Lawn and Irrigation repair from Hurricane Beryl.
After reading post from Erin R., our experience was very similar.
4 quotes from local contractors. These guys were high bid, but believed that being local to them and from same Houston area, they would perform to the standards, and reviews posted here.
I had a sales/project manager return my call and schedule an onsite consultation withing 2 days. Which was great.
Quote was returned within 3 days, and was much higher than estimated (~40% normalized). Held another walk-through and we made concessions to reduce scope in order to stay within estimates we provided to our banker.
Revised quote came next day, and they made me feel comfortable about moving forward. Rec'd a text the following day to let me know how much they wanted my business.
Approved the quote, and they began work within 7 days (due to weather).
Demo / Installed as agreed, but spent time working with crew lead to answer questions, and make decisions/changes and reduced scope, again - essentially, "on the fly." Where was the PM?
Upon commencement, there was a bit less work than anticipated and the project end date was quicker than anticipated.
They did convey that should this happen, there may be some "wiggle-room" to make changes with no cost. These were agreed by us, and they delivered as agreed.
Installation by first crew was stellar, though they were very tired. Great to work with (with my direction).
Second crew was exhausted. Mentioned to me they had another job to go to after ours was completed, which was at least 5pm. These crews were tired, and lacked direction from the PM. Crew supervisor was exhausted, but did good job keeping his crew in good spirits.
Last day of work, crews head out ~4pm to another urgent job. Rec'd a call from the PM advising a rep would come by for a check. No walk through, no fit and finish, no final punch list). Heck, I figured all was perfect.
Bottom Line:
1. To costly, and quotes provide limited, if very little material and labor breakdowns to help us make an informed decision in alignment with our lender requirements.
2. Very Little Project Management (which is what I though I was getting...an Experienced Contractor).
3. Crews were overworked, and didn't appear to have worked together. It was a blend of crews. Supervisors asking us how project was to be installed.
Just like Erin post; crews worked hard, but lacking at least a drive by from their Project Manager - they were not prepped for success; and thus, poor install and final result. Definite lack of leadership.
4. Very little phone communication, everything was text or email. Heck, I did all I could to be the best customer to them, but figured this was the new generation.
Lastly, I just wished they'd befriended us. Delays, errors, accidents, or omissions to a bid are common. I felt like they were avoiding me. Texted a few times regarding materials that I understood were to be installed, but never heard back.
Hope this serves others well. Simply, its my fault. I must admit that I should have planned to stay on top of this project and measured materials and final performance. Again, my fault for waiting this long to post.
Memorial Area - Houston, TX read more