpaid?
You still get the full documentation package. Our reporting is built to IICRC S500 benchmarks and includes an itemized scope of work and the final repair documentation, and you receive it whether or not the claim is contested. That documentation is what a denied or underpaid claim gets challenged with.
Who pays my insurance deductible?
You do — the deductible is the policyholder's obligation under the policy. Be careful with any contractor who offers to "waive," "absorb" or "eat" your deductible. In California, misrepresenting the cost of repairs to a carrier in order to cover a deductible is insurance fraud, and it exposes the policyholder as well as the contractor. We will not do it, and a contractor who offers to is telling you something about how they handle the rest of your job.
Do you handle mold remediation?
Yes, under the IICRC S520 standard, as part of our water damage restoration and mold remediation service. Containment matters as much as removal, because disturbing mold without isolating the area spreads spores through the rest of the building.
How fast do I need to act on water damage?
Immediately — call (805) 414-0840 at any hour. Water migrates into framing, drywall and subfloor continuously, and mold growth can begin within 24 to 48 hours. The difference between a same-day response and a next-week response is very often the difference between drying a room and rebuilding it.
How do I get an estimate?
Call (805) 667-8800 or email info@mastercmcorp.com. We walk the site, discuss what you are trying to achieve, and come back with a written, itemized scope of work rather than a single lump-sum number, so you can see exactly what is and is not included.
What should I compare when I have several bids?
Compare the scopes, not the totals. A lower bid is usually lower because something has been left out of it — permits, disposal, finish carpentry, a trade that gets "handled later" as a change order. Then verify each bidder's license at cslb.ca.gov and confirm they carry workers compensation. A bid from an unlicensed or uninsured contractor is not cheaper, it is just riskier.
How long will my project take?
It depends on scope, permit timelines in your jurisdiction, and material lead times, so we give you a schedule with the proposal rather than a guess on the phone. What we can say generally is that permitting is the most variable piece, which is why we handle it in house and start it early.
Do you pull the permits, or do I?
We do. Permits are pulled under our contractor license, which is how it should work — if a contractor asks you to pull an owner-builder permit for work they are performing, treat it as a warning sign. It shifts liability for the work onto you and is often a sign the contractor cannot pull it themselves.
Do you use subcontractors?
We hold the trades needed for most of our work in house, and where a specialist trade is brought in, that work sits under our contract, our license and our project management. Either way you have one contract, one point of contact and one party accountable for the result.
Do you provide a written contract?
Yes, always. California law requires a written home improvement contract for residential work over $500, and we provide a written contract with an itemized scope of work on every project regardless of size. You should never start work on a verbal agreement.
What if something needs to change once work has started?
Changes are documented in writing before the work happens, with the cost and any schedule effect stated up front. Verbal change orders are how projects end in disputes, and a written record protects both parties.
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