Gonzalez Painting For the past few years I have been dealing with necessities for the home. Everything from flood damage which required a one year renovation for a kitchen and a bathroom and people installing ceiling fans, shutters and other necessary repairs. I was not happy. It was like something out of going over to the Dark Side of renovations. For one year I had to deal with insurance companies, Project Managers, tile people, counter people, cabinet people, painters, restoration experts and others. I was not happy. Over the course of this going on I was seeking opinions from others regarding Handymen, Carpenters, Painters and Decorators. I thought I was reliving the life of Tom Hanks in the movie The Money Pit. In one instance a handyman who was installing ceiling fans told me he was also a plumber so I had him install new faucets in the bathroom. When I returned from the store he was gone, the faucets were put in backwards and he left a disaster in the bathroom. Remember that saying; “Someday you will look back on this and laugh.” It’s 5 years later and I still am not laughing. Let’s face it, in today’s world of Shysters, Crooks, Grifters and Cons people are getting ripped off. Senior Citizens have become a "Target Rich Environment" for every scam out there. For every honest person, man or woman, trying to make a living in the contracting business there are three others looking to reel in the biggest fish they can find. They scour the countryside like Vultures looking for roadkill. When I was getting ready to paint the house that required some extensive replacement of the siding I can’t tell you how many people came here to give me a quote. My first question; Are you Insured and Bonded. Three out of five said NO. If someone falls off your roof and gets killed you could be held responsible. Second Question; Will you have someone on the job who will be able to communicate with me? Third Question: Will I get a warranty after the job is done? Fourth Question: Will I need to pay up front or pay after the job is completed TO MY SATISFACTION? Fifth Question: Give me a walk through of the process? Sixth and probably the most important; How much is this going to cost me and I don’t like surprises. It took me one year to find someone who could answer ALL those questions. In addition I would get people coming here giving me a price to replace the siding that was almost as much to paint and side the entire house. One guy gave me a price and said; “Oh, by the way, we can replace the siding but that $5000 bid doesn’t include repainting.” Gonzalez Painting came in, gave me a bid, and not only did they paint the entire house they replaced the siding. I am not a Micromanager. I expect people to do the job they are being paid for. My friend had a sign in his shop many years ago; “I charge $20.00 an hour to work on your car, I charge $50.00 an hour if you want to watch.” At the end of each day do a walk around. They did more than expected. EVERY exposed nailhead was replaced and covered with bonding. Each seam was injected with bonding. All siding that needed to be replaced was primed and painted. All the trim was painted. All windows were painted including the garage door. I provided water and cokes for the crew and they couldn’t have appreciated it more. They were professional, they were courteous even to the point of removing their shoes before they entered the house for any reason. There was only one minor addition but they gave me the cost before I committed to adding it to the contract. They provided a three year warranty and the house looks like the day they built it on the outside. I am former military. I lost my wife to Cancer back in 2018 and I don’t suffer fools lightly. There are just far too many people being exploited by predator companies and people out there. NEVER PAY ANYONE UP FRONT for a service until the job is complete. If they ask for money up front they shouldn’t be in business in the first place. I had someone do some work here a few years ago. He told me he needed help loading materials onto his truck that would be used on the house and asked me if I could go to Lowes and help him load the material. I drove over to Lowes, helped to load up his truck and when he billed me there was an added charge of $85.00. I asked him what the $85.00 was for and he said: “Well, that is what Lowes charges for the delivery.” This is the kind of screwball nonsense that goes on with some of these contractors. Another time I had a guy install granite counters in the kitchen. He brought in one side of the kitchen and I asked; “Hey, can you tell me where the other counter is?” His response; “Well, the insurance company was only paying for one counter.” I said: “Excuse me, but are you very observant? That counter doesn’t match the other counter.” His response: “Well, I wouldn’t worry about it because in today’s Home Decorating environment unmatched counters are the rage.” My response; “HEY DANNY, DO YOU SEE STUPID TATTOOED ON MY FOREHEAD.” And you wonder why people are on depressants and Xanax? So, if you want to avoid all the pitfalls of spending your time and money seeking people who can paint your house, replace your siding, pressure wash your house and maybe throw in pressure washing your driveway I suggest you call Gonzalez Painting and avoid wasting your time talking to the Grifters who have the brains of a gnat assuming you're an idiot looking to drain your life savings. The Gray Army has arrived. Senior Citizens United. Sincerely John Fronza