I cannot recommend Stratton Exteriors for any construction project until it--or its owner, Shane Stratton (who is the entire company, as far as I can tell)--work to improve in five areas. I shall provide an example of each area, but there are more examples that I could describe.
1. COMMUNICATION WITH CLIENTS & WORKERS: When the concrete men were almost finished pouring the concrete, my wife & I discovered that they hadn't followed the diagram that we had given to Stratton two weeks before. They had followed it partly, but they thought that they were already finished. We caught them in the nick of time, brought out our original drawing, showed them what we wanted, talked it over with them, and got--more or less--the concrete that we wanted for both the garage and the sidewalk around it while also preventing them from blocking the conduits for the plumbing and the electricity between the house and the garage. When we initially went over the entire project with Stratton, he told us that he would make sure that the concrete men, the plumber, and electrician would stay in communication, but the concrete men didn't know about the electrician's needs and the electrician didn't know when the concrete would be poured.
Another example of Stratton's poor communication skills: We frequently asked for a calendar so as to know which workmen would show up when, to know when we could expect different parts of the project to be completed, to know when we should move our cars onto the lawn, and to know on which days we would be awakened at 7:00 with requests to get into the house. Stratton never gave us a calendar. Indeed, he seldom even gave us twelve hours' notice of the arrival of workmen--such notice came, the few times that it did--by text, without any explanation of what these workmen would need from us. Stratton told us that he didn't provide a calendar, because his clients "shouldn't expect hand-holding".
2. RESPONSIBILITY: Every time that we had to call Stratton about some of the work, such as the failed inspection or the three weeks when the garage sat half-finished, it was never his fault. It was always someone else's fault.
The garage failed inspection, because the door hadn't been installed. Why did he schedule an inspection contingent on the garage door before it had even arrived? We're still wondering, but he never took any responsibility. Indeed, he blamed us for ordering too "special" a door and then asked for an advance on the payment due after a passed inspection.
If you do make the mistake of hiring Stratton, then do not hold your breath waiting for an "I'm sorry" or "It's my fault. I'll be right on it". Such words never pass his lips, and you will die of asphyxiation. He will then step over your body and blame you for being in the way of his project--and then demand another payment.
3. FOLLOW-THROUGH: A small matter but telling: When the garage was almost done, Stratton asked us where we wanted the pull-down ladder for the small loft. We decided on the side away from the human-door. Stratton said, "No problem". Four days later, he sent us a text: Unfortunately, the electrician had run the wiring on that side so the pull-down would be on the side near the human-door. He had pretended to supply what we requested but hadn't bothered to inform the electrician.
4. ATTENTION TO DETAIL: Before Stratton had even completed the job, we received a bill for final payment. When we pointed out that the amount demanded on the final bill was incorrect by $400, and that all specifications in the contract had not been met, Stratton insisted that the amount was correct and that the job was complete. (He then began calling every five minutes for a solid hour, but that's another story.)
We pointed out both some of the specifications still lacking and the amount that we actually owed. Stratton did some of the work and changed the bill, but referred to both of these matters as "surprises". They weren't surprises. They were in the contract.
5. HONESTY: All of the above incidents and many more show a problem of honesty. As one of my students said, "Well, honesty runs through the whole thing, doesn't it?" Stratton left us a garage floor covered in sheared nails and claimed that he had performed a clean-up. When I told him that the final payment would not be ready at the precise moment when he wanted it, he began shouting about lawyers and telling us that he still had keys to our garage. When I asked for an explanation of his promised "lifetime workmanship warranty", he refused to supply one. We could "trust him".
I'm afraid that I cannot trust him, and I cannot recommend that anyone else do so. It is evident that Stratton's acquaintance with the truth is more of a passing acquaintance.
Until Stratton Exteriors improves significantly in these five areas, I cannot advise anyone to hire this company. read more
