HARPSWELL BUILDERS LLC

Punctuality: The job was started over a month after the agreed uponstart date.  My house lost power for three days due to a hurricane during this period, which I mention in the interest of full disclosure.   From day-to-day, it was a guess as to whether anyone would show up - both before and after the job was started.
Quality and Professionalism: As a result of the installation taking so long, I asked my painter to paint the window.  I noticed at this time that there were gaps between the bay window and the siding of the house.  I contacted Mr. Cabot (proprietor of Harpswell Builders) and asked him why the gaps were there.  He informed me that it is his practice not to caulk windows he's installed that are being painted, as he believes that to be part of paint and prep.  We went back and forth on this (through e-mails), and Mr. Cabot eventually agreed to come back and caulk the windows.  I told him that the painter said he wouldn't charge me extra to caulk the gap between the house and the bay window, so he didn\'t have to come back.  What I didn't realize, was that there was (as Mr. Cabot would inform about a year later) other caulking that needed to be done besides the gaps I had noticed. 
Within a year after installation, a trim piece on the  window began to separate (the bay was constructed of a vinyl or plastic material).  I informed Mr. Cabot of this.  He returned and drove a nail into the piece.  Within a couple of weeks, another trim piece started to separate from the bay.  This time Mr. Cabot drove a bunch (I estimate 20-30) of nails throughout the bay (realize that I had had this professionally painted within the past year).  When I went to prime and paint over the nails Mr. Cabot had put in, I noticed that, some of the trim pieces were no longer flush to each other, and it appeared that the installation of the nails had pulled pieces that had previously touched each other apart.  I notified Mr. Cabot who, after looking at the window, said he  saw no connection between the nails and the separation, and recommended I buy caulk that was available at a local hardware store.

We went back and forth some more, and Mr. Cabot agreed to return and take another look.  This time, Mr. Cabot cited the cause  of my troubles as being that the window had not been caulked when it was installed.  I don't believe his assessment, based on the location of the pieces that separated, but even if his assessment is correct, he should never have left the job originally until the window had been fully installed.  Caulking was his responsibility as the window installer.  It should never have to come to a situation where I was going back and forth with him as to whether caulking a window was part of installation or part of paint and prep.  
Mr. Cabot claims that he was relieved of any issues caused by a lack of caulk, as the responsibility was taken away from him.  Of course, nothing would have been taken away from him if he had showed up to do his work when he agreed to, and completed the work that he was paid to do.  (He was paid to install the window, and caulking is part of the window installation process).
I would recommend not using Harpswell Builders.

Eliot and crew were wonderful. Very accommodating, very professional, very clean. The new room is stunningly beautiful. They gutted and replaced floor, ceiling and walls, installed insulation, framed 12 windows and 3 French doors, all aligned perfectly and much more beautiful than we had imagined. Eliot is meticulous, responsive and responsible, very easy to work with. I would recommend his work to anyone.

We found Harpswell Builders after almost two years of unsuccessful planning with various architects and designers. The architects were all completely unrealistic about the costs of our planned remodel, and Harpswell was able to work within our budget to give us everything we wanted: a gut kitchen and master bath renovation, new powder room, updated second bathroom, new siding, painting of the entire interior, a new office in the garage, a mudroom and countless other updates. Eliot managed our project and he was beyond responsive. We talked several times a day and he spent as much time as necessary go over all of the many options and choices that are inherently part of a large remodel. Eliot worked with all of our vendors and solved many problems that were caused by others. Before the work started, he finalized our plans and helped us get all of the required permitting. He showed up every day and even called if he was going to be late. He, and all of his subcontractors, were always pleasant, professional and above-all meticulously clean. The house was actually cleaner during the renovation than it is under normal circumstances. Our family of five was able to easily live in the house through the construction, even with no kitchen for several months, in large part because of the way they partitioned off the work areas and completely cleaned up all of the work areas each day before they left. In addition to being prompt, professional and neat, Eliot is also very creative and helped with design issues throughout the renovation process. He "got" our style early on and often found just the right piece we'd been looking for but hadn't been able to find. Finally, his attention to detail is phenomenal and he simply wouldn't tolerate any work that was less than perfect. The house looks beautiful and, after several months, is standing up well to the abuse of a busy family with three young children.

We found Harpswell Builders after almost two years of unsuccessful planning with various architects and designers. The architects were all completely unrealistic about the costs of our planned remodel, and Harpswell was able to work within our budget to give us everything we wanted: a gut kitchen and master bath renovation, new powder room, updated second bathroom, new siding, painting of the entire interior, a new office in the garage, a mudroom and countless other updates. Eliot managed our project and he was beyond responsive. We talked several times a day and he spent as much time as necessary go over all of the many options and choices that are inherently part of a large remodel. Eliot worked with all of our vendors and solved many problems that were caused by others. Before the work started, he finalized our plans and helped us get all of the required permitting. He showed up every day and even called if he was going to be late. He, and all of his subcontractors, were always pleasant, professional and above-all meticulously clean. The house was actually cleaner during the renovation than it is under normal circumstances. Our family of five was able to easily live in the house through the construction-even with no kitchen for several months-in large part because of the way they partitioned off the work areas and completely cleaned up all of the work areas each day before they left. In addition to being prompt, professional and neat, Eliot is also very creative and helped with design issues throughout the renovation process. He "got" our style early on and often found just the right piece we'd been looking for but hadn't been able to find. Finally, his attention to detail is phenomenal and he simply wouldn't tolerate any work that was less than perfect. The house looks beautiful and, after several months, is standing up well to the abuse of a busy family with three young children.

I could not have been happier with the finished space and conduct of the construction. When I committed to Harpswell, I was given a start date about 2 months ahead. The project was started about 2-3 days after the anticipated start date. Eliot Cabot, Harpswell's president was present virtually everyday during the construction and frequently worked 8am to 6pm. He worked only with one assistant. He did work some Saturdays after requesting permission. I believe he worked exclusively on this project until it was complete, as he had promised. This is the largest home improvement project I have had undertaken and as an engineer I was concerned about conflicts and professional differences of opinion. Eliot was very receptive to my suggestions and I felt that many of the issues we encountered during the project were resolved through a collaborative effort. He presents himself very professionally and is committed to ensuring the project progresses in a timely fashion to the homeowners satisfaction. The electrical and plumbing contractors were selected by me based on references from my colleagues. The HVAC, drywall, central vac, floor sanding, and painting contractors were his subs. His painting contractors are the only ones I would not use again. I got four quotes for this project and Harpswell's quote was in the middle. There were numerous "extras" that I asked to have performed. I really appreciated not having to hear "that's going to cost you extra". That does not mean I wasn't charged for extras, but I felt those charges were fair. I have used Harpswell for two projects since and continued to be impressed and satisfied with their service.