Bedford Home Improvement

Great people, great work, great price.

This was a small interior painting project. Estimate from owner that the one painter he sent could complete in 10 days. Actual completion took 21 days from start, with the painter taking off 3 days for a head cold. The painter was extremely slow, faced physical limitations, did not work full days and took numerous breaks. Quality was excellent as expected from a professional painter and would rate 5 stars. However, the lack of timely completion, non-existent planning on how to complete, extremely poor communications, and professional and personal conduct while in our house was absolutely unacceptable. All of these I would rate as 0 stars, leading to my overall rating of 1 star.

My mother and I hired Bruce Randel/Bedford Home Improvement to perform exterior refurbishment on our family home, which included repainting and repairing the exterior + rebuilding a failing deck. We had also made tentative plans to continue with interior carpentry and painting once colder months set in. In the beginning, Bruce was responsive and advised my mother he would be on-site early on for QA or available via phone to ensure her wishes/objectives were being met. He was also thorough in explaining the choices we had for painting. As time went on, the narrative changed dramatically, which prompted us to write this review. He started to disappear for weeks at a time with little to no communication other than he was ill. If he was on site, it was typically no more than 30 minutes and mostly to ask for additional money. (Our typical experience is paying 1/2 the job total upfront as a deposit and the balance upon completion of the work.) Trash was frequently left strewn about the property with little regard to keeping it clean. In all fairness to him, he did help with other tasks that weren't specifically in the contract, but he was also compensated for this. What was most disappointing was finding loose utility blades outside on the property, which is hazardous to anyone, let alone my young daughter who visits the property frequently. Paint was dripped on the paver stone walkway and not cleaned up. Ceiling clapboard on the porch is coming undone. All of this was mentioned to Bruce with little to no action taken to rectify it. For the deck installation, my mother was clear on wanting Timbertech. We mutually agreed on using a high-quality product that would last for many decades. It felt like Bruce was attempting to dissuade her from using this brand. At best, he was trying to save her some money, which was his answer. In retrospect, it appeared he had little to no experience with installing this product and did not want to lose the bid, so he attempted to steer her towards conventional materials he understood better. He then told her she needed to take the measurements/headcount of the deck boards so they could order materials. My mother emphasized she was not comfortable doing this and concerned a mistake could be made, and politely requested that Bruce do it. What followed was an endless amount of back and forth over inability to get over there, and who would get the materials. Bruce had also asked her to go with him several times to sit down with someone at the Lowes Pro Desk but she was confused as to why she needed to be there if he had the measurements. Ultimately nothing was done since Bruce had stopped responding to our inquiries. He has not been on-site or reached out for at least 3 months. To be clear, my mother and I reached out to him several times to try and reconcile before deciding to write this. Bruce made no effort to respond or proactively ask for the opportunity to make it right. So when our hands are forced, this is the last bit of leverage we have: to try and educate others in the hope that you do not relive our experience. The best thing I can say about Bruce is that he is a strong starter. I imagine he has been a decent contractor to others given that he has other higher reviews, which almost makes you wonder if you have lived the same reality. You second guess yourself and ask if you are judging him too harshly. Even if that's true, what I cannot understand is how you think it is ok to not show up to your jobsite for weeks on end, and then be made to feel that you are the one who is being unreasonable. If you feel this review is subjective, that's fair to think that. Everyone's experience is clearly different. If you want to hire Bruce and his company, go ahead and do it. But think twice before you do. We ignored some of the more obvious yellow/red flags and we paid the price.

Good guys... had one guy that painted 1400sqft. He paid attention to detail, took about 12 days, ceilings and walls, extra special attention to the protection of non-painted property.

I was told by the owner Bruce that he would be on-site for the entire job to supervise his employees, yet on the day of the install subcontractors showed up and the owner was only here for 30 minutes. The sub-contractor was in a hurry to complete the job in one day, they did not replace some of the plywood that the contract stated they would. Now some of the shingles are lifting and the owner is not returning any of my calls, texts, or e-mails for the last several months. Now, I am suing them in small claims court. Bob B.

We have a very old home that needs a lot of prep work before painting. Very important to us to have this done and Bedford Home Improvement is doing that. Bruce not only is knowledgeable in his profession, uses top-notch products, has reliable employees, but also communicates with his customers. So far Bruce has done everything he has promised to do. Looking forward to seeing the finished look on this old home.

Try to get in touch with Bruce Randel from Bedford Home Improvement regarding leak from the roof that he installed in August 2020 that is supposed to be under warranty for 10 years. Call and left message several time and email but never hear back. Not sure this company is still around. Will update this rating / message when I ever hear back or

Very professional and Commutative throughout the process. Bruce's crew did a beautiful job on our roof in a timely manner. Highly recommend Bedford Home Improvement.

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I was happy with the work he did and if I was not happy they would follow up and take care of it.