ACUMEN BUILDERS

Highly recommend Acumen Builders. It was great to work with Scott and have a single point of contact throughout the project. Off a couple a couple photos for inspiration, we were able to use Acumen to design the casita, and then work as the G.C. on the project. The software used to confirm selections was easy to use and a great communication tool to keep the various trades organized as opposed to having one big email chain. It was very clear that Scott had a good working relationship with the city for permitting, and has a good stable of high quality subcontractors in the area to provide quality work. The contract and billing was straightforward and we have all the underlying receipts for future reference. Scott was onsite - and on-time to meet all the subs as they arrived to make sure they were organized, understood their job and inspect there work. Project finished on time, on budget and super happy to have a casita in our back yard that is initially serving as a home office.

We hired Scott to build a 700 sq ft ADU/Casita for us and could not be happier with the result. The project finished on time, on budget, and the quality of construction was exceptional. From plans to permits to every phase of construction Scott did exactly what he said he'd do (and more). Scott's trustworthiness is second to none and that was the biggest differentiator for us. Knowing we could trust him without hesitation made every decision easier, and I'm confident that choosing him as our general contractor was the smartest decision we made in the entire project. I hope we're done doing projects for a while, but if we ever need to recommend somebody it would be Scott and Acumen Builders!

Everything from the design concepts to the execution went well. Acumen helped guide us through every step in selecting products and building materials. Their timeline and communication were wonderful. Their experience and suggestions were great.

Acumen Builders began with sketches and ideas that we talked through thoroughly. They helped us select and guided us through the process. Everything from the design to the execution went well! Acumen Builders had an excellent process with timelines. Attention to every detail and great communication.

I hired Scott and Ger to remodel my 1930s home (electrical, kitchen remodel and reconfiguration, new flooring, etc.). Ger was very good at fulfilling my design needs and wants, while providing helpful recommendations based on her own wealth of design and product experience. When the house threw us a couple of structural curveballs, Scott informed me right away and let me know what needed to be done and what options I had. They hired solid subcontractors when that was needed. I would definitely hire them again.

This is the second time I have used Acumen Builders for a construction/remodeling project since he did such a good job on the first one six years ago. The current project involved removing and replacing wood siding from a part of my house because it had been damaged by rain and sun. It also consisted of painting the new siding as well as scraping and painting other parts of the house that had been damaged by the sun. (He also fixed a botched job that had been done by a previous contractor.) Scott Gormley (the owner of Acumen Builders) is honest and fair and his work is of the highest quality. He has a lot of experience and is also licensed as a building inspector. One of the best things about hiring Scott is that he does most of the work himself when possible instead of just farming out all of it to sub-contractors. This not only saves me money but also minimizes the probability of miscommunication between the general contractor and the sub-contractors, which is a major problem in construction work. Therefore, it helps to guarantee that the job is done right the first time. Prior to the start of work he gave detailed proposals for the work to be done, and the cost of the work. Payments were broken up into small amounts to be paid only after the work was done. I can’t imagine how you could find a better builder. The price for the job was $10,335.00

Scott and Geralyn Gormley are a dynamic duo! We remodeled our 800sqft historic bungalow wishing to keep the details and charm while expanding the home. The Gormley's exceeded our expectations. They were always responsive listening to our wants and gently suggesting options that kept in line with our home's heritage. Scott and Ger worked their magic during the COVID-19 pandemic ensuring that our project would be completed on-time. The compliments that we receive from our neighbors and complete strangers as they walk down our street speak volumes to the quality of work. Highly recommend Acumen Builders!

Scott was easy to work with and communicated well. We felt there was a good mix of listening to our requests and making recommendations so that we ended up with a finished product that we are very happy with.

We have done several home renovations over the years and Geralyn and Scott are by far the best We have ever experienced working with in past 15 years. From the moment we met Geralyn and Scott they were extremely thorough in their estimate and made sure to stay on target within the timelines and expenditures. Geralyn’s taste and recommendations for all of the design work was exceptional. She also knows how to find great deals and bargains at the right time, which in turn gave us a great savings. Scott’s professionalism and the quality of his work is by far the best I have ever experienced. He oversaw ever step of the project from plumbing, framing, placing a 22’ supporting metal iBeam, drywall installation to all of the finishing work. Scott and Geralyn were able to work together and see the vision in making our dream home come true! Their communication during the entire project was always timely. As a team and company, Acumen Builders LLC is the best team to chose for any project to have done for your home remodel. My wife and I can not say enough great things about the both of them and their company.

It went great. Contractor Scott Gormley was very professional, as were the workers he brought in to do the work. They all were wonderful!

Fairly on time and budget. Everything was tracked on a web portal so updates and changes were clear.There were a few misunderstandings that were quickly resolved.

The renovations went very well. Scott is amazing!--very responsive and professional. He made sure I was satisfied at every point along the way and followed up at all the right times. His subs were trustworthy and did excellent work as well. Acumen is very easy to work with and I give them my very highest recommendation!

Amazing experience... Scott was so attentive and respectful towards my parents (and my pets!). Care was taken to stay on budget and yet maintain quality and meet the specific needs of my parents. He ensured that everything completed was on time and with quality. He organized all the subcontractors and ensured that the work was completed with care. Inspections were timely and ran smooth. We are very happy with our new little space. My parents have a beautiful place to call their own and are now able to maintain independence while at the same time having the security that someone is around should assistance be needed. Scott and his company were the angels we needed during a difficult stage in my parents life.

I can't sing enough praise for Scott and Geralyn-- they are truly fantastic. From the preliminary planning phase, to the knee-deep in construction portion, to the incredible final product. I was thrilled from start to finish. Scott is an honest, hard working person, who offered a very fair price. We had a few issues throughout the project, and Scott's charges for these unforeseen problems were incredibly reasonable. Scott did much of the work himself and was on site most days, which I really appreciated. He uses great subcontractors, and we were very happy with their work as well. Our project took longer than it was scheduled due to some unforeseen delays (cabinets, counters, appliances), but Scott took these delays in stride and worked things out with other tradesmen. We truly could not be happier with how our house turned out. Every time I walk into our transformed living space, I'm so happy we hired Acumen Builders to complete the job!

They did a good to excellent job overall. The tile guy did an excellent job with the layers of decorative tile for the front of the tub and the wainscot. He explained if something wouldn't work for the tiling and came up with suggestions for alternatives.
 Scott was good at communicating when the various trades would be there and making sure that the work was done to our satisfaction. If something needed touched up, Scott made sure it was done. The job was completed ahead of schedule.

Scott is honest, trustworthy and a pleasure to work with. He did an incredible job on our remodel. We will definitely be using him in the future and have already recommended him to several of our friends.

As remodels go, it went very smoothly, mainly because Scott kept it going as close as possible to target date. Was very considerate on all levels. A very pleasant man to work with, very cool and collected.

We had to worst backyard ever and no ideas where to start. When we meet with Scott from Acumen Builders he was so great in bouncing off ideas about what our backyard can become. Going into the meeting we were a little embarrassed about the condition of our yard (rocks, weeds, dead tree and the ugliest little patio and awning). We felt great about moving forward with Scott after that first meeting because he was a experienced license contractor and also an inspector. Scott so was comfortable to talk to, honest and fair. After the first meeting we started getting really excited that it was possible to make our dream backyard. have three young kids and wanted to make sure we has lots of grass for them to play in. We wanted the yard to be kid friendly but also have the ability to host parties. With Scott's help we came up with a plan to have a large covered bbq/ dinning area. A very large grass area. And a comfy lounge seating area with a fire pit table. We even decided to add french doors from our master to the backyard during the project and Scott was great in adding that extra portion of work. Throughout the project Scott was wonderful. We had access to an online portal that we could make selections on and be kept current on the budget and project progress. Even when we went out of town for a few days we felt included in the project because of the portal. We felt like Scott really considered our needs and design taste. He even looked through Pinterest with me to see what I liked! He was such a nice man to work with and was also really sweet with our kids. He never seemed to be annoyed by the constant interruptions from them :). 

We have been spending every day outside since the weather has been so wonderful. Our new backyard space has added so much joy to our lives. We get so many compliments on our yard now. Especially our new patio awning, it's just amazing! We had such a great experience working with Scott that we are now planning to remodel the interior of our house as well! Already getting my design plans together to show Scott. 

It went very well.  Scott brought good ideas and was open to incorporating ours.  His team of subs do solid work and worked cleanly and showed up as planned.  Whenever there were concerns, Scott was quick to address these.  We are very happy with the work Scott and team did for us and would happily work with him again!

I was extremely disappointed with the service I received from Acumen. Scott was very nice and responsive -- until I signed the contract with him. Then he switched to insisting communication on the job went through an online portal. A portal which was completely in his control! The problem with this is that it took up so much of my time, to have to log onto this portal every day, over a four month job. If I missed a day or two and did not make one of many many selections that Scott put up (sometimes forcing me to again "make a selection" for the same thing I had already selected months earlier), he would write in a report that I "was late making a selection". Now, unless I took the time to write back, saying "I did not make the selection because you did not provide information I needed to make a choice" or "I already made that selection a month ago", what he wrote became fact. Scott seemed to have a lot of time to do these types of things. I unfortunately, being a busy person and living overseas, was completely powerless to all of these types of maneuverings. Initially, Scott had told me in person when we were signing the contract that the job would take 2 months, when I had asked why there was no schedule listed in the contract. Against my better judgement, and led astray by these Angie's List reviews, and because I was in a hurry to get the job placed since I was only in town for a few days, I signed the contract without a schedule anyway.Then he made a schedule and put it up on the portal (the job took 4 months), without ever checking it with me. Because I did not every day search through all of the many tabs on the portal to find all of the things Scott put up, he said that I had pretty much agreed to it. All along, Scott (a one man operation from what I could tell), was taking jobs on the side (as can be seen from the reviews here), and my house was sitting empty and work was delayed. Once when I paid a surprise visit in the middle of the job, there was a homeless man camped out behind the house - so that tells you something. Another thing, Scott includes a very low allowance in the contract. So for example, he put a 1$/foot tile allowance. When I looked to choose tile at this rate, I could not find anything other than the very lowest lowest quality which was not acceptable even for a low income rental, and even only a few examples of that (go ahead and try for yourself to find tile at $1 - not per tile - but per foot!). When I asked Scott to help with some suggestions, he took pics of a couple of boxes where I couldn't even read the numbers and sent it to me. (While I waited for that I was again considered late with my selection). I had to choose a more expensive tile and pay the difference - however, Scott also adds to whatever the difference is a 20% markup. So, even though for him it is the same thing to install a cheap tile or expensive tile, you have to pay the additional cost of the tile plus 20% extra. I don't even want to go into the payment schedule, where you pay up front a very big bill for AC unit that he does not actually install until the very end. This tactic is also used for fixtures and other items. If you are working with insurance/mortgage company which releases payments when percentages of the job are actually done, it becomes impossible to stay on schedule with the unrealistic payments Scott sets up. At time of signing though, he told me that he will work with the release of payments the bank sets up, but when it came down to it, I kept on receiving notices of late invoices when he knew very well how the payments with the bank work and he was given all of the papers at the outset and he verbally agreed that it was okay. He even refused to buy flooring on time because of this, and then the flooring was not in stock and I received flooring of inferior quality because of it. Also, now after the job is done for less than a month, I get a call from the new tenants, saying that they cannot have gas turned on because the gas work was not permitted. I contacted Scott and he is not getting back to me. And, the portal with all of the information on the job is blocked for my access. Yes, I know I should have taken the time to download everything over 4 months that Scott put up there. Unless you have tons of time on your hand and not enough frustration in your life -- think 17 times before doing what I did.

I got estimates for this remodeling job from four builders, all of whom had straight A ratings on Angie?s List.
 I chose Scott Gormley of Acumen Builders because of his personal characteristics and his price. He is honest and fair and his work is of the highest quality.
He has a lot of experience and is also licensed as a building inspector.
Moreover his estimate was the second lowest of the four that I got, and about half the amount that the highest bidder wanted.
One of the reasons that his price is so good is that, in contrast to most builders, he actually does a great deal of the work himself rather than just farming out everything to sub-contractors. He also has low overhead.
Doing a great deal of the work himself also guarantees that the job is done right the first time.
Prior to the start of work he gave detailed proposals for the work to be done, and the cost of the work. Payments were broken up into small amounts to be paid only after the work was done.
Changes were needed along the way, and he accommodated those changes, including written change orders.
He always showed up when he said that he would, and kept me informed about his plans and activities with regard to my remodeling job. This is important since miscommunication is a major source of problems in construction projects.
I wish I had known about his company when I had another remodeling done job several years earlier.
I did a lot of research before choosing Acumen Builders. You can benefit from all this time-consuming research by just hiring Acumen Builders, thus saving yourself a lot of time and worry.

Everything from start to finish was great. Any time we had any questions,  Scott was more then accommodating to our needs.
We would not hesitate to hire again if we need anything else done. Oh and of course we highly recommend them to anyone whom would need anything done to their home or business.

We had an excellent experience with Scott @ Acumen builders!  We interviewed 4 contractors and he was by far the best, for multiple reasons:

• He was always on time
• He was consultative
• He was always thinking ahead
• The program he utilizes for billing and project management was incredible and helped us not let the scope of the project creep
• He works with excellent subcontractors
• He listened to all of our ideas
• His price was fair
• He is an all around great person
• He is honest

Our project was at least a 3 month project with the potential for lots of issues being our home in Arcadia was built in the 1950's.  He helped us make informed decisions when things came up, so we always felt prepared and not blind sided.  He was on our site everyday ensuring things were going as planned.  Plus he actually did work!!  I have never seen a contractor actually step up and take care of things like he did, even on a 113 degree day.  He also took extra measures to ensure that there was minimal stress on us with all the work going on especially given that I work from home.  
We didn't have the best architect (which was not Scott's fault - we hired the architect before hiring Acumen Builders).  Issues arose from the architect's design and Scott handled them with ease.  He even brought in an engineer to rectify some of the issues.  Additionally, once the new space was framed, we decided to move 2 walls.  Scott was incredible.  He wasn't mad - he was on board, because it was the right decision.  
Along the way he would also make suggestions to help us out so we didn't have any regrets.  We are so thankful for that!!  The end result is amazing!!  We are so pleased with our new master suite!!  We cannot thank Scott enough.  Plus he isn't done with us yet!  We are going to be moving a wall early in 2015 and make some changes to the original part of the house now that we are in our new space.  He is the only contractor we will hire again.

We had a perfect experience with Acumen Builders and Scott Gormley. We were complete novices when it came to contractors, home renovations etc. and had the usual concerns when we started the process of finding a contractor. Scott's work and business ethic put all our concerns to rest quite quickly. He is extremely patient, punctual and a great communicator at every step of the way. He always kept us posted on when to expect communication, i.e. quotes, revised quotes, contracts etc. His quotes were no-nonsense and straight-forward, unlike some others, where it is hard to decipher the bottom-line price. He mentioned during our very first conversation, he usually isn't the cheapest quote, but it turned out that Acumen's pricing was competitive in the end, compared to other "A" rated companies.
Scott made several trips to our home with various tradesman before work started, to make sure we were all on the same page with regards to the scope of work. He moved his work schedule around on short notice to accommodate our job. We were out of town for the two weeks the majority of the work were done and Scott kept us updated with emails, calls and photos of the demolition  and new build work. He orchestrated numerous tradesmen for the various stages of the job and dealt with some unforeseen, time consuming occurrences (a persistent gas leak for one,) as often is the case when one starts working on older homes - and finished the job on time as promised.
True to form and reputation, Scott is also super responsive and thorough with any "after-service" questions we might have.
We are absolutely thrilled with the quality of work that was provided and love the end-result and the new look of our home. We will definitely use Acumen for any future renovations and cannot recommend the company highly enough.

This was a project that required a very short notice and with a tight deadline in order to complete prior to installation of new flooring.  Fortunately Scott was available to fit in between other projects.  Work started on time and completed on time with planned schedule.  Scott Gormley is a terrific contractor to work with and one you can trust to provide the best advice as well as exceptionally honest and straightforward.