Iowa Home Consulting
About us
We are NOT your typical contractor! We specialize in everything from house painting to junk hauling. Check out our website to learn more!
Business highlights
Services we offer
Carpentry, Disposal Services, Drywall, Exterior Painting, Handyman Services., Hauling, Home Cleanouts, Home Sale Preparation, Interior Painting
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 92% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 4% | ||
| 4% | ||
| 0% |
I previously had used IHC for interior painting and floor refurbishing. Communication issues (emails not returned for two weeks at a time) started right off the bat, but I was told by the owner it was due to a very busy season which made me feel more confident this wasn?t the norm. Still the jobs completed with only minor quality issues and delays. Next project was a simple sliding door installation where an existing exterior window originated. The installation of the door not only took days, but weeks. The trim cracked within a day of installation. The installation of the door impacted my recently refurbished hardwood floors. The siding was very rough cut and in some areas over two inches overcut. The contractor left siding scraps in the front and backyard. Simple things were disappointing even such as my broom has gone missing. During installation the individual installing the door showed up at my house around 8:00pm without any notice to ?finish?. After they finished we contacted IHC due to all the quality issues we found. Matt responded somewhat defensive, but sent out the siding contractor to fix the issues on the siding along with the individual that installed the door.
Soon after the rework was completed it was a heavy rain weekend, water was flooding in from the header above the new sliding glass door. Water pooled on the new flooring, paint and cabinets. Thank God I was home and dry the space as often as possible to prevent long term damage. We contacted IHC immediately and they came to look at the door a couple days later. IHC believed it to be the roof which was installed in 2012. I contacted the roofing company, they came to the house and fixed the areas which they believed to have been letting the water in (which was all under warranty and no charge to me). A month later we received an email from IHC asking who would be reimbursing for their services to troubleshoot the leak; including cleaning my gutters (can you believe they would do this without authorization and then ask who would be paying for it?).
Needless to say the simple sliding door installation ended up starting in the spring of 2015 and completing in fall 2015. No leaks in the past month?
Before the leak had appeared I received the final bill for the door installation it was outrageous in my opinion. Originally when provided a quote from IHC they stated it included the purchase of the door (door cost estimated $800). Although when I received the invoice it still included the door purchase (that I purchased myself to avoid the markup) and was more than the original quote.
I?ve since then had other contractors complete my remaining window installations and installed a bay window, etc. Every job has been fully completed within a couple hours. Not only completed within a couple hours, but professional and responsive with questions or concerns. I never would have imagined this simple sliding door installation would have created so many headaches.
All I am looking for from IHC is for them to humble themselves enough to recognize the work they provided wasn?t quality. So far, when we contact IHC and challenged the erroneous amount they said it was due to their high emphasis on quality and safety?
"Thank you again for working with us [Removed Member Name]. We do apologize for any misunderstandings or miscommunications in the process of completing your project. As you know we have worked very hard to ensure that any concerns you raised were immediately addressed. It is important to us that you and all Angie's List members know that we go above and beyond to make sure our clients are satisfied. I did want to note that much of your review pertains to a roof leak that was unrelated to our project but we did need to address as it damaged the work we had completed (it seems there are even pictures of the leak which again are unrelated to our work). We were a bit concerned that your review might lead Angie's List members to think we had something to do with this roof leak. You had noted the extended period of time to complete the work but again this included the repairs as a result of the roof leak which occurred months after the work was completed. Also important to note was that we would NEVER complete any work for someone without them being aware of it and expect to charge them (a reference to the gutter cleaning that we provided for no charge and did not and would never ask you to pay for it). We had actually inquired about the roofing contractor who was at fault reimbursing us for the repairs to the door trim and surrounding area especially considering we completed this for you as an emergency request on a Saturday and Sunday. We do feel our pricing is fair and competitive and must assume that your confusion on the pricing came from another estimate you received for the project (you mentioned you were quoted $800 for a door but this was not by us). We would not make any assumptions about including door pricing in our estimate unless you had made a selection of a door and we do not mark up any materials used in any of our projects. Again, it is of the utmost importance that you and all clients are satisfied with the work performed. If you do have any other concerns feel free to contact us directly by phone or email and as you know we will work diligently to make sure you are happy. Thank you again! Matthew"
"Thank you very much for working with us on your deck power washing and staining. We certainly do apologize for any delays this summer - as we mentioned in the process we have worked through a very wet season. All of our (an most any other Iowa contractor's) exterior projects have been delayed due to our working at the mercy of Mother Nature. We always shoot to complete any projects as efficiently as possible while balancing what is necessary to ensure we are producing a quality product you will be happy with. We do apologize for the couple of week delay between power washing and stain application but this has not been unusual this Summer as we worked around the forecast. After power washing, your deck was usable and we are always happy to move items from the deck as needed for your convenience. Upon starting the staining, we made sure the flooring was the first priority (in the event rain prevented the deck from being completed seamlessly, which it did) so the deck could be used as normal as soon as possible with placement of furniture, etc. Also, thanks for letting us know about the item you indicated was missed (footer per the review). As always, if there are any such concerns in the future please don't hesitate to let us know about this as we may not necessarily see your review immediately to know of and address any issues. Thank you again for working with us!"
When finding someone to do the repair, I called many places requesting estimates. I heard back from three companies. Of those three companies, two came out to do estimates. Iowa Home Consulting was the only company to give me a prompt and quality estimate. The other contractor that came out to look at the problem gave me the run around when I still hadn't heard from him two weeks later. He told me my estimate would be coming. It never came.
Overall, I was happy with the repair and Matt was very easy to work with. We had a few communication glitches while using email, but these things happen and he was always very accommodating when I would call on the phone. Once the project got started, email communication was excellent and I was pleased. During the project, Matt and his crew worked well and seemed happy to answer any questions I had along the way. They kept the area clean and finished the main parts of the job promptly. We had to wait on parts for some interior parts of the job, but that did not bother me and I didn't see it as a negative, but just a fact of doing a project such as this. I liked that Matt cared to find the right parts that would work with what we already had rather than just finding an inferior substitute that didn't match our current interior.
After the project, Matt was happy to answer questions I had and my invoice was sent promptly. The charges were reasonable and I felt happy with the project.
The only thing that I didn't realize until months later was that some of the insulation had to be removed from the damaged area in the basement (I assume that it was damaged and also had to be removed so they could get at the area being repaired) but it did not get replaced and we didn't discuss it. It isn't a big deal, especially since there were a lot of little parts to this project and we are only talking about two small chunks of insulation, but it would have been good to know that I needed to replace the insulation. I probably should have inspected the area from the basement at the conclusion of the project, but didn't think to do so until months later.
I would definitely use Iowa Home Consulting again. I felt like they cared that I was happy with outcome of my project. I appreciated their communication and the quality of their work.
Additionally, on a somewhat unrelated note, one time while I was driving through town, I saw that someone's car had stalled out in the middle of a busy intersection. I saw the Iowa Home Consulting crew helping the person with the stalled car by helping them push their car to a safer place. It made me feel good to know that they would stop to help when they could have just driven around them.
In sum, it was a great experience, and we are really happy with how the project turned out. The house looks great. We will hire them again, and in fact we already have done so.
They are prompt. They got the job done. When my husband inspected the work we did have them re-due a few things.
"Thank you very much for your review of our services and thank you again for working with us. Since quality is of the utmost importance to us, I did want to make a quick note to clarify the couple of items we addressed were due to having all of the work arranged by phone. When the homeowners examined the completed work they contacted me to expand upon and clarify what had been requested - we were able to address these concerns within 1 hour of being contacted outside of business hours on the weekend. Thank you again!"
"(deleted member name), Thank you very much for the opportunity to work with you, it was certainly a pleasure. We look forward to working with you in the future! Thanks again, Matthew & Team"
"[member name removed], It was great working with you on your projects and we certainly appreciate your review! Thanks again! Matthew & Team"
then all the others who bid on the job. I choose Matthew because of
this, even though he doesn't list flooring on his list of specialties.
I am so glad I did. The job was a lot more challenging then
predicted, but Matthew solved every problem that came up. The finished
product was better than expected. I have already hired Matthew and
Iowa Home Consulting for another project. I couldn't be more pleased.
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