Nabi Construction & Engineering

Nabi Construction & Engineering is a general contractor and seismic specialist in San Francisco. The company was among the first to conduct voluntary soft-story retrofitting in the city before the mandatory retrofit program began. Since then, Nabi has completed numerous soft-story projects throughout San Francisco and surrounding areas.

The firm handles structural and architectural engineering, seismic retrofitting, structural modification, design-build, and architectural design work. Project types include unreinforced brick masonry retrofit, concrete tilt-up retrofit, soft-story seismic retrofit, additions, and new construction. All projects are managed by the company principal and staff, and are completed to schedule and budget with minimal disturbance to occupants.

Nabi maintains established relationships with San Francisco City officials, plan examiners, and building inspectors, and oversees the implementation process from start to finish.

In California, general contractors must hold a state license from the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). General contractors are classified by license type—the most common are General Building Contractor (B), General Engineering Contractor (A), and Residential Remodeling Contractor (B-2)—each with different scope limits. Before hiring any contractor, verify their license status through the CSLB online license checker at cslb.ca.gov.

Building permits are required for most construction work in California. According to the California Building Standards Code, no building or structure may be erected, constructed, enlarged, altered, repaired, moved, improved, removed, converted, or demolished without a permit from the local building official. Code requirements vary by city and county, so check with your local San Francisco building department about what your project requires.

When selecting a contractor, ask about their license classification to ensure it covers your project scope. Request proof of current licensure, and review the license details on the CSLB website, which includes any complaint disclosure information. Ask your contractor how they will handle permits—most general contractors manage permitting as part of their service.