The Combined Group

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I used The Combined Group several times while remodeling my home.  Carlos, the owner and his guys were super professional and offered great service.  They did my kitchen, bathrooms, tile floors, baseboards, painted, demolished a guest house in the back.  GREAT job!  I would use them again in a heartbeat.

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Living in the Central Florida area and selling a home as well as looking for contractor in Miami is a very stressfull cituation. I decided to join Angies List to find a reputable contractor. On my first call i was able to get in contact  with Carlos at The Combined group. Carlos was prompt in giving me an estimate and working with me because we where in the middle of a closing. We agreed on price and more importantly on time of completetion. Carlos was there with his crew sending me pictures as he was progressing with work since i live in Orlando area that was my only way to see what was happening.  I would highly recommend the Combined group.

its looking good

I called Carlos Sotolongo earlier this year to get an estimate on transforming my formal living room into a bedroom.  The interview went extremely well and he told me step by step how the work would be done.  He answered all my questions without any hesitation and spent a good amount of his time being thorough (i.e. measuring, taking notes).  Since we decided to wait a few months I asked Carlos to come as the time got closer to come ease my hesitation on creating this room.  Without any hesitation, he came back and we went through the whole process again.  I felt very comfortable with my decision on picking him as my contractor. 
Our construction began on March 11th.  I expected it to last about two business weeks.  The room was finished in about seven business days, faster than I expected.  The employee Willie, was fantastic.  He was the only one working in my home; from start to finish.  He kept the work site very clean and made sure everything was picked up throughout the day and every evening before leaving.  He was concerned for my children as well as my self and did everything in his ability to keep the dust to a minimum; which I didn't expect or ask for.  He was very accommodating to my schedule and worked extremely hard each day.  Willie has a wealth of experience and it shows in his final product.  The room looks like it has always been there.  It matches the rest of the house perfectly and we couldn't be happier.  It was well worth the money.
Carlos was available at any time during the entire process.  All I would have to do is call him however I had absolutely no need consult him.  Willie handled everything professionally and had answers to my questions.
I was very nervous about doing a construction job however I was pleasantly surprised.  I highly recommend this company.  If I have to do something again, I will definitely be using The Combined Group.

Everything went very well.  If there were ever any concerns that I had Carlos resolved them and knocked money off of the bill.  The paint job was excellent!  I am very happy with all of the work and will reccommend Carlos and the Combined Group.

It is the evening of 12-12-12 at Miami Family Medicine. Guests are arriving, the wine is flowing, and hors d'oeuvres are being served. There are many people here tonight but the guest of honor is definitely Carlos Sotolongo, owner of The Combined Group. Simply put, if it had not been for him this day would not have happened at all.
Our story started on April 2011 when we decided to open Miami Family Medicine. It was a huge undertaking, so we interviewed a lot of contractors. However, something we did not do was to look on Angie's List, which turned out to be a huge mistake. Long story short, we ended up choosing Victor Elbeze from Prestige Decors and Renovations, someone who turned out to be one of the most incompetent contractors we have ever met. He started our clinic in August of that year and for the next 11 months proceeded to lie about just about everything and delay the work for months on end. Things became so bad that at one point we thought about just walking away from the project altogether. That is, until we found Angie's List and gave Carlos a call.
From the moment we met him, he quickly transformed a nightmare into a beautiful dream:
- He started by pouring concrete all along a nasty trench left by Victor within a week of signing the contract.
- He did this even before receiving his first payment. 
- Unlike Victor, he never asked for money ahead of time or increased charges after job was agreed on. 
- He provided receipts for all materials.
- Gave suggestions for finishes to complete the look I had in mind.
- I had initially wanted wood floors but he recommended commercial grade vinyl.
- I must admit I was not sure about it at first, but when it was done it looked beautiful.
- Throughout the project, he was very detail-oriented, and a complete perfectionist.
- Willing to redo something at no additional cost if he thought it wasn't done right the first time. 
- He always responded to calls and emails on the same day.
- He was very hands-on and always came to the job site, even on short notice.
There is no way we could ever write everything that he did right for us in this review. It would seriously fill a book of a thousand pages.
All we can say is that as we were having a toast with him at our grand opening, all we could do was smile. We highly recommend him to anyone reading this, and give him 5 stars all the way. In addition to Miami Family Medicine, we also own Miami Real Estate Realty in Brickell and we plan to send all our clients in need of a contractor to The Combined Group. 
Thank you again, Carlos!
Alicia Coker, MD
Marc Marchello
Denni Jordan
Miami Family Medicine

The first thing I realized was that Carlos was a top notch salesman. He was not only polite and very professional but extremely enthusiastic about taking up the challenge. He immediately understood what i wanted and suggested some creative ideas which certainly helped enforce the theme I was looking for. The thing that impressed me the most was his willingness to listen to me change my mind NAND my plans as we went along. If I wanted something different done he always found a way to make it happen. And even when I changed my mind about something that had been done he was always there to calm me down and help me change it with the least amount of fuss or bother. He is a man with integrity and true to his word. Not to mention very comfortable to talk to. His crew is first class. Although all but one do not speak a word of English. I found that for the most part hand signs were fine but if I really got stuck I just put in a call to Carlos and he would take over by talking to his men or coming over to see what the problem was. By the end we felt like we were saying goodbye to family. It is imperative to say that the work was as professional as I have ever seen. If I were forced to criticize anything, it would be the same old criticism the everyone has....that the timing of the project went over by a little over two weeks and I would have liked a phone call in advance if they were not going.to make it on a particular day. But compared to all the other positives these are very picky complaints. I would recommend them over and over again .

see above

Since it would take too long to explain every single item above, let me give as much detail as possible, overall.  Carlos and his team at the Combined Group did an outstanding job with the myriad of home improvements that we needed.  He and his team were very punctual, polite, and professional. 
The initial quote was higher than other quotes.  We narrowed our contractors down to two: the Combined Group and one other group that also had high reviews from Angie's List.  We decided to go with the Combined Group, even though their price estimates were higher because:1. They suggested completely replacing a defective load-bearing pole rather than simply painting over the problem area.2. They mentioned that moving the fence line back would require a new stretch of fencing, rather than using the older fence that had seen better days.3. They were willing to work weekends when we needed it without an additional premium.
We were very pleased with the work Carlos and his team performed.  We were also pleasantly surprised when we received each of the bills.  The actual cost of the work and materials was less than quoted on every single item.  He does a great job of being sure to over-estimate the cost up front to ensure there are no price gotchas down the road.  I think it really speaks to his integrity to bill for actual work and materials, rather than just billing the exact amount quoted.  So, once again, we were very pleased.
The tile work they did on the  back patio really makes the house.  There are no other words for the new tile installation other than beautiful.  We were really pleased with all the work.  The workers were always on time, professional, and friendly.  We had one issue one day with some of the work performed.  We notified Carlos.  Carlos immediately took care of the situation, ensured that we were satisfied, and did not charge us for that work.    He really goes the extra mile for customer service.
One thing to know about Carlos: when you send him an email, he may not reply immediately, or at all.  I soon discovered this is not because he is ignoring you.  He reads every message you send him and acts upon it.  He simply does not respond with a confirmation that he received the information and is acting on it.  When the workers arrived at our house, they already knew the additional information that I had emailed to Carlos and took care of it accordingly.  Carlos will return emails when a response is necessary.  I say this so you won't think that his lack of email response translates to his lack of concern for customer service or hearing the feedback of his customers.
To sum up our experience with Carlos, he successfully completed home improvement projects that were left undone by a previous contractor.  We couldn't be happier with our experience with Carlos.  The best part is, if you're unsatisfied with any of his work (which is highly unlikely), he will make it right.

Overall...
The Combined Group did a Great job. From start to finish they were on schedule, on time, and they provided me with what exactly I was offered. The finishes where incredible.
Cleaning areas constantly, on time always.
I paid a little more but worth it. You really get what you pay for.

I am very happy with the results.  Carlos, the head of the Combined Group, offered spot on design suggestions that really completed my bathroom.  For example, he offered lighting suggestions that work and suggested a new ceiling fan that I cannot live without now.  Luis did a great  job installing the wall tiles in a way that make them look like natural stone. He suggested marble to line the shower alcove and windows that look and work well.  He redesigned the shower alcove so that my shampoo fits and I could still have a towel rack over my tub.  He also helped me position the vertical towel rack, shaving mirror, robe hook and shelf so that they worked well and looked good.  He prevented me from installing that one too many electric outlet that would have made my bathroom look like a recharge station.
Carlos was respectful and did not ask for any payment until a week after work had commenced.  I was starting to worry if he would ask for payment.  He requested 50%..  He did not request the balance until work was completed.  Little did we know that Luis would be back to do some corrective work a few days later.  But Carlos stressed that they back their work and Luis did come back to do the minor remedial work.
Con's:  Pencil marks on stone looking porcelain tile can be removed with Mr Clean Magic Eraser. Buy at least two boxes and expend some elbow grease.  For best price, try to include as much of the work in the initial cost proposal.  The Combined Group was the most competitive initial cost of the three reliable proposals I received.  However, I anticipated that with any remodel, there would be additional work and costs  With the Combined Group I went $1200 over anticipated costs.  This includes $200 in construction supplies he asked me to purchase.  Who knew the vanity/sink required the L-shaped drain vs the usual S-shaped drain?  They reinstalled the attic insulation at no additional cost.Luis has limited English.  Best to have all the installation instructions available in Spanish, which we did  Carlos, as well as other workers, are English fluent .

From start to finish the Combined Group really provides outstanding service! That?s hard for me to say because I am extremely picky and want the end result to be perfection. The moment I met Carlos (the owner) I felt extremely comfortable as he was very knowledgeable and had a lot of great ideas on how I could improve the lighting in home as it was a concern. He also had great input as far as the electrical issues I was trying to resolve. He provided me many links of sample ideas and the products I needed to complete all my projects to ensure I felt comfortable. He came to my home various times prior to finalizing the proposal to answer some of my questions regarding the various projects.

Alex, the gentleman that worked on many of the electrical issues was punctual, professional and best of all he left no mess behind! He had to cover up the existing dining room light because it wasn?t centered and create a new location for the new light. He was so precise and measured everything to ensure everything was properly positioned. Once the jobs were completed he went around and cleaned up all the dust and garbage from the new fixtures.

I certainly had a great experience. I am looking to remodel my bathroom and I will definitely contact the Combined Group for a quote as the quality of their work was outstanding.

Phoned Combined Group (Carlos Sotolongo)  last week,  for an estimate.  
He came out,  inspect the damaged closet area and found the price quoted reasonable - CG was the only Angie's List Vendor contacted!
He returned as agreed on 08/01/2012,at  8:30 am,  replaced  the broken sheetrock section with a "wood panel" - giving the anchor wall, added strength for  the hangers and shelves.  He painted the wood addition  with an equal color,  clean up after himself,  leaving the work area, in very good shape.
From beginning to end, it must have taken him approx. 4 hours.
Will recommend him again for similar jobs...

Of the three (3) estimates received, Carlos Sotolongo and the Combined Group's was in the middle.  It was a pleasure to work with both Carlos and his associates, who were prompt, attentive and responsive to our needs and requests.  After our initial meeting and with some suggestions and answers to our questions from Carlos, we provided a scope of the work we desired to have done and in less than a day, we received his estimate for the costs associated with the job.  (Materials and features we provided and had delivered to the job site).  

The demolition and removal work included: a sink and vanity, a large wall-mounted mirror and separate lighting fixture, toilet, floor tiles, wall tiles, shower doors, recessed medicine cabinet, lighting switches and entry/exit doors. Installations included recessed lighting fixtures and switches, patching, preparation and painting of the ceiling and walls, a two-piece toilet, floating vanity and medicine cabinets, privacy glass doors and their associated hardware, shower/tub doors, tub and shower faucets and tub refinishing. Even with the frenzy typically associated with the holidays and due to the age (40 yrs.) of our condominium structure, an unanticipated and unseen, deteriorated piping problem encountered, the job was still completed on time!

I was extremely pleased with the work that Junior from the Combined Group did in our house. From laying tiles to hanging closet rods/shelves and hanging a large heavy mirror, everything was done beyond my expectations. I would highly recommend this company to anyone needing work in their home. When I first got the estimate of $600 for the work , I thought it was little high because I thought it would only take one day to complete, but when I saw the quality of the work and the fact that he spent two full days at my house, I thought I got a bargain.

1st of 3 reviews complete
2nd of 3 reviews complete

Great ! No problems when I had a problem, carlos took care of it immediately.

Carlos Sotolongo is the contractor/owner with whom we worked throughout the project. He was very much a "hands-on" person. We were a little concerned due to how young Carlos is but, certainly eased our anxietiy on more than one occassion during the construction process. One area I was concerned about the debris and dirt but, to their credit, the workers did a good job on cleanup before they left each day.  We were not certain on exactly what we wanted but, Carlos provided various suggestions on appliances, paint colors and light fixtures which proved to be very helpful. Once we came to terms, work began without delay. We were advised that we probably encounter a delay due to various requirements involving electrical permits---which we did. Carlos told us the job would be around 5 weeks and, due to permit delays, it was 6.  My husband's work called him out-of-town during the process, leaving the job to me to juggle with not only the construction schedule but also my work schedule.  Carlos was very accommodating to my work schedule. Anytime that I had a question/problem I was always able to contact Carlos. Due to a problem with the house alarm one evening and being unable to set it, I placed a call to Carlos.  After explaining my concern, he was at the house within twenty minutes.  He found the problem, resolved it, enabling me to set the alarm.  Our house was built in 1959 and, understandably, was extremely under code. Nevertheless, everything that needed to be brought up to code was, and the job was completed within one week of the original scheduled completion date.  Carlos is very professional.  He enjoys his work and takes pride in it.  He is very concerned that his client is completely satisfied with the end result.  Our initial bid was $30,000 and ultimately, due to the unforeseeen electrical problems and a few of our own changes, ended up being $34,000.  We are extremely satisified.  I would (and have) refer Carlos and his company to anyone who is looking to have remodeling work done.  We certainly look forward to working with The Combined Group in the near future.  Kudos to Carlos and his "group".

The finished product is amazing....It is so much better than we ever expected, and we are so proud of our home. I subsequently asked Carlos to complete other projects in my home, all of which were of the same quality. I plan to remodel the kitchen within the next year or so, and plan to use The Combined Group for this project as well. The work was completed in the time promised, the Team was clean and professional, and responsive during the entire remodel. I couldn't be happier with the finished product !!

Being that this was a rental property we own, we looked very hard to find the best value. The Combined Group gave us by far the best price. We had estimates up to 25,000 for the similar work. They were on time for every step of the process. Our windows were custom made and installation after was done in just two days. I will use them again in the future.

Had excellent customer service from day one, received a very economical quote on a hurricane window and door job. The job was completed in two days and done with as little interference with my everyday life. Things went so well with the windows we allowed them to do our Porcelain floors laid like marble. The floors are incredible, the first thing people compliment us on when they walk in the house is the incredible floors. Including the baseboards. The house also needed new showers and they did an excellent job installing the tile for the showers. That then led to the remodeling of our kitchen which again went awesome. They installed cabinets, quartz counter tops, and back splash. The overall look we wanted was modern with very clean lines and we got what we wanted 100% all at a very economical price. All done in an extremely timely manner.