BIG RED CONSTRUCTION

We wanted a complete remodel of our kitchen.  Big Red Construction is run by women who understand how kitchens function. We hired them for this reason and because they are local and top-rated by Angie's List.  Their bid was much higher than others
but we wanted the best, most up-to-date kitchen possible.  At the end of the remodel, we were very pleased with their work.

However, Big Red has its own basic crew that does demolition, site prep, basic carpentry, and painting but hires subcontractors to do the plumbing, electrical, cabinetry, counter top and flooring. This drives up their price. We had some problems both with their crew and the subcontractors.  The cabinetry company delivered some of the cabinet doors cracked and the electrical subcontractor was inexperienced and made some mistakes.  Both the electrician and cabinet maker had to return to our house more than once to correct their work. Also, another electrical contractor that worked for us a couple of years after the remodel said that the ancient wiring between the appliances and the breaker box should have been replaced when the new appliances were installed because it was not up to code.  However, the county inspector did not catch this and the wiring worked.   Another serious problem was also detected months after the remodel: the carpenter who worked on the flooring left wood scraps on the ground under the kitchen.  This could have brought termites and required me to crawl under the house and clean up the area.

There are many positive aspects in working with Big Red.  A talented person is assigned to work with you and to handle problems, keep materials flowing, and to show you the options in the available materials for your personal selection. The Big Red crew is efficient and friendly - easy to work with.  The kitchen they produced was beautiful and had several new functional aspects.  On the other hand, after using the appliances for a short time, we came to regret taking their recommendations for vendors.  Friedman Alliances, the store that Big Red had recommended, in particular, was unsatisfactory.  They were considerate and helpful until they had our check.  After that, they were cold and uninterested in our assessment of the appliances or our difficulties in making them work correctly.  Most of the problems that we had with the appliances were caused by the poor quality of the appliances that Friedman offered, particularly with General Electric products. In our opinion, the quality of the merchandise at this store was generally mediocre at best. In any case, we would strongly recommend that future customers of Big Red or of any other contractor be wary of recommendations of the contractor and constantly check every aspect of the work as it is being done and to read every available assessment of the quality of the appliances before they are selected.