EcoHome Improvement

Awesome! I needed a non-​toxic wood stain and finish that would match some existing wood, and Josh invested significant time in testing several shades of stain for me so that I could choose the best one. He was amazingly helpful. It goes without saying that the environmental consciousness of this store is a huge plus.

THIS PLACE IS AMAZING!!! Too bad I can’t give them 6 stars!
I am so excited to have this place around Berkeley. Not only are they the nicest, understanding, most knowledgeable folks around, but they also have great products that are environmentally conscious and are the PERFECT fit for Berkeley.
I had wandered in for help with finishing up turning my garage into a more livable space and decided that it’s important for me to find something that would not involve deadly and harmful toxins, so I went there as there are no decent substitutes to the products they provide around. Within seconds of walking in I was greeted in the most pleasant way and had someone chatting with me about my plans and needs — what I have done so far and what else was I planning to do with my space. Based on our chat I was directed to the best products they had (which worked SO WELL for me) and not only that, but I also ended up realizing I was missing some utensils which I needed and they had them right there for me to get.
To sum it up — great service, prices, quality, eco-​friendly and the most important — they are FANTASTIC people. This is one of those stores I want to stay around forever and I will keep on giving them as much business as I can (and you should too)

I bought some primer here for repainting my home. When I bought the primer, I asked if I could return any unopened cans. I was told yes, that would be no problem. I bought a 5-​gallon can and a 1-​gallon can. After finishing with the primer, I returned the 1-​gallon unopened can. Only then was I told that there would be a «10% bookkeeping fee» of $ 6 to return the 1-​gallon can. I said that I had not been informed of this policy when I bought the primer. Otherwise I would have only bought a 5-​gallon can and would have run back to the store if I needed any additional primer. Josh then said that their policy is on the receipt. Well yes, that’s true, but I had just been told that there wouldn’t be any problem to return the primer so why would I read the receipt? Besides, by the time I see the receipt it’s too late; I’ve already bought the product.
I paid the $ 6 and will buy the paint somewhere else. Eco Home just lost a $ 400 sale due to poor customer service.

These people over charge. I asked them to give me a quote for a new «Cambria» quartz counter top in my small, galley kitchen. The total price they quoted for me was $ 8,700, which included the tear out of the old counters, and fabrication & installation of the new counters. The final price we paid for the same items (materials, installation and tear out) was $ 3,681, less than half the price of EcoHome. The company we went with was Sullivan Counter Tops Inc. in Berkeley, excellent service, they did a fantastic job, on time and very efficient. We were also in the market for a new kitchen floor and a new bathroom floor. The total price we paid for the counters, and both new floors came out to be just slightly less than what EcoHome wanted just for the counters. These people may well be good for the environment… but they seem much more concerned about how best to fill their own bank account than they are about saving the planet!

This review is long overdue. I replaced carpeting in my condo with hardwood flooring and went to Ecohome wanting to learn more about low-​VOC wood flooring. Hector and Taja (one of the co-​owners I believe) were super knowledgeable and helpful over the course of multiple visits. In the end, they helped me select flooring that I love and am constantly complemented on. They also referred me to an excellent flooring installer, Craftsmen Floor Company in El Cerrito. Although floor pricing was on the higher side, I found their level of service, selection, and mission to provide eco friendly products to be worth it. Thanks EcoHome!

Very disappointed in their customer service!
Wow. I was excited when I walked in and picked out my countertop. I knew it would be beautiful. Once we accepted the quote it took a week to get someone out for the template, then another 2 weeks for the install.
Everything seemed to be going as planned until the install came, and the tilt out drawer we had installed based on the TEMPLATE they did, was rendered useless when everything shifted forward over ½″. Not only did the drawer become useless, when it previously worked and functioned with the sink in place where they marked it, they tried to shove the tilt out closed causing gauges and dings in the outside of the sink in the protective insulation, careless. I simply wanted a small refund of the labor for installation and parts cost of this drawer, and they would not bother, placing all blame on me and my general contractor. Nobody bothered to talk to us about the steps that should be taken. Simply attaching a PDF in one of the multiple emails that were sent through to alleviate any liability on there part, cause they were surely not to blame!
Never did anyone speak to me in person to make sure these documents were read and understood. I don’t know about you but I don’t renovate my kitchen everyday, so shame on me for not knowing all the etiquette. Perhaps more communication on their part would help eliminate these issues. Sad to say I lost a simple but much wanted element in my kitchen, and perhaps with some ingenuity I can make something work, but the small compensation I was looking for would have gone a long way to show they TRUELY cared about the service they provide. But instead they turned up their nose and basically said «not our fault!» And even made a snide comment how our contractor should be RELIEVED (again cause they did nothing wrong) that is a simple fix.
***Don’t go here, save your money and spend it on people who actually care about the end result.

Excellent store with knowledgeable and friendly staff. They offer some finishes that you just can’t find elsewhere. A little on the expensive side, but well worth it since the staff actually knows what they’re talking about. If you take interior finishes seriously then you’ll find the products you need here.

Easy location, beautiful products, and lovely staff. A vibrant, calm atmosphere.

EcoHome rocks. I’ve been buying paint from them for over 5 years. Today I came in to get some help choosing a paint color and one of the owners asked Paloma, the color expert, to help me choose a color. She nailed it on the first selection! She knows the colors so well, she pulled out large swatches and got a beautiful color to compliment everything based on pictures and a paint sample. I was impressed.
Their paints are the best in the business. They are THICK and go on easy. I tried using non-​voc from Benjamin Moore once because an owner bought them and they were crappy and watery. It took 3 coats to cover the primer. With EcoHome’s paints, two coats looks like 3 amazing coats. They don’t smell, they will match any paint you want, they can mix paints based on other color swatches.
The owners are rad. Today when I was in there, several long term customers came in to buy paint. They are building community among green builders in the east bay and it’s awesome to see. They also have an incredible selection of flooring with experts in each department. I’m always happy to get their help!!!

Onyx Pietersen worked with us to reconfigure our kitchen, select cabinets, counters, etc. and she is a gem. Her brilliance at seeing possibilities, her excellent people skills, her availability, warmth, and ease, made what could have been a stressful process an actual pleasure. Particularly helpful to me was that after getting a sense of us, she helped us make the right decisions for our tastes and needs. Ecohome offers great products, a comfortable setting for making tough decisions, and Onyx and Taja, one of the owners, gave us great customer service.

This is a wonderful store with terrific staff. The selection of flooring is beautiful and there are many options for those seeking eco-​friendly, non toxic options. I worked with MONTI regarding a flooring purchase and installation. She is knowledgeable, professional, has a terrific and helpful attitude, and she always followed through as promised. She even helped me to deal with a problem I had regarding flooring purchased and installed by a big box store (I’ll never do that again).

EcoHome Improvement carries great products. Unfortunately, the service is unprofessional and lacking in skill and knowledge. I was in the store in an attempt to find an off-​white paint color. The staff was unable to provide any guidance. I had brought in two color swatches that I wanted to match. The owner told me that they cannot match colors, cannot help guide customers on color and that I would need to look through the 6,000 color choices myself to find my color. I left and went to Gray’s Paint– the service was excellent, the staff was able to direct me to a color choice based on my samples, they were professional and knowledgeable. The experience was night and day. Go to EcoHome for the products if you know exactly what you want. Otherwise, choose another store that carries Eco products that also will provide professional service.

So far, 5 BIG stars. I haven’t felt so welcomed in a store like this, I got what I needed and more. Very knowledgeable staffs, GREAT products, excellent customer service too. Although there were many customers and I had many questions, the person who helped me made sure that all my questions were answered although she was in the middle of helping another person choosing colors. She was very thoughtful when she had to leave him to attend to my confused and excited face. All the small things.
To the more exciting part. We were just going to replace our drywall for magnesium boards due to its bug resistant and mold properties among other things, I discovered American clay paint and we didn’t have to replace walls anymore! We also wanted to remove the baseboards so the wall meets the floor and I found everything I needed there to make that happen. Cheaply and toxic-​free. Both very important things. They sold a lot of toxic-​free products that’s mostly sold on the internets only so I was excited to also see a lot of options for concrete sealers.
We’re in the midst of remodeling our bathroom and found out about eco stucco that will also save us a lot of cost in tiles and not to mention it will look exactly the way we want it. I don’t know if it will look exactly the way I want it yet but so far I’m pretty fluggin impressed.

We used Eco Home for Marmoleum flooring in our home. Ron, the installer, did a FABULOUS job-​it looks beautiful! When the flooring subsequently «bubbled» a bit, he came back and resolved the problem perfectly.
The staff at Eco Home are very nice, and they carry good, environmentally sound products. The only reason I am giving 4 rather than 5 stars is that there was a certain amount of delay and confusion around the process of measurement and installation; communication from the store could have been better.
That said, I’d still go back to this business again, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.

one of the many things i hate about big box stores is that you never know what kind of person you are asking help from.
«this isnt my department»
«im on break»
no, i really got these responses from team members at the big box stores.
this review is about the complete opposite.
because of many different reasons, i have more interactions with sales, management and owners of construction materials company. you want my credentials, ask.
by far, the most informed and helped person i have run across was mya, at ecohome improvement.
i had a small problem. the better half wanted gray floors.
ok.
the old 4″ oak wood floors are beautiful, just need a touch up to make them modern and last another 50 years.
did a little research, rubio monocoat seemed like a good option.
mya managed to not only figure out solutions for us, mediate between the better half and i but she managed to do it all with a great attitude and personality. total asset to the company.
if you know your subject, thats a plus. if you are able to listen and interpret what your customers need, thats a huge plus. if you are able to dynamically use these both, youre a great asset to any company.

Great service. When time to repaint interior walls, I brought them 8 cans of paint that has been sitting in the garage for years. They opened all of them and determined 6 were still good. Replaced the 2 bad ones with new VOC free paint. All new paint is now in their computer so easy to get more in the future. Also had 4 samples from other walls and they matched them perfectly. they also have rollers, roses and other stuff for painting. what more could one want?

Fantastic place. It’s a local business, you can sleep well knowing that you’re getting environmentally friendly products, and I got very responsive customer service and impressively knowledgeable guidance by Taja (one of the owners) and Monti. They took ample time answering my questions and even stayed after closing on more than one occasion to finish addressing my questions and concerns. I also found the prices to be quite reasonable for a small, local merchant selling high quality products. The prices are significantly better than those of their competitor down the street and the service is significantly better as well. I had an excellent experience with them all around and I love my new hardwood floor. I’m actually going back to them now that it’s time to tackle my kitchen cabinets. This is an outstanding place to start for your next home improvement project!

EcoHomeImprovement is the spot in Berkeley !
for Contractors and locally eco minded folks alike.
Nina and Taja, the owners, offer a wide variety of green building supplies, stains, sealers and paint at very competitive prices. Their team of sales reps and designers is a group of knowledgable and fun folks, a pleasure to work with. We have completed several kitchen and bath projects with the design team over the past years and could not be more happy. When you enter the design studio on most days a delicious smell
of freshly baked cookies engulfs your senses. Ahh… you have come home…
One thing I have been wishing for is earlier opening hours. We contractors like to pick up our materials early in the day.
Check them out for all your remodeling needs and experience great service!

Save time and money by not shopping here. Yes, they are a local business, but they are not entitled to anyone’s business, though they seem to think they are. The owner’s are unresponsive to customer complaints, and the staff is arrogant.
On the positive side they do carry environmentally friendly products, but so do many other home improvement stores, and these other stores manage to sell these items without attitude. The prices are higher than other stores, that it to be expected when dealing with a small local merchant, and as a rule I am willing to pay more to support them. Not in the case of EcoHome.
I have been in this store twice shopping for products for kitchen and livingroom projects I want to complete, and the service has been less than stellar. Their return policy sucks. You can definitely find better choices and get better service elsewhere. I will continue to support local businesses, just not this one.

I can only rate the paint bar, but since I went to it three times in five days, I feel qualified to do so :-) Took in two color cards to match — the first one they matched via computer, no problem (maybe it’s part of their system already — not sure how that all works) but the other color couldn’t be matched that way. So we had to eyeball it. The nice guy behind the counter was very patient in pulling out all the possible matches until we got it just right…15−20 minutes later.
I knew there was the possibility of needing more than I bought, but didn’t really realize it until I starting painting a couple of days later. So back I had to go… and then once more (don’t ask)…and each time, the color matched perfectly.
It was so nice not to be knocked over by paint fumes. Will definitely go this route for all future paint projects.
The only downside? They have coupons for $ 4 or $ 6 off (can’t remember) per gallon (up to four gallons) in the most current eco-​coupon guide (I forget the name)…which I have, but didn’t realize they were in there until I had already bought my two gallons. Not their fault, of course, just kinda kicking myself…