Garry Calvin Contracting LLC

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Our 25 year old kitchen was in bad need of an update.  We received 3 quotes and ultimately selected Garry Calvin Contracting.  While other contractors suggested refinishing our cabinets, Garry suggested a total gut of our kitchen with new cupboards, refinished floor, appliances and a larger opening into a sunroom.  We also added an island that we didn't have prior to the remodel.  His price estimates were spot on and we love our new kitchen.  The total remodel was actually less than some of the bids to refinish the cupboards and leave the layout as-is.  Garry provided computer drawings which were really helpful.

Garry hires excellent contractors and ensures that they do quality work.  Once the work started there was someone in our house working everyday.  He did a great job of coordinating the demolition, cupboard installation, floor refinishing, plumbing, and finishing (painting, tiling, appliance installation, etc.)  so that there was something moving forward all of the time.  We were out of our kitchen for only 4 weeks which we thought was great.  The last of the punch list was completed about 2 1/2 months after the start of the project.  We are new to remodeling and Garry was very helpful in assisting us pick out tile, cabinets, countertop, etc. 

While it wasn't a huge problem, communication was sometimes frustrating.  We needed to meet about various aspects of the project and we'd give Garry time and dates and wouldn't hear from him so we'd have to follow up again.    Once we determined that sending text messages was likely the best way to communicate, it got a little better.  Garry is so good at what he does and juggles multiple projects and priorities, so I'm sure it's a challenge to keep up with all of the communication.  

We would definitely recommend Garry for a kitchen remodel.  He's creative in his designing, excellent in ensuring that the project is moving along,  and insistent upon quality work.

Garry worked nicely with my wife and I to create the remodel plan. We changed our mind about many things through this process and Garry was vey accommodating. Once finalized, Garry introduced us to the contractor that did most of the tear out and installation of our new items. He replaced the floor with new tile, removed a bath tub we never use and installed a linen closet and a built in clothes hamper in that space. He installed an exhaust fan that vented out a side wall, a new toilet, a new shower base, tile, drain, shower faucet and shower head. He installed new vanity cabinets, sinks and faucets that we selected and new lighting above a new framed mirror. The ceilings in the vanity area, walk in closet and shower / toilet area were scraped and all the walls were painted. We selected a cream vanity so all the existing wood trim in the area was painted to match perfectly with the vanity. He installed a pocket door in place of the existing door to the shower area which provided more usable space. Garry arranged for new granite counter tops for the vanity and a new clear glass shower wall and door.

The job took longer than we expected, but the end result is wonderful. The cost was as quoted. 

He is very knowledgeable and is exceptionally thorough. He comes back until the job is finished. He was extremely good and we liked everything that he did.  He's a very talented designer, he will work with you to get whatever you want done. He has a lot of good contacts and we were very impressed with all the workers he had come in.

Garry was very professional and detailed. He hires only sub contrators who do quality work. He kept us informed on the progress and work scheduling. He worked with us so that I could also do some of the work myself to help lower the cost. I would highly recommend Garry Calvin for any construction or remodeling project.

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With all the positive reviews we wanted to make sure it wasn't us, and that our standards weren't too high before writing about our experience. After having work completed by another contractor on a recent project (Paul Young), we realize what a negative overall experience our remodel with Garry was.
We have to say, first, that Garry is a nice guy and probably also wished the project had gone differently. However, our house was vacant for nearly three months and although he agreed to have all the work done in approximately 4-6 weeks, we still had to delay our move for 3-4 weeks because the project was so far behind.  
We have had FIVE major water leaks in our new bathroom that was ripped down to the studs (requiring replacement of the foyer and new bathroom ceiling on multiple occasions).   We paid Garry more money to replace all the old plumbing with new plumbing, which ended up being the source of the leaks.  He did agree to not charge us for that, but it was little consolation for the mess that came along with each leak and shoddy repairs done afterward.   A plumber who Garry had never worked with
before did the work.  We were overall disappointed with the lack of supervision and attention to detail on Garry?s
part given this situation. 
Although the leaks were the major source of headache during this project, there are so many other examples of poor work.   Some of these include:
-  Newly installed switch plate in living room kept getting hot - independent electrician said the NEW wiring that was done was "lazy"
-  Discovered that the marble in the bath wasn't spaced correctly from tub, which results in difficulty of caulking to stick.  Also, board behind and the lip of the tub and tile work on the side wasn't sealed causing a leak when the caulk failed.
-  Hot & Cold were switched in tub and not noticed
-  Dry-walled over air intake for third floor blower, and if we hadn't noticed, would have left it that way.
- Electrical for fans was installed, but not designed to actually support a fan 
(our list goes up to 96 items similar to the above)
Garry was initially apologetic.   However, after multiple issues and mutual frustration, his response changed to blaming the subcontractors that were hired/recommended by him. We feel that as a general contractor he did not manage the process or supervise to the level he should have. 
Garry was punctual and would respond to txt/ calls promptly.   Again, we are certain that he also wished the project had gone more smoothly.   This review reflects only our experience and is nothing against Garry as a person.  We feel the root of the problem was that he hired some sub par workers to do the work, who weren't supervised well.  We were the unlucky people to get the results of that decision.  We also feel that the attention to detail just wasn't there in comparison to our most recent experience with another contractor.

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Gary and his crew were extremely professional from start to finish. After our initial meeting, Gary made a rough draft design of the new kitchen which we liked very much. Gary then drew up a final design and itemized his bid so we understood the expenses involved in the project. Having a specific line item bid, helped us clearly understand how each of our choices (tile, lighting, flooring etc.) would impact the overall cost of the project. 
The project took approximately 10-12 weeks to complete and Gary and his crew were punctual and tidy throughout the project. When the mess of the project extended beyond the kitchen, Gary made sure the adjacent areas were cleaned up as well. We felt very comfortable having his crew in our home while we were away and Gary would make frequent, many times daily visits to check on the progress of the work. He frequently checked with us to make sure we were satisfied with the project and to address any concerns we had.
Most importantly, the quality of the work was excellent and we are very pleased with the finished project. The crew was very knowledgeable and paid good attention to detail. If Gary felt something was not up to standard, he would have his crew re-do or repair the work even if it cost him time or money to do so. For example, on one occasion, he stopped the installation of the island until we could get home and confirm our design decision. He was concerned the island was going to be too far from other appliances and wanted us to see and feel the layout before the installation was complete. We appreciated his concern for our satisfaction along the way and felt he was genuinely interested and invested in the project as well.
We would highly recommend Gary Calvin and his crew and have already discussed using him again in some other projects we have planned.

Mr. Calvin was conscientious and professional.  He was the only remodeler who suggested an addition to our roof line which enabled us to extend our porch and add a grilling area.  His estimate was not the lowest, but it was accurate and we exceeded the estimate only because of changes we requested.  His subs were easy to work with and were highly competent.  Mr. Calvin paid close attention to the progress of our job, and personally did work to smooth the flow.  He is very easy to work with and has an abundance of practical experience.  We are very happy with the finished product, and would not hesitate to use Mr. Calvin again.

It was a great experience. The quality of their work was excellent and they were very professional. The owner of the company had two men from another company who were sub-contractors who did all the work and he was like the supervisor. He was on it and he had looked at everything. He talked to me about what was going on. There was one change that I wanted to have made and it could not be done. They were very direct with me about what could and could not be done. They have brought all the supplies that they needed. He was very thorough in explaining everything to me initially about what the timeline was and they stayed pretty much close to it. He had also outlined what the cost will be and everything. I love my kitchen.

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We could not have been more pleased with Garry ?
both the process of working with him as well as the spectacular results. From
the start, he was open and agreeable to working in some new ways and he had some
great, creative solutions to several design issues, like the mirrors and
screen. He was attentive to what we requested and was very flexible -- always
willing to modify or re-do if something wasn?t quite right. Garry was easy to
communicate with ? lots of emails and visits ? and his crew and partners were
easy to work with. He also worked quite well with all the various people we
brought in (see above), beyond his own crew.
Especially rewarding was the fact that his original
construction quote remained the same, with only the addition of items we
requested (and even these charges were quite reasonable). It was positively
wonderful to have ?no surprises? with this construction project, considering
its scope and complexity. We will certainly use Garry again and are happy to
recommend him to others.
Thanks, Garry, for your great attitude and great
work!

Everything went very well from our first meeting with Garry to the finish of the room--on time and on budget. We added a four-foot extension to an existing enclosed room that had previously been a screened-in porch and wasn't insulated and couldn't be used for roughly 8 months of the year. Garry hired and supervised all subcontractors, and did many extra touches himself, even after the job was finished. As renovations go, it wasn't a big deal--turning an 8' x 14' room into a 12' x 14' room--but it involved redoing framing, adding to the concrete slab, full electrical work, and HVAC work. At every step, Garry was there to help us (novices!) with many choices that had to be made, literally from building materials to paint and rug selection. The room has made a huge difference in our lifestyle, and we'd use Garry again for small to large jobs, in a heartbeat.

Garry was very professional during the entire process.  From the beginning his knowledge of remodeling along with his ideas to help us get to what we wanted were very reassuring.  He made sure he understood our wish list then proceeded to come up with a very efficient design that none of the other contractors made the effort to do.  Though he is a general contractor and does little or none of the work himself, his subs were all very proficient in their respective fields; plumbing, electrical, laying tile, etc.  When we did have any issue, Garry was right there to make sure it was taken care of and taken care of correctly and to our liking.  I'm sure there were times when other contractors would have just wanted to get out of there but Garry was very patient and understanding.  He could normally guide us to a good solution no matter what the issue was.  I am very critical of contractors in general, however with Garry's attitude to not only get it done right but to get it done to our liking I ended up thinking differently about lumping him in with my opinion of "other contractors".  Garry even came back after the job was done and re-did some of the tile work his sub had done since we hadn't caught the differences in the tile lot shades when the tile first arrived.  Again, really something I have never had any other contractor do just to make sure we were satisfied with the project.  
Garry knows what to do and to do it right which sometimes means making it even better than "code requirements".  He also knows how to work with customers, how to design a remodel to get the desired result while keeping the price in line with your budget.
Would we recommend him, yes to anyone who wants the job done right and done to their satisfaction.  Will we be using him again, yes on the main bathroom next year.
We found him on Angie's List and we hope others do too!

See above.  We are very happy with the job and Garry in particular.  He is fair and honest and his team are skilled.

See above....

From the initial estimate to the completion of the job I was completely satisfied with everything.  Garry is very professional yet personable and everyone whom he had working at the site was also very professional  The job came in right on estimate and within the agreed-up time frame.  The design of the porch is beautiful and Garry made some suggestions along the way that made it even nicer.  I plan to use him again for future home renovations.

He is imaginative and precise and closely supervises the work. When he say, "I am at your service," he really means it. Both he and his crew were very responsive to any concerns we had and quickly addressed them. He has paid attention to our budget and helped us find what we needed when we needed it. His long experience working in the area has allowed him to learn about the skills of subcontractors and appropriately assign them.

We were initially impressed with Garry's professionalism as he worked up the estimate.  He was able to take our ideas of what we wanted, offered suggestions on what he had seen and liked in similar projects, and come up with a creative blend of the ideas from both sides.  He was never "pushy" about any of his work.  His plans were detailed oriented, and clearly spelled out what he would provide and what we would need to provide.  We were able to make a few adjustments along the way without significant alteration in the costs.  The subcontractors that Garry brought into our home were also professional, and we were very satisfied with the quality of their work.  The workers were diligent about cleaning up at the end of the day.  Garry did some of the work himself, and kept closed tabs on the work that the subcontractors were doing.  All in all, we are enjoying being in a beautiful new kitchen and master bath, and would definitely recommend Garry for any major remodeling projects.

Overall project went well and we are very happy with the results.

Mr. Calvin met with us several times to be sure he knew what we wanted.   He modified plans as we went and we changed our minds.   The sub-contractors showed up promptly and did good work..   Everyone was polite and didn't mind answering questions.  Permits and inspections were obtained promptly. 

Gary and his crew's knowledge and professionalism were very crucial to the satisfactory completion of this work.  The quality of the job was excellent and I will use his service again.

Garry and his sub-contractors were outstanding.  They were professional, on-time, on-budget, and courteous. This was a very large project and Garry's team made it as pleasant of an experience as possible. He made sure we were satisfied with all the work before he was paid. He gave us a lot of advice on our selections as well which was great. His follow-up and attention to detail was exceptional. We enjoyed this project with Garry and plan to use him in the future.