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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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"I have had a pleasant experience using Home Genius to replace my porch siding. Everything went as planned and I love my new look."

"We first became aware of this company at a home expo. We were in need of additional insulation in our attic and were looking into a ridge vent being installed as well. During inspection, we realized we needed a roof too. We negotiated a fair price for all three requested jobs and work started about a month later. During the job, the workers mistakenly trashed our gutter helmets and some were damaged beyond repair. We discussed this with our project manager and they were ultimately replaced free of charge. During the insulation install, the workers dropped a hammer through our ceiling and left a hole. It was repaired very nicely within a couple of days and you can’t even tell it happened. The cleanup after was very thorough. I found 1 or 2 pieces of metal after, but that’s nothing compared to what I’ve seen other companies leave behind on jobs for my neighbors. Overall, my husband and I are very pleased with the work performed and the price paid. Aside from the somewhat pushy sales tactics on the front end, I’d highly recommend this company."

"He came out around 11:30, looked at the jobs I needed done, I gave him a copy of the list of things I need done and he knew this was a big deal I purchased. I knew if there were to be extra time or work I would need to pay more and we were both on the same page. 2 hours later, I get a call from his office that it he was concerned with the safety of his crew and weren't going to be able to the things I asked."

"Step 1 for my project was replacing the original soffits, trim and gutters. My house is much better now that those things have been replaced. Step 2 will be having them replace my original siding. I like their products and ability to communicate through the multi step process."

"JDH did an excellent job on rebuilding my deck. They were very detailed and very efficient. I would definitely hire them for work in the future and recommend them to friends or family."

"Excellent! Had the squirrels removed and whole roof replace"

"It was an absolute pleasure working with everyone at American Home Contractors (AHC). I had a very customized project requiring a very specific type of siding since I live in Georgetown, DC, and we have several layers of historic oversight required prior to permit issuance. In other words, this neighborhood is extremely difficult to work in due to all the regulations required to obtain a legal permit to do any external work on these historic homes. John Roda, AHC’s Project Coordinator, was my primary contact at AHC over the many months it took me to finally obtain my permit and begin deciding on how to obtain the siding necessary to meet permit specifications. He was extremely competent and patient throughout the entire process and worked closely with me and the Historic Preservation Office contact for Georgetown to ensure that we were meeting strict product demands while also staying within my budget. So many other companies either refused to work with me or were incapable of working with me on this project due to the difficulties I encountered while navigating the permitting process alone. AHC is different. They have stamina, courage, and endurance. High-quality people + high-quality materials= high-quality job with the added bonus of a decent price for what you are getting. In the end, my home looks absolutely stunning. Even more importantly, I now have the peace of mind that my home has good quality siding and is structurally sound. AHC actually had to remove the illegal Masonite siding (has a class-action lawsuit for the damage it has caused homes in the past) that was likely installed in ~1970-1980 without the issuance of a legal permit when the old pebble dash stucco was removed. They installed some beautiful cedar siding in its place. I spent many sleepless nights worrying about the damage the Masonite might have done to the furring strips and the old 1880s substrate in the lead-up to the installation. Thankfully, all was well and the installation was extremely efficient and successful. The AHC siding installers arrived at 7 am on the day of installation and worked tirelessly until 7 pm. We initially estimated the job would take ~ three days, and they finished in only a day. Their work ethic and workmanship on the installation were truly astounding, especially in an era when simple tasks are often drawn out and good work ethic and professionalism are touted ad nauseam by companies but rarely mobilized in practice. As a first time homeowner, I have gone through a lot of mental anguish with my home’s historic idiosyncrasies, particularly when I am in the process of gathering estimates for necessary maintenance work and wait weeks or even months to hear back from companies that overcharge for low-quality materials and unenthusiastic, inefficient labor. AHC is different. I heard back with my first estimate within days (during fall 2020 with the COVID pandemic raging on), the materials were excellent, the price was fair, and John was very enthusiastic and optimistic throughout the project’s duration even despite the multiplicity of hurdles we encountered with the ever-changing demands of the historic preservation specialists. The only upside of gathering competing estimates and meeting with all those contractors I met with initially is that when I finally found a gold standard contractor (AHC), I experienced the sheer relief of having a reliable contractor for my current and future projects and to wholeheartedly recommend to friends and family. I am so grateful to everyone at AHC who worked so hard to make what really seemed impossible and out-of-reach finally materialize. If you have a tough (or simple) project that you need to be done right and are torn between companies or are just starting your search for a reliable, five-star contractor, I can highly, highly recommend AHC based on my experience with them. You will not be disappointed."

"If you are looking for great customer service, top-notch management, and A-1 construction team S&K Roofing, Siding & Windows. I had the roof down a few years ago and now gutters. Hassle-free from start to finish. Oscar and his crew's customer service were awesome and the skill of installing my gutters and the look was great. The night before was very windy and one piece of siding was almost blown off the house. I asked if the Oscars team can help and repair the piece of siding and without hesitation, his crew fixed it. That is what I call great customer service and teamwork. Look no farther and Pick S&k. You will not regret it!!"

"Arrived as scheduled and completed the repair within about an hour. Assessed overall condition of (19-yr-old) roof--i.e., should be replaced, probably before winter.
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