Shefer Builder did a great job overall on our complete gut home renovation. This work was all licensed and permitted. There were some bumps along the way, but we're happy with the end results. This is a 5 star review, but please read on for details on how issues were resolved.
Scope of work
Full house renovation including extensive demolition, full kitchen, two bathrooms, structural changes to one bedroom, new plumbing, new electrical, new windows and flooring, paint in all rooms, garage work, and new gutters. Nearly all of this work was completed before we moved in.
Overall, the kitchen turned out great. It looks amazing, especially the countertops and the island. We did have issues with the cooktop and the wall oven not fitting with the cabinets which caused a lot of stress and confusion. The cabinets were eventually modified to accommodate the appliances though it's not a perfect fit.
The bathrooms also worked out well. They were able to enlarge the windows without issue. The tile work in particular was fantastic.
The new hardwood floors look wonderful. Very smooth fit and finish with no visible nails. There was some damage as a result of some work done after, but this was also resolved.
Most of our difficulties came from the electrical work. It was a big job with a subpanel upgrade, higher voltage outlets for the oven and dryer added, new outlets and light switches in all rooms, new ceiling lights and fans, etc. Some issues we encountered:
Some light fixtures were put in place without consulting us on the exact placement so these had to be moved later.
Cables in the attic were not secured to beams. The kitchen chandelier was not properly secured to the ceiling beams.
Work areas not clean/protected resulting in dings, scratches, light fixtures getting dirty, etc.
Some outlets were not working
Cosmetically some outlets are a bit crooked. Pendant lights weren't evenly hung.
The electrician did come back several times to resolve most of these issues, but these resulted in delays and complications, and many of these things don't feel like the homeowners' responsibility to chase down.
Communication/Follow ups
Communication at the beginning was amazing. Shefer was always available to walk us through the construction process and shopping for materials. There was a clear schedule of payments and work began quickly. There were regular calls from Shefer to clear decision making, and replies were also prompt when there were any questions or concerns. We also had a text and Whatsapp group where we could discuss matters with the project manager, the accountant, and the foreman.
Receipts were provided for all materials that Shefer purchased on our behalf, and we never felt like they were trying to upsell us on anything we didn't need when it came to the quality or quantity of materials.
It was not always easy or possible to communicate directly with the workers onsite. There was always the potential for misunderstandings, large and small, so we had to be attentive and plan ahead. We visited the job site often and tried to keep track of all the things that were being done. Some issues are to be expected on a project of this scope, but some were not reported to us so we felt like we needed to be diligent about calling out mistakes that could be more costly to fix later.
As the project went on and the major work was completed, communications with Shefer became less frequent, and requests took longer to be fulfilled. It was evident that as our project was winding down, they were moving on to other things. This is not unexpected, but it did result in some simple matters taking longer to be resolved, especially after we had finally moved in.
Some permits took several tries before passing inspections. I don't know if this is normal, but we did pass all inspections in the end, and we were not charged extra for this extra work.
Conclusion
Our home looks great now. It was a lot of work, and to Shefer's credit, they really did try to correct mistakes and were willing to try and make things right for us. This builder did not nickel and dime us for every small request, and they even made some complimentary improvements here and there for us that were not originally in the work order. Many of the issues we called out could have happened with any builder, and in the end, Shefer's overall cost, time frame of renovation, and general quality met our expectations. We recommend their work, but we also recommend that the homeowner expect to take an active part in their renovations and be diligent about making sure things are proceeding as planned. read more