tldr; Month past due and still not urgent. The sales process and initial design is great, but after you give them the first check, all the promises about the process, and being stress free is lip service. Don't pay the extra for project management, it's free from any general contractor and probably better service. Just got off the phone and CFO is unwilling to agree they should keep their guarantee of $50/day because I gave them the check.
They were running a day late and I stupidly gave them the check when the job wasn't finished. We've had issues getting the bathroom done correctly which they are calling warranty work to avoid paying the $50/day penalty if they go over the deadline. The shower hasn't been usable to this point so I'm not sure how you can call it done. Not to mention, now there is no urgency to get this finished. Feb 12th was the project end date.
Communication - The communication is awful. At the beginning we wrote it off, but mid-project it's clear that it's just the way it is. Very important details not discussed between their crew so asks don't get done unless you are constantly wearing a project management hat. The change order process and flexibility they speak of so highly doesn't translate to all the necessary work because of lack of communication and lack of attention to details. Be prepared to constantly follow up with any requests, very frustrating.
Quality of work - We love the design and looks great but if you are not paying attention, you will have some things missed that you may not know about. Clean-outs covered up in the walls, HVAC vents covered up in drywall, low volt wires and conduit drywalled in for example. Backing for barn doors not installed correctly, generally thoughtless work that should be caught by the project manager but won't be. The bathroom has been a nightmare, shoddy work, still gaps in the grout, two colored grout from the patch job they had to do because they tiled before the new window was put it. If I wasn't involved directly with the tile folks, the tile wouldn't have had proper concrete backer or water sealing and look like garbage. You would think the project manager would want the same quality but doesn't seem to be the case. I've had to be the one pointing out these issues and interfacing with the tile folks. Not what I paid for.
Stress free - no. We started early because they had a cancellation and in the beginning, that seemed to be the scape goat for the frustration but it just never stopped. We've had several other issues as well, blinds thrown away, expensive wood scraps repurposed by carpenters for personal projects etc, the stress has been constant. We did a lot to help them get this job done, working on weekends, storage in the garage, taking deliveries and that attitude just isn't reciprocated.
When I escalated this to the business manager, they said they'd have to approve the $50/day but she agreed the job wasn't finished. I pressed to get verification that it was approved and it wasn't until 2 weeks later, today, that she said this is warranty work, a direct contradiction of what was said earlier. Again, give I can't even use the shower, I'm not sure how they can say it's finished. And best of all, since I gave them the check, of course, that was me saying the job was done. So, stay away, it's just move expense for the same issues and a whole lot of B.S. lip service to get you to sign. read more