After ten months of work and doing a major remodel with Robert Bimbi Construction, if I would want to summarize our experience in one sentence I would say Robert Bimbi is truly and exceptional contractor. His breadth and depth of knowledge in his field of work, his management and planning insights in addition to his integrity and utmost attention that he pays to quality of his work makes him someone that really stands out compared to other contractors. We started a major remodel project in our new place which ended up in rebuilding the entire interior of the house. At every step of the way, we ran into issues with the place due to lack of maintenance by previous owners or incorrect construction at build time (due to lack of any sort of code or inspection). We had to replace the roof, repair the entire roof support structure, rebuild two exterior walls due to extensive termite damage, and fix water damage in various section of the floor due to previous leakages. On top of that, we restructured the living area, built a new kitchen and three new bathrooms, added a walk-in closet and a laundry room, and turned an appalling garage into a beautiful fully finished one. The result was an unbelievable transformation of the place that we could never have imagined from the beginning. Here are some of the different aspects of our experience with Robert which I hope you find useful.
Costs and Estimates
Bob's cost estimates are usually pretty accurate. When it came to solving an issue, or deciding about how to proceed with a specific problem, Bob always laid down multiple options, provided the cost estimates, and made the best effort to optimize for cost efficiency. He always had his eye on the budget and made every effort to ensure we can get the best quality out of the spent resources, whether being time, money or effort. His initial bid was very detailed and the most reasonable among four contractors that we talked to. After finishing the project and considering the amount of work accomplished, I personally believe that we wouldn't be able to do this project with any other contractor at such degree of cost efficiency.
Planning
Bob's vision and foresight was always guiding the effort in our project; he always had a plan B for situations that we got blocked by a new problem. If there ever was an issue with any aspect of the project, he was on the phone calling, conferencing, texting and e-mailing all involved parties to get to the root of the problem and move things forward. He always prepared everything ahead of time for any inspection or work that needed to be done by his sub-contractors to avoid any delays and expedite everything to the extent possible. His great insight was always five steps ahead of everyone. For example, at one stage during the framing he called for an emergency meeting because he realized that if we build an archway according to the plans, it will limit our ability to walk around the couch that was going to be placed there. We decided to widen the archway to avoid the problem, something that would have been very expensive to do if we had noticed at a later stage.
Crew
The crew, Michael and Kevin, despite being young, are very knowledgeable, professional and courteous. During the course of the project they were always there to help, provide support and come up with solutions for any problem that might have popped up. There was nothing that they wouldn't or couldn't handle if Bob himself was not around.
Interactions
Bob worked really well with the rest of the team that we had on the project. Our architect, structural engineer and interior designer all had very smooth and professional relationship with him, praised his work and were happy working with him. We unquestionably could coordinate and manage everything truly as one team. He also had a really good relationship with the city of Mountain View and inspectors during different phases of project. We never failed an inspection or had any issues with the inspectors regarding any aspects of the project.
Sub-contractors
Bob's sub-contractors left a very good impression on us. At the beginning of the project, they all attended the job site multiple times to estimate the scope of the work and provide us with accurate cost estimates. Along the course of the project I pleasantly noticed that they were on time, did high-quality work and made every effort to accommodate our special requests. As an, when city of Mountain View unexpectedly asked us to repair part of the sewer line as part of the project, Bob's plumber was present on short notice to camera the line, prepare necessary DVDs and documents and come up with repair plans according to city requirements.
Overall, we highly recommend contacting Bob and soliciting his opinion on your project. Whether it be a small alteration or a major remodel, we are sure you will be pleasantly surprised working with him. read more