Lifestyle Group Residential Remodeling

"These type of reports are so disappointing to even have to respond to because as a company it seems like we can't win at times. We offer a deal to members with very clear requirements in writing that members read at the time of purchase. The deal requires a first visit at the home during normal business hours and a second visit at our office during normal business hours. We do that because we want whoever buys the deal at a very, very reduced price (for Angie's List members) to have the requirement of a time investment. We know if someone is serious about a project, they will invest their most precious commodity... which is time. If they aren't serious, they won't waste their time until they are truly ready for the information. We aren't high pressure and we certainly are not rude in any way or we wouldn't have so many great clients and so many Super Service Provider awards (every year since 1999)... I think most people would tell you we are very nice to work with, but there are some members that just aren't real nice. In this case, I would politely characterize this as a situation where the member was too busy to even consider the project from the moment of the first visit, and she was clearly too busy to listen. She was told in person and in writing that the wall she wanted to move likely could not be moved without seeing what the foundation contractor did below (because we thought the way it was constructed that this was a very important support wall holding up the house with footers installed below the basement floor). I restated this to her in an email dated May 23, 2013... yes, well over a year ago. She was SO upset about her terrible experience with us that she waited 1 year and 2 months from the time of that email to file this nasty report. What it comes down to, if we are being perfectly honest, is that the project exceeded her budget and her original builder did a very poor job laying out her basement during construction such that she can't make the modifications she wants. And, for the record, it wasn't a brief second visit at all once she did make the time to come in to discuss the project. After she finally got off her phone, we had a lengthy discussion regarding the details. I remember it clearly because she cancelled the first appointment at our office an hour before she was supposed to be here... and she cancelled by email... (she was too busy) and when she came in for the second visit, we had the same conversation about the moving of the wall that she didn't want to hear. Finally, in over 15 years of doing this work, I will always remember her visit at her home because it was the only time I ever had a client's dog bite me. If it gives you any indication of the type of individual she is, she watched the dog do it and never said a word. Very nice, huh. I guess with this report we've been bit twice with this client! We wish her the best of luck on her project. Please don't hesitate to call us if you have a question about your potential project. We promise to be very nice to you!"

"It is always challenging to give a client price information they are not expecting or hoping for, especially when they want a big basement fully finished, complete with a full bathroom and huge wet bar and theater room... but they only expect it to be $18.00 - $30.00 a square foot. This report indicates to us what this member didn't have the courage to discuss with us... they simply this never had a sense or reasonable understanding of what a realistic budget should be for a project like this. The truth is that we are here to help people understand what things cost and we do our very best to politely help people learn about these project costs. We tell every single client we speak with that "we do not care what you spend... you can stay basic or go very high end... it doesn't matter to us... we will help you understand the costs of the things you ask us to price and we will help you however we can." This member clearly feels they have a much better grasp of pricing than we do, however, in this particular case, they happen to be incorrect. It is important that you understand you can never get a basement finished with a full bathroom and a wet bar for anywhere near $30 per square foot. Unless your production builder is completing your basement finish with the construction of your home, you will have a hard time staying under $30 per square foot for a general basic finish in most spaces. And, in the most polite way, if you happen to find someone who tells you they can do a basement finish with a bathroom, home theater and wet bar for less than $30 per square foot, we strongly encourage you to run the other way because you are asking for trouble and taking on great risk by hiring that contractor. We are sorry this member was disappointed with the information he received and wish him the best of luck in his search for someone who will meet his budget."

"The member submitted this report more than 3 years after our visit with her in February of 2011. It's possible so much time has passed that she doesn't remember the details (or she must be confusing us with another contractor) because she states she did not receive plans. That is incorrect. She received floor plans, views and pricing to accompany those plans. This unfortunate inaccuracy happens more frequently when people submit reports such a long time after the visits originally took place."