BAY AREA REMODELERS INC

I first came across Bay Area Remodelers at the Living Green Expo in St Petersburg. I wanted to give a local company my business, so we decided to go with them. At the time, I was more concerned with the quality and fabrication of the actual windows, assuming that the installation would be the easy part for a company that appeared to specialize in window installations. I was very wrong. I was very pleased with the actual windows. The installation of the windows, on the other hand, was nothing short of incompetent. My first hint should have been the fact that not once throughout the entire installation process did i see anyone use a tape measure or level. As the windows were going in, I wasn't terribly fond of how they were being finished. The windows were mounted flush with the outside wall, with a flimsy piece of vinyl trim snapped to the window frame and glued to the existing exterior wood trim, covering the gap. I specifically questioned one of the installers if there was a reason it was mounted flush and not set into the frame, asking if it was due to the fact it was an older wood frame house (ca. 1952) and not a block house. He said yes, that's the reason. Well, I came to find out this was an outright lie because upon completion of the project, the window installation FAILED THE CITY INSPECTION. I know now that windows installed flush with the exterior will NEVER pass an inspection because it is against code. In time, caulk will deteriorate and water will eventually get behind the flimsy vinyl trim and into the walls. In fact, the plans Bay Area submitted to the city for permits showed the windows being set inside the frame, not flush to the exterior. The installers completely disregarded these plans. Aside from the fact they FAILED THE CITY INSPECTION, the overall craftsmanship, specifically the installation of the vinyl trim and the application of the caulk around the windows, was abysmal (see Image 1). One piece of trim did not lay flush with the next. The installers made no attempt to sand or scrape old paint from the existing trim to allow for a secure caulk seal around the new window trim and did nothing to smooth the caulk application for a quality, finished look...all things you would expect when you spend nearly 10K on new windows. To make matters worse, I had taken two days off of work to be present while this work was being done. Now I was faced with having to do it all again. Needless to say, I wasn't happy. I contacted the project manager, Rob, and set up a time for him to come out to rectify the situation. I emphasized that i was VERY concerned with craftsmanship and fully expected for everything to look perfect upon completion. Rob was VERY apologetic and pledged to do whatever it took to make things right. Unfortunately, the same installation team showed up for the reinstall. As Rob and the team were discussing the situation, they were just about set on a course of action that involved leaving the windows as is and adding some type of flashing above the window to divert water away from the flimsy vinyl trim. I insisted that they completely remove the windows and install them as the plans demonstrated. When i mentioned that no one had measured the sills during installation to make sure the windows were square or used a level to make sure they were plumb, Rob was shocked. He told the installers that they needed to measure and check for plumb. They did on the first window while he was watching, but did not on the next when he was otherwise engaged. I literally had to stand over these guys as they worked to remind them, "Hey, is that square...did you put a level on that" for every single window. So they finally managed to get all the windows in and got to the final step...caulking. Again, I put the ball in Rob's court and reminded him that I expected the caulking to be perfect. He agreed and reminded the crew, to no avail. Again I had to stand over these guys as they caulked and point out areas that needed smoothing and touching up. Each guy was working on a different window, so I couldn't catch all their incompetence. I observed one area after the fact where they applied caulk directly to old, loose paint that could have easily been scraped away with one pass of a putty knife. I pointed this out to Rob, and he asked me to put together a list of anything else that need to be touched up. I did so and the list was eventually taken care of. We now had the issue of strips of caulk on the old wooden window trim left behind when the flimsy vinyl trim was removed (see Image 2). No one ever addressed this or offered to correct it despite it being a product of their own failed installation attempt. I had to insist on a solution. Rob felt it would be easier to just remove the old trim and replace it. I agreed and the same crew went about replacing the trim. They trimmed out one window as a sample. Good thing because it was not great. The trim they used was wider than the old trim (see Image 3), so it ran past the existing sill, joints were not lined up properly and there were areas where the trim met the house that were not caulked at all (see Image 4). I passed these new issues along to Rob and insisted they be fixed and a new crew be assigned to the project. Again Rob agreed with my assessment and set about to get a new carpenter. The new carpenter did a much better job with the woodwork, but again the caulking was poor...apparently my caulking standards are out of the realm of human possibility. I was happy enough with the finished trim work and didn't want this dragging on any further (I believe at this point we were into our third week of back and forth for what should have been a 1-2 day job) so we brought in the inspector and FINALLY passed. I arranged for a painter to come out and paint the new trim and Bay Area covered the cost. I still had to put in roughly 4 hours of my own time to sand, re-caulk and prep the trim for painting. Overall, this was a miserable experience. In retrospect, I should have just ordered the windows and installed them myself. I'm a pretty handy guy, but don't have any practical experience installing windows. However, after witnessing these "professionals" at work, I know for a fact I could have done a better job than Bay Area, hand down. In light of all the hassle and personal inconvenience this whole process presented, I made a request for reimbursement for lost time at work and some kind of financial compensation. After all, I was spending quite a bit of money on this project. Rob said the owner of Bay Area offered $500. I thanked him for this offer, but felt $1000 or 10% of the total bill would be more appropriate considering they FAILED THE CITY INSPECTION and it took them THREE ATTEMPTS to return things to a satisfactory condition. I also mentioned that I was an Angie's List member. Upon hearing that I was using Angie's List as some kind of leverage, the owner got quite angry and revoked any offer of compensation. One note about the owner: we signed the contract for the project on a Saturday around 11AM...the owner called and personally thanked us for our business not even an hour later. However, I never once heard from him regarding the FAILED CITY INSPECTION or any of the incompetence demonstrated by his installation crew with any kind of apology or guarantee to make things right. It's obvious to me his only priority is getting paid, not satisfying the customer. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR TRUE PROFESSIONALS THAT CAN GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME, DO NOT USE BAY AREA REMODELERS.

All they did was supply the materials and one of their subcontractors did the work with the understanding that the liability was on him and not them. The price was excellent. I was pleased that I saved a little money. I guess it is called a do-it-yourself project. This was not the first time that I used them. I have used them in the past and was very satisfied then. I wasn?t happy this time around because I had to deal with two different people. Some of the things I thought they should have done, they did not do; I had to go down and pull my own permit and do things like that. It was complicated. I don?t know if I would use them again in the future, but I would consider it.

That was all we needed to have done. It looks amazing. They were great. We chose them because they have been in business for a while. We have seen them do some work on a local home shop. They have a really good reputation and were very competitively priced. I had asked some questions before they came out for the installation, and they made sure that I understood everything. The project manager who came out later was very professional and very kind.

They came to our home and designed a Temo sunroom for us. The designer was very professional and very knowledgeable about the codes and requirements of our area (hurricane zone). The construction began ahead of schedule and was completed in just a few days. The project manager and all the workers were so neat, professional, and accommodating to my schedule (not an easy one)! I would highly recommend them to everyone. There was one window that was giving me a hard time so I called the office and they had a serviceman out the same day to replace it! I can't remember the last time I got same day service from anybody! Really, I thought it was a little expensive in the beginning, bur I'm really happy now that I have the finished project. I LOVE the room!

The company was prompt and professional. They are licensed, bonded and insured. They pulled all the county building permits, which passed with no problems. I did have small leaks from the roof into the sunroom, but they were prompt, responded quickly, and resolved the problem properly with a new roof that is not leaking. They have been courteous, professional, and knowledgeable, and seemed to go the extra mile. I recommend them highly.

Although the room looks nice, I am not happy with the work. It leaks and has failed inspection 4 times (still has not passed). They were low to respond to calls. This is going on 6 months and still no satisfaction. This is a prefab type room no excuse for this shoddy workmanship.

STEPHANIE IS AN EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE PERSON.

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