New Video Tells Story of Construction Company

 

California Construction Company Releases Video Telling the Story of Their Company

SAN PEDRO, CA: Silva Construction (www.silvaconstruction.com), a construction and home remodeling company in Southern California, just released a video detailing the story of their company and giving their mission statement. The new video features the principles of the company, including owners Dave Silva and David Clarke, and includes an explanation and even demonstrations of their day-to-day operations.

Dave Silva, co-owner of the company, stated: “My name is Dave Silva, I live here in Southern California in the South Bay area. I’m a general contractor, I’ve been doing it for about 42 years.”

Brenda Silva, stated the following on the start of the company: “Basically it started at our house. And it grew from there because of the service that Dave gives. So from there Dave took on partners and they were all in agreement with the service Dave gave and customers they had were all pleased and it grew from there.”

David Clarke, co-owner of the company, stated the following about their approach when beginning a job with a homeowner: “The first time I meet with a client, they’re looking for knowledge. I have knowledge and I’m good at helping them. I want to give them as much information as I can, whether that is what it will entail to do the project, how much it will cost, what it will entail for plans, for permits, city inspectors, all that stuff. I’ve been doing this for 30 years, so I have a lot of knowledge in the area.”

In addition to hearing from the principles of the company, the video also features an explanation and demonstration from the company’s production manager on how they approach a remodeling job and how they select the design and materials to use. In the video, several of Silva Construction’s client speak about the great results they’ve had working with the company.

The video can be seen here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2vr8qYq6fs

Dave Silva and David Clarke are owners of Silva Construction, Inc., located in San Pedro, CA. The company has over 40 years of experience in remodeling construction, and serves Southern California’s South Bay area, including Westchester, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, San Pedro, Hermosa Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Harbor City, Lomita, Torrance, and other select areas. Their blog can be seen at https://www.silvaconstruction.com/blog3/ and their website can be seen at https://www.silvaconstruction.com/. They can be reached at 310-831-6310.

Homeowners Rave About Southern California Construction Company

 

Client Testimonials Speak to High Quality Work of Construction/Remodeling Company

SAN PEDRO, CA: Silva Construction (www.silvaconstruction.com), a construction and home remodeling company in Southern California, has developed a reputation for high quality work with the remodeling projects they complete. Hearing from the homeowners directly, one can understand why. The company has received numerous glowing reports from satisfied clients they’ve assisted with major remodeling projects.

Here are just a few of the testimonials from Silva Construction’s many satisfied clients:
“From the smallest repair to building a home or office from scratch, I would use only Silva Construction. Dave and his team are real pros, they are kind and courteous and get the work done on time and within budget. They completely rebuilt my damaged home and I couldn’t be happier with the work they did and they stand by their work, which not many contractors do! Please feel free to call me for more compliments!” –M.T.

“Thank you Silva Construction for our complete bathroom remodeling. What a great job done in a way timely manner. When we began talking with Silva Construction, we asked them if they could finish the job before our daughter’s wedding in less than eight weeks. They said they could and they did it! This is the second remodeling we’ve done through them and we knew we could count on their word. On our daughter’s wedding day, the house was back to normal. Our special thanks to them for their ideas and support." –A.B.

“Thanks to you all for making our house remodel a reality. We have heard many horror stories about bad contractors and workmen disappearing halfway through a project, and we feel very fortunate to have found a professional and genuine company that completed the remodel ahead of time and to a high standard. We still have a steady stream of people knocking on our door asking how we got through it all, and I am always happy to recommend Silva Construction.” –J.P.

Dave Silva, co-owner of the company, stated: “We are always pleased when a remodel project goes perfectly and the homeowner gets exactly what they envisioned for their homes. We’ve worked with many people and helped them make their dreams for their home a reality, and we look forward to helping many more people in years to come.”

Dave Silva and David Clarke are owners of Silva Construction, Inc., located in San Pedro, CA. The company has over 40 years of experience in remodeling construction,  and serves Southern California’s South Bay area, including Westchester, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, San Pedro, Hermosa Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Harbor City, Lomita, Torrance, and other select areas. Their blog can be seen at https://www.silvaconstruction.com/blog3/ and their website can be seen at https://www.silvaconstruction.com/. They can be reached at 310-831-6310.

The Best Ornamental Trees for Washington

 

By Nancy Penrose

Many trees have different purposes, such as providing shade, a pop of color, or providing a privacy screen for the yard. There are some trees, however, which stand out as specimen trees, celebrated for adding beauty to the whole area around them. These beautiful trees make stunning and unique additions to any yard.

Here are our picks for our favorite ornamental trees that add great beauty to any landscape:

Stewartia ‘pseudocamellia’

This beautiful deciduous tree has green leaves in the spring and then a mix of reds, yellows and orange in the fall. Early summer produces camellia shaped white flowers.  The bark is a stunning patchwork of cream and brown colors that look fantastic year round with uplighting. It likes damp, well-draining soils and is suitable to smaller gardens. The books say ultimate height can be 40-50’ but they are very slow growing and more average heights are 20-25’.

Styrax japonica, Japanese Snowbell

This graceful tree is native to Japan.  The snowbell has lightly fragranced white bell- shaped flowers that bloom in late spring.  It has strong horizontal branches and a rounded crown. Typically, they grow to 20-30’ tall and wide, but slowly, making them a wonderful choice for a compact tree.  

Cornus kousa, Korean Dogwood

This dogwood is a small vase-shaped tree that will reach 20-25’ tall. Eventually maturing to a more rounded form at maturity. In late spring it has a prolific off-white star-shaped blooms.  In the summer the layered branches create nice green leaves that are great for shade.  In the fall the leaves turn a bright red and it also has a bright red berry.  Even in the winter the jigsaw like bark offers seasonal interest.

Cornus florida, Florida pink flowering dogwood

This tree grows 20-30’ tall, often low-branching, broadly pyramidal but somewhat flat-topped canopy. It arguably may be the most beautiful of the native American flowering trees. It is native all the way from Maine to southern Ontario, to Illinois and Kansas and down south to Florida, Texas and Mexico. It’s one of the first trees to blossom in the spring, and in the fall the distinctive and beautiful pink-red leaves play a big role in this tree becoming such a show-stopper.

Acer Palmatum dissectum, Laceleaf Japanese Maple

This round, weeping deciduous tree has many qualities that make it an excellent garden plant, including a sculpted form, deeply cut foliage, arching shoots, and depending on the variety, fall colors ranging from bright orange to deep red. These trees have beautiful winter interest with their distinctive trunk structure.  Growing only to 8-10 ‘tall, this delicate looking and very distinctive tree is sure to attract attention for its natural beauty.

Acer palmatum (Upright) Japanese Maple

No list of the best ornamental trees would be complete without the Japanese Maple. There are many sub-cultivars of Japanese maples to choose from.  Some can be broad while others are more narrow.  Some are a purple leaf in the summer and others are green.  They can also have a wide range of fall colors from yellow to bright red. These trees will stun with their natural beauty all year round.  Ultimate height on average is 15-20’ tall.

Parrotia persica, Vanessa Persian Ironwood

The Parrotia ‘Vanessa’ has multi seasonal interest.  This tree has an upright columnar habit, with a canopy shape of an upright oval.  The leaves are a lush green in the summer that turn a sensational variety of colors, typically a mix of yellows, oranges and reds in the fall. The Parrotia Vanessa is a great tree for smaller yards and gardens maxing out in height at 20-30’.

Let us know what your favorite trees are that stand above for the beauty they add to their neighborhood!

Nancy Penrose is the owner of Big Trees Inc., located in Snohomish, WA in the Seattle area. The company is one of the largest tree nurseries in the Seattle area with over 120,000 trees available in over 300 varieties. They not only deliver young trees, but also mature trees in a wide range of sizes. Some types of trees available include spring flowering, deciduous, evergreen, and privacy trees. The company also does tree transplanting including large trees. Their blog can be seen at https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/ or http://arboristblog.com/. They can be reached at 360-563-2700.

Big Trees Inc.
10928 Springhetti Rd
Snohomish, WA 98296
360-563-2700
https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/
https://arboristblog.com
https://bigtreesupply.com

 

Our Favorite Reasons You Should Plant a Tree This Fall

 

By Nancy Penrose

Fall is fast approaching, bringing us to the perfect season for planting trees.
There are many benefits to planting a tree in your yard. In fact, I’d bet there are a lot more benefits than you ever realized. Here are a few of our favorite reasons planting a tree helps you and those around you.

Trees Help Improve Your Health

Everyone knows that trees provide oxygen for the environment, but there are other health benefits to living in an area with lots of trees. Studies have been done that show trees can help to boost your immune system, lower blood pressure, increase energy level and even improve your sleep.

Spending time around trees can even reduce stress and help improve your mood. Studies have indicated that patients in hospitals recovered from surgery more quickly when their rooms offered a view of trees. Another study showed that kids in school tended to retain more information from classes when the kids spent a bit of time each day outdoors around plants and trees. Having more trees in an area and spending time around them can help everyone reduce stress.

Trees Help Improve Your Community

There are several ways trees improve a community. Trees can compliment the architecture in a neighborhood. This enhances both the general aesthetic and property values of the buildings.

Many people decide to have privacy screens of trees line their yard. This creates a living barrier between properties or between a property and the street. Many people feel this natural option is better than a wall or fence for ensuring privacy in their yard.
Studies have even indicated that trees lining streets can have a calming effect on the traffic moving through a neighborhood, with vehicles moving more slowly and safely. It all comes back to the natural reduction in stress when people more regularly spend time in an area with trees.

Trees Help the Environment

It is common knowledge that trees provide oxygen for the atmosphere and that this is beneficial. What is not as commonly known is that this isn’t the only way trees help the environment.

There is an “urban heat island effect”: areas where the trees or vegetation in an area have been largely replaced by concrete and pavement tend to get hotter. Usually, the trees and other vegetation help to mitigate this and cool an area off, but with very few trees the heat is trapped in the area and this can actually result in rising energy costs (such as air conditioning), more air pollution and other problems. Planting more trees in an area mitigates this factor and cools the whole area down.

There is a bit more to be said about what trees do for the atmosphere. They filter out harmful dust and pollutants such as ozone and carbon monoxide. So having an abundance of trees in an area helps to naturally filter the air and reduce air pollution.

Trees Can Have Economic Benefits

There are actually a few ways that trees can help a property economically.

Evergreen trees on a property can act as a windbreak and reduce heating costs for a home in winter. In summer, having trees around your home can help reduce cooling costs by providing shade that cuts down on the amount of sun your home gets.

Trees also tend to improve the value of a property. A property that is well landscaped with trees can raise property value by an appreciable amount.

In summary, there are many benefits to planting trees. They help you, your community and the environment in countless ways. We’d all benefit from a few more trees being planted, so this fall let’s do just that!

Nancy Penrose is the owner of Big Trees Inc., located in Snohomish, WA in the Seattle area. The company is one of the largest tree nurseries in the Seattle area with over 120,000 trees available in over 300 varieties. They not only deliver young trees, but also mature trees in a wide range of sizes. Some types of trees available include spring flowering, deciduous, evergreen, and privacy trees. The company also does tree transplanting including large trees. Their blog can be seen at https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/ or http://arboristblog.com/. They can be reached at 360-563-2700.

Big Trees Inc.
10928 Springhetti Rd
Snohomish, WA 98296
360-563-2700
https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/
https://arboristblog.com
https://bigtreesupply.com

 

Tree Company Hired to Plant 500 Trees on One Property

 

Large Tree Transplant Job Successfully Completed in Northwest Washington State

SNOHOMISH, WA: Big Trees Inc. (https://bigtreesupply.com), a tree transplant company in the Seattle area, was recently contacted for a job of planting new trees around a large property. In total, Big Trees ended up planting over 500 trees around the landscape.

The homeowners had owned their 20-acre property for over 40 years. However, trouble started when a neighboring piece of property was sold to developers. The neighboring property had previously been full of native growth and there had never been problems. But with the property sold, the land had been almost completely cleared of growth to make way for development of 300 new homes. The result was that very little growth was left between the homeowner’s piece and the new development.

The homeowners were concerned as the noise from the construction crews was disruptive, and construction was predicted to take 2 years to complete. What used to be a peaceful, private environment for these homeowners literally disappeared almost overnight. The homeowners called Big Trees to come in to resolve the situation by installing layers of new trees which would provide both a visual privacy screen, and effectively cancel out the noise.

Big Trees installed layers of different trees, mostly Laurels and Cedars of different varieties. The trees are of fast-growing varieties, with the result that it won’t be long before privacy is completely restored. "The noise of the construction is still there," said the homeowner, "but it is reduced and the larger cedars are already covering up the new roads and structures."

"We met onsite with the homeowner and picked strategic places in front of windows to plant larger cedars and create instant privacy," said Nancy Penrose, owner of Big Trees.
"After we had those in place, we filled in the other areas with layers of Excelsa Cedars and Laurels. We used different heights to create a more natural look. In 5 years, you won't even know there is a large new neighborhood behind them!"

Nancy Penrose is the owner of Big Trees Inc., located in Snohomish, WA in the Seattle area. The company is one of the largest tree nurseries in the Seattle area with over 120,000 trees available in over 300 varieties. They not only deliver young trees, but also mature trees in a wide range of sizes. Some types of trees available include spring flowering, deciduous, evergreen, and privacy trees. The company also does tree transplanting including large trees. Their blog can be seen at https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/ or http://arboristblog.com/. They can be reached at 360-563-2700.

Big Trees Inc.
10928 Springhetti Rd
Snohomish, WA 98296
360-563-2700
https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/
https://arboristblog.com
https://bigtreesupply.com

Rocha Construction Owner Praises Dave Silva for Integrity

Dave Silva of Silva Construction Praised for Integrity and Honesty in Business

SAN PEDRO, CA: Silva Construction (www.silvaconstruction.com), a construction and home remodeling company in Southern California, recently became the focus of an article by colleague Gilbert Rocha, owner of Rocha Construction. Rocha, who had worked for Silva Construction before going on to form his own construction company, spoke about his experiences in working with owner Dave Silva and how he demonstrated integrity and honesty in his business dealings.

The article, in part, reads: “…After I had estimated and sold a few jobs, Dave approached me and said, ‘Gilbert, sometimes you may find that your original estimate of the time and materials for a job was more than what it will actually take to do the job. Then you are going to be tempted to keep quiet so that you can keep the extra profit.’

“‘For example,’ he said, ‘on a big remodeling job, your original estimate to install 30 LED lights might be $230.00 for each light and materials. That would be a total of $6,900.00. However, the client later changes his mind and only wants 20 LED lights. That’s 20 times $230.00 for a total of $4,600.00. So, there are 10 lights ($2,300.00) that were not installed on the job. Since the overall price for this big job might be as high as $200,000, the client might not notice what has happened. But you see it, and you know what is going on. The right thing to do is to bring this to the attention of the client and give him a $2,300.00 credit on the contract.’

“‘This is integrity,’ he added. ‘And when you act with integrity, it means that you are hiding nothing. Because of this, nobody can touch you. Your integrity makes you so strong that nothing can shake you. You are clean and feel good about your business and about being honest with the people you do business with!’ I am forever grateful to Dave Silva for teaching me the true meaning of ‘integrity’!”

The article can be read in full here.
https://www.silvaconstruction.com/integrity-in-business/

Dave Silva and David Clarke are owners of Silva Construction, Inc., located in San Pedro, CA. The company has over 40 years of experience in remodeling construction, and serves Southern California’s South Bay area, including Westchester, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, San Pedro, Hermosa Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Harbor City, Lomita, Torrance, and other select areas. Their blog can be seen at https://www.silvaconstruction.com/blog3/ and their website can be seen at https://www.silvaconstruction.com/. They can be reached at 310-831-6310.

Integrity in Business

By Gilbert Roche

Years ago, my mentor, friend and partner in business, Dave Silva, taught me a few lessons about integrity! I had been working on a job at a big apartment building replacing all the wood that had been damaged by termites and dry rot.

I had determined how much lumber I would need to complete the job and had ordered it from a local lumber yard. The lumber had been paid for and soon it arrived on a truck. The driver and I unloaded it and stacked it in neat piles on the job site. I signed for the delivery, and the driver left.

I stood for a moment looking at the piles of lumber. Something was wrong. It looked like there was too much lumber. I checked the paperwork and realized that there was about $1,000 more lumber than we had paid for! This was great! I could finish the job, and we would have all that lumber left over. We could use it on the next job, charge the next customer for the lumber, and we’d “make” about $1,000 because of all this “free” lumber!

I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to tell Dave. Dave visited each job site daily, so it wasn’t long before he drove up and got out of his truck. “Hi, Dave,” I called to him. “I have great news!” I told him about the extra lumber that had been delivered and how no one would know that we had it and hadn’t paid for it.  I went on the explain how we could use it on the next job that required this type of wood and save a lot of money.

Instead of receiving this news with the enthusiasm that I had expected, Dave gave me a dark look and shook his head sadly. “No, Gilbert, I don’t operate that way.” “This is what you are going to do,” he added severely. “You are going to finish this job, and at the end you will load all of that lumber on your truck, and you will take it back to the lumber yard where it came from. When you get there, you will tell them that they delivered that lumber by mistake.”

I was surprised to hear this from a general contractor. This had not been my experience at all with men working in this trade. “Okay,” I muttered glumly. Dave drove away, and I was left to puzzle over this incident for the rest of the day. I had come to admire Dave greatly in the short time that I had been employed by him.

I had heard someone say that Dave had “integrity”. This was a word that was new to my ever-expanding English vocabulary, and I had thought that I understood what it meant. I knew Dave was honest, hard-working, and fair, and that he believed in delivering good products to his customers. I also knew that he believed in making a profit, just like any other business owner. So why wouldn’t he jump at the chance to make a profit using this unexpected windfall of free lumber? He hadn’t stolen the lumber. It had been like a “gift” that no one knew about. Kind of like finding money on the street.

That was what puzzled me. There is nothing like working with your hands to let your mind work out a problem, and my hands and my mind were busy all day.

Then it hit me! Integrity was more than just being honest in your everyday dealings with others. It was being honest even when no one was looking, so to speak. It meant that you could be trusted to do the right thing ALL the time and in every circumstance. It meant that you didn’t take advantage of people even when they were unaware of it. And it meant that you lived by a standard that you never altered no matter what happened – even if it meant having to do something not to your own benefit!

This last idea struck me like a lightning bolt! My face burned with embarrassment when I realized how I must have looked to Dave. I had apparently been willing to “cheat” the lumber company, yet until he spoke to me, I hadn’t seen it that way. Since I really valued his good opinion, I resolved to become a man of true integrity – just like Dave!

This wasn’t the only lesson in integrity that I received from Dave. A year later, Dave Silva asked me to start helping him to do estimates and sales jobs for the company. By that time, I had been working as Production Manager. I was the one who visited the job sites, ensured that the workers were on target, and kept the jobs within budget. I made sure that we were delivering great products, that the customers were happy, and that the company was making a profit on each job.

After I had estimated and sold a few jobs, Dave approached me and said, “Gilbert, sometimes you may find that your original estimate of the time and materials for a job was more than what it will actually take to do the job. Then you are going to be tempted to keep quiet so that you can keep the extra profit. “For example,” he said, “on a big remodeling job, your original estimate to install 30 LED lights might be $230.00 for each light and materials). That would be a total of $6,900.00. “However, the client later changes his mind and only wants 20 LED lights. That’s 20 times $230.00 for a total of $4,600.00. So, there are 10 lights ($2,300.00) that were not installed on the job. “Since the overall price for this big job might be as high as $200,000, the client might not notice what has happened.

“But you see it, and you know what is going on. “The right thing to do is to bring this to the attention of the client and give him a $2,300.00 credit on the contract.” “This is integrity,” he added. “And when you act with integrity, it means that you are hiding nothing. Because of this, nobody can touch you. Your integrity makes you so strong that nothing can shake you. You are clean and feel good about your business and about being honest with the people you do business with!”

I am forever grateful to Dave Silva for teaching me the true meaning of “integrity”!

Gilbert Roche
 

For more information on Dave Silva's honest type of remodeling work,
contact Silva Construction at 310-831-6310 or go to
https://silvaconstruction.com.