We guarantee your satisfaction from start to finish. We Build, and You'll be Thrilled. Builders - Homes, Remodeling - General, Remodeling - Kitchen & Bathroom -
"Terrible. He broke a valve resulting in a flooded bathroom floor and left an open, leaking pipe that dripped into the basement through an open hole. My family is still without a toilet in that bathroom. The shower basin was the wrong size, so he was going to cut studs near electrical wiring to make it fit. I said that I wanted a Toto toilet. He bought a cheap brand for $150, a brand I have never heard of. We found the receipt in the bathroom. He had many reasons as to why he kept getting detained, one because he said he needed more money. The contract stated 50 percent at signing, another 25 percent upon completion of demo, and the final 25 percent on project completion. I paid him $4,550 on 12/4/2024, CASH. I paid another $1,500 on 12/21/2024 CASH, and $766 on 1/17/2025 CASH. He refused to work unless I paid him on 12/21/2024 because he said he had completed the bathroom demo, and according to the contract, $2,275 was required at completion of bathroom gutting, but the gutting was incomplete with mounds of insulation on the floor and the dumpster was still in our driveway. Even after I explained that the gutting was not complete until all debris was removed and the dumpster was gone, I still paid him, but I did this because he refused to work without this payment. When he began working again, contract specifications were not met. He continued not to show up for work, each time with an excuse, sick children, sick wife, car broke down, etc. I have never heard of a contractor who did not own a truck, but he did not. There were many warning signals, no business cards etc., but I gave him the benefit of the doubt because he had two young children. The contract was signed 12/4/2024 and I terminated his services on 2/11/2025, after 3 months without a toilet, shower, sink, etc. He was angry and threatened to sue me for breach of contract, but the more chances I gave him, the more I realized he had no clue what he was doing. Per your rating below, please clarify your scale, is 1 the best and 5 the worst? I can’t provide a rating with a clear understanding of your rating system. In the end, all he completed was the bathroom demolition. I can live with him keeping $1500 for that, even though it could have been done for much less. I would like a refund of $4,550 as he didn’t complete any work other than the demo and didn’t purchase materials that fit our bathroom requirements. Note: he is going to contest that he did spend money on supplies such as bathroom pipe pieces, toilet, shower enclosure, even though they were the wrong size. He took them from our work site. I pulled thousands of dollars from my retirement account, money that I believed would have resulted in a nice bathroom. My family has endured hardship without the bathroom, and I have been dealing with tremendous stress as a result. It is also taking me extra time to prepare this document for you, time that I need for more important priorities such as my health."
Joan P on March 2025
We guarantee your satisfaction from start to finish. We Build, and You'll be Thrilled. Builders - Homes, Remodeling - General, Remodeling - Kitchen & Bathroom -
"Terrible. He broke a valve resulting in a flooded bathroom floor and left an open, leaking pipe that dripped into the basement through an open hole. My family is still without a toilet in that bathroom. The shower basin was the wrong size, so he was going to cut studs near electrical wiring to make it fit. I said that I wanted a Toto toilet. He bought a cheap brand for $150, a brand I have never heard of. We found the receipt in the bathroom. He had many reasons as to why he kept getting detained, one because he said he needed more money. The contract stated 50 percent at signing, another 25 percent upon completion of demo, and the final 25 percent on project completion. I paid him $4,550 on 12/4/2024, CASH. I paid another $1,500 on 12/21/2024 CASH, and $766 on 1/17/2025 CASH. He refused to work unless I paid him on 12/21/2024 because he said he had completed the bathroom demo, and according to the contract, $2,275 was required at completion of bathroom gutting, but the gutting was incomplete with mounds of insulation on the floor and the dumpster was still in our driveway. Even after I explained that the gutting was not complete until all debris was removed and the dumpster was gone, I still paid him, but I did this because he refused to work without this payment. When he began working again, contract specifications were not met. He continued not to show up for work, each time with an excuse, sick children, sick wife, car broke down, etc. I have never heard of a contractor who did not own a truck, but he did not. There were many warning signals, no business cards etc., but I gave him the benefit of the doubt because he had two young children. The contract was signed 12/4/2024 and I terminated his services on 2/11/2025, after 3 months without a toilet, shower, sink, etc. He was angry and threatened to sue me for breach of contract, but the more chances I gave him, the more I realized he had no clue what he was doing. Per your rating below, please clarify your scale, is 1 the best and 5 the worst? I can’t provide a rating with a clear understanding of your rating system. In the end, all he completed was the bathroom demolition. I can live with him keeping $1500 for that, even though it could have been done for much less. I would like a refund of $4,550 as he didn’t complete any work other than the demo and didn’t purchase materials that fit our bathroom requirements. Note: he is going to contest that he did spend money on supplies such as bathroom pipe pieces, toilet, shower enclosure, even though they were the wrong size. He took them from our work site. I pulled thousands of dollars from my retirement account, money that I believed would have resulted in a nice bathroom. My family has endured hardship without the bathroom, and I have been dealing with tremendous stress as a result. It is also taking me extra time to prepare this document for you, time that I need for more important priorities such as my health."
Joan P on March 2025
Ithaca Flooring Solutions specializes in Polished Concrete and Resinous Coatings such as Epoxy. We also offer Custom Concrete Countertops, as well as 'traditional' flooring such as wood, vinyl, and tile
Ithaca Flooring Solutions specializes in Polished Concrete and Resinous Coatings such as Epoxy. We also offer Custom Concrete Countertops, as well as 'traditional' flooring such as wood, vinyl, and tile
Felix Air Duct Cleaning Installations & Services for all your home or business repair needs.
Felix Air Duct Cleaning Installations & Services for all your home or business repair needs.
Residential & commercial flooring installation & repair. Carpets, vinyl, porcelain tile, hardwood & laminate floors.
Residential & commercial flooring installation & repair. Carpets, vinyl, porcelain tile, hardwood & laminate floors.
We are a Veteran owned, family owned and operated company proudly serving Central New York and the Fingerlakes Region. We thrive on business relationships that become long term, and work mostly on referred customers.
"We paid Matt at Family Ties Contracting over $35,000 to renovate our downstairs apartment in an agreed upon maximum of three months. The problems began early, with delays to the start of our project, but we cut him slack because one of his employees was injured in an accident. Not long after, we began getting bills for extras that 1) were already detailed in the contract and 2) were never signed off on. We were clear with Matt from the beginning that we wanted a space that was up to code, it wasn't till months later that we discovered he never even pulled a building permit - is a big "no no" where we live. Our local inspector did not seem happy about this and, in the process of inspections, we discovered other work that needed to be done to bring the apartment up to code, adding to the cost of our project. The problems continued when Matt began to refuse doing work that was clearly in the contract, from small jobs like installing the kitchen sink, to big ones like adding sheetrock to the ceiling to meet code, which was the first thing listed in our contract. The quality of the work was poor, we ended up having to hire a second electrician to install the correct type of outlet for our washer/dryer and a second plumber to fix a leaky sink which was installed. When the project was "finished" it was a mess (see pictures below). Worst of all, the project wasn't actually completed for 11 months - 8 longer than what was in our contracted, which resulted in the loss of a years worth of rental income. We were *constantly* calling them to come back and fix mistakes over this time, with varying degrees of success. To top it off, the owner apparently began spreading rumors about me and my wife because of the difficulties. I wouldn't have even bothered writing this, until I became aware of that. Overall, a totally unprofessional experience. We have spent over $52,000 so far and we are having to finish up by hiring outside contractors. We feel like we were screwed by Family Ties Contracting. It's not just the money and the poor results, but the stress and frustration made for an overall terrible experience."
Chad L on July 2020
We are a Veteran owned, family owned and operated company proudly serving Central New York and the Fingerlakes Region. We thrive on business relationships that become long term, and work mostly on referred customers.
"We paid Matt at Family Ties Contracting over $35,000 to renovate our downstairs apartment in an agreed upon maximum of three months. The problems began early, with delays to the start of our project, but we cut him slack because one of his employees was injured in an accident. Not long after, we began getting bills for extras that 1) were already detailed in the contract and 2) were never signed off on. We were clear with Matt from the beginning that we wanted a space that was up to code, it wasn't till months later that we discovered he never even pulled a building permit - is a big "no no" where we live. Our local inspector did not seem happy about this and, in the process of inspections, we discovered other work that needed to be done to bring the apartment up to code, adding to the cost of our project. The problems continued when Matt began to refuse doing work that was clearly in the contract, from small jobs like installing the kitchen sink, to big ones like adding sheetrock to the ceiling to meet code, which was the first thing listed in our contract. The quality of the work was poor, we ended up having to hire a second electrician to install the correct type of outlet for our washer/dryer and a second plumber to fix a leaky sink which was installed. When the project was "finished" it was a mess (see pictures below). Worst of all, the project wasn't actually completed for 11 months - 8 longer than what was in our contracted, which resulted in the loss of a years worth of rental income. We were *constantly* calling them to come back and fix mistakes over this time, with varying degrees of success. To top it off, the owner apparently began spreading rumors about me and my wife because of the difficulties. I wouldn't have even bothered writing this, until I became aware of that. Overall, a totally unprofessional experience. We have spent over $52,000 so far and we are having to finish up by hiring outside contractors. We feel like we were screwed by Family Ties Contracting. It's not just the money and the poor results, but the stress and frustration made for an overall terrible experience."
Chad L on July 2020
Snug Planet is Ithaca and Tompkins County's source for building diagnostics and energy upgrades. We offer home energy audits, thermal infrared scans and blower door tests, insulation, air sealing, windows and doors, solutions for damp crawlspaces and wet basements, high-efficiency heating and hot water equipment, and deep energy retrofits.
Snug Planet is Ithaca and Tompkins County's source for building diagnostics and energy upgrades. We offer home energy audits, thermal infrared scans and blower door tests, insulation, air sealing, windows and doors, solutions for damp crawlspaces and wet basements, high-efficiency heating and hot water equipment, and deep energy retrofits.
We are Infrared Building Inspection Consultants. We handle your inspection needs through the process of buying your home. We pride ourselves on giving our clients the best service available. By being a Certified Infrared Building Inspector we are able to find issues not visible to human eyes. We offer Infrared Sevices to comercial and residential property owners. This is a quick effective non-destructive method of testing and inspected inside of ceilings, walls, roofs, panels for potential problem areas or existing issue sources.Radon testing is avaiable.
We are Infrared Building Inspection Consultants. We handle your inspection needs through the process of buying your home. We pride ourselves on giving our clients the best service available. By being a Certified Infrared Building Inspector we are able to find issues not visible to human eyes. We offer Infrared Sevices to comercial and residential property owners. This is a quick effective non-destructive method of testing and inspected inside of ceilings, walls, roofs, panels for potential problem areas or existing issue sources.Radon testing is avaiable.
5-Star is proud to offer more than 30 years of experience in all aspects of residential contracting....specializing in: *Interior & Exterior Painting *Kitchen & Bath Remodel *Ceramic Tile *Water Damage Repair *Porch/Deck Repair & Construction *Basement Refinishing *Wood Floor Installation *Replacement Windows ***All of your handyman needs! Fully Insured!
5-Star is proud to offer more than 30 years of experience in all aspects of residential contracting....specializing in: *Interior & Exterior Painting *Kitchen & Bath Remodel *Ceramic Tile *Water Damage Repair *Porch/Deck Repair & Construction *Basement Refinishing *Wood Floor Installation *Replacement Windows ***All of your handyman needs! Fully Insured!
We offer high- quality home remodel, construction, & repair. A list of our services include but are not limited to: Home remodel, Flooring, Framing, Roofing, Painting, Decks, Sheds, & Garages, Siding, Clean outs & more! Appliance Installation
We offer high- quality home remodel, construction, & repair. A list of our services include but are not limited to: Home remodel, Flooring, Framing, Roofing, Painting, Decks, Sheds, & Garages, Siding, Clean outs & more! Appliance Installation
R-value measures how well insulation resists heat flow, which directly affects your home's energy efficiency. The higher the R-value, the better the insulation. By calculating the R-value needed for your specific climate and home design, you can choose the right insulation materials and thickness to keep your home comfortable and reduce heating and cooling costs.
You don't need to remove your old insulation before adding new insulation, as long as it's in good condition. Adding new insulation over existing materials can improve your home's energy efficiency. For example, you can install blown-in insulation around fiberglass batts or place rigid insulation over existing layers to enhance the overall R-value. However, if your current insulation is wet, moldy, or damaged, you should remove it to avoid health risks and maintain optimal performance.
Installing insulation typically takes five to twelve hours for batts or boards, and two to five hours for spray foam or blown-in insulation. The exact time depends on the type of material and your home's layout. If you need to remove old insulation, have a larger home, or hard-to-reach areas, the project may take longer.
The International Association of Certified Home Inspectors has said foam board insulation can last up to 100 years if properly installed. Some insulation materials can suffer from water damage or start to sag over many years, thus reducing their insulating ability. Foam boards shouldn't suffer from sagging but have the potential to get damaged. Any broken pieces of foam board can reduce its insulating effectiveness.