Norman's was fantastic. We needed to have 1000sq ft of old worn engineered hardwood replaced with laminate. We had gotten estimates from Home Depot and Empire but the Home Depot contractor said there might be sub-floor problems (turned out to be minimal) and would not even agree to come out until we ripped up the old floors ourselves and had any issues dealt with. It was clear they just want the easy jobs. Empire jacked up the estimate then gave us a phoney "discount" (don't fall for their 50/50/50 sale, it is a scam). We looked at their reviews on-line, 70% of which are two stars or less and decide not to go with them.
Enter Norman's. The experience in their showroom was excellent. Everyone was helpful and knowledgeable. The business is family owned and the employees are all part of the family too. The process of getting the measurements done was equally good. Tim discussed any potential subfloor issues and said they could take of whatever was encountered. Delivery of the flooring and the install were timely and convenient.
The actual install process was wonderful. Larry really knows his stuff and is willing to make the extra effort to give the best outcome possible. He found a small/medium area of sub-floor with damage and replaced it with a new piece, noticed that the old sub-floor squeaked because it had too few nails and used a pneumatic gun to nail down all 1000 square feet of it. He also found some lengthy ridges in the sub floor due to settling of the floor above the garage and sanded them down, 1/4 inch on one ridge and 1/8th on the other to make the floor smooth and level. The laying of the new flooring went beautifully.
Tim originally gave an estimate of $15,000 due to uncertainty about what we would find on the sub floor. At the end of the job, the total bill was just a little over $12,000 even with the sanding, nailing and replacement piece mentioned above. After my experiences with Home Depot and Empire, I was very nervous about spending this much much and getting a quality job. Norman's has restored my faith in contractors. I will be calling them to do carpet and vinyl in the rest of the house. read more