This review is not for the quality of the work but for the initial appointment.
I was referred to need for build by my neighborhood group mom and we are looking to remodel two bathrooms and one front fireplace. They look very legit so I called and set up an appointment.
It was a bit strange that they want to make sure both me and my husband be there for the appointment, but I didn't think too much into it. However, it turned out my husband had to work late that day so it was just me.
The program manager showed up, he was very personable and professional. The appointment started out well. I was told he'll finish design my bathroom with me and gave me an exact quote at the end of appointment. However, he keeps asking me where is my husband, can he meet with my husband, etc. and it got a bit annoying to me and I felt like I was not being taken seriously, especially I'm paying for the remodel.
After the walkthrough, the program manager said he will talk with his colleagues and gave me a quote. Note this is one hour into the appointment and I told him I need to pick up my husband and make home for dinner since we have two young kids at home.
After he came up with a quote on his end, I was ready to hear the number but he led me through a 20 min presentation of the company, which I felt is repetitive. I know this is a good company otherwise I wouldn't have called them to begin with. I finally told him I'm ready to see the quote, and I was shown an astronomical number, like almost $60k to re-do two guest bathrooms, materials not included. I was a bit surprised because I've done remodels before, and it should be between $10-15k for labor+haul away for each bathroom, this is twice I was expecting. I was also told if I sign the work order on the spot, I can get 15% off. If I don't sign this at the end of the appointment, the discount is gone. Feeling under pressure, I started to go through the itemized quote and found a couple places the quote is not accurate, like I don't have jets to be installed but was quoted $1k for it. I also can't imagine installing a towel bar/toilet paper holder can cost $50 each. The program manager keeps telling me this is a really good price, to which I was unconvinced. This is also the first quote I got for the bathroom remodel, so to keep an open mind, I asked him to send me a quote, and I was told they don't share quote in writing.
At this point we are at hour two of the appointment, I felt like this is just a waste of my time.
I understand in contractor business, it takes multiple trips to narrow down the scope of work, provide bids, discuss with the couple and it'll be more efficient if we can do things in one appointment. If this is your business model, please be upfront so people can be better prepared.
Also, it's hard to be accurate in quotes, but that doesn't mean you have to over quote people for things they don't have.
(I have since acquired multiple bids from other contractors, all within my desired range, so there's that. ) read more