Earnest Watkins Construction

The workers were very good and professional however there was little or no coordination between subcontractors. The only time the general contractor even stepped foot in the house was to give the estimate. From that point on all our contact was by phone and with the subs. When the job was "completed" I was left to purchase and install the corbels for the granite myself as well as patch drywall and paint around the countertops. The main complaint is that there was virtually no oversight or coordination between subcontractors. We will not use this company again.

The work was completed, but nowhere near the promised
time.  Workers don't show up, they left a
mess and smoked on balcony leaving the butts. The only thing done on time was
the showing up for money to stay one step ahead of the sub contractor's.
Invoicing and billing was terrible and when inappropriate charges were brought
up...discussed...and we agreed to pay for all but the questioned charges....no
return calls. Well that's not true, they cashed the check and then without any
follow-up discussion sent us to collections.

Buyer beware, I know it is Florida but get everything in
writing and protect yourselves.  If you
use this company be sure you have an itemized proposal, get receipts for
supplies, stop work and modify signed proposal for any changes and you might
have, you'll save yourself a lot of frustration.

 

They are some good trades? folks here, ask your neighbors
and friends before you use this company. 
I would not recommend Earnest Watkins Construction Inc.

Remodeling a condo like we did is not cheap. Especially when you get quality people to do it. Earnest is a very professional 2nd generation contractor and he hires quality subs to do his work. He has an awesome foreman, Rob, who makes sure every detail is attended to.  We chose Earnest over others because he had remodeled about 30 other units in this building and knew the layouts, pit falls and designs of similar units.  We worked together to build a beautiful condo that we are currently renting as an investment. I have called him back for little things, since we finished last year and they are always quick to respond and fix anything the guests mess up. Never charging extra unless parts and a lot of time is needed. I would expect that, but so far nothing has required a bill. 
The construction crew are always happy and work very hard, you can tell by the way they are treated that they like working for Earnest Watkins Construction.

http://earnestwatkinsconstruction.net/

This fall (2012) we purchased a condo on Panama City Beach. It was in dired need of updating and I got quotes from 2 contractors for the job. I chose Earnest Watkins and I am so happy with the job they did and the professional way he runs his business. Being raised in the trades helps him know his crew, how to handle them and how to relate to the customer in a personable way. All my suggestions were evaluated and reasoned out. The job took about 3 months as they gutted the unit and installed a new kitchen, bathrooms, flooring and painted throughout. I've done lots of projects in the past and none was as easy as working with this contractor, even while I was 5 hours away. The finished product is outstanding and we hope to keep it rented out full time. You pay for quality work and that's what you get with Earnest. I highly recommend him!
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Update 8/2013 
Our condo at Moonspinner has been in the rental market for 8 months now and doing great. I have had little things come up with things, like shower door bring bent by renters and a door not closing properly. Ernie sent his foreman out each time to repair and tweak at no cost to me. They stand behind their work!