THOMAS BUILDERS & CONST CO

Avoid at all costs, they do not know local codes. Tom and his crew failed the following inspections: - Electrical, including a stop work - Plumbing - Structural/Framing - Site Evaluation - Insulation

They were impossible to reach so they left us with half a wall and no follow-up. They were terrible. We ended up going with another person because we could not get them to finish the job. I will not use them again in the future and I discourage anyone from using them.

At first his (the owner, Thomas McNichol's) response was pretty good. I got an estimate in a timely manner, nicely itemized. He asked me to pay for the first half with the understanding that he'd get the second half when he was done. Which is a good thing because he never finished. Work began pretty quickly on the easiest part of the job. The first story roofs on two extentions of our house were replaced and a ridge vent added. New gutters with new, larger downspouts were installed. I explained how water was getting into the windows that are below the corners where the extentions meet the main part of the house, so he moved the downspout out to the end of the extension, farther away from the window. He also explained about creating a slight decline so encourage water to run away from the house. Also, he explained that some roof damage was caused by the upper story downspouts spilling directly onto the roof and not extending the downspouts down to the lower gutter. However, they left the upper downspouts to spill directly onto the new roof, even removing a bend on one that had previously led to the lower gutter. Also, the original downspouts led to drains, and now the drains are open holes by our house with no covers. Not all the old gutter pieces were cleaned up and one attachment piece was left on the house. The roof looks fine. But in big storms the water STILL overflows the gutter by the house and runs down over our windows and gets inside, so the original problem is not fixed. Months passed and I had to bug him to get them to come back and attend to the second half of the job. There is water damage around the panel of windows under one of the gutter areas I described, and rotted wood. They came to open up the drywall and removed wet insulation and discovered the outer wall to which the stucco on the outside of the house is attached was rotten. He promised a new estimate on replacing the stucco once new boards were in. I also mentioned a neighboring window had a fallen sash and he kept promising to "look at that later." I didn't hear from him again, despite my messages. Fall quickly came and winter set in. We endured Christmas with an open wall of rotted wood and no insulation. In the Spring I called him again and he made new promises. No new estimate came. I asked about just repairing the wall and leaving the stucco. No dice. Then I got a strange message asking me to confirm the original maker of the window, which was Vetter (wood casement windows), and telling me he couldn't find anyone who could replace it and asking if I knew where he could get them. Well, I'd already run into that problem and so I called him back with all the info I'd researched, a millwork place I'd found that does custom replacement wood windows for Vetter, with their number, and the name of their carpenter who does the work. Isn't that HIS job, as a contractor, to pull together resources and maintain a network in the field? After several more months of silence I decided to find another contractor. I had originally talked to him about building a good working relationship so that his company could replace the second story roof and gutters the following year, and so I'm speechless to figure out why he'd throw away a dependable future source of business in this way. What irks me is that I have had a window specialist, three carpenters, a handyman, and this contractor in to give estimates on this window situation over a period of several years and no one has finished or taken on this window job. I told Thomas this and he promised he wouldn't disappear on me. But he did.

THOMAS BUILDERS OFFERED A COMPETITIVE PRICE FOR THIS PROJECT, AND WE WERE PLEASED WITH THE MAIN BODY OF WORK. HOWEVER, THOMAS BUILDERS WAS VERY SLOW TO CORRECT DEFICIENCIES AFTER THE CONSTRUCTION. THESE INCLUDED DAMAGE TO OUR BRICK WORK (A HOLE IN THE CORNER OF OUR WALL), CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS LEFT IN OUR YARD (THIS INCLUDED A LAYER OF CONCRETE OVER PART OF OUR LAWN!), A ROOF DEFECT THAT LEFT WATER POURING OVER THE SIDE OF OUR HOUSE WHEN IT RAINED, AND A LEAKY SPOT THAT LED TO DAMPNESS AND MOLD IN THE INTERIOR DRYWALL. THOMAS BUILDERS ALSO FAILED TO PAY THEIR LUMBER BILL, AND THIS LED TO THEIR LUMBER COMPANY PLACING A MECHANIC'S LIEN ON OUR HOME. IT TOOK ABOUT THREE MONTHS OF BADGERING TO GET THOMAS TO CORRECT THE DEFECTS. WE EVENTUALLY TURNED TO ANGIE'S NEIGHBORS IN ACTION AND TO THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU. ONCE WE HAD DONE THAT, THE DEFICIENCIES WERE CORRECTED OVER THE COURSE OF ABOUT SIX WEEKS. THE HASSLE OF CORRECTING PROBLEMS LEFT A BITTER TASTE IN OUR MOUTHS.

FINISHED DECK QUICKLY; A SMALL ITEM WAS RAISED BY CITY INSPECTOR AND ISSUE WAS RESOLVED QUICKLY. I FOUND COMPANY TO BE RELIABLE AND REASONABLE.

I WANTED TO KNOW THERE WOULD ALWAYS BE AN ENGLISH SPEAKER ON THE PREMISES. THIS DIDNT HAPPEN. THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO COULD SPEAK WITH THEM, BUT THEY DIDNT UNDERSTAND. I WOULD TELL THEM TO DO SOMETHING AND I WOULD THINK THEY UNDERSTOOD BUT THEY WOULD NOT FULFILL MY ORDERS. I TOLD HIM VERY SPECIFICALLY THAT THERE WERE BIRDS WHO HAD BUILT A NEST IN THE SOFFITS AND BACK PORCH ROOF THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO REMOVE. THEY JUST ROOFED OVER THE BIRDS! HE DID A SLOPPY JOB OF SEALING BELOW THE ROOF WHERE THE BIRDS HAD GONE THROUGH. THE DIDNT PUT A DRIP EDGE ON THE BACK OF THE HOUSE. THEY DIDNT DO THE FLASHING PROPERLY ON THE BACK PORCH. THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO PUT THE GUTTERS ON THE ROOF SO THE HANGERS WOULD GO UNDER THE SHINGLES. BUT THEY DIDNT GET THERE IN TIME AND THE ROOF WENT ON. HE INSISTED HE COULD GET THE HANGERS ON AFTER THE FACT, BUT I CALLED THE MANUFACTURER TO DO THAT AND IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE. I WAS AT THE POINT WHERE I DECIDED TO FIRE HIM AND BE DONE WITH IT.

OUR HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE PAID FOR THIS. THEY SAID TOMS PRICE WAS "RIGHT ON THE MARK". THE WORKMAN WERE ABOVE AVERAGE. THEY WORKED STEADY- NO TIME OUTS..NOT EVEN LUNCH. THEY WERE POLITE, ANSWERED ALL OUR QUESTIONS, CLEANED UP EVERYTHING. OVERALL EXCELLENT WORK. OUR DOG EVEN LIKED THEM!