Pryor Construction Inc

Pryor Construction was previously owned by a neighbor of ours, and following a competitive bidding process in 2006, we contracted with them for nearly $300,000 of work on a major kitchen and bath renovation for the back portion of our 100 year old home. In general, their work was excellent, and together with the oversight of our architect, the addition integrated nicely with the original century old woodwork. Although like any major project there were points of disagreement as to the results of his work, we were ultimately able to reach reasonable accommodations for remediations. That is until a few years ago when we noticed cracks in the bottom concrete step off of our back porch, which they constructed. While this is the newest concrete installation it was unlike anything we experienced with any of the other concrete installed at this house which we have owned for over twenty-five years. We patched it and hoped that would be the end of it. One year later the crack extended across the entire step, both horizontally and vertically. Upon further inspection we realized that the poured concrete step contained clay bricks evidently as a filler, and it is said that their inclusion resulted in the premature failure. We notified Pryor Construction of apparent substandard construction practice, but never heard back from them. Two years later, and the deterioration of the step continued such that we had to undertake a more comprehensive remediation. In the course of demolishing the existing concrete work, we came to realize that the steps did not contain a random brick or two, but clay bricks were an integral part of the concrete work. Full sized bricks were present throughout the concrete, not broken up to even imitate an aggregate, but complete bricks were used in lieu of concrete, which I believe is more expensive than brick. When we presented Pryor Construction with an invoice for the cost of the remediation efforts including over 1,500 pounds of concrete, and related costs of labor and materials for demolition and reconstruction, the prior owner Pete Pryor,denied that his work was substandard and refused to pay our costs. Note that no bricks were part of this extensive renovation, so they had to have been brought in specifically as a filler for the concrete step. It seems that Pete Pryor sold the business several years ago, and is evidently no longer affiliated with the company. The current management of Pryor Construction simply refused to respond to my communications. It may be practical and financially advantageous to obfuscate responsibility for such items as a: an unevenly laid plank floor; or a prematurely rotting section of a porch, in order to negotiate a cost of full remediation. The hiding/substituting of brick for concrete, is simply a fact that is irrefutable. Based upon the opinion of disinterested experts, this is a substandard construction practice, which led to the the premature failure of the concrete step. The fact that Pryor Construction then failed to immediately take responsibility for at best an obvious breakdown in their internal quality control procedures, while continuing to hold himself out as the “ Renovator of choice” who “PROVIDE QUALITY WORKMANSHIP”, is really alarming and and in my opinion is a false claim. Although our architect provided construction management oversight, even the best can miss things in areas where construction practices are presumed to be standard and straightforward. Given the length of time since the work was done and for the deterioration of the steps to become noticeable, I doubt if it is covered by any form warranty, so I can not pursue any additional steps for compensation. My suggestion is that existing and potential clients of Pryor Construction question current management as to what might have happened in this case, so they are well informed of the risks they are undertaking, and the level of oversight which may be required.

unknown

We had planned to remodel first and second floor bathrooms of our 3 flat someday. Someday became now when a major drain leak from the second floor toilet meant both bathrooms would require demolition to fix the leak. 
We had definite ideas about what we wanted. We had done a small door replacement project with Pryor that had gone well, so we had established a bit of a working relationship with the company and with Mary in the office. We met with a designer recommended by Pryor and they provided some ideas but not a lot of changes to our overall approach. Ridas got involved as the project manager and we refined the detail plan and signed the contract.
When we met with Pete Pryor, he estimated 3 weeks for the work, 4 at the outside. Because of the nature of the project and age of the house (~100 years old) and our positive experience on the door project, we agreed to time and materials instead of fixed price for the project. in spite of some unexpected complexity in doing the demolition and a few changes on the fly, the 4 week time frame proved adequate. 
Ridas kept us informed of what was happening, responded to questions and requests for changes quickly. Despite the number of different trades involved, including sub-contractors, once work started, it moved along continuously with workers scheduled and actually arrived as planned and on time. Quality of work is excellent. When needed, workers stayed late to make sure things stayed on schedule. Plumbing and electrical work were done in a professional manner with improvement not only to current standards but unnecessary pipes were cleaned up and new conduits were placed in the most efficient routes.
Pryor is not the cheapest contractor but they have really lived up to the role of General Contractor, supplying expertise to manage the project and workers (their own and subcontractors), enabling us to worry about what we wanted, decorative and material choices and not have to ride herd on workers. Project has yielded high quality results with beautiful finish and upgrade of the bathrooms and of course fixed the plumbing leak that started this whole project.

They did a fabulous job. That was the biggest thing that they did. They also did a few other smaller things because the unit that I bought was not finished. I don't remember anything specific on the smaller things but the closet is great. It increased the value of my place. It was worth the money I spent. They were in contact, not I would say constantly but as appropriate. So if something needed my input, they would call me right away or if I had a question they would get back to me very promptly.  They are solid all the way around.

Summary: It was great! Only wish we could have started sooner.
Details:
We had sketches ready for the built-in we just needed a carpenter to put it all together. We asked three companies to come out and give us estimates - one declined due to being overbooked, so it was down to Pryor and our other estimate. Ralph from Pryor came out promptly and gave us good details on when we could expect to start/finish, and came up with great ideas to try and save us some money on materials.
The other estimate was for a little less, but in the same ballpark, and the other carpenter wasn't as thorough in his evaluation, so we decided to contract with Pryor.
We wish we could have started the project sooner, but that's hardly Pryor's fault - they had previously scheduled work going on and it was a busy season.
The work was being done in our main living area, and we had an infant and toddler so it was important to try and keep the disruption to a minimum - the carpenter was wonderful about only working while they were in daycare and clearing everything possible away before we brought them home for the night.
The work was completed on schedule, and we had a small additional request that we realized we needed after the carpenter left - we'd wanted an access hole for cables cut in the counter, but it hadn't been in the plans. We contacted Pryor, and they sent the carpenter out to drill the hole for us at no additional charge. It took a while for him to schedule us in - about a week - but once he got here it took him less than 10 minutes from start to completely cleaned up.
We would definitely hire Pryor Construction again.

This was a fairly small job for Pryor, but you never would have known that from our end. The whole Pryor team treated our job like it was the most important job they had. Ralph, Tomas and the whole team were prompt, professional and highly skilled. Communication was easy, and they were very responsive. I asked for greater protection from dust for the rest of our house , and it was provided. They purchased and installed floorboards without charging us, even though this was not explicitly stated in the contract and Ralph had thought we were providing them. They were here when they said they would be, worked longer than expected and finished a day ahead of schedule! We recommend them as highly as we can!

Called Pryor to get a quote on having drywall, insulation and trim replaced after having drywall cut out due to mold remediation work, after a sump pump failure. I was under a time constraint in order to get other projects completed and Ralph called and arranged a walk through. We met the following day and had a written quote in hand within a few days which we agreed to. Ralph was upfront about timing to begin the project, but unfortunately the current project his guys were working on ran over and we had to delay the start for one week. The drywall guys came as planned the following week as planned and made quick work of the project. Ralph consulted with me on the type of insulation and suggested the best, most cost effective option. The drywall guys were there for about 4 full days and they worked long days, were very tidy and the work looked great. The only thing I was disappointed with was that most of the electric outlets were too far recessed in the walls after the new drywall was installed. Even trying to adjust the boxes out was not effective. We also had an issue with 2 doors not closing properly in their jams, but Ralph sent out the carpenter out who was very mituculous about refitting the door jams and getting everything to work. And he came at 4 pm on Friday over the holidays so props for him! All in all I was very pleased with the work, timeliness, professionalism., and cost.

unknown

The project began with an inspection of the basement area by Ralph Bigosinski, our representative from Pryor Construction.  We had basic ideas of what we wanted and with this information Ralph made proposals as how to go about transforming a clean dry basement into a family room, full bath, utility and laundry room.  We had other companies come to offer suggestions and give estimates, but we were most impressed by Ralph's knowledge and understanding of what we wanted and what needed to be done.  This gave us a good level of confidence that the finished project would work out to our satisfaction.  We had a three man work crew throughout this project lead by Andy.  He and his partners, Stanley and Dominick stayed with this project from beginning to end.  Andy was extremely understanding of our concerns and needs, frequently offering suggestions that made a big difference in the end results.  We are very grateful for he and his crew's efforts.  When ever calls were made to Pryor's office, Mary Capistrano was always pleasant and very helpful.  It is now a little over two months from the completion of the project and we are very satisfied with the finished project.  We have added a beautiful living area to our home by using Pryor Construction to assist us with the build out of our basement.

Bruce installed ~200 feet of base trim in our loft apartment, including a couple of outside curves and a few tricky miters and copes. After I painted the trim and caulked it in, it looks pretty good, considering the floors and walls are rather uneven in spots in this 15-year-old conversion of a 100-year-old building.

Setting the job up did move a bit slowly, taking several phone calls and visits over several weeks: to discuss, to measure, to pick out the trim profile, etc. But after a supervisor change the job went fast, and the actual installation took only two visits in the same week.  All in all, Pryor Construction billed 12 hours of work plus materials.

My earlier review had faulted Pryor Construction for an office misunderstanding of their Angie's List listing concerning their geographic scope of operations. Owner Pete Pryor later clarified they do in fact work south of Fullerton, putting my West Town location in their work area.

Very responsive. They helped us find a very good architect when we were just starting. We asked them to bid once the designs were complete. We ended deciding on Pryor due to some unique design elements (curved walls, pocket doors, etc). They started on time and stayed on schedule. During the start of the project the manager left the firm, but Pryor replaced him with no disruption to our project. Pryor was excellent and very willing to fix anything we felt was not to our expectation. We only ran into a few very small change orders that they took care of easily. There was one wall that became crooked due to the old structure. After everything was finished they came back and redid the wall to straighten it up at no cost. The quality of all elements from structure to finish are very good. The finish contractors were top notch. Excellent work all around. For a time they needed access to the inside of the house while we were living there and were respectful of our family's morning routines. We are now a year later and outside of a few squeaks due to the house settling everything is holding up very well. I would have no trouble recommending Pryor to anyone.

Honestly, this project was so easy it's hard to believe. Ralph and his team we friendly, professional and totally transparent. Enjoyed working with them all. Pryor Construction is highly recommended.

Overall, I'm really happy I went with Pryor. Ralph and Jim were great to work with. I felt 100% comfortable with them in my home, and as someone who works from home and was there throughout the project, that was particularly important to me.



|



|Full disclosure, before Ralph and Jim were assigned to the project, Pryor had some staffing changes that affected the flow/quality of the work that was being done on our place. But in the end, Pryor really stepped up to make sure that they delivered on everything that was promised.



|



|Mistakes can happen to the best of us, but it's all in how the mistakes are handled that matters. I've heard many horror stories about contractors cutting their losses and running. Pryor did just the opposite. They stepped up their game and delivered results that I love. I felt there was a lot of integrity behind the company and all the issues we had were resolved fairly.



|



|



|



|Pryor came to me on a high recommendation and after seeing the work they had done for this friend, it was a no-brainer to have selected them for our projects. It seems that Pryor has gotten through the staffing issues they had in the fall and the team that is in place now is rock solid.



|



|I'm really pleased with the finished project and the effort that Pryor put in to make sure everything was completed with great attention to detail.

I could not have been more pleased with every aspect of this repair.  At each step I received excellent, professional service, great communication, and quality work.  My initial call was returned immediately.  Ralph came out at once and gave me a complete explanation of what was required with a breakdown of the cost.  When I decided to schedule the work they began almost at once, and each day showed up right on time.  The crew that did the construction was extremely professional, courteous and efficient.  I especially appreciate that they took the initiative to contact a neighbor who might be impacted by the work and provide her with an explanation of what they planned to do and contact information in case she needed to speak to them.  They worked quickly and efficiently and completed the job a day earlier than estimated.  The work they did was outstanding; I am really impressed by the quality of the construction.  They also did a repair on the fence that was not in the original estimate without any additional charge.  Ralph, who was supervising the job, checked in with me each day, and after the job was finished to make sure I was satisfied.    There was in fact a small issue I mentioned and he stayed until everything was done to my complete satisfaction.  All along he kept me informed.  This company was just a joy to work with.

As homeowners for more than 30 years who have personally managed major and minor renovations as well as small improvement projects and must-do-fast repairs, we have come to appreciate the importance of the integrity of the contractor as well as the quality of the work. We had the good fortune of hearing about Pete Pryor and Pryor Construction in 2004 when we were interviewing contractors for our whole basement remodeling project and he and his team have become our trusted resource for anything we want to have done on our home. We have used the major construction team, the handyman service and other niche service contractors at Pete's recommendation and we have found the work consistently top rate, performed up to our expectations and responsive to any questions that we have along the way. Communication is always so important with home renovation and repair and we continually appreciate the responsiveness and attentiveness that Pete and his team has shown throughout our projects when a question arises and his willingness to problemsolve to find solutions that work. 
The workers that Pryor Construction has brought into our home and to our property have been top-rate craftsmen, resourceful and and we have found Pryor Construction's prices to be competitive, reasonable and fair.
We've experienced the full range of contractors and craftsmen since we began making improvements to our home many years ago -- the good, the bad and the despicably ugly. We place Pete Pryor and Pryor Construction at the very top of our list -- we consider him to be a valued resource,  a quality home improvement partner and a man of his word. 

They have an impressive collection of talented workman who can always

be counted on to do a really professional job, and can be counted on to

think out of the box if they need to to  in order to get something done

Everthing went smoothly from start to finish. I contacted Pryor Construction for a widow seat project I wanted to do -  design and install custom windo seats across the entire front of the house , with an  L-shape extension. The custom cabinetry turned out beautifully . They also set up an up an upholsterer to create the cushions for the top of the window seats ( Leo's Furniture and Upholstery, Inc) which turned out perfectly . The whole experience was thorough  and  professional . I am ecstatic with the result!
 I will use Pryor again and agian for future projects.

 it and we got started.

Mr. Pryor had his men at the house when he said they would be there and I was very impressed with the knowledge each worker had with his respected job. The ugly carpet was removed and I was absolutely amazed at the removal of the old paint on the stairs and the new finish that was applied. The walls all seemed vibrant and very meticulously repaired. He removed the tile on the floor at the bottom of the stairs to find the original tile that was in good shape but just needed proper cleaning, which he did. I hesitate putting a runner on the stairs because I enjoy seeing the wood in its natural state.

The band of painted limestone was cleaned and treated. I have very fussy neighbors and I didn't get one complaint of infringing on their property.

Originally I thought the price was a little high but after the work was done I have no complaints whatsoever. The entryway now makes me smile every time I come through the front door. I have recommended Pryor Construction to a number   

of my friends and will definitely use Mr. Pryor if the future.

During the sales process, Pryor was very aggressive with their pricing and they displayed excellent professionalism.   The owner assured us that we would not not regret choosing them.  We felt good about our decision to go with Pryor over the other contractors that we had received bids from. 

We signed the contract with Chris and Pete.  We understood that Chris was to be our project manager.  When the job actually started a few weeks later, we were told that Chris was not qualified for the size of our project and we were introduced to Ralph, who Pete said was much more qualified, as our project manager.   Later Pete continued to talk about Chris and reference conversations he had with him relating to our project.  We later found out that Chris had left the company before our project started and that Pete had not been honest with us.  

The project started off very slowly and we were left wondering when they were actually going to start and after they started, what days they were actually going to show up.  They were very unorganized.  We had communicated our sense of urgency since we were starting a project in the fall that was easily a 6-8 week project. 

We had some issues with the demo work, none of which was horrible.  Some damage was done to our neighbor's house and in an attempt to get equipment thru our garage, they took the siding off of our garage to cut a hole.  Later it was determined the equipment could come through our back yard without touching the garage. 

A new foundation was dug and the foundation was poured.  There were a number of problems with the foundation:

 
1) No sealant or insulation was put outside the concrete walls, as is standard. 
2) One area of the footing was not aligned properly. 
3) The height of the foundation walls were below the existing sidewalk.

When we pointed out each of these issues, we were first told we were mistaken.  After we pressed the issues and physically showed Pete the problems by digging out the dirt, he admitted we were right about the first two items.  He skirted around the third item even though virtually every one with any knowledge on this that looked at it, told us this was done incorrectly and that we were going to have water problems in the future.  Since we had only one chance to pour a foundation, we obviously wanted it done right.  We lost faith in Pryor and felt like they honestly didn't care about getting it done right.

 
When we brought the concrete problems to Pryor's attention, Pete first said we were wrong and was very defensive.  He told us he didn't know if he could complete our project.  After completely losing his cool in our yard,  he proceeded to call us the next day to ask us for money for the next phase of work that had not yet been completed.   He continued to say that we didn't seem to trust him, although he was giving us no reason to trust him. 

Pryor took no responsibility for any wrongdoing and blamed everything on our architectural drawings.  We all acknowledged upfront that the drawings were not perfect (as is often the case).  Pete insisted and assured us that we would address any and every issue as it came up and work together to resolve any problems.  He reassured us repeatedly that we could trust them to get our project done right and we would be happy we chose them to do the job. 

We fired Pryor Construction after about a month on the job.  At a minimum, we were told that they would clean up our yard, repair their admitted mistakes, and repair damage done to our neighbor's house.  For weeks we were told that they were going to do this.  Finally they came last week and put forth a meager effort to repair these items.  Currently, the repair work attempted looks horrible and we also have a huge mound of dirt in the back yard.   Our neighbor's house was partially repaired.

We will have to hire another concrete company to fix what Pryor did incorrectly at our expense.  We have been left with a mess and now have to wait until the spring to complete the project.

We thought we had hired a seasoned company with a great reputation but the quality of the service and the workmanship received has been extremely disappointing and troublesome. 

The electrician was smart enough to check with inspector on a code point before starting the job.

Unfortunately, this caused a slight change of plans last minute.  No extra charge was involved and the final result was very well done. I was glad I was there at the end of the job to point out a couple of minor issues that they addressed immediately.
Pryor Construction was extremely willing to accommodate our wants.  He brought in an excellent electrician group and checked in often.  At the end, he made sure we were completely satisfied.
I would definitely recommend him to others.

We are extremely happy with all the projects that Pryor Construction has completed in our home. The quality of both the rough and finish carpentry was A+++, especially the custom window casings and baseboards inn the kitchen that were fabricated to match the existing millwork in the other areas of our 118 year old home. In the master bath, the tile setting on the floors and walls was impeccably done. The floors in the house had settled over the past 100+ years making it difficult to set the tile in the 20' x 15' room without the sagging floors ruining the look. Pryor lifted and re-supported the sagging floors prior to the tile installation. The attention to detail is excellent. In fact, when the kitchen was remodeled, the  carpenter inverted the floor joists to eliminate bowing that occurred in them over the past 100 years. It required a great deal of extra time, was not in the work plans, but was something they felt was needed to make the finished product perfect. And I was even more grateful when I was not handed an up-charge, however I would have gladly paid it if asked. The newel post, spindles and handrail for the new staircase off the kitchen were custom made by Pryor's carpenter, too, and are exceptionally well crafted.



Another very important reason I would hire Pryor again and again is the fact that when they did have to come back to re-work or adjust something that was not quite right, it was done promptly and without question from them. I have hired other contractors that I had to bird-dog forever to return, but this is definitely not the case with Pryor.







A great experience all the time. AAAA++++

I original posted a negative review on 6/6/2013 about the treatment I received when contacting the company. Needless to say the next day I got a call from Pete the owner who apologized repeatedly and wanted an opportunity too look at the bedroom I wanted done. Chris the projected manager came out that same day. He look at the room and was very assuring that this would be a job his team could handle. Chris was very understanding and could relate to some of my concerns and I was put at easy. Chris then followed up with me shortly after and told me he could have his team out as soon as the NEXT DAY! I was so excited I could believe they would be able to come out so soon. The team arrived and got straight to work! They worked all day non stop. The team was polite and worked very hard to finish the job. I wish I could remove the first review and just have posted this one. I am even in the process of talking with Chris about a possible remodel of my kitchen. I am beyond satisfied with Pryor Construction Company! Thank you guys! You guys rock!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't be happier!!!!!!!!

Chris was very responsive throughout the process.  He came out and did an estimate for the work.  After a couple back and forth exchanges on getting the scope of the work correct on the estimate, we signed the contract and we met again to discuss materials/design.  I picked out the materials and they started the work a few weeks later when the materials came in.  They did very high quality work.  We had a few days where scheduling did not go as planned, which made the project go on a little longer than we had originally thought, but everyone that worked on the project was knowledgeable, friendly, and hardworking.  After they finished, a few of the materials needed to be replaced (defective doorknob, splintered floorboard) and they came and replaced them promptly.  Overall, the work looks great.

I hired Pryor Construction for a massive basement remodel project and the results are fantastic. They  took a old seedy waterlogged Chicago  basement and turned it into a modern entertainment room with bar and fireplace  ,powder room , laundry room , and storage space. The project included digging down  the basement floor to raise the ceiling , moving /re-configuring HVAC and plumbing, all new lighting , creation of a powder room and laundry room. The basement was literally taken down to the studs and re-built. All the workers were skilled and professional . When problems arose , they were dealt with in a timely fashion.  My concerns were always addressed quickly and it was always easy to discuss the job and progress of things. S2 Architects worked closley with Pryor for a smooth job .
I am very happy with the results !

We had wanted to redo our basement for some time, but were hesitant because it required breaking up the concrete floor and digging down in order to improve ceiling height. I will never forget the day I came home and saw a mini back hoe in my basement and then, a few days later, the hot water heater and furnace suspended from the ceiling!  Pryor Construction gutted, excavated, relocated the furnace and water heater, and kept everything working so we did not have to move out.  Each aspect of the renovation (demolition, waterproofing, carpentry, final finishes and painting) was well planned and executed. They worked well with the architects and managed all of the sub-contractors efficiently. If there was ever a question, a change or an add-on they were able to make it work. The project was completed on time and within the budget range. This was the second major job Pryor Construction did for us and we were very happy with their work and overall professionalism once again.