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Crown Harbor Homeowner Association

Classified Ads

The following list includes items offered by residents of the community.

yellow bear lodge

Yellow Bear Lodge novel

Bryant Blewett and Ellen Marshall
bblewett@aol.com

Crown Harbor has 2 authors in its midst. Loosely based on their Hawley Mountain Guest Ranch, south of McLeod, Montana which they helped manage with 2 partners, Bryant Blewett and Ellen Marshall wrote and published a novel entitled Yellow Bear Lodge. "This romantic novel, set in Montana, is laced together with soft sex, violence, humor and tall tales. The setting is a dude ranch in the Montana wilderness 42 miles from the closest town." An ancient Native American folktale about a menacing yellow grizzly bear is entwined with the outdoor and in-the-bedroom adventures of the lodge inhabitants. The story is:
  • Scenic: "Wade found this spot while fishing with a guest. A large flat rock in the middle of the river was hidden around a bend with large Douglas Fir trees sheltering it from the wind. He would fish until the fish got wise and then lie back in the corner of the rock and soak up the sun." [page 64]
  • Action packed: "...Marie flung a chair into the window, smashing it, and dove headfirst as the bear bit her foot... The blood from her cut leg seemed to excite the bear even more." [page 101]
  • Naughty: "Pam and Leigh stayed behind at the campfire... Pam suggested they get Jake into Leigh's room in the bunkhouse and both 'share him' together... 'Jake come here!' Pam commanded... 'I've got something better to show you than rodeo pictures...' Jake looked up and there stood Leigh with her robe held open by her hands on her hips in her panties and bra. 'Well do you like what you see?' Leigh asked with a nervous giggle?"  [pages 61-62]
Contact Ellen to purchase a paperback copy of the book. With the Crown Harbor discount, the cost is only $9.

The following list includes contractors who have served the community.

 
CABLE, INTERNET, and SPEAKER WIRING
common

Common Networks

(855) 255-2602                                    
support@common.net
common.net

Our network is uniquely designed to bring many homes in a community online with only a few homes needing to be directly connected to our fiber sources. We interconnect your antennas with your neighbors’ antennas to create a mesh network. This means that the more customers we bring online, the stronger and more reliable the network gets.
hidden

Hidden Connections

(510) 865-3940
si@hiddenconnections.net
hiddenconnections.net

The service comes highly recommended by Scott and Sheryl Sheppard. In 1990, the Sheppards were able to get their cable and internet wires run inside the walls instead of outside along the house. Wires were installed from source to destination with no splits or joins resulting in high quality, reliable transmission.
 
ELECTRICIAN
brett la gave

BEEM'S Electric Inc.

Brett La Gave, Owner, Journeyman Electrician
beemselectricinc@yahoo.com
(925) 336-1890
Lic. #1030709

This contractor performed work at 1305 Crown Drive and comes recommended by the Sheppards. He has also worked on a few other units in Crown Harbor. Brett handles residential and commercial.
 
FIREPLACE INSTALLATION
fireplace

Kidd Fireplace & Spa

414 Lesser Street
Oakland, CA 94601
(510) 532-7409
kiddfireplaceandspa.com

If you want to replace your original fireplace with one that directly vents to the outside, Scott and Sheryl Sheppard have used Kidd Fireplace and Spa. They are located in Oakland just after traveling over the High Street Bridge. See Scott's full write-up of the conversion process.
 
GARAGE DOORS
madden

Madden Door & Sons, Inc.

4300 Arthur RD
Martinez, CA 94553
(925) 208-4907
maddendoor.com

Many owners have used Madden Doors for garage door and garage opener repair and replacement. The Moores had an issue with the rain coming in on one section of their garage door. Madden Doors, who installed the new door with new gasket a couple of months ago, came out and made just the right adjustment and no more water into the garage! There could be a possibility that many of the doors in the complex also have a rubber gasket that has failed (could be up to 35 years old) and needs to be replaced.
 
GARDENERS
beautiful gardens

Beautiful Gardens

Salvador Maldonado
(510) 590-7907

Barbara Bolton uses Salvador Maldonado of "Beautiful Gardens." Salvador has worked for her for many years when she lived on Grand Street and here at Crown Harbor for 19 years. He is excellent and reliable.
 
GENERAL CONRACTOR
marzolf

Marzolf Construction

430 23rd AVE
Oakland, CA 94606
(510) 532-2344
marzolfconstruction@earthlink.net
marzolfbrothers.com

Scott and Sheryl Sheppard have used Marzolf for 2 projects (original remodel and fireplace replacement) at 1305 Crown Drive. See Scott's description of the before and after remodeling and the fireplace replacement. Marzolf is not inexpensive, but they are very trustworthy.
giuliani

Giuliani Construction

1780 Unit C Old Bayshore
San Jose, CA 95112
o: (408) 452-8700
m: (408) 710-0019
General Building Contractors Lic #609914
rodney@giulianiconstruction.com
giulianiconstruction.com

Rodney Lemke was the senior project manager on roofing and siding projects in Crown Harbor.
 
GRANITE
best granite

Best Marble & Granite

Robert Flannigan
2446 Teagarden ST
San Leandro, CA 94577
o: (510) 614-0155
m: (510) 504-6468
bestmarblecompany.com

The Sheppards purchased looked at granite there for their remodel.
t and c granite

TC Granite & Marble

Silvia and Anastacio Castro
325 Earhart WY
Livermore, CA 94551
(925) 449-9900
tcgraniteandmarble@yahoo.com

The Sheppards purchased looked at granite there for their remodel.
 
HANDYMAN
bob hutchinson

Bob Hutchinson, Licensed Contractor

Bob Hutchinson
hutchcraftbybob.com

Lee Jester suggested his friend, Bob Hutchinson, as the contractor of choice at Crown Harbor to replace John Piziali. Less has known Bob for 15 years and can vouch for his competence and honesty. Bob told Lee the other day that he wants to downsize to a one man crew (him) and do smaller jobs. Bob is in his 60's and wants to slow down, just as John did. Bob is an expert on lateral sewer lines. He invented the trenchless technology.
john lew

Jon Lew, Handyman

John Lew
(510) 908-1243

John Lew lives over on Atlantic Ave in Alameda. He has a day job in the business, but does additional handy work. He is a man who never seems to get frustrated when something is complicated or requires many trips to Home Depot. This contractor performed work at 1361 Crown Drive and comes recommended by the Astrid Willis (daughter of Uda Johnson).
shedrack

Shedrack, International Student

Shedrack
(510) 872-3879

Hi, you may already have met the international med student from Tanzania who is staying with Elizabeth Phipps [Shedrack]. Shedrack has to pay international student tuition which are more than 10x what U.S. students pay. As a consequence, he scrambles for jobs. Right now he is driving for Uber and Lyft and delivering produce for the Imperfect Produce group. He has cleared all the background checks and is a very polite and mannered young man. He will drive you to S.F.O. for $50 one way and OAK for $25. He will clean your bins and bin area, scrub your grills, and most anything you need done. He works for $15.00/hour. Do you have that odd job you just haven't been able to get to? He will do it for you — it may have to be on his schedule because of classes, studying, etc. Thanks, and hope to hear from you.
Elizabeth Phipps.
 
LOCKS and KEYS
locksmith

Alameda Repair Shop for Lost Mailbox Keys

Alameda Repair Shop
2436 Webb AVE
Alameda, CA 94501
(510) 522-0131

Have you lost your mailbox key? If you have at least one remaining, you can get a new key made. If you no longer have at least one key that can be duplicated, you can consult a locksmith at this same business. These two approaches are much faster than trying to obtain a new key from the United States Post Office.
hardware

Pagano's Hardware Mart

Pagano's Hardware
640 Central AVE
Alameda, CA 94501
(510) 522-1345

Do you need to replace your mailbox lock? Nancy Pace was able to purchase a new mailbox lock with keys for under $10 at Pagano's. Self-installation was relatively easy.
 
PAINTER
painter

Alessandro Palladini

Painter
palasandro@gmail.com
(510) 684-5892

Do you have some interior paint work? Alessandro has done some work for Elizabeth Phipps and the Sheppards. He is an expert painter and a very friendly guy with reasonable rates.
painter

Jorge Orozco

Painter
colorimage48@yahoo.com
(510) 395-0068

I would like to highly recommend a painter to the Crown Harbor community: Jorge Orozco. He lives nearby in Alameda. He painted my daughter's house in Alameda, and our kitchen cabinets here in Crown Harbor. He did an excellent work for both jobs. He also installed knobs and handles on the cabinets and drawers. He is very careful and thorough and is very pleasant to interact with. If you would like to see the cabinets, feel free to email me and I can show you. His prices are very reasonable also. Recommended by Janet Stavnezer.
 
PLUMBER
earthquake

Ethan's Plumbing Service for Earthquake Shutoff Valves

Ethan's Plumbing Service
875 A Island DR #358
Alameda, CA 94502
(510) 390-4185
ethansplumbing@gmail.com

Ethan's Plumbing will provide installation of automatic gas shut off devise at approved meter location for $510. This includes devise, parts, labor, City of Alameda permit fees, arrangement of inspection, and relighting of all pilot lights. Access inside the unit will be needed the day of install. The price DOES NOT include the installation of smoke and/or carbon monoxide detectors which are required to meet code. Some of the gas lines will have to be modified and some of the wood around the garbage enclosures will have to be cut, to access the gas line. When scheduling, Ethan can make a sight visit to check if anything needs to be modified or moved. Ethan will give a deep discount of $110 for doing 5 installs at a time. See this work order for details. Barbara Bolton has used Ethan's Plumbing for her listings as having an earthquake shutoff valve is required before a unit can be sold.
todd roberts

TA Roberts Plumbing Company

Todd Roberts
1023 Central AVE
Alameda, CA 94501
(510) 912-2428

This longtime Alameda resident provides 24 hour emergency service. This contractor is recommended by the McDermotts and the Sheppards.
 
REVERSE MORTGAGE
security 1 lending
Enlarge

Security 1 Lending

Homa
(415) 717-4618

Rick Wilson got a reverse mortgage on 1385 Crown Drive. Security 1 paved the way for Crown Harbor to get approved by HUD so he could obtain a reverse mortgage from their company. Rick had talked to other companies, and none wanted to assist in obtaining approval. In contrast, Security 1 worked with our association (Rick paid for the documentation for the lending company needed for HUD), and then Security 1 Lending did all of the work with HUD. There are a lot of different reasons to do a reverse mortgage, and all of our homeowners should be aware this is available to them. By the way his two bedroom (type A) was appraised at $620,000. The Security 1 agent, Homa, was a great person to work with, and Rick encourages anybody interested to call her.
 
SCREEN DOORS AND REPAIR
screen door

Screens to Go, Mobile Screen Service

Will Uher
16183 Lyle Street, San Leandro, CA 94578
510 278-1740

Carol Ansley needed a mobile screen door service to repair one of her 3 sliding door screens and tweak all 3 of them. The owner arrived on time, was very skilled at screen replacement and adjusting the door wheels, was friendly, and was done in about an hour. He charged $80 for coming to her home (although you can also take screens to their shop in San Leandro) and then modest fees for the screen replacement and adjustments. All 3 doors glide smoothy now — it had been a long time since they did! Although she didn't need it, he told her he also installs a sturdier screen for owners with cats!
 
WASHING MACHINE HOSES
washing machine hoses

Washing Machine Hoses

SafeHome.com

Crown Harbor received an alert that broken washing machine hoses are often a source of water damage. Traditional hoses should be replaced, or at least inspected, every 5 years.
 
WINDOW CLEANING
window clean

Excellent Window Cleaning

Excellent Window Cleaning
(510) 540-6377
excellentwindow.com

Excellent Window Cleaning Inc. was established in 1985, in Berkeley. The service comes highly recommended by Denise Gasti and Cheryl Saxton. They were even able to get their skylights washed inside and out.
 
WINDOW INSTALLATION
window install

Various Installers

See the window specifications page for a list of installers who have worked in Crown Harbor.

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