Our experience with Israel Altit was outstanding. We had never done any significant work on our house and were worried about the renovation experience mostly because of horror stories we had heard about contractors. Israel was the one of the last contractors I met with to get a bid. His prices were fair and in line with all the other bids I had gotten from individual companies. In the end he handled all aspects of our renovation including installing new HVAC, tankless water heater, pool renovation (new plaster, tiles and coping) and all new pavers and outdoor patio cover. I had met with probably 25-30 different HVAC, pool and outdoor renovation companies prior to meeting Israel. Without knowing the quotes from these other companies his prices were exactly what other companies were quoting.
The renovation experience itself was challenging as it was done during COVID so we had nowhere to go during much of it. However, Israel and his crew wore masks and adhered to PPE guidelines while in our house. Most of the work for the project, however, was outside. The bulk of the work was completed within an 8 week period which was amazingly fast! Israel would do a walkthrough at the end of each day in which we had work done often pointing out things that we did not notice that were not done perfectly so that they could be fixed the next day.
Given our lack of experience with home renovation Israel was patient with us and once he understood the 'vibe' we wanted, made great suggestions for how to achieve it and stay within the bid. I was most happy that in the end, the bid was accurate and there were no hidden costs. For instance, he correctly stated at the start of the job that we needed a new electrical panel although all the other HVAC companies had said we did not. He included that quote prior to us signing anything so we weren't left with a bill at the end when the inspector rejected our old panel. He also did everything to code, pulled all permits (and didn't overcharge us for them as some other companies were going to) and was there for inspections. During the process Israel also showed us some of the shadier ways companies can see that we will need extra work but will wait to reveal it once we are under contract and mid project.
We had one instance where the crew broke an electrical line that was improperly installed by the home's previous owner. While we did come out of pocket for some of the costs to put in a correctly installed line Israel held good to his word and "helped" with the additional job simply because damage was done by his crew. He, at every turn was honest and dependable.
While we did not end up with surprise increases based on the bid, there were things that we chose to get done that improved the look of the project. Israel brought those items (such as a better tile for the pool) to our attention along with the price increase it would bring and gave us a choice as to whether we wanted to spend the extra money. His taste as far as design and aesthetics is incredible. Every suggestion he made as to design and the look of the project was spot on and other than the tile, which WE chose to spend more on, were not things that drove up the price.
Overall our experience with Israel was that he was competent, considerate, honest and likable. He and his crew did good work and we will absolutely use him again. read more