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"We had already had paid an architect and structural engineer to create blueprints.  My plan was to contact 4 contractors to submit bids for the job.  I found Goodfellas through Angie's List and they had a ton of great reviews, so I went to their website and requested a quote.  In less than 24 hours they contacted me and we scheduled an appointment for the next day.  I met with Danny and showed him the blueprints, and we talked about some other details that we wanted to see from the project.  Danny was very patient and took a lot of time listening to my wants/needs, but also gave some great suggestions on how we could improve the look and feel of the home.  After about an hour and a half, Danny provided me with a detailed quote and was on his way. 
My wife and I continued to interview other contractors, but finally settled on Danny and his team.  Once I let Danny know we were going to go with Goodfellas, he scheduled another appointment with us to go through the contract.  This meeting was substantially longer than the first, but only because Danny is so detail oriented that he wanted to make sure that every possible piece of the project was covered in the contract.  After settling all the details of the contract, we discussed start dates.  Initially, Danny had promised to start about a week after the meeting, however, he called me later that night and said that they could start in a couple days. 
Work started on 11/30/15.  Danny was on-site the first day with his crew walking them through the various aspects of the project.  I was not home at the time to meet all of them, but did get a chance to meet the Foreman, Rudy.  Rudy and his team stayed well past sunset to get some concrete demo work done and were back bright and early the next morning to finish it up.  By the end of the second day they had removed all the old concrete and had dug up the area where the new foundation will eventually be laid.  I am very curious about how this process works and Rudy has been more than willing to take a few minutes to explain things to me. 
The project is still on going, but I know Danny, Rudy and their team are going  to continue to do great work. 
"

"2 words.... Smooth ride. I can't express enough truly how great of an experience this was. I have good experiences with previous contractors but not like this one with Meir. I didn't feel pressured into making decisions, he was willing to work with me on the price (because I wanted everything high end), and I was constantly updated with the status of the project. I highly recommend working with this company and Meir. Thank you again for your outstanding work.


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"August 7 Update:

We're still underway (see pictures), but work is almost complete now and I really don't know what else to say besides WOW.  We practically have a whole new house and it's gorgeous!  And it's really only been 2 months since the city gave final approvals -- who else can build a house (and with this quality) so fast!

Sion and Asi have been there making sure everything is done right every step of the way.  They have also been very helpful in showing us all of the new components to our home and giving advice and suggestions as needed.  In fact, often when there's a decision to be made, we'll meet at the house and work it out together.  Here and there have been hiccups, but this is to be expected in a big construction project and it's always been resolved beautifully.  I really appreciate that they've allowed and encouraged us to be really central in making decisions on this project rather than assuming what we'd want. 

We're so excited for our home to be complete and know that it's been built with quality materials throughout.  Real Construction has done amazing work!


Original Review:
Even though my project is not yet complete, I want to share our experiences so far with Sion at Real Construction. Sion was actually referred to me by a family member who had worked with him before a number of times (I didn't even know until recently that he was on Angie's List). Even though we're not done yet, we're really excited for the progress so far! 

 Our project is a very big one (second floor addition, some first floor expansion, adding central AC and heat throughout, and a complete kitchen remodel) and Sion has been hands on every step of the way. He's been mindful of our budget, needs, and timeline. 

 Because we're waiting for the renovations to be done before selling our old place and moving into the new one, time really does mean money for us. Sion has been amazing at getting everything ready to go as quickly as possible! I don't think I've ever seen a contractor as diligent at pushing to get the plans done, permits approved, and getting the work going. He's early to our meetings and he's great at responding to calls, texts, and emails ? how many people can say that about their contractor? Seriously, sometimes he has to track ME down, not the other way around! It's fantastic knowing he's staying on top of everything. 
Also, for the parts of our job that he can't do, like the official plans that require an architect and engineer, he's given us great subcontractors. 

 Once the project is done, I'll update with before and after pics, but in the meantime I wanted to share our experience so far with Real Construction."

"Construction is hard.  Anthony at FioreBuilt works hard to make the process as easy as possible on his clients.  I had the pleasure of working with Anthony on a full exterior remodel of my Mom's house.  Being that she is handicapped it was very important that the work be completed professionally, quickly, within a strict budget, and with people I could trust.  I found all that and more in Anthony.  He and his crew are very professional.  They arrive on time, work quickly, have great attention to detail, and are incredibly clean.  Plus his entire crew treated my mother with great respect and care throughout the project.  We ended up doing more work than planned because it was going so well.  It is also important to note that Anthony builds smart.  He was full of various ideas whenever a creative solution was needed and was generous with his time in explaining the pros and cons of each.  He understood our underlining goal of improving my mother's quality of life while keeping her finances under control.  Even within her limited budget he never cut corners with building materials, construction or aesthetics.  He devised numerous ways to make sure we got what we wanted while keeping us within our means.  Construction is a moving target.  Things change once you start the process.  We were very fortunate to have Anthony on our side during this project.  We wouldn't have gotten these fantastic results without him."

"I worked with Design Everest (Josh) when I needed to bring to code some unpermitted work on my home that had been altered prior to 1978. Design Everest was prompt to supply drawings of the structural work required. When my contractor found existing conditions that called for the engineers to review their plan, DE was very quick to review those existing conditions, change the plans and write cover letters (twice) to the City inspectors describing and confirming 'as built conditions' met code were sufficient from the original build. I am very happy with the end result, and although I questioned the cost of their bid at the onsite, I believe that what was discovered during construction and with the changes made, the cost turned out to be worth it the expense. I highly recommend using this firm."

"David is an experienced professional. He explained our options well.
Returned  my calls promptly. He always called if he was delayed.
Installing  the swing gate was not easy because the driveway is on a slope, but the crew worked well to solve the problems. They were well-organized and courteous. A reliable enterprise.
Rather expensive, but we are pleased with the work: it is well done and looks good!
"

"To start, Steve Letwinch showed up on-time and has a very professional demeanor.  He has an extensive and impressive building background. 
One thing I really liked about Steve was his willingness to work with me before we ever even entered into contract.  I continued to refine precisely what we wanted in the back yard, to discuss numerous options with him, and in the process had a lot of questions--each time Steve willingly and very patiently priced the cost differences and answered my questions in-detail.   And his responses were extremely timely; I didn't have to wait days for him to get back to me.  This was how it went through the entire construction process--any question that I had throughout construction was usually answered within a couple of hours, and on very rare occasions within no more than twenty-four hours.  Steve has excellent and very timely follow-up skills.
Steve's proposal was detailed and specific, which was a breath of fresh air as surprises can arise if you don't nail down every detail at the time of contract.  His pricing was very competitive as well. 
If you, the reader, are new to construction or remodeling, it's good to know that there are always bumps in the road along the way.  The question is how does a contractor respond--does he repair it or does he let it go and expect you to accept it?  I noted a couple of things, Steve himself noted a couple of things, and he fixed everything to our satisfaction.  The end result?  Beautiful!
For the pricing quoted above, please keep in mind that our patio cover is 14 x 33, has 8 x 8 posts, 4 x 8 rafters, 2 x 4's on the top, and knee braces.  And the rebuilt deck now matches.  So these are very "beefy" and rich looking--not your typical patio cover by any stretch.  The two retaining walls are also each 35 feet long, so roughly 70 lineal feet of retaining walls.  And the fireplace is a full masonry, wood-burning fireplace with a damper--nine feet wide by seven feet tall, so these were all extensive to build.
We're very, very happy with the final result in the back yard.  Steve brought in good subs--the concrete turned out beautifully, the fireplacewas built by a mason who has built masonry fireplaces for many years (why get a pre-fab fireplace when, with Steve's very competitive pricing, you can spend just a few dollars more and get a gorgeous masonry fireplace!), the stucco work is perfect, and the patio cover has made our back yard an oasis.  We've had several friends comment on how lovely everything turned out, and we absolutely agree.
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"From the bigining to the end, the whole processes went very smoothly. SGI will be our contractor for life, thank you for everything."

"Fantastic, the crew was very professional. The job was done in a very clean and precise manner. The crew was always there and on time when promised. Moshe the owner was upfront about everything. the prices he gave us were very reasonable and everything that was promised actually came through. We are very satisfied and definitely recommend Moshe for any home remodeling jobs."

"The good:
Sales and design meeting were professional and they understood my needs and budget. "Free" Design was beautiful.
Custom cabinets of good quality.
Most subcontractors were punctual and professional (carpenter,electritian, plumbing, drywall, paint, counter install).
Returned to resolve unsatisfactory workmanship.

The bad:
Complete lack of attention to detail which caused several call backs during the process.
Project manager visited site Very infrequently to check progress leaving micromanagement up to me the homeowner.
Quoted with 4 week completion- turned into 10 weeks.
Debris left on the job regularly and at completion.
Asked for "warranty" paperwork and proof of counter material weeks ago- I still don't have it."