L Ray DeHaven Co Inc
About us
5% discount for Angie's List members. Dehaven Company is a full service construction company. We are family own and use our own employees, no sub contractors. We have been In business since 1987. Additional phone numbers: (949) 645-2932, (800) 933-9737, (714) 647-2339, (562) 804-5777, Email: [email protected] Additional DBAs: DeHaven General Contracting, Lic (50625 B1, C33, C35); DeHaven Company Inc. Additional contact name: L DeHaven.
Business highlights
Services we offer
Base and trim moulding, Carpentry, Deck coatings, Doors (interior & exterior) Painting, Drywall repair, Elastomeric coating, Fascia, Framing, Handyman, Hardwood floors repairs, Painting, Patio Covers, Plastering, Rain gutters. Custom jobs. Tex Cote, Roof repair, Siding Hardy Vinyl, Stucco, Stucco repair, Termite damage repair, Textured coating repair, Water Damage, and more! all work is warranted, interior & exterior, windows
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 78% | ||
| 11% | ||
| 4% | ||
| 7% | ||
| 0% |
Since it's been three years since this project, I cannot/shouldn't try to recall exact conversations. The gist of it was my asking for fixes and submitting punch list items as we progressed, and Linda either ignoring them AND/OR lecturing me for being picky and trying to "milk" her of her profits. She also had me paying the crew (very personable and accommodating I must say) personally, versus through her ... an uncomfortable activity for me.
I'm a very reasonable guy, and understanding customer. But Linda was aggressive, and at one point screamed on a voicemail response. She later apologized, via text message, and explained some personal events were going on. Out of empathy I let it go, and to wit this is why I didn't submit a negative review. Now, though, I see that others had similar experiences ... and have some "3 years in quality" results to report on.
The paint and stucco patching has held up well, except for one area -- the area that I'd asked for special attention in my punch list: peeling paint where wood meets stucco in the front of the home. It's noticeable. As this may have not been in the project scope, I will qualify it as "normal aging," and declare Dehaven's work as STRONG. Too bad that Dehaven's customer care wasn't nearly as commendable.
Everything about this job was a struggle.
I would not use this contractor again.
I had to pay her workers and I never seen or heard from the contractor the last 2 weeks of the job.
Final payment was made to the construction worker.
We were told the job would take 2 weeks and it was 6 week in all when the final window was installed.
I would give more details but dehaven will have an excuse for everything.
"Yes it did take longer do to your wanting me to tear out the side wall of your house and rebuild it. That was not part of the contract I gave you a bid of $3,900 for that work once the work was done you refused to pay me clamming it was part of the contract it was not part of the contract. Not to mention that a gave you free trim molding you instructed my works to up grade to a more expense molding after all that I still gave you the 5% Angie List discount frankly i was tired of your wanting moor free work My works completed the terms contract and finish your job I had you pay them so you would know they were paid and you could not hold money back You received hight quality work got $4,500 in free work. Still your complaining"
"I gave you a Bid to replace 240 feet of rotten fascia primer and paint it. You all so gave me the wrong address you sent me to the house down the street. Frankly I think you just wanted to get the 25.00 from Angie List I will be contacting Angie List on Matter As I wasted my time Looking for the building and giving you a estimate."
Because the measurement of the door was not correct, the wall inside the house had to be patched and I was left to paint it and the new door frame to get it to match the rest of the kitchen.
It really went south when the painting of the outside of the house started and I discovered that although Linda helped me pick colors for my house, she did a crappy job at actually making sure the right colors were noted on the contract. I was looking to her guidance on how to read the color charts, but she's so good at covering her own behind, she knew to have me write down the colors on the contract in my own writing. That's so that even if she told me the wrong color#, I could not hold it against her. So on the first day of painting, I had a fit when I discovered they were painting my house in a very loud yellow. I actually had to pay over a grand extra to get them to paint my house in the color I had originally wanted, but that Linda could not help me identify correctly.
The installation of the new kitchen fan went well, as did the installation of the new rain gutters.
Another thing that made me feel like this company was on the edge was how quickly they wanted payment upon completion of the job. I mean they wanted to be paid on the same day the work was completed. Not sure if this is usual and customary, but it made me feel like they wanted my money before I could really tell if the work was done right.
I would say if you are not a professional at reading paint color charts or measuring windows and doors, I would not recommend using this company. I can't wait to see how they're going to blame me for their not being able to perform in that way.
Oh yeah, I really hope I don't end up with a lien on my house because the release form they provided me was blank.....did not have anything filled in, which is why this review wasn't filled in sooner.
"Dear [member name removed], I am sorry about the color you selected. The color you chose was on the contract. All our customers write the color on the contract to avoid this problem. i spent an hour and a half showing you colors and recommending that you try samples from Home Depot at $2 each before we began painting to be sure you were happy with the color. I agree it is difficult to choose a color from a 1-inch sample. Because of the color of your roof, I recommended some warm beige colors and you chose another color. I repainted the house for you at no charge for labor. All you had to pay for was the paint. After 25 years, I have a great deal of experience in choosing colors for homes. I can only make recommendations. The final choice is up to the customer. Both colors would not have been my choice. The remarks about the doors. The French doors come in 6 ft. only, unless you add side lights which make them 8 ft. Sergio and I both measured the door. Regarding the door, you never mentioned a problem to me or to my workers. If you would like it repaired, we would be glad to make any repairs that you deemed necessary. The kitchen wall was not part of the contract, I would have been happy to paint the wall if you would have selected the color. It is unfortunate that you did not let me know of your concerns with the work. We completed this work over a year ago. We were unaware of your concerns and we think the name calling is inappropriate. Linda DeHaven Construction"
The main man onsite was Sergio, and he was absolutely great to work with. In fact the entire crew was great and they kept everything as clean as possible while they were working. They were always on time, and so far the quality of work seems great. I did have a concern as to why the stucco was painted so quickly, as I believe stucco needs to completely set in before it is painted. I emailed my concern to Linda, but did not receive a response. I trust they are experts, and maybe in this CA climate it is not absolutely necessary to wait to paint it. The job was completed very quickly.
My only concerns where how Linda handled her communication and permit for the job. It put me off a little that she didn't want to pull the permit herself at first. The scope of the job wasn't major, but at the same time I wanted to do things right. After doing my research, it became apparent to me that if I the homeowner pulled the permit, too much liability would be on me. She finally pulled the permit under her company which was the right thing to do. She is sincerely a nice lady, but I think she is so busy that she mixes up her jobs sometimes. I would receive calls to pay for things I already paid for, or we would have miscommunication abotu who would pay for what. I was also given 2 discounts in the beginning, but the "extra" work and material that that was needed ended up negating the discount. I would have had no problem paying for the extra work (extra fascia board and window preparing), but because of other communication issues I grew a little suspect. After paying for the entry door install, I was charged more money because the lockset hardware needed to be put on...once again, it would have been nice to know that up front. After I addressed this fact, she ended up painting the door for me which made things even. It was a little stressful going back and forth with Linda, but we got through it in the end and there were no major issues at all. Once again, from my experience her pricing was fair, so I also don't expect to be treated like a king...just more clear communication and less surprising costs to make sure we were on the same page would have been nice.
My advice would be to definitely use this company, but just make sure you go over EVERY detail of the BID and get it all in writing up front so that more charges can't be added later if it is a straightforward job. Please understand that on bigger jobs, contractors can't see everything so expect more costs. I don't want to take that away from this company as it is common and just the fact of life...just not on a straightforward stucco, prep, and paint job.
Overall I was impressed by the working crew (Sergio), the fair pricing, and so far the quality of work.
"Just for the record: The job was not the "usual" stucco job. There was extensive wood removal, install of insulation, removal and re-installation of front windows, and the stucco work. As to the extra work: I am not Superman with x ray vision. It wasn't until the sanding commenced that the rotted wood was noted. Permits: Customer elected to pull own permit when he heard that DeHaven charges $300.00 to pull the permit plus the cost of the permit."
"The DeHaven estimate included pricing for structural support, as it was the contractor's opinion that structural work was necessary to carry the loads for the deck/balcony; in order to meet building code. DeHaven also recommended customer have an engineering study done before adding additional weight to the deck. Customer claims that DeHaven did not "break down" the costs in the estimate. That is patently false. The estimate had pricing for the structural work and decking and then, pricing for painting and coil wrapping the railing. It was DeHaven's opinion that the deck would not pass inspection unless the structural work was done with appropriate considerations for the load bearing capacity of the deck. DeHaven will not subject itself to liability for poor construction or appropriate permits. Needless to say, the customer hired another contractor to do the work as he wished. It isn't clear to DeHaven, why the prospect gave a C rating for the work, when DeHaven never did any work for the man. Re: Customer's statement that DeHaven had files in the back of the car. The car is a travelling office! Where would he expect the files to be, when the meeting was at his house? It would be ridiculous to think a pad and paper wasn't in the car."
"As our foreman Sergio and I both indicated to you. You need flashing at the roofline of your home. If you are upset with anyone, it should be the roofing company who installed the roof. The paint you had on your trim, prior to our work was solid color stain. You elected to go with semi-gloss and the two products work differently. Solid color stain soaks into the wood whereas semi-gloss lies on top of the surface. As you are well aware, we fully primed your trim, then applied the Behr semi-gloss paint. The bubbles you are referring to are due to lack of flashing on your roof, subsequently water is getting behind the paint film and creating bubbles. If you pop one of the bubbles you will see water pour out of it. It would be wise to address the flashing issue and then have us paint what's necessary to be re-painted, doing so would prevent this problem from happening in the future. The reason I requested you contact the paint manufacturer directly is to verify that these failures on your trim are not due to our work, rather water getting behind the paint due to having no flashing. As we said, we'd be happy to come back and paint your home this summer, when the rain has subsided. Again I'd encourage you to address the flashing issue. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at (949)645-2932."
However, due to difficulties obtaining the new windows, waiting for inspections, and scheduling me around their other jobs, making the changes to the windows and walls stretched the total job to more than two months. One of the new windows was very tall, and the manufacturer had trouble with it breaking. They finally offered to make it in two pieces, with the bottom part openable, which is what I had originally requested, and been told was not possible. I think this change in ?possibility? was entirely the responsibility of the window manufacturer, not DeHaven. After the 3 windows were installed, the city inspector required that one of the installations be reworked, because the code required a larger header beam over the window. All other inspections passed cleanly.
The other issues that were somewhat upsetting were:
1). the colors were chosen from very small paint chips, and DeHaven only provided a larger sample swatch of the stucco color. They applied the trim first, without me seeing a larger sample, and it was then clear that the trim color did not go well with the stucco color. In order that they not have to repaint all the trim, I had to choose a different stucco color, so did not get the colors I really wanted. Be sure you see large samples of the colors you choose before the crew starts painting.
2). I was never able to get scheduling information ahead of time, so did not know which days to expect the crew to be working. This caused additional delays because there were days when they needed access to the interior of the house, but I could not be home. Some days Sergio would tell me that they would be back the next day, but they would get assigned to a different job instead, and Linda DeHaven never called to tell me that they were not coming. This was probably my biggest frustration with this job, since it lasted so long. It was very hard to schedule around the work, because they typically called early in the morning on the days they wanted to work, so no advance planning was possible.
3). DeHaven would tell me that they had put in the request for the city inspector to come, but when I would call the city I would be told that they had no inspection request for my property. When I put in the requests myself, the inspector always arrived the next
day, so I?m not sure what the problem was, but it caused additional delays.
In summary, I am very pleased with the work quality, and the final appearance, but the process was frustrating. In the future, I would definitely hire DeHaven for painting, but probably not have them do additional construction-type work. Also note that they do give an Angie's List member discount.
"First off, we greatly appreciate the referral to do work on your neighborhood's church. We are well aware of the delays on your job. As you know, there was a problem obtaining the large rake window, which caused some of the delay, however you must remember, we removed the entire front of your house which required re-framing, scratch, brown, stucco as well as drywall work. Stucco needs time for drying between coats, not to mention the waiting involved with the permit process. We apologize for not communicating better to you. As you have indicated you are happy with the finished product and feel that you got more than your money's worth."
Stay away from this people
"Member, We're sorry for the inconvenience you had with the scheduling, that being said, we did call you last week to take care of your chimney repair and you declined. Our workers were sick with the flu and we cannot ask them to work when they are sick."
We had two pieces of wood at the rear of our home that suffered dry rot and termite damage. One piece was a fascia board 12" x 14' long and the other was a major roof support beam 22' long x 12" x 4". Other contractors suggested replacing both pieces of wood.
Ray recognized there was still a significant amount of solid wood remaining in each board and suggested sanding, filling and priming the smaller fascia board and doing the same to the 22' support beam plus, wrapping the 22' beam with wood grain aluminum to protect the wood from further sun damage. This large beam faces directly south. He was also concerned with maintaining the structural integrity of the roof when removing such a major support beam.
DeHaven's bid was significantly lower than other contractors wanting to replace the wood.
The DeHaven crew completed the job within one day and we were very please with the quality work and the clean-up at the end of the day!
We interviewed three contractors and contracted with Ray DeHaven because of his years of experience and their high satisfaction rating on Angie's List.
Ray came out to give us an estimate and spent over an hour with us explaining the pros and cons of several options. For an "as-built" finish, Ray recommended we remove the wood siding down to the bare studs instead of putting stucco on top of the wood as other contractors had recommended. He also recommended we have Multi-tex stucco system applied to the wood fascia boards around the top of the garage because it would match the look of the stucco. They started the job on Monday 12/5 and completed it on Friday 12/9.
Due to the wet weather the Multi-tex did not have an opportunity to set-up and ran in a few places. Ray had his crew out first thing Monday morning to assess the situation and remove the damaged area. Once the weather cooperated they promptly returned to finish the job and it turned out perfectly. We were very pleased.
We also asked Ray for an additional proposal on some wood repair that we will report separately.
Ray and his crew are professional, knowledgable, friendly and did a great job of cleaning up the area at the end of each day. We are very happy with the job and would highly recommend their services!
We were very happy with the end result.The entire crew is employed by DeHaven company and so there are no subcontractors. Sergio, who has been with them for over 20 years, is their foreman and his son and brother all work with him They were extremely knowledgable, nice, and caring. They didn't mind redoing or changing something if it wasn't exactly the way we wanted it. They always cleaned up very nicely at the end of the day . We have a dog and they always made sure that they closed the gate to our yard when they were going in and out. They were always there when they said they would be and Linda always returned my calls within an hour or so. I really like that. Ray, the owner and contractor, is a very nice and easy going man and knows his craft very well. I do have one suggestion, though. I know he came by every day to talk with his crew, but since some problems did arise along the course of the project, I think it would have been a good idea for him to come and talk with us as well. As a result, a couple of times there was some miscommunication. But it all got resolved to our satisfaction in the end. When we did get a chance to talk with Ray, he had some very good suggestions about some of the problems that had come up.
We had an epoxy floor put on our garage floor. Because we have an effervescence problem, they had to redo the entire floor using a different product a second time and didn't charge extra for that. Because the floor had to cure for 72 hours, we had to leave everything out on our patio. We had to go out of town and so everything would have to be left out even longer than 72 hours. They covered everything with plastic very well (it did rain while we were gone, and nothing got damaged) and came back to put everything back right when they said they would.
The new stucco matches the existing stucco and you can't tell the difference. They did an amazing job and it all looks great. We would definitely use them again.
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Contact Information
1048 Irvine Ave, Ste 333, Newport Beach, CA 92660
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