Renovate Max Inc

I would caution anyone considering Renovate Max and Ali (contractor/owner). There are several issues you will run into if you choose this contractor, but knowing them up front may help you decide or perhaps make changes to the standard contract to protect yourself. They include: 1. Estimating of how long a job will take. (10 weeks) vs reality (22 weeks). Ali under supported the project by peeling off workers to other jobs (even ones booked after my own). His own staff is quite small and over extended. 2.Costly under estimation of electrical (including basic code requirements around number of outlets needed in a kitchen) est: $4k, actual $14k. This one made me suspect intent - did the contractor do this to keep the original estimate low? I later noticed a line in his contract about how electrical estimates might change. When I did my pre-homework and checked references, this is something that came up with each previous customer, and I should have paid more attention. Get the electrician to visit and do the estimate up front, not Ali (owner/contractor). By the way, keep a close eye on the work of the electrical team. Poor communication between Ali and that team caused several headaches throughout the project. 3. Ali has a strong tendency to first blame the homeowner for problems during construction (including communication issues within his own team and the subcontractors he hires). He can be quite emotional rather than businesslike and send offensive emails and text. This volatility makes for a stressful environment for the homeowner and awkwardness for the embarrassed workers. On the plus side, I would like to complement Ali for his choice of some excellent workers, especially Martin, his 'Jack of all trades'. The floor subcontractor was fast and excellent. This was our largest change order, to refloor half the house, and it only took 3 days! The window subcontractor was fast and good. I am happy with most (not all) results from this large remodel project. I wish I had known some of these things up front, that's why I'm sharing with other homeowners