I don't usually write reviews, although I rely on them. This might help someone else in our position to be proactive with this company. Our experience was not the same as the first reviewer, whose work was apparently happening around the same time ours did.
To begin, I should say that we are happy with the final product. We believe that's primarily because the last two days of our job, Vincent came in and redid work and finished the job. Two people did in two days what crews weren't able to do in three weeks. We commend him for that.
We purchased our new (older) home at the end of August and had 60 days to occupy to be in compliance with our mortgage. It needed updating so while the house was empty, we remodeled and removed and reconstructed a few walls. We have remodeled several homes and knew dry wall patching and the difference in textures was beyond our scope.
We solicited several bids. All ended up being comparable to the bid Vincent eventually presented us, but we relied on the recommendation of a neighbor who worked with Vincent. It took awhile to get a hold of him, but he came by and, although we needed the project to move more quickly, stated that he would need two weeks from start to finish because of his workload. Although the timeline was tough, we were impressed by him. The timelines others bid for the job was 3 days to a week. One quote we received included removing popcorn ceilings, which we ended up doing ourselves. Years ago we had a similar job done (smaller scale) that took about a week. I wasn't able to locate that contractor, which was the reason we solicited bids.
The factors that affect our review are:
1) Significant underbidding - the job came in at $2,000 over the quote, which significantly impacted our budget.
2) Poor project management - given we were by the house every day to pick up mail, we observed that work was sporadic and we don't believe Vincent visited the site until the end of the project. He bid 48 hours and charged us for 75. When we asked about the difference in the bid, his assistant provided a breakdown of hours, but it's our feeling that subs overcharged and weren't monitored. In addition, the two week lead time turned into three and was headed for a fourth week until we insisted it be finished so we could start laying floors and installing our kitchen. If they couldn't finish we were moving forward anyway and intended to cover everything and work around the crews. We didn't have a choice.
3) Poor communication - We didn't receive updates unless we called or texted to ask for updates. We only learned of the sliding lead times when we contacted them. When we were able to talk, we were told people quit, someone got hurt, etc. Things happen, but that's something we shouldn't have to learn about because our job has stalled and we made a call. Proactive customer service matters.
In a nutshell, if you're not living in the home while the work is being done, be sure your bid includes a detailed timeline, scheduled regular check-ins and weekly details about the subs coming and going. I reiterate, we are pleased with the end product and Vincent did come through at the end. At the same time, the impact to our budget meant we aren't able to do other things and we moved into a house under construction. It's not the worst thing that can happen, but when you're doing all the work yourself and work full-time, it creates unnecessary stress and strain. read more
