First of all I should say that I liked these guys personally. I can tell they care about their work and want to do a good job. When it comes down to it, this is pretty much the most important thing when it comes to the trades and I can't fault Amortech here. It's hard to find people who care.
The main problem Armortech has is with their communication skills. I had a simple project (a small kitchen counter). There was a hiccough after their initial inspection (part of the counter wasn't level, had gaps in it, and it needed fixing - this couldn't be seen when they first looked at the counter because it was covered by a cabinet). I sent some photos and en email early on after the initial bid to show them what we had found. At the time they didn't seem to think it was a big deal and they had told me when they did the initial inspection that, if it came to it with that section of the counter, they could always cut that part out and put in a piece of plywood.
I also asked at this point if they could do my tub surround and they said yes. We talked through all the particulars via email, they rescheduled me (necessitating me to reschedule my other subs - tile and carpenter), and we agreed on everything including the additional price for the bathroom. Not a huge deal and I was a little surprised that they "didn't have time" because the tub surround is actually quite small - only two sides. But not really a big deal.
Time passed and I think they got crazy busy, especially with new requirements for jobs post-Covid. I was a small project and a new client. The day before they were supposed to come I sent another email reminding them of everything that was going to get done, the time we'd agreed to meet, my phone number, etc. Just to be sure. I had this feeling that maybe they weren't on top of things. All of a sudden, they wanted to reschedule again. They couldn't work with the countertop. I needed a carpenter to do it and they couldn't do the bathtub surround either because there was latex paint on the old surround (there wasn't - Armortech and I had already talked about the pain in the emails and I'd verified with my painter that there was no paint on it.). I suspect the real issue why they couldn't do the tub surround was they didn't have time. I also suspect they were relieved to have an excuse (they couldn't work with the countertop) to reschedule me again because they didn't really have time for me anyway.
I told them that after all this, I expected them to show up and just figure it out. If you look at their website (and recommendations I got from other customers) these guys do lots of complicated work and can absolutely cut a piece of counter out and put a piece of plywood in it's place. If I'm being super generous, that's probably an hour or so of work. They just didn't want to do it (because I think they got too busy).
I feel like I tried very hard to keep them abreast of the project, what we had found as we demoed part of the kitchen. I emailed repeatedly. Sent pics. Etc. They didn't reach out to me at all as their situation changed.
It ended with us deciding we were a bad match and they withdrew their bid. Well that was true! Ha! We were a bad match. If they respond to this review, I'm sure they will point out that the real problem was I changed the scope and we had bad communication. Can't disagree with latter, although I certainly felt like I put a lot of effort in to trying to have good communication. And as for changing the scope - I did! But I don't see that as a problem. We agreed on the changes and on more money for the additional work. That's a win-win in my book.
My recommendation to you: I do believe Armortech does good work. I have reports from other developer friends that I know and trust that this is true. I believe they care about the quality of their work; they were certainly proud of the pictures they showed me when we first met. I *really* appreciate that sort of thing. But if they are busy and overwhelmed, if your project is small, then they aren't likely to give you the attention you need. And, if they get their back up, *they are going to drop you*. There's no sense of..."look clearly we've had a miscommunication but I want to do right here. How can we make something work out?" To be fair, that level of professionalism is hard to find these days. Nevertheless....
I do a lot of work around town and I like to try new subs out on small jobs before doing anything else with them. I think it's very revealing and it proved to be here. If you feel like you can manage the communication absolutely clearly and on your own without a lot of ownership on their end for the process - you will probably be happy with the outcome. If you are a small job, new to the remodel process, or expect a high degree of professionalism and an ability to do what's necessary to work things out - I recommend you take a pass on these folks. Hence the 2 star review. read more
