NORMANDY REMODELING

Still in progress

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They did a very good job.

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Overall it went well, the workmanship on the front porch and the deck was outstanding and was completed in a timely manner. We had a miscommunication issue with the kitchen windows but were satisfied with the end result. The roofing and siding took a very long time; six months) as a result of limited selection of colors to match our particular tastes, and what seemed like several delays on Normandy's behalf in the actual ordering of the siding we waited for three months (December through February not good working months anyway). Normandy was very considerate of our needs, for example, they did remove a half empty dumper before the Christmas Holidays, and despite the difficulty in obtaining the materials they did eventually get the colors we requested. The siding installation was satisfactory. I am not sure if after six months my patience was wearing thin or communication was getting worse. After a few setbacks, eventually the work was completed and it looks fantastic.

Normandy was very responsive and great to work with in the planning and exploration stage, especially designer Jason Clesle. They explained the process well, listened and incorporated all feedback, made every effort to work with us on the price, provided useful advice on other areas of the home, and in general were excellent. They seemed very attuned to minimizing the disruption of daily living to the extent possible during the actual construction. Due to other factors (not related to Normandy) we decided not to do the project on the original scale. I would highly recommend checking with Normandy for a major remodel and they would be our first call for a similar project in the future.

They were nice on the phone and the kitchen designer met with us and was very nice. However, it seemed he had a design in mind without listening to what we wanted. His suggestion of knocking down a wall and redoing our beloved window was off the mark. This type of disconnect wasn't too big of a deal to me since it was the first meeting. The designer also indicated our budget was way too low. I said that if he had a suggestion for our kitchen, I might be able to adjust our budget. Again, I didn't think it was a big deal because it was at the beginning of the process. The designer said he would outline something and get back to us. What I find unacceptable and unprofessional is that he never called back. It felt like a smaller job wasn't worth it to them. Good service and basic respect is important when you have thousands of dollars on the line. I did not receive it from Normandy. They came by reference and I have talked to the reference about my experience as

REQUESTED A PROPOSAL. A ''KITCHEN DESIGNER'' CAME OUT AND INFORMED US THAT OUR BUDGET (APPROX. $100,000) WAS WAY TOO LOW, STATING THE KITCHEN ALONE WOULD BE CLOSE TO THAT AMOUNT - BUT WE MIGHT GET AWAY WITH ONLY SPENDING $80,000-$90,000 ON THE KITCHEN. THIS PERSON CRITICIZED THE QUALITY OF THE COMPETITIONS CABINETS, COUNTERS, APPLIANCES, ETC. SHE GOT VERY UPSET WHEN WE INDICATED THAT WE HAD ALREADY PURCHASED APPLIANCES BECAUSE SHE CLEARLY WANTED TO SELL THEM TO US. DESPITE NOT BEING AN ENGINEER (WHICH I AM) SHE ALSO STATED WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO REDO THE FOUNDATION TO ACCOMMODATE ENCLOSING THE PORCH - 5 ARCHITECTS HAVE SINCE DISAGREED WITH HER. IF YOU WANT GOOD QUALITY, LOTS OF HAND-HOLDING, BUT WITH AN OUTRAGEOUS MARKUP, THIS SEEMS LIKE THE PLACE TO GO. FYI, EVERY INDEPENDENT ARCHITECT WE INTERVIEWED INDICATED THAT OUR BUDGET WAS COMPLETELY ADEQUATE.

THEY WERE GREAT. THEY STAYED ON SCHEDULE AND ON PRICE. WE WERE IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH THE SALESMAN AND OUR PROJECT MANAGER AND EASILY RESOLVED OUR PROBLEMS--THE FEW THAT AROSE. WE WOULD USE THEM FOR ANOTHER PROJECT AND HAVE RECOMMENDED THEM TO SEVERAL OTHERS. WHEN THEY DID THE DRYWALL, TAPING AND SANDING, THEY EVEN SENT IN A CLEANING CREW AFTERWARD, SO WHEN I GOT HOME THERE WAS NO BLANKET OF WHITE DUST. FANTASTIC!

THERE WERE TWO SEPARATE AND DISTINCT PHASES FOR THIS PROJECT: DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION. THE DESIGN PHASE WAS AWFUL AS OUR ARCHITECT HAD FEW CREATIVE IDEAS AND MOSTLY JUST DID WHAT WE ASKED. THIS WOULD NORMALLY BE FINE, EXCEPT THAT I DON'T HAVE AN ARCHITECT'S LICENSE AND I HIRED NORMANDY IN PART FOR DESIGN IDEAS. THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE WAS SOMEWHAT BETTER. THEY AGREED TO MATCH THE LOWEST-PRICE ESTIMATE SO WE FEEL LIKE WE GOT A GOOD PRICE, BUT WE COULD DEFINITELY TELL THEY WERE IN CONSTANT COST-SAVING MODE, USING LOW GRADE OR CHEAP MATERIALS IN MANY INSTANCES (FIXTURES, SWITCHES, ETC). ONE PLUS TO THE COMPANY IS THAT EVERY TIME WE COMPLAINED ABOUT A CONSTRUCTION PROBLEM, THEY DID RESOLVE THE ISSUE TO OUR SATISFACTION. FOR EXAMPLE, THEY PROMISED US A HIGH QUALITY TRANE FURNACE AND INSTEAD DELIVERED THE LOWEST-GRADE RHEEM FURNACE. AFTER ONE COMPLAINT, THEY REPLACED IT WITH A TRANE. BE CAREFUL WHO YOU GET FOR A DESIGNER AND CHECK REFERENCES.

IT MADE A BIG IMPROVEMENT ON THE HOUSE AND IT WASN'T TRAUMATIC. WE HAD GOOD COMMUNICATION