JS Design & Remodeling

"I try hard in my life to let everyone have their own opinion but I suppose I am forced to respond to this report on several points. 1. The member in question is actually building exactly what was designed, paid only what was agreed to, and we have no issues or litigation between us. It is true that I did make a mistake during the design process with regard to property line setbacks. But, I caught the mistake, owned it, and corrected it. And did so without a complaint, in good spirit, and honored our agreement. The design process is typically a collaborative effort between the designer and the homeowners. I would never claim to be a mind reader and come up with the interior design without some feedback from the customer. This members anger seems a little misplaced. ** In full disclosure the member is a massage therapist. I hold bachelors degree in pre-med Biology, but I don't disparage my physicians for working with me to find the cure to my ailments as opposed to treating me without and feedback from me. 2. The member in question has also worked with several other contractors from Angie's List over the years. Her review of their services and craftsmanship to me in our conversations were just as harsh as her criticism of my company. Some of the owners of the companies she complained about I have known for may years. The ones that I know are all honest and conscientious business people (my competitors), and are all doing their best to serve their clients. This members anger seems pervasive. 3. I think Angie's List provides a good service to members but at the same time exhibits some of the worst in what social networking sites can become. The reports process allows any member to say anything they want (libelous or not) about a company without Angie's List taking any responsibility or doing any fact checking. The fact that my only recourse is to respond to the published report seems inadequate to the damage that can be caused by the report. 4. If you are considering working with us, I'd be happy to address any of your concerns about this report. Thank you for taking the time to read my response. And, if you caught the hints of sarcasm in my response above, you'll understand my paraphrasing of Lyle Lovett. "If you don't catch the humor in the sarcasm, you're probably not going to like my music"."

"We were originally hired to complete the design work on the remodeling project for the house. Once that was complete we provided the customer with a detailed estimate for the complete project. The proposal was near $500,000.00. The homeowner used that original proposal to obtain financing for around $175,000 of the total project. He was convinced he could get the project done for that amount. They also elected to act as their own general contractor, hoping that would save them a lot of money on the project. We were then hired by the homeowner as a subcontractor to handle several aspects of the project. Specifically we were hired to complete the demolition the homeowner had started on their own, framing, and exterior siding. Again, we were hired as a subcontractor with the homeowner acting as the general contractor. Our contract with them stipulated that the work would be completed at their direction on a time and materials basis. I did try to provide some input and expertise along the way but the final decisions on what should be accomplished and how it was to be accomplished was up to the homeowner. Any of the work mentioned above in the homeowners complaint as being incomplete was left incomplete because the homeowner requested that we stop working on the project. The reason we were asked to stop was because they were running out of funds. On the roofing issue they mentioned above; my advice was to tear off all of the roofing materials, repair and replace the roof decking as required and go back with a new roof. The homeowner instructed my roofer to simply patch the decking and put a new roof over the existing roof. I disagreed with this approach but the homeowner insisted. For the work we completed on a time and materials basis we invoiced a total of $138,322.00. Of that the homeowner chose to pay only $125,999.00. Any indication that we received or even invoiced $450,000.00 is incorrect. The primary reason for the negative report from the customer was that they wanted someone to blame and indicated to me they would do everything in their power to ruin our company. Beyond this report and a call to the BBB no lawsuit was ever filed and we parted company without any legal action between us. The homeowner did go on to complete the project with another contractor I am familiar with. The entire job was completed on a time and materials basis and did cost the customer somewhere in the neighborhood of the $500,000.00 I originally estimated. It truly was an unfortunate situation for both parties involved and I do regret not passing on the project if we were not to be the general contractor. As you can see from all of the other reports in our profile the size and scope of the project are well within our grasp and we have successfully helped many homeowners to their satisfaction. Joe Stilwell-President"