HTR Construction

We're very happy with the overall project. It turned out wonderful. There were a couple of minor little details that took a while to resolve so that's one of the areas they could work on.

unknown

My wife and I are very pleased with the way the bathroom turned out and how HTR handled the project. We had never hired a contractor for a project like this before, so we didn't know quite what to expect. We've heard so many horror stories about things going wrong or never being finished that we were nervous at the start. The other contractors we met with didn't inspire much confidence that they would handle the project professionally. HTR was the one exception. Communication was always prompt and professional. You were the only one who took the time/effort to listen to what we wanted, and prepare and review with us a detailed work plan, schedule, and financial plan for the job BEFORE we signed the contract.
The job itself went smoothly. I was kept well informed throughout on any issues and what would happen next. Disruption to our house and jobs was minimal, and the job site was always clean at the end of each day. We have some future projects in mind and will definitely use HTR.

The projected was completed in 9 months. We eventually got 95% of what we wanted. Yet this success was largely due to having a great architect who argued on our behalf for quality and the good conscience of the chief carpenter at HTR who made the extra effort to finish off the details of the project, and solve problems created by the subcontracted workers.
The problem was as always the HTR management. We had to fight tooth and nail to get high quality every inch of the process. I had to be on site constantly to make sure everything went well
Early in the project we realized we had to deal with a project manager who was obstructive, sloppy, and often did not seem to know what he was talking about. He was always making excuses about lateness or quality of the work, and, when mistakes were made, he sided always with the company supplying the products, rather than advocating for his clients. He stated that he couldn't guarantee any of the work being done, and when pointed out that his company was installing recycled insulation in the floor or the wrong coating, the project manager simply demanded that we respect his experience and authority. He actually claimed that no materials were returnable if something didn't work out. The problem was, neither we nor many of the subcontracted workers respected HTR management such that there was constant strife in our home as the project proceeded. As a result the quality of the sub contracted individual work was completely inconsistent and many projects had to be redone.
The whole point of hiring a general contractor is to make sure all the subcontracted workers are highly qualified and properly supervised. Too often this was not the case. And we witnessed the colossal waste of time when subcontractors or materials didn't show up on time, a situation that raised the tension considerable around the cost of the project.
Finally, the followup warranty process was always contentious. If something was wrong, it was never the fault of HTR. Tom himself would come by to fix things only like pour cement to fix the driveway cracks made by the delivery trucks., but only when it was convenient for him. We finally learned that that we had to remedy everything ourselves. It cost us $2,500.00 to redo the coating of the outside of the house and thousands more to reseal the chimney. I had to figure out little things like what sealant would protect the tiles form moisture absorption in the bathroom, a problem that arose the day after the tile was installed.
The bottom line is that the project was complex, expensive, yet ultimately successful. And HTR has since changed their middle management people, so maybe things will be smoother in the future. But be prepared fo fight for the quality of the work because HTR was not inclined to do so without considerable prodding.

I can't say enough good things about HTR. They did professional work, and quickly, using a variety of quality subs that they clearly use on a regular basis. Even today I admire the quality of the workmanship. They had a professional work plan and they followed it. When snags came up, like needing access through another unit, they worked cooperatively with the building association and the other unit owner to get that accomplished.
They are also proactive and up front about solving problems (very good at Recovery). For example, at one point they were doing some plumbing and the building had not shut off a riser as they were supposed to-- the result is they opened the riser and water got everywhere. Not their fault, but they switched over to cleaning it up and fixing any problems right away. They informed me of it immediately and by the time I arrived home, there was little or no trace of the incident. Very commendable-- no finger pointing or blaming or dodging responsibility, they just kept me informed and took care of it. (No water damage, by the way, probably due to their quick response to the problem).
They also worked hard to be as 'zero impact' as possible, effectively isolating the work space from the rest of my apartment as to eliminate the spread of dust and debris to just the bathroom and access hallway. This meant installing temporary barriers as the bathroom and hallway are central to the apartment layout. They also worked hard to work around my schedule and to stay within the condo association's rules.
They kept in touch via email and phone, and were very reachable. They and their subs conducted themselves professionally at every turn.
I can't recommend them enough.

Tom and his workers did an outstanding job. They were here on time everyday and they did just fantastic. This was a pretty massive job and they finished within a month, just as they said they would.