Fireplace Designs And Renovations

Effective March 23, 2017, Smith Builders, Eric Smith, Fireplace Designs and Renovations and any subcontractors and affiliates hired by Eric Smith, are no longer permitted at our property. As Donald Trump would say, "YOU'RE FIRED!" NO TRESPASSING signs have been posted and our neighbors have been notified that Eric Smith, any employees of Smith Builders, Fireplace Designs and Renovations and any subcontractors and affiliates are not allowed at this property. The termination of services is due to Breach of Contract and the nightmare started from day one after the contract was signed. Eric will come in at any price and will promise everything and not complete the work. And when he does, he'll ask for additional monies outside of the agreed price. When he doesn't get his way, he will yell and disrespect you. I started the process with him and after four months, I told my husband that I could no longer tolerate him. He's rude, aggressive and mistreats his customers. His references are all family members with the exception of one customer who said to keep a close eye on him. She was fortunate because her husband was a general contractor and he watched the work that was being done. We FIRED Eric for many reasons - more than we care to remember. - Weeks of delay on project due to demanding of extra monies outside the agreed original contract price which was signed on August 22, 2016. - On many occasions, he completed work outside the Scope of Work/Contract AND without prior discussion or written approval and then asked for additional monies. These extra demands of monies, outside the signed Scope of Work/contract, included and not limited to: foundation ($1,800), additional clean-out ($300), plumbing contractor for re-running water line ($800), trash haul-away/interior ($800), demo shed/back yard($2,500), gas line ($3,000) and never provided a portable restroom which was included in the scope of work (you were using the portable restroom provided by our pool contractor). These were all included on the Scope of Work/Contract which he reviewed THREE TIMES and signed. - In an email dated on 2/18/2017, he asked for money money to cover "Drywall/insulation was $3,000 and texture was $1,500". In an email a month later on March 21, 2017, he asked for money again to cover"drywall and insulation is approximately $5,500 then $2,000 for tape and texture". Again, these items were part of the contract/scope of work which we both agreed on. - The electrician he hired, Greg, made a hole in our living room ceiling which has not been repaired. - Besides the work not performed on the Scope of Work/Contract, work was not completed per the plans. 1) Hallway closets were not removed to create new linen closet and new door/entrance to addition and bonus room, 2) the entrance door to the original master bedroom, which is now the bonus room, is not dry walled (how is it possible to tape and mud if the dry wall was not put in), 3) the old water heater closet has not been demo'ed and sheet rocked , connecting to the bedroom closet, 4) bonus room was not fully demo'ed with new ceilings and walls per the plans and Scope of Work. After Eric demanded additional monies and stopped doing the work, we agreed to give him the original contract amount that he proposed (which we DID NOT SIGN), he again demanded additional monies to include the following: dry wall ($1,500), tape/texture ($2,000), electrician ($3,000), plumber ($1,500 - we paid in FULL for the plumber with a signed lien release from him), trim/doors/frame shower stall/baseboards/paint requiring additional monies outside of the signed contract. These costs should be paid out from the final payout amount which we were withholding until final inspection is completed, per several verbal discussions. We will hire another contractor to finish the work which was not completed on the signed contract/Scope of Work and will take action to recover these costs that were paid to Eric Smith and Smith Builders. From our experience, we will never speak to Eric Smith, Smith Builders or any business he's affiliated with. We are fortunate that we pulled permits and have spoken to the inspector on several occasions. The inspector is fully aware of our experiences with Eric Smith and will make sure that his work was completed properly. We have also notified our neighbors (one is a county Sheriff, another is a county judge and we have two police officers right around the corner), so if he even tries to come back and do anything to our property, the cops will be here in no time. I have also set up a camera and locked all the windows/doors. And it was recommended that I take out a restraining order -

Considering the fireplace has a surround made up of river rock, I knew this would be a tough, dusty job.  Eric's crew took extra care to limit the amount of dust and covered all furniture and floors in the area.  I couldn't be happier with the result...looks professional and will look even better once the TV is installed.  Eric's price was very fair and significantly lower than 3 other quotes I received.

Buyer beware!!  I should have followed my gut on this one!



First of all, the contractor Eric Smith should stay with doing pre-fabricated fireplace surrounds and not advertise beyond that.  He has a GC license but lacks the capability and true sense to do what is right in regards to standard construction practices.  He's a smooth talker and aims to gain your trust and may even offer free stuff then, change his mind or say it won't work or fit.  Such was the case on my project.  A little background, I didn't hide the fact that I work and manage small to large commercial tenant improvement construction jobs in the U.S. and internationally for the company I work with and have successfully done this for the last 20 years.



I have also bought and sold homes which also includes remodeling.  This home was recently purchased in May and during the inspection phase my wife and I began putting together ideas onto paper with the minor amount of remodeling we wanted to have done.  We needed to do this during the inspection phase in order to determine whether or not the house would work for us.  Proper and responsible planning, right?  I know how to use auto cad and drafted the conceptual plans to scale and called a number of general contractors to get pricing and their input.  Eric Smith was one of the contractors that came out at least a couple of times to discuss the remodeling plans and schedule.  We also communicated by phone.  I noticed during our meetings, he never took notes, made offers such as offering free surrounds for our fireplaces if he got the job as well as a free fire bowl for our backyard.  I took note of these offers and made sure to include them in our proposal and negotiations.  



After a few negotiations, scope clarification and some value engineering we hired Eric.  RED FLAG #1 came up when he asked for almost 50% ($7,000) down to start the job!!  Please be aware that it is against the law for a contractor to ask for more than 10% or $1,000 down to start a job.  Well, the smooth talking that Eric is, he stated he was ready to start the job with all his guys and needed to buy a lot of material so he can "rock n roll".  Eric's exact words.  Well, like I said, I work with contractors and the last thing I ever want to do is be too far ahead in payment to a contractor.  I reminded him about what the law states and told him he shouldn't be asking for that much money.  I offered to meet him at the hardware store (home depot) to purchase the materials and he agreed.  Would you believe the amount spent was only $1,117.00!!  RED FLAG #2.  I understood more materials needed to be purchased but not a whole lot more.  



Anyway, the work starts and I show up after work and after they had left and found hardly any protection was placed anywhere.  RED FLAG #3.  I reminded him and he said he would take care of it and still day 2-3, hardly any improvement.  Finally, I made it a point to be there when the guys were working and to meet a structural engineer on site in order to provide direction to Eric and his crew where he needed to place the now load bearing beam and post.  Upon meeting the crew, it was quite clear they lacked the experience, knowledge, and experience to do the work.  I figured ok, this is just the demo phase so, I'll let it go.  MY MISTAKE!  These same guys did the framing too.  PLEASE PAY ATTENTION HERE.  Eric and his guys framed the new walls and adjoined them to the existing walls with believe it or not, TOGGLE BOLTS mounted through the drywall (walls and ceiling).  They didn't even cut open the drywall and attempt to nail to any existing studs.  Furthermore, they even placed the new stud right on top of the wall base and caused about a 1/2" gap.  RED FLAG #4  Of course, I called him on it and even conferred with other people in the trade just to confirm this wasn't allowed.  I told Eric what he needed and should have done and waited and waited and waited for him to correct the issue.  I assumed he would get around to taking care of it after I asked him to not do any further framing until all demo is completed.  But, he once he started up again he continued with the same old toggle bolts!  RED FLAG #5  



*** I have pictures of all of this and more.  I also still have one of the studs with the toggle bolt that he used as a souvenir.  In addition, I have multiple contractors who can attest and confirm all of this.  Furthermore, I asked a framer friend to come by and inspect the work and offer his opinion just so I knew I wasn't being too picky or difficult as a client.  Sure enough, he confirmed the framing was really bad especially with toggle bolts acting as the main support.  Sure Eric put some nails where their might have been a stud but the rest of the structural support came from the toggle bolts and the 1/2" or 5/8" drywall. 



RED FLAG #6, Eric began to be argumentative and also started to recommend that we change some of the plans because he thought it would be better one way or the other.  For example, he wanted us to hire someone else to carefully remove cabinets that we planned on reusing.  He said when he took one out, it was so brittle and was falling apart and didn't want to be responsible for remaining cabinets.  Please note, these cabinets were constructed with oak and came out fine by the replacement contractor's helper in just under 2 hours time.



Eric also said, we shouldn't submit our plans for permit because it would just delay things.  As I look back and connect all of the dots, he was just trying to reduce his scope with no intention of providing a credit and didn't want his non-code compliant framing to be inspected.  The timing of this and being argumentative came about when he realized we were going to hold him to the contract and to doing things to code.  It also came about when he was already paid approximately 50-60% of the contract amount. Which, I truly bare the responsibility for making progress payments up to this percentage when there were this many issues.  



Please keep in mind that up to this point, communications were still borderline professional and respectful and I was hoping he would take the opportunity to do the right thing.



Finally, it got to the point where we weren't seeing eye to eye any longer and it truly became apparent he wasn't going to fix or do things right.  For example, we were at the point with drywall was put on 1 side of the walls with toggle bolts still in place.  Because I work approximately 50 miles from home, I couldn't deal with any more risks and Eric giving my wife attitude.  He also sent me an email saying he wasn't going to do all of the drywall patching that needed to be done.  It was much more than what he agreed to which, I agreed.  Reason being is, my wife and I decided to install can lights throughout the house and as a result, there were many many holes in the ceiling and walls.  To our credit, we did save all of the drywall cut-outs so, we knew it wasn't going to be as bad as he thought.  In any event, I told him it was fine but he was still responsible for the part that was originally in his scope.  



  At this same time, he submitted another invoice that would have put him at 80% completed and he was far below this.  i called him on it and explained he had so much more to do and make right.  I emailed him the breakdown of where we were on payments to date and progress completed and reduced the amount accordingly.  I basically withheld 10% retainage from the current invoice and the one p

The final product turned out even better than we expected.  Due to the size of the wall and the space in the room, we wanted a low mantel and a slim profile for our new fireplace.  Eric worked with us on this somewhat non-traditional request and provided suggestions to make it work.  Due to some unique circumstances not everything went according to plan but Eric seemed geniunely concerned with getting everything right and that is evident in the quality of the finished product.

Eric and his staff were extremely professional. All work was completed in a prompt manner and the entire staff always showed up on the days that were promised. They were very careful not to make messes even though it required drywall removal and mortar. Everything was always cleaned up to satisfaction at days end. Eric was also very flexible in his pricing and offered reasonable suggestions and solutions to any questions we had. The custom hearth and mantle are fantastic!! On the final day of the project, Eric gave instructions to his staff not to leave until we were 100% satisfied with the entire project....rare for a contractor. We could not be happier with the entire process and will be calling on Fireplace Designs and Renovations in the future for an outdoor fireplace build somewhere down the line.

He was always on time and did what he said he was going to do.  The workers were clean and professional.

Eric is extremely conscientious and came to our house six times to ensure that we got the correct color and texture in the molded concrete.  He had his shop make numerous samples of different colors and textures so that we could see which was the most appropriate.  After we made our selection, he then spent the weekend at the shop to personally oversee the mixing so that the color and texture of the concrete would be correct.
He works side-by-side with his crew during each step of the installation.  After the job was completed, the crew cleans up, leaving the house as tidy as it was before the job began.

unknown

unknown

unknown

I had to call them back out again to do the work, and the owner stood behind the work, and came out again to do it. The price is comparable. I like the final product.

The owner stands behind his work, but I did have to call him back, because the fellow that did the painting, didn't do an efficient job. Everyone else did a good job. I thought the price was reasonable.

I had them evaluate the inside of my fireplace. The inside had to be refinished. They used current photo method to inspect the concert siding. They were friendly. Explained what they were doing. And cleaned up after they were though. I would have the company work for me again.

Estimate was given promptly and Eric worked with me on a price to fit my budget.  Eric understood the look that I was going for and offered suggestions based on his previous work which fit exactly what I wanted.  He was able to begin the job promptly as well.  The crew was neat and cleaned up after each day.  Any detailing that I brought up was also promptly addressed.  The cement mantel does look like wood once it is painted (which is the responsibility of the homeowner to paint).  Overall, very satisfied with the job done. 

I got 2 bids for remodeling my fireplace and Eric's was far less than the other bid and he did more than the other contractor would.  Eric showed up promptly, took all the measurements and helped me pick out a new fireplace surround.   He had subcontractors to do a lot of the work of demolition of the facing wall, installation of the new surround, rerouting a gas line to move the gas valve to a better location and painting at the end.   He supervised a lot of the work and really kept things moving and made sure everything was done right.   Eric kept me informed about what they were doing and all his subcontractors did a great job.   We ran into various issues along the way and Eric handled all of them without any problem and without raising the price of the job.   We ran into a problem right at the end with the painters, but Eric immediately (and forcefully) resolved the problem and even came back later to do some touch up work.   This was messy work with a lot of dust, but Eric and his team did everything possible to keep it to a minimum of mess.  When the job was finished, I couldn't believe how great the fireplace looked and how much better it was than when we started.   Eric even offered to help me install a ceramic gas log kit which wasn't part of the job.
I need to emphasize that I contacted Eric for the initial quote in early November and I told him my goal was to have everything finished by Christmas.   Even though the job didn't start until almost the last day of November and the work changed considerably from what they were going to do initially (due to what we found and realized what had to be done when we got through to the fireplace which took more time and work), Eric and his team were done by 12/14 without charging more for the extra work.   I cannot adequately say how happy I am with Eric's work and my new fireplace.  What I can say is that you don't need to spend time getting lots of quotes or dealing with multiple contractors:   Just hire Fireplace Designs and Renovations!!

End-to-end process went smoothly. Eric met the promised timeframes for installation.

Eric was quick to return my call and set up appt for estimate.  He visited and showed samples of his precast fireplaces, made suggestions and told me to look online at examples.  The fireplace is in my great room and the kitchen, living room and dining area have all been updated to a contemporary style.  I told Eric that I didn't think that any of the designs really fit with the kitchen etc.  He agreed that a reface would be best and suggested that I go to a stoneyard to pick out some examples.  Eric visited again and we discussed the style.  We came up with a fresh, contemporary mantle and hearth that worked well with the stone.  It looks incredible.  Eric has a great crew, the 2 Mikes, (who do awesome work) who did the drywall, paint, plumbing and the electrician Greg who all came out did the electrical.  It took his crew 3 days for the preliminary work and finished up in a additional 2 days to do the refacing and mounting of the electronics.  Eric also set up the gas log set.

Everything went as planned from the beginning. The contractor and his help all were very professional and courteous. They came and did the job with no problems. We will recommend this company to anyone who is looking to renovating their fireplace.

Eric came out and provided a quote and offered good insight and advice.  He was easy to work with and complied with each of our requests.  Once work started Manny and Eric were always pleasent, respectful and doing everything possible to make certain we were satisfied.  The tear down and removal of the old fireplace turned out to be double the workload due to brick behind brick from previous remodel.  While it did extend the job past original timeline they worked diligently to complete and didn't come back to me about additional expense.  In the end the fireplace is exactly what we asked for and love the amazing inprovement to the family room.

The work completed by Eric and his crew was excellent. The workmen were timely, clean and responded to every request. They removed the old fireplace that was in terrible condition.  The original builder, who built the house, must have been in a hurry when they put in the original fireplace. Eric?s crew, removed the fascia of the old fireplace, then they reinforced it so it was better than the original construction.
They installed the new fireplace which really enhanced the living room look. The workers were very clean and left little or no mess. Those areas that might get dirty were covered to keep dust from moving around the house. They also had their own electrician who installed new wall boxes and an accent light for the new fireplace.
Would I hire them again, of course!

Eric was  thorough and helpful in making suggestions for the fireplace. He  performed the work to my satisfaction and was reasonably priced. Very good quality work!

Update from member: What Mr. Smith refuses to acknowledge is that I did NOT “approve” the design.  He sent me a CAD drawing the day before installation,  but AFTER the surround  was built.  He didn’t ask me to review and approve it; he asked me to print it and leave it for his installer.  Regardless, what was installed did not match the specs in the drawing.  He took all measurements on the first (and only) day we met to consult on the job.  We discussed the height of the mantle and agreed that is would remain the same as our old mantle.  His CAD drawing should have been to scale, but was not.  It showed a 5” filler; he produced a design with a 12” filler.  That is not what I “approved.”   As for all his “expenses,” I didn’t ask or authorize Mr. Smith to build the second surround because we were still trying to resolve the problems in the design.  He took it upon himself to build another one, assuming that I would be happy with adding 3” of filler on each side, but not correcting the 12” filler on top.  He refused meet with me or to let me come to his shop to see that second surround prior to installing it.    Regarding the contract, I never signed it.  He said he’d be at our home on the first day of demo to sign it and my husband was also going to sign it then.  Mr. Smith never showed up, so the contract remained unsigned.  When I requested a copy of the “signed” contract, he said he would send me one but it never materialized.  Regardless if there was a signed contract or not, he didn’t fulfill the terms of that contract.  He laid out a payment schedule, which I followed.  But, as with most contractors, the payment schedule is simply a balanced payment schedule and doesn’t reflect the actual expenses at each point of the job.  I am not asking for a full refund as Mr. Smith stated in his response.  I am willing to pay for the work that was completed satisfactorily – the demo and drywall repair.  The additional money that was paid was because we followed the payment schedule he established, but does not reflect his actual costs for the work we are left with.  Those expenses he complains about are not my responsibility.  They were the result of his refusal to meet and discuss the project.    We’ve been in our home for 30 years and have done two complete remodels, including kitchen and bathrooms, roof, windows, flooring, doors, swimming pool installation and subsequent remodel, etc.  We’ve hired dozens of contractors over the years and I’ve NEVER  written a complaint letter or sued a contractor in court.  Mr. Smith’s correspondence with me (all in emails) were rude and condescending.  His work was not customized and looks tacky and cheap.  The fact that he refused to meet with us and never once called to discuss this personally speaks volumes about his customer service.  It was at this point that I “changed my mind” about completing the job with him.    A word of warning to Angie’s List members – Unless your fireplace’s measurements are exactly the same as the one you are looking at, the installed surround/mantle will not look like the design in his catalog, and the measurements in the CAD drawing may not match the installed product. The fillers he uses are flat panels and have no decorative quality.  See the photos I posted.

Eric and his crew were very professional, understanding, willing to be flexible due to budget, and overall did a great job.  I truly appreciate everything he did for us.They arrived when they said they would, kept us informed along the way, did what they said and didn't change the agreed costs. A++++

Eric and his crew did a great job.  Well-planned and constructive ideas.  They were always on time whenever we scheduled an appointment.  No mid-project hassling over unexpected turns or twists.  Result was two great looking and working fireplaces.

They were clean. Their job was very nice. It looks great. The only negative is that they are very expensive. The cost probably comes from all of the specialty services. They are competitive, but the job was very expensive for what it was. They weren't screwing me over or anything. The quality of the work was excellent. They were very responsive and professional.