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A Nearly 40 Year Professional Relationship

San Francisco, CA
Charles R.


This has been an ongoing project for Leonard Nordeman for almost 40 years. How? The same owner has given Len annual contracts running from $50,000 to $1,000,000.

The owner, a practicing attorney, is extremely confident that Len Nordeman and his team will provide him with the best possible advice and answers to multiple problems. This includes fire reconstruction damage that was performed in the late 1970’s for $300,000.00, followed by many repair contracts for repairs throughout the last 38 years.

Another major project is about to begin in excess of $1,000,000.00 for seismic upgrades.

The service provided by Leonard Nordeman and his team over the decades on this site have been major repair projects. Throughout the course of many projects, the tenants have never been required to vacate the building which allowed the owners to continue to collect rent during the course of construction. This encouraged multiple tenants including 4 restaurants, one movie theatre, and a night club as well as an 80 room hotel to upgrade on their own.

The building while not an official landmark, is certainly a San Francisco landmark right on the corner of Columbus and Broadway. The owner is delighted with all of the work performed by Len.

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“Len is a Man of His Word”

Larkspur, CA
David C.


This owner has hired Leonard Nordeman and the Montgomery Sansome team twice. The first time was a project on Lyon St in San Francisco for somewhere slightly over $1,000,000 where Len and his team provided renovations to three units, all of which is very high end work.


The owner was so delighted with the project’s finished work, and the coordination of the team, that he has recommended Len and his team for other projects. David was so impressed with the work that he in July of 2018 he signed for another project in Larkspur that was around $500,000. The owner is delighted with the personal service and the high quality work provided by the team.


Interestingly enough, the owner and Lenny are now actually best friends which says a lot about Len Nordeman’s ethics.

Recently the owner stated “Len is a man of his word”

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A Hayward Home Fire

Hayward, CA
Eric W.


This project is extremely interesting because the insurance carrier sent an adjuster who had almost no experience with fire losses.


The adjuster came up with a cost to repair the project of approximately $15,000.00 despite the major damage to the kitchen and the rest of the home.


The adjuster had told the insurance carrier that the burnt and smoked cabinets, which were decades old, could be matched and refinished when this was not possible.


After obtaining sub-contractor estimates, the adjuster was proven wrong and the cabinets could not be saved. Additionally it was determined the counter-tops couldn’t either and need to be replaced. As a result the carrier wound up paying for all new cabinets AND all new counter-tops as well as new appliances.


Again, through modest exchanges the owner wound up with an almost new interior in the building, which is a home he’s lived in for decade. He is now delighted with the resulting work performed by Leonard Nordeman and his team. The final project costs were very close to $100,000.00—not close to the original $15,000.00 estimate!


The owner, of course, is extremely delighted with the efforts of Leonard Nordeman and his team.

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A Berkeley Reconstruction Project After a Lead Based Paint Fire

Robert F.
Berkeley, CA

This project involved reconstructing a major interior fire which was a result of lead based paint. The project required a gutting of the entire structure which triggered code requirement not covered under the policy.

Through a variety of exchanges the project, which totaled approximately $300,000, was completed with very little money out of the owners’ pockets because Leonard was able to present the necessary documentation to the carrier in order for them to pay the full value of the damage.
Without Len’s help with the project, the fire loss may very well have left the owners homeless due to insufficient funds to complete the project.
The reconstruction included a beautiful new kitchen, one new bathroom all new wiring, a new roof, all new windows, new interior trim, all new flooring etc.
The owners are absolutely delighted with their new home.

The neighbor, who is a remodeling contractor stated he didn’t think this building could be rebuilt because there was so many things wrong with it that were not involved in the fire, including it was out of level as well as needing a mountain of dry rot repairs.

Leonard Nordeman was able to do the fixes that were less expensive (and through some exchanges) so the owner had to take very little money out of his pocket in order to have what is now the almost equivalent of a new home.

During the course of construction Leonard Nordeman was able to find a charity that was willing to install a handicap ramp for the owner at no cost. The owner declined the ramp for his own personal reasons. This certainly demonstrates the efforts that Len is willing to go to please his clients.
Needless to say, the owner is delighted with the finished project and appreciates the efforts of Leonard Nordeman and his team.

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4 San Francisco Construction Projects: 4 Happy Clients

#1 Jim & Diane B.

This reconstruction project was the result of a fire in one of the units in a six unit building. The building had been owned by the same owner for almost 50 years. As a result there were numerous code upgrades that were required in order to rebuild. Leonard Nordeman was able to demonstrate to the insurance carrier that they needed to pay for these required code upgrades.


The project included one new kitchen and rebuilding one unit and repairing others.


The first offer from the insurance carrier was approximately $50,000, ultimately the cost to repair the project was closer to $150,000 all due to the efforts of Leonard Nordeman. Again the cost for these estimates and presentations of the insurance carrier were done at no cost and strictly due to the carriers oversight or underestimating the required work.
The owners, who are quite elderly, were delighted with the service provided by Len Nordeman including continuous updates and extra efforts made to be sure that the other tenants in the building were able to occupy their units during the course of construction with very little inconvenience

#2 Mel C.

This project included rebuilding 6 flights of a 70 year old butterfly concrete and metal staircase for a cost well below replacement. This is due to Leonard Nordeman’s butterfly gull wing design clamps that simply bypass the portion of the stairs that had corroded allowing the stairs to be rebuilt. Ultimately this allowed for stronger stairs than when they were originally built! The total cost of the project was approximately $60,000, far less than the replacement of the staircase would have cost simply due to a better design by Leonard Nordeman.

#3 Charles R.

This is a very unusual project, as it has been ongoing for nearly 40 years with Leonard Nordeman. The same owner has been awarding Len annual contracts for jobs ranging from $50,000 to $1,000,000. The owner, a practicing attorney, is extremely confident that Len Nordeman and his team will provide him with the best possible advice and answers to multiple problems. For example, fire reconstruction damage that was performed in the late 1970’s for $300,000 which has been followed by many repair contracts for repairs throughout the last 38 years.
Currently Len is about to begin another major project that will be in excess of $1,000,000 for seismic upgrades.


The services provided by Leonard Nordeman have been major repair projects over the decades, and throughout the course of many projects, the tenants have never been required to vacate the building. This has allowed the owners to continue to collect rent during the course of construction, and encouraged multiple tenants including 4 restaurants, one movie theatre, and a night club as well as an 80 room hotel to upgrade on their own. The building while not an official landmark, is certainly a San Francisco landmark right on the corner of Columbus and Broadway. The owner is delighted with all of the work performed by Len.

#4 Mel C.

After a PG&E power surge which destroyed the main service panel main service panel for 5 units, including three commercial stores and two apartments above, immediate help was needed. Fortunately, Leonard Nordeman and his trusted team was able to redesign the electrical service entry along with other required repairs which met PG&E requirements as well as the Building and Electrical department of the San Francisco building department. Total project cost was approx. $50,000.

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A Large Kitchen Fire In San Jose, CA

San Jose, CA
Don O.


This project involved a major kitchen fire on a 60 year old home that was previously remodeled. The insurance carriers first offer was approximately $75,000. Ultimately, they paid about $200,000.00. Not only that, but the owner wound up with a truly modern kitchen, all new interior finishes, insulation, as well as many other repairs that upgraded this home to much better condition than it was before the fire. All the upgrades were completed with very small cost to the owner due to the changes proposed by Leonard Nordeman.


The owner is delighted with the finished project and has since sold the building for a nice profit.
This project was completed with the owner paying almost nothing out of his pocket as Leonard Nordeman worked with the insurance company in order to make exchanges that made perfect sense.


The owner continues to support and recommend Leonard Nordeman and his skilled fire reconstruction team.

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Complete Home Rebuild After a Fire

East Palo Alto, CA
Kennedy N.

A major fire in this 1200 square foot house was so extensive it required gutting the entire home including; rewiring, new plumbing, new heating, replacing the roof, windows and flooring. Additionally the bathroom, kitchen and even the garage had to be fully rebuilt.

The initial offer from the insurance company was about $100,000. Ultimately the carrier paid almost $300,000 and, typical of Leonard Nordeman’s efforts, the owner was absolutely delighted with not only the project but the method in which the project was handled. The efforts made by Leonard to prepare the bid and cost documents to get a fair settlement were not lost on the owner. He realized that the extra work it took Leonard to put these documents together ultimately lead to the insurance carrier paying for the damages that were actually caused by the fire as well as the true value.

The upgrades on this project included a new higher quality roof, higher quality cabinets, granite counter tops, new 90% efficient furnace as well as all new wiring, insulation, drywall etc.

The owner also chose to install beautiful new French doors going out to the rear patio with gorgeous side lights which he now enjoys as looks out over his backyard.

This client is absolutely delighted with Leonard Nordeman and his team’s work.

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A Leonard Nordeman Fire Reconstruction Client Story

LeeAnn B
San Francisco, CA

A major fire occurred in the lower unit of a two unit building in San Francisco. Only a few years prior, the unit had been remodeled at a cost exceeding $100,000.

The fire started in the kitchen in the lower unit and this caused heavy smoke damage throughout the entire building (both units).

As a result of the smoke damage, the cabinets and appliances in both kitchens needed to be replaced. Additionally, new floors and paint needed to be completed as well.

To cover the damage, the insurance carrier’s first offer was approximately $250,000.00 to cover the damage. This offer was closer to the value of damage than most FIRST offers from insurance companies simply due to Leonard Nordeman meeting the insurance adjuster on site and discussing the extent of the damage resulting from the fire before the adjuster since Len had spent a lot of time thoroughly assessing the damage and could share ALL of his findings with the adjuster..

The cost analysis ultimately prepared by the carrier was supplemented by an additional payment of approximately $75,000 for additional work required on site to complete the job as well as addressing some understated values.

The owner was given a full scope of damage contract, including a completion date by Leonard. Both of which were complied with fully, and the project owner was delighted with the finished work.

The owner is a professional real estate person and totally supports Len’s efforts to obtain a fair settlement from the carrier and to provide excellent services in coordination from start to finish on the project.

The cost for preparing the supplemental request to the carrier was $0 to the owner, and of course neither the carrier nor the owner pays out for these negotiations.

The owner continues to be a solid supporter of Leonard Nordeman’s work.