We inherited a very old rental-grade neo-angle shower in our upstairs bathroom when we bought our house in 2006. We did some minor patches ourselves to make it more attractive, but we knew we had to take serious action when the plastic floor of the shower cracked. <br /> Asa Wagner was one of three contractors who provided estimates. Other estimates were lower, but we chose Asa because as he discussed the project with us in order to provide his estimate, it was clear that he was foreseeing all the complexity of it and thinking through solutions already (e.g., it wasn't a full bathroom renovation which is often simpler, it's an old house so angles are never plumb, we didn't want to replace the tile floor but it was uncertain if some might get damaged in the process, etc). It was obvious he was approaching it from a perspective of anticipating all possible problems because he was the type of contractor who would make good on any future problems, and leaking showers can cause massive damage. He was also asking a lot of questions, clearly wanting to know what we wanted so he could give us what we wanted. He is also a very good communicator -- discussing the complexities in non-contractror-speak, but also addressing the details in a way that made clear he cared about the aesthetics of the final outcome as if it were his own bathroom. Lastly, we chose him because his proposal was detailed, the price was reasonable, and he was very approachable in addressing questions of money and project scope. We just plain liked him and felt we could trust him. <br /> <br /> Asa provided significant consultation up-front during the process of shopping for tile and a 36-inch neo-angle shower (there aren't many out there!). He's very accessible via his cell phone. He agreed to receive shipment of the materials since we were going to be out of the country for a week when they were due to arrive. He also was flexible in terms of scheduling -- we had to reschedule 2 or 3 times due to late deliveries and our own travels. <br /> Once the work began, Asa was very conscientious in setting up his workspace in our upstairs guest bedroom by protecting furniture and the floor. He was also very careful to clean up messes he made at the end of each work day. As our house is very old (early 1800s), there were many time-consuming difficulties that arose in the process of the work, which he had known would only surface once he got into the work. Asa took them all in stride and never requested a change order because he had accounted for contingencies in his bid. He was very patient and collaborative with us as we made decisions throughout the process (where to put the new shower head, how to lay out the tile, etc.). Asa also did an excellent job of securing and coordinating the plumbing and electrical subcontractors -- both were outstanding, polite, and conscientious. We know that coordinating subcontractors is often difficult and frustrating, especially on a small job like ours, but Asa had an easy-going, positive attitude and made it all work. <br /> <br /> A story from the end of the project will give you an idea of Asa's integrity. Because the grout needs to set for a couple of days before running the shower, he wasn't able to test the shower for leaks. In fact, it did leak significantly the first time we used it. When we called to tell him, he promised to come by and take a look and said, "My instincts told me I should use silicone calk inside the whole glass surround, but the instructions said not to, so I didn't." In spite of it not being his fault, he was there the next day to calk it all. Again, we had to wait a day to test it. It still leaked, but this time less so. He came by again, and spent several hours this time taking apart the whole glass surround and calking it all inside (after calling the manufacturer who contradicted their written instructions and recommended calking inside.) All this, AFTER he had been paid in full AND with no complaining. <br /> In summary, the final product is excellent (leaks gone, beautifully aligned tile). Asa pays very close attention to detail and everything he did was high quality. He is committed to customer service, and this was evident to us throughout the process. (One more case in point -- on one of his hardware store trips, he bought a package of the special light bulbs required by the new light/fan, something that we were going to do, but he wanted to save us the trip.) <br /> We highly recommend Wagner Home Renovation and we will not hesitate to call on Asa again should we do another renovation project. <br />