JD BERGEVIN HOMES

DO NOT HIRE. We hired JD Bergeven to rebuild our deck. He estimated a 2 - 3 week project. After the first week , I had to continually call them to try and track down their schedule. They had lots of excuses. They would show up intermittently, never initiating contact with me. After 10 weeks we fired them. When we hired new contractors they had to rebuild a number of significant areas (including the stairs and support structure) before they could finish the deck - and it only took 5 days for a new team to finish. They also did not understand the Timbertech materials they were working with, like not using the correct nails, having joints with gaps....some of which we fixed, some of which was too expensive to fix. Shoddy work and no communication.

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TLDR; Driving progress is up to you.  Painter is incompetent.  Will miss every deadline.  No green building acumen. <br />   I hired Joe to add a bedroom to my house and pour a concrete pad for another room.   It was a straightforward project he estimated would take 2.5 months (10/1-12/15).  He volunteered the 12/15 completion date so I put fines in the contract if substantial work was not completed by 12/25.  From the architectural drawings, the only thing that changed during the project was the size of one window and the additional removal of a 3 foot interior wall. <br />   10/1, the work started and within the first two weeks, excavation was done, the foundations were poured, the framing was done and the windows and trusses were ordered.  Within a month the trusses and roof were on and the windows were installed.  So far, so good, but this was all done by one sub. <br />   Then things started going in slow motion.  I moved out for the month of November so they could get the dusty indoor work done without disturbing my family.  There were only 3 things completed in November, the electrical was roughed in, two small (5 foot and 3 foot) non-load bearing walls were removed and there was a day or two of digging on a retaining wall.  Disappointed in the progress I asked him twice for a schedule with the remaining tasks and dates.  Although he said he could provide one, he never did. <br />   He was supposed to have the drywall and insulation done by December 1st (a date again volunteered by him), so my HVAC contractor could install a ductless heat pump.  I had to push out that date by 2 weeks.  Also due to him missing the schedule, I was heating an uninsulated room for 3 days. <br />   For the siding, outsulation and exterior window trim, he set up 3 meetings to go over it with my architect.  The first one, the sider didn?t show.  I wasn?t around for the 2nd one.  The third time he sent a sider who had never worked with outsulation before.  To his credit, he paid for the 3rd meeting.  Although the architectural drawings went into explicit detail, the sider required handholding to understand them.  My architect was visibly frustrated explaining the installation process to him over the language barrier.   The sider charged $8000 for 4 days of work.  It was $2900 over Joe?s original bid.   This seemed high for 2 reasons.  1. A bid from a competitor who specialized in green building, had worked with my architect before and was familiar with outsulation bid $5600.   2. When I asked the sider why the caulk job was so bad, he revealed he had used a random day laborer to help.  When I asked Joe about the price, he stated that the price was fair because there were several surprises, and he had asked the sider to come down in price.  Not buying this explanation, I called the sider myself.  I asked him if he had provided Joe with a bid before he started working and he said no.  I asked him if Joe had asked him to come down in price and he said no.  So Joe essentially wrote him a blank check with my money. <br />   By the beginning of January, electrical still hadn?t been hooked up, there were no doors or gutters and the porta-potty and trash heap remained.  I?d had enough of Joe?s work and I wanted him to tie up the loose ends, give me the final bill and get out.  I handled all of the interior work, hanging the doors, doing the trim, painting, patching the drywall and installing the flooring to wrap this up as quickly as possible.  Unfortunately, after the initial bit of electrical was done on 1/6/15, I stopped the fines.  Joe went back into slow motion.  I?ve attached a full timeline so you can get a taste of this. <br />   Probably the biggest debacle of the project was the exterior painting.  I had told Joe I wanted to have him do the exterior painting, but I wanted it done when the weather was nice.  Ignoring my request, his guys came out to paint on 1/15/15. It was sprinkling when they arrived, but they shrugged it off with ?It wasn?t raining in Federal Way.?  More and more rain kept coming, so they covered their sprayer to protect it while they continued painting.  Then it started a downpour.  All the paint washed off.  They returned the next day to continue.  It rained again that day.  They didn?t prime any of the bare wood and painted it while it was soaking wet.  Not surprisingly, very little of it adhered to the wood.  I fired the sub in charge of the painters because he was supposed to do some work inside like hanging the doors and doing trim work and I didn't want him trashing my house any more. They came out again to paint, this time it wasn?t raining.  But the paint job looks terrible.  There remain bubbles, drips, uneven coloration and almost bare wood in places.  (There is one picture from the first day and all the remaining are as it looks today) I told Joe to hold payment for this until they did it right.  Joe has repeatedly told me he would make it right, but hasn?t delivered.  I scheduled a meeting with the painters to come out and review their work, but they never showed.  Also telling is Joe didn?t look at the paint job himself when he came to collect the final payment. <br />   Twice during the project I was approached by his subs asking for money.  Although I paid Joe the day he asked, it was clear there was a considerable delay with money flowing to his subs.  First the concrete guy showed up at my door and I got a lien notice from the company, the second was the door guy.  The door guy said, it takes a long time for Joe to pay.  It took over Joe over 2 months after his last day to collect the invoices and present me with the final bill. <br />   Something as simple as grading a 20 foot driveway and hauling out the trash, spanned 2 weeks to complete.  The worker trashed the retaining wall and left a bunch of concrete debris which I had to get hauled out myself (see picture).  Also of note, my circular saw mysteriously disappeared after the driveway guy used my table saw. <br /> Here is the timeline: <br /> Before work starts pay 1/3 <br /> 10/1 Project and excavation starts <br /> 10/7 Concrete pads poured <br /> 10/10 Room, framed and sheathed <br /> 10/17 Trusses on <br /> 10/25 Roof on <br /> 10/31 Windows in <br /> 11/4 Pay second 1/3 <br /> 11/5 Retaining wall digging starts <br /> 11/10 Remind Joe I need the insulation and drywall done by 11/30 for a scheduled HVAC install. <br /> 11/11 I provided my door choices to order. <br /> 11/12 Rough in of electrical <br /> 11/20 Small interior walls removed <br /> 11/23 Retaining wall ordered <br /> 11/25 Retaining wall arrives <br /> 11/28 Checked on doors, still hadn?t been ordered. <br /> 12/1 I return to my home and there is no drywall or insulation. <br /> 12/3 Insulation is done <br /> 12/9 Drywall starts <br /> 12/12 Drywall is done <br /> 12/13 Retaining wall digging ends <br /> 12/15 They come out to look at siding with architect <br /> 12/16 Retaining wall done <br /> 12/17 Doors actually ordered <br /> 12/19 Siding starts <br /> 12/22 Doors supposed to arrive <br /> 12/24 Siding done <br /> 1/6/15 Electrical finish starts <br /> 1/7/15 Asked to grade the driveway and finish up <br /> 1/10/15 Gutters on <br /> 1/15/15 Awful paint job done in the rain <br /> 1/16/15 Bare wet wood painted without priming, doors come in, wrong size <br /> 1/17/15 Driveway grading starts <br /> 1/20/15 Paint job touched up but not fixed, barely painted wood, bubbles, drips, uneven coloration remains <br /> 1/21/15 Electrical finish completed <br /> 1/26/15 Doors finally come in the correct size <br /> 1/27/15 Driveway graded <br /> 4/6/15 Get and pay final bill <br /> 4/18/15 Schedule painter 4/24 to review work <br /> 4/24/15 Painter doesn?t show up <br />

The end result of the remodel is okay but it took a lot of time and they had to redo work several times

Joe is a really nice guy.  He worked with us to get a design for a bathroom that we truly liked within our budget.  Unfortunately the projects took 4 months rather than the expected one month.  The initial tile job was not satisfactory and his sub contractors consistently failed to show up when they said they would.  It was a very frustrating experience. Joe always answered our phone call, and tried to address our issues.  I wish his subs had done the same. Ultimately we got a lovely bathroom that is *mostly* done well.  We still have some issues with the shower floor which the plumber blames on the tile guy and vice verse.  We got so sick of waiting for sub contractors that would or would not show up.  We just let the last issue go. <br />

<p>The framer came out and completed the job within the time estimated.  He was professional, knew his trade, was license, bonded, and insured.   It went very well and we were very happy with the work.  Hope to have him out again in the future.</p> , <br />

I've worked with Joe Bergevin and his team on many projects. They have always done a wonderful job and I've only had rave reviews when I have referred him to my clients. Joe and his staff have always been very knowledgeable, on any type of home project. They make sure to explain in full detail every step of the process so that you are 100% satisfied with the final results. I admire their honest and straight forward approach when discussing project possibilities and pricing. A big part of having a successful real estate business, is building a reliable database that you can refer when clients need assistance. JD Bergivin Homes, has been an intricate part of my business and I would recommend them for any custom home or remodel projects.

Three years ago, we were in the process of talking to him about an extensive remodeling project. We were going through an architect that he knew. This project was interrupted due to a career move to Paris. While we were away, we rented out our home. During this time, Joe looked after our home and made any necessary repairs. When we moved back, we started the remodel project again with a few changes. As we got into the design with a new architect, he stated that he worked with Joe. The two of them worked together really well. They brainstormed and helped us refine our vision. The whole experience was just fabulous. Once we came up with the design. Joe helped facilitate the remodel through the city. He explained the costs thoroughly, saved us money when he could, and let us know exactly what to expect. His budget was spot on when the job was finished. His subcontractors were incredible and very professional. The framer, Bren, was wonderful. He is an artist and designed some beautiful woodwork for us. Joe was very honest about the time frame. In 7 months we were back in our home. Joe is very passionate about his work and has great attention to detail. I highly recommend him!

The general contractor who approached me was quite professional. He is very pleasant to walk with. The guy who actually did the work did a good job.

Great site evaluation and consultation. Very pro. <br />

They gave me several bids and I accepted the one for the stucco work on the outside of the chimney. They’ve been here two days and they’re going to finish tomorrow.  I also got a bid for painting and he came out with the painting contractor today and I accepted that bid.  They’re going to start painting the exterior later this week.  They have been responsive and they have given me low bids.  I have compared their bids to others and they are very competitive.  He’s a general contractor and he has subcontractors doing various things for him.  I had him look at my kitchen and he gave me ideas about what he can renovate there as well.  He’s got plumbers and electricians and everybody.

JDB gave me a detailed estimate for the work we wanted done. When we realized that our scope would just be too big for the time allowed, Joe and Johnny worked with me to get the project refined. They removed drop ceilings and crazy old offices to make nice big usable spaces for us, including specialized testing rooms required for our business, and a new kitchen. Johnny was very creative when dealing with the reused and recycled materials we were interested in and really made it work for us. Remarkably, they finished the job exactly on budget and only 1 day late! It was incredible! <br /> <br /> Our "new" office was a total dump when we started the project. But all of our clients and employees are delighted with the new space.

Overall it went great. Did we have some bumps in the road along the way? Sure. This was the second custom house I've had built and I can't imagine building a home without having obstacles to overcome and problems to solve. Thats wher Joe really shined. He is a great problem solver and task manager. Managing all the sub contractors could be a bit like cat herding at some times but Joe's subs were dedicated to him and when or if there was a problem, we all worked togethor to get it solved. Joe had lots of great ideas on big things like the layout of the kitchen and great input on the siding and exterior window trim, light placement, mantel design, dining room configuration, etc. The list could go on and on. Joe was VERY involved in all aspects of the designe and construction of the house. He would offer his opinion and let my wife and I make the final decision. Joe brought by some prospective clients by my house about a year ago and after seeing the craftmanship of our beautiful home and talking with my wife and I, they had Joe build a house for them. I would highly recommend Joe to anyone in need of a general contractor.

The home is 2500 sq ft. with upper end finishes and is two levels. The home was built on our lot. The work was superb. Fulfilled 100% of his commitments over the course of a 7 month project. You could tell he really cared about the services he provided and about me and my wife. Had the highest attention to detail. All of his subcontractors were first class. There were no outstanding issues. A potentially painful process was painless and I highly recommend them. I do not have the total sum of the work on hand at the moment.