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"Although we contracted and made an initial payment (1/3) on February 27, by mutual agreement the work began on 13 April 2015 to allow the work-site to dry out from the winter weather.  The contractor made incredible progress in the first two weeks demolishing the old deck & garage porch, pouring footers, raising the frame & putting on the roof.  The first crew was very hard working, here early in the morning, & leaving late in the afternoon (after cleaning up the area each day).  When rain was in the forecast, the crew would ask if they could make up the day on Saturday, which they did.  Everything we saw in the first 2 weeks was consistent with our previous great experience with Fox Creek 2 years earlier when they replaced all our siding, windows & doors. The only problem at that point was that a plain black roof (25 yr) was put on instead of the architectural roof (lifetime warranty) we asked for.  The contractor acknowledged the error and offered to replace the roof at no additional cost.  We had originally only contracted for 2 skylights so we asked if he'd install 2 more at no cost versus replacing the roof and he agreed.  We were told that everything was on schedule to complete the rest of the job in 2 weeks.  We made the second (of 3) payment on April 29 which was when the excavation work below the porch/deck was supposed to begin.  No one showed up to start this work for several days and when they did (it was a different crew from the first), they typically showed up around mid-morning and were gone by mid-afternoon.  We had beautiful weather during this period in which very little work got done.  The contractor claimed they were having trouble getting the supplier to deliver sand and crushed rock.  Since we're located in St. Mary's County which is a bit of a distance from the contractor's home base in Crownsville near Annapolis, they decided to use "local" suppliers & subcontractors (electricians) rather than those they normally use.  We found out later that the sand & gravel supplier was located in Brandywine about 40 miles from here (there are plenty of suppliers right here in the county).  When the sand & gravel finally showed up at 10:00 am one morning about the same time the crew arrived, the crew directed them to the spot they wanted it dumped and then everyone left shortly after that without doing anything.  We knew by then that the job wasn't going to be completed anywhere near the 3 & 1/2 week total time advertised.  The predictable springtime heavy rains started and we were delayed even more.  The week of May 11 was the first week we could see some progress each day.  The end product was beautiful.  A paver retaining wall was put in all around the perimeter below the deck/porch and in between the concrete slab under the porch and the pavered patio area below the deck.  

We couldn't understand why the remaining work on the porch above couldn't go on while the below work was going on.  Wiring had to be put in, and also all the finish work (soffets, gutters, trim work, ceiling made of soffet rolls - looks very nice).  Most of the holdup turned out to be waiting for the "local" electrician to show up.  The electrician (Goudie) wasn't really all that local but was from Waldorf 35 miles up the road.  Our contractor had to threaten, cajole and/or beg Goudie to show up and install wiring so that the finishing work could be done on the porch.  We begged our contractor to get another licensed electrician (there are plenty of good ones right here in the county that we've done business with).  Anyway, once the electrician showed up we had to get them back several more times because they'd forget to do something we'd asked for or they didn't have a part and we'd end up in the same waiting game.  They did end up getting shamed into sending an electrician on Sunday of Memorial Day weekend to put in 2 ceiling outlets they''d forgotten to put in, but we still didn't have any fans or lights to enjoy that weekend, by which time our contractor assured we'd be enjoying the porch.  You don't EVER want to do business with Goudie Electrical.  

To make a long story short, after a lot of nagging to get a lot of loose ends tied up, the work was finally finished and inspected the Thursday (the day) before this past 4th of July weekend.  The porch & deck are absolutely beautiful (we'll attach pictures if we can figure out how to do it - they will speak for themselves).  We got some extras that we asked for like 7" wide Azek boards along the tops of the vinyl railings inside the porch to serve as a counter top for setting drinks or small plates of food or snacks, which we've had a lot of nice compliments about.  They're the perfect height for pulling a barstool up to.  One of the things we didn't get that we expected was a decent landing area at the bottom of our deck stairs.  The crew threw grass seed and straw there.  When we asked about getting some sort of solid landing, they shoveled out the area and threw some leftover crushed rock on it and tamped it down.  When we asked if they were going to finish it (we told them they could use some of the many wall pavers that were left over) they said the wall pavers would require digging too deep. We offered to pick up (and did) some square flat stepping stones from Lowe's which we left for them.  One of the younger fellas who was there one day to meet with the inspector and had no tools just laid the stones down, stomped them down with his feet and let it go at that.  The area was not level and a downpour that evening directed a steady flow of water from the stones across our concrete slab.  We didn't bother asking again, just tore it up last weekend, leveled and tamped it down properly and reinstalled the stepping stones ourselves.

Our sense through this whole experience was that there was nobody in charge.  Besides the first crew that started the project and came later on one day to install all the soffets and gutters, it appeared to be young fellas without any on-site direction or supervision.  They did a lot of good work but there was a lot of unfinished work that we had to call our contractor up to get fixed.  If we lived closer to Annapolis or the DC metro area, this would probably have been a much better experience.  They do good work at a fair price and the owners are very honest people and have the best of intentions.  But they appear to be ill-equipped to do business in St. Mary's, southern Charles or Calvert counties or other more distant locations.  I did mention to the owner that if he wanted to do more business here he needed to do more to establish relationships with truly local suppliers and subcontractors.  Communications also need to be improved all around - with the crews, between the partners, with suppliers, subs and us, the customers.  We had the sense that the crews didn't really enjoy coming here and that we were kind of at the bottom of Fox Creek's list of priorities due to our distance from their home base.  As much as we love the final product and will enjoy it and show it off for a lifetime, we couldn't go through the aggravation again.  We would encourage folks from the Annapolis and metro DC areas who are considering a project like this (or folks who aren't in any kind of a hurry to get a project like this completed in a reasonable amount of time) to give Fox Creek serious consideration.  

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"Home Genius Exteriors did an awesome job replacing our roof and installing gutters. Brady Phillips was our primary contact and was superb in explaining the process. This company went to work right away. Our job was complete in less than two weeks. We couldnâ  t be happier. Vicky"

"So please that I went with JW. The side entry porch had rotted wood throughout and the steps were sagging. Also, exterior house paint had been removed years ago but prior owners did not address one side of house, probably cause it was hidden behind crepe myrtles. Crepe myrtles are now gone and that wall is very visible on the street. Also there were some little jobs needed around the house such as replacing rotted boards above the garage. Got a quote from JW in late April and scheduled the work for the week of July 21 for 6-7 days of work. Two workers showed up promptly on the 21st and did a great job. Very pleased with the JW crew as they kept me posted on the progress throughout the job which was completed in six days. Wish I could post before and after pictures as it looks fantastic"

"The process up to the QA Inspection was excellent. People were friendly and knowledgeable. Austin was excellent at giving honest answers to all our questions. When I asked him one he couldn’t answer he didn’t try to BS his way through, he simply said he didn’t know and then proceeded to make calls until he got an answer. At the Pre-install inspection we were told the install crew would arrive between 8-10. The install crew chief was very surprised to hear that when he arrived at 7. The installation was also excellent. Done and dusted by 4PM. The QA inspection cost you an excellent rating. It was little more than a high pressure sales pitch to replace my aluminum siding with vinyl. I just spent $20K on a new roof and he pressured us to spend another $40K on something that doesn’t need to be replaced. Not cool. I would definitely recommend Power, but with a caveat on the QA inspection."

"Full house gutter replacement. Nick was 1 of 5 sales personnel that came to my home to present and gave me a no hassle free estimate, he left a lasting impression, months later I call to sign the contract and proceed, believe it or not he was the only salesman my wife remember because he was so professional, knowledgeable and respectful. From the time I signed to the time the work was completed was less than 1 week. The installers were awesome, couldn’t ask for more. I definitely recommend DZ renovation. Mark call after completion to make sure all went well. Thank you DZ. I can rest assured that water from my roofs is well controlled."

Almack Construction Corporation is committed to excellence in every aspect of our business. We uphold a standard of integrity bound by fairness, honesty and personal responsibility. Our distinction is the quality of service we bring to our customers. Accurate knowledge of our trade combined with ability is what makes us true professionals. Above all, we are watchful of our customers interests and make their concerns the basis of our business. Please give us a call today!

"This company was great to work with! They are professional and offer outstanding deals for projects big and small. They gave us new siding to our two condo buildings, installing it within a few days once the supplies arrived. After that, we had a new sliding patio door installed. Gary was easy to reach and made these two projects go smoothly. I definitely recommend them!"

"They gave me a quote, discussed options and we agreed to have the job done. They were quick and efficient. I only had two minor complaints: 2 of the windows were not what we ordered (we ordered frosted, they delivered clear - still not resolved) and I am still finding staples around the residence."

"Extremely pleased with the entire process. Sales rep, John was very helpful in getting roof replaced through our insurance agency. He helped submit the claim, personally knew the insurance adjuster and the procedures on getting checks from insurance company. John left business card and always contacted me back in a timely fashion answering all questions. The installation was done in a single day and the site was clean when they finished. They even removed an old satellite dish from the roof for me. Unfortunately one worker cut the wrong cable to the dish and I lost tv reception. I called Verizon and they came out to get reception working. John told me to deduct the Verizon charge from their final bill for coming out to the house and restoring tv reception.I would not hesitate to use Eastern Exteriors again. I just had to pay the insurance deductible for our new roof. Thank you Eastern Exteriors!"

"The work was done fast and well. We had a few minor issues with cleanup and gutter follow up adjustments but it was well worth the cost. Overall so far we are very very happy with our new roof and gutters and would definitely recommend Garner to everyone."