Welcome to Homeowners U
California Edition
"This site is dedicated to raising public awareness and protecting consumers from fraudulent practices in the construction industry. All information shared is intended for educational purposes and the public good. By using my voice, I can prevent the next victim, and you can too.”
Homeowners University: Protecting Homeowners at Every Stage of Construction
At Homeowners University, we believe that informed homeowners are empowered homeowners. We offer carefully curated Free and Paid Resources to help California homeowners navigate their project at every level. From minor home repairs to major renovations, additions, new construction, and ADU projects. For those seeking a higher level of protection and guidance, our Concierge Construction Consulting service provides personalized, hands-on support at every stage — offering an expert, unbiased perspective before contracts are signed, during construction, and through final project completion.
Any profits from the resources or services obtained from this site go directly toward the continued rebuilding of our home, necessary repairs, and past on ongoing legal costs. We are committed to full transparency and will eventually share a complete breakdown of all financials — to both stay accountable and help educate California homeowners about the true risks and financial realities they may face when construction goes wrong. Our ongoing legal claim is public record and though I will not publish the case number here, it can be easily searched.
why you shouldn’t hire a licensed contractor.
“There is no other website that has done this for homeowners. I can’t believe how much I felt protected by the state or even the city and realized there was zero accountability after all.”
S. Goldstein. Manhattan Beach, CA Homeowner
“We were referred to Andreana through a friend before this site was started. Her knowledge was invaluable as my wife and I wanted to install Solar and the company we hired was trying to get us to use their company as the lender. She showed us that the Solar company had 3 other licenses through the CSLB that were attached to their history with no violations but many legal claims including a bankruptcy.”
T. Noyes. Venice, CA Homeowner
“Once Andreana explained how and why the CSLB’s system is structured the way it is, I realized just how important it is to be educated as a homeowner. My wife and I cannot thank her enough for helping us navigate our remodel while we were out of state.”
R. Cook. Brentwood, CA Homeowner
“I had filed a claim with the CSLB 11 months prior to meeting with Andreana and had not had a response at that point. Then I learned that if my case was in Arbitration or the Court System the CSLB doesn’t act. No one tells the homeowner that when you hire a licensed contractor.”
F. Blakely. Westchester, CA Homeowner
Concierge Construction Consulting — The Step You Need Before You're In Trouble
When it comes to building, remodeling, or protecting your home in California, experience and proper oversight matter more than ever. As a construction consultant for California homeowners, I offer independent investigative and advisory services to help you properly vet contractors, review contracts, and oversee project phases — before issues turn into expensive disasters. Having a trusted third party on your side can save you hundreds to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and I can easily show you why: losing upfront deposits with no work performed is bad, but defective work that must be ripped out and redone is far worse, creating compounded costs, complicated timelines, and expensive, overwhelming corrections.
With contractor scams in California becoming more intricate — and now even more common than traditional defective work cases — homeowners are facing greater risks than ever before. These schemes often involve contractors setting up their own "engineers," "designers," and "architects," while also expanding into predatory solar, lending, and materials scams. Newer scams involve using "special order" home fixtures sold through their own website, a tactic used to bypass California’s $1000 legal limit on upfront deposits. These hidden strategies leave homeowners vulnerable to substantial financial loss from the start with little immediate recourse.
Whether you're planning a renovation, starting new construction, buying a home, or already facing challenges mid-project, my services give you trusted third-party oversight when you need it most — and often before costly problems arise.
View Concierge Services and Book a Consult
The realities of consumer protection — and why it falls short. Our case studies cover legal nuances, the top scams contractors use, and an in-depth look at what’s fueling the rise of underground licensed construction rings across California. We also examine why arbitration clauses are so widely used by contractors, and how, in my opinion, the CSLB supports this practice. Arbitration keeps cases out of the public court system, reduces visibility into contractor misconduct, and ultimately limits contractors' legal exposure — while protecting the state system itself.
Construction Cons Are Happening Across California Every Day.
Licensed contractors are using legal loopholes to steal from homeowners — and getting away with it, it’s incredibly easy to do.
From landscaping to major remodels, contractors know that most homeowners are novices when it comes to construction. They also know that getting a license is easy, the consequences for bad behavior are minimal, and ironically, having a license gives them more legal power to retaliate — even with baseless or fabricated claims against homeowners, including filing fraudulent mechanics liens.
It’s the perfect setup to steal a lot of money in a short amount of time.
Shocking CSLB Fasts Fact: Contractor Licensing and Oversight in California
Many homeowners trust that the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) rigorously vets contractors before issuing licenses. However, the reality is more concerning. In 2024, the CSLB received 38,200 license applications. Yet, only 3% percentage of these applications undergo any review, that’s a shocking 1,146 only.
Alarmingly, individuals with histories of contractor fraud stay in the industry. Depending on how a construction company is structured, these "bad actors" legally obtain and receive new licenses with little to no delay, exploiting the systemic loophole.
Adding to these concerns, during the March 2025 board meeting, Diana Love, the Past Executive Chair and current Public Chair Member, proposed initiatives to provide job opportunities for incarcerated individuals within the licensed construction sector. While rehabilitation and reintegration are vital societal goals, many homeowners, including myself, feel this is not ok. The prospect of individuals with criminal backgrounds working in their homes, especially given the existing oversight challenges within the CSLB.
Learn more about the lack of real oversight within the CSLB — and how it impacts homeowners.
Hi, I’m Andreana. I’m here to break down the realities of construction and transparently show you everything to expect when hiring a contractor.
I also have a small cat rescue and an animal wellness company, and I’ve been deeply involved in the animal health and welfare field for over 15 years. I love educating pet parents on integrative ways to help their pets thrive. Living with a chronically painful and debilitating autoimmune condition has given me an extra layer of insight, as animals today are increasingly facing many of the same chronic conditions that we do.
At my core, I’m passionate about education — because experience is the best path to real knowledge. Over the past five years, I’ve dedicated more than 500 hours to studying construction law and researching what I call the "underground licensed contractor community."
Unfortunately, the examples shared above aren’t isolated — they’re stories I hear repeatedly, and they’ve become disturbingly “normal” within the construction industry. It’s time to change that mindset and learn how to protect the biggest asset you will ever own.
I’ll share not only what I’ve learned from other homeowners and industry experts, but also my own hard-earned experiences. After interviewing over 30 contractors and diving deep into the consumer protection and construction laws meant to safeguard us, I’ve gained insights that can help you avoid the mistakes most homeowners don’t even realize they’re making.
This journey starts with understanding what licensed contractors know — and what they count on homeowners not knowing.
And once you know it, you’ll never approach a construction project the same way again.
Are you the ideal target for a scam?
Discover what contractors look for when choosing their next victim.
Imagine you save for years to remodel your home, only to face unexpected delays, a project that runs far past your budget, or a lender who approves you for too many funds. Maybe your architect or engineer didn’t understand the local building codes when submitting plans, your contractor claimed to be licensed but didn’t disclose they were under investigation, or the simple drain you needed fixed was replaced with faulty materials that caused even more water damage. Perhaps your contractor lied to you or even threatened you if you report them? You are not alone, this bad behavior by licensed and unlicensed contractors is happening everywhere in California.
Are insurance companies for contractors as bad as we see in the media regarding health insurance? Absolutely. The attorneys they hire stop at nothing to avoid paying out wronged homeowners until they are forced to by arbitration or court. by minimizing their damage and public exposure using arbitration.