ANDREWS CONSTRUCTION

I started with Andrews Construction based on favorable comments here on Angie's List and because I knew at least one person that had used the company. Andrews Construction turned out to be one person, Andrew Secrest, who mostly works alone. He's likable enough and offered good advice and insight for my project so I hired him to do the work. His estimate was $24,000 for all the work and materials and I paid him half up front with the rest to be paid as work was completed.
I think roofing is his primary skill and that started out pretty well.  He supplied top quality shingles and made sure the roof was well decked and properly sealed including ice barriers. He got the roof, maybe, 80% complete when he started showing up less regularly. He has some health issues but I think he was also doing shorter jobs for other people at the same time. It took months for the roof to finally be more or less complete but some of the edges remain untrimmed to this day.
By the time he was ready to begin on the deck, I suspect he'd run through the money that was supposed to go for materials. I'd pay him installments on the remainder to fund materials but I don't think he had money to live on and would take more "other" jobs to get by. This of course caused my project to slow to a snail's pace.
His old rusted Dodge van lost reverse gear and he'd have to push it out of my driveway and then start it up to drive away. Finally it wouldn't start and had to coast downhill to start. Of course he had no means to get it fixed or replace it. I wanted to help with anything that would move the work along so I found a replacement van for $800 and bought it for him. I also would go to the lumber store with him to buy more materials since he had nothing left of my up front money. 
The deck remains unfinished to this day although I've told Mr. Secrest not to come back. I'm not sure he has the knowledge or skill to finish it and he certainly didn't have any desire to complete the work. The deck design is good but it isn't properly constructed. The joists should have been let into the vertical supporting posts or at least bolted clear through. He used lag bolts that don't go clear through the posts. The stairs have to be redone and there are still no screens for the enclosed area.  And the roof leaks spoiling the beaded ceiling boards inside.
I've since engaged a wonderful contractor for the work inside the house and when that is complete he is going to help me correct and complete the work that Andrews Construction left half done.

The project was difficult to quote upfront because the amount of water damage could not be determined until exposed during the repair.

Andy quoted materials cost plus $40/hr. Andy starts late but works late at a slow but steady pace. Quality work is his primary concern.

Andrew is a master roofer. he worked every day it didn't rain .  He didn't  do  it as fast as he could  he did it slow and right.He
did a good job of cleaning up after himself.  I'm very pleased

Removing the old roof over the porch turned out to be far harder than we expected. He worked diligently and very carefully to remove all old materials and did a fabulous job installing the new roof. It looks so much better, and there are now no leaks.

Overall, he did the work and solved the problem. However, he spend considerable time making phone calls trying to locate a specific part needed. It turns out he found it at Menards. He was not able to complete the work before more snow fell on the roof. If all you care about is getting the work done, then I would recommend him to you. However, if arriving on time, or when promised is a problem for you then I would not suggest hiring him. On the second day, he called at 8:30, told me he was eating breakfast and then would be over. He didn't show up until 1:30. He seems alittle absent-minded. He misplaced his gloves numerous times, tracked snow on my floors after being asked not to, and didn't seemed sensitive to my concerns. He also loves to talk and came down off the ladder more than once, just to chat. In the long run, the roof is repaired and we don't have a leak. But all the other baggage that comes along with him makes me consider hiring someone else the next time.

Andy was thorough in his investigation of the problem and up-front about cost. Although I thought the price was a bit high at first, by the end I felt he'd earned every penny. I work from home, so I know exactly how much time he spent on our roof. He was up there (in the horrible summer heat, no less) for many hours over the course of a few days. He was also very friendly and responsive - happy to answer questions. After the work was finished he called to check up after the next big storm to make sure we'd not had any problems. His work comes with a 2-year guarantee, but I don't think we'll have any leaks in that spot again.

good job

Well first I called Andy he got right back to me asap. we scheduled an appointment. he was right on time looked the house over very well from the attic to the basement( due to chimney removal) He was very knowledgeable he took down all the measurements and info then he left. I heard back from him the next day with a price he even broke it down labor material's etc etc. we also hashed out the additional work that day (chimney) . when i say hash i do not mean haggle he was very negotiable and gave me a great deal. Well we decided to hire him and I told him we where getting the money from the bank so it would take a week or so for them to do there process. he said that was fine he came out and began work anyway WOW!! I didn't expect that. So I got the money paid him half up front 2000. He was on it getting all the old torn off and the chimney down. now get this for service!! on Thanksgiving!!! we had a storm blow off the tarps at 2am I call Andy expecting a voice mail but no!! he answered half asleep he said ill be right out there!!! so he comes out 2:30 am throws a ladder on my house goes up in that REALLY cold rain and fixed the tarps then came in and checked on water damage. He worked on it as long as he could till the worst winter in 10 years hit!! Andy however busted his tail getting the roof buttoned up before the first storm our house had all its tar paper water dam and 90% of the shingles on when it hit!! he kept trying to come out and work on it but the poor guy would get up there and be frozen. so not much got done then he got sick real bad flu. I had to MAKE him leave!!! I was so worried about him I told him not to come back till he was better. poor guy. he was super dedicated!! He kept in contact through the winter we both decided the roof was done enough that it could wait till warmer weather.. Ok now I am only telling this part because I want you to know the trust I had in Andy I am not tooting my own horn. It was Christmas time when we decided to wait till warm weather I also knew I still owed him 2000 more and he had bills and the holidays where upon us. so I asked him if he needed an advance and he sure did so I gave him 1800 more way before the job was complete. That's the trust I had in Andy! Well Andy did come back as soon as it was warm he patched the siding where the chimney was finished a few shingle's on the porch reworked all the gutters. Did an Amazing clean up. he even filled in the holes in my yard left by the dumpster. Ok that's the story now I want to mentions a few things I left out that I had not thought of till I was at the end of the Story. some are Good and some are bad there where a few things about Andy I didn't care for BUT!! none where grounds to not hire him again just things that people may want to know about him and his work. The good 1# Ok Andy was always courteous to my wife and children very patient with nosey kids. 2# Andy gave me sooooo much advice on My remodel projects I shocked he helped me for fr

Andrew did terrific work and maintained excellent communication throughout the process. He's honest and has a great sense of humor. His bid was very competitive. We plan to hire him again.

So far I'm pleased with his work ethic and followthrough. We are working on the roof again right now I will add cmments when everything is fixed completly.

It went very well. Andy found a few spots where the plywood had warped from old water damage before he quoted us. He is the first contractor that had actually gotten on the roof as well as inspected the ceiling below. The work itself was performed professionally and was mostly done by Andy himself. He inspected and tested everything both for the shingling and the duct installation. He showed me how to reattach the vent duct when I replace the bathroom fan, and showed me what size new fan I could purchase. He was knowledgeable and professional throughout. I would definitely use him again.

It was done well, however, it did take a long time to complete.

We got about 6 estimates. Andy was the only contractor that checked out our roof from underneath in the attic. He checked the underlayment and the structure to make sure it was up to code and in good shape and then counseled us on what we needed to do. It was clear he knew what he was taking about. He was punctual, professional and hard working. We had an odd snowsotrm in late March, and Andy showed up and worked until the snow fell. He was working on weekends and on every day that the weather was acceptable. We are so happy with the work Andy did.

The roof was off and re-shingled in less than a week. Once it was done the porch work started. I had asked for the rotted edge of the porch to be repaired. Thanks to Andy's suggestions I ended up with new porch columns and rails and I now have a covering under-layer under the porch roof itself. It looks great and it is something I never would have thought about on my own. After the porch was done the gutters went up in one day. After work was done, clean up was very thorough----he even threw away some of my old junk that was not job related!

Andy performed very well on this job. The roof has not leaked since installation, and looks great! Not only did Andy replace my roof, he acted as a consultant to help me choose materials and methods during the job. Andy did most of the work himself, which takes longer (obviously), but employed helpers for some tasks. This kept the cost down and gave Andy the ability to ensure the workmanship met his high standards. At one point during tear-off, a tarp came loose at night, and rain leaked into the house. A call to Andy got him on the roof within 30 minutes (still raining) and the leak was repaired. I will employ Andy on future jobs, and have no reservations recommending Andy to anyone who needs roofing work completed.