Empire Design and Build, Inc.

Great

We hired Empire to build and in-law apartment and family room. Of the 3 companies we got quotes from Neil was the only one who could see exactly what we we re trying to accomplish on the first day we met. He understood our budget and did everything he could to meet it. The quality of the sub contractors were top notch especially the carpenters John and his son. If you re lucky enough to have them building your project you re in very good hands. Neil responded quickly to all our questions and concerns and accommodated them when necessary. Due to weather, added requirements from the town and building during a really busy building season we finished a little behind schedule but we were never left in the dark and were updated regularly. In the end the finished product exceeded all of our expectations. Everyone who has seen it is amazed at what we were able to do in the space we had. Neil came up with a very efficient and effective design to give us everything we required in the in-law apartment and it s remarkable. I would recommend Empire Design and Build and already have. If you re going to build, you are your own best advocate, and having a competent GC goes along way. You will have it with Neil and Empire

The owner is highly intelligent and experienced individual who is completely on top of every aspect of my project.

We put a second floor on my moms home, so we could move in with her after the sudden loss of my dad and chose Empire Design-Build, Inc. About 2 weeks into the project, because the proper permits were not secured, the construction was shut down by the City. The roof of my mothers home was torn off and the framing was partially up for the 2nd floor. This remained like this with only tarps to protect our home for approximately 2-3 weeks. Water poured into the 1st floor. I was able to finally get the permit because the City was so frustrated with this company for not doing things the right way. Luckily, I was able to contact some friends to help us out. We wanted to change from oil to gas. I asked Owner Neil L. about this, and he told me he spoke with the gas company and there was no gas on the street. I knew my neighbor had gas and told him so. He responded that was not possible. I called the gas company myself and confirmed there was gas. Starting mid-summer, each wk I was told an HVAC crew would begin work but it did not happen until fall. The crew entered our home some nights at 3am and worked overnight upstairs while we tried to sleep. One time, they showed up to work at 10pm told my 65-year-old mother they were told no one would be home and there would be no way she could be in the house. So she had to go to a hotel. She stayed in a hotel for almost a month because there was no heat in the home. Meanwhile, the entire time the HVAC crew was there, they would tell us that they did not want to do the work because they were not getting paid the money they were owed but that they were only doing it because my mom had to either stay in a hotel or freeze. This was a regular complaint from all the crews that came into the job site, they were owed money and not being paid. I should mention that my family was told they could absolutely stay in the house with very little interruption on the 1st floor. There were so many issues but, unfortunately, I am limited in characters for this review. Neil saw all of our issues for himself during his few visits to the house and would always state that the work we had issue with was unacceptable but would never actually correct them. That was Neils role, come by once in a while, act upset and agree that our complaints were valid, promise us some sort of **gift** and leave. Neil did pay for a few nights at the hotel and upgraded our electrical but this did not even come close to making up for everything. Neil L. never even came by to see the **finished product** once the addition was completed. What kind of business owner does not ensure the finished product is up to par with his expectations? The answer is one that is not honest and truly does not care about customer satisfaction. The ONLY positive was the project manager, Chris S. He was extremely accessible whether we needed him morning or night. He went above and beyond throughout the entire project whether it was coming on a Saturday morning to finish work that was left undone by a crew, face timing with my husband and I to help us when the heating system had issues, or finding help for my mom last minute to get her furniture back in the house, so we could have Christmas with our family. If it was not for Chris, I would probably have found a new contractor after the City first shut down the work. I cannot thank him enough for getting us through such an awful experience.

to hell with this all this work !

I think the owner is extremely knowledgable and does great work. Shows up on time and delivers what's said. The only reason I gave a 4.5 is sometimes his response to emails and calls takes a while which drives me nuts.

Great person to work with.

Empire Design and Build is a great company. The owner, Neil, is quite possibly the the most accommodating contracted we've ever met. Neil listened to our wants and needs and was able to draw up our dream addition. The overall proposal included a line-by-line item list so we knew exactly how much everything would cost us.

He did a great job. Project was completed on time and on budget.

Neil is a top-notch contractor who loves what he does. He had great ideas to help us with what we are trying to accomplish. I would reccommend Empire Design to anyone looking for a builder.

Empire Design did an excellent job in all aspects of the construction of our addition. We couldn't be more pleased with the finished project. The carpenters and subcontractors were all top notch and the only thing better than their work was the coordination by Neil Lefaivre of all of the subs. We were given regular progress reports and schedules for upcoming work. Neil made sure that every part of the job was correctly completed. We've never done business with a more personable and accommodating contractor. The final clean-up was fantastic and we're thoroughly enjoying our new room .We would hire Empire again!!! Jerry & Sharlene in RI

Neil has been great to work with. He took my ideas and was able to design the addition we were looking for and has done a great job with construction as well.

We were very comfortable with Neil from the start; he provided us with the information we requested (such as detailed estimates). The work is going well, he is very responsive to our questions and needs. We expect the addition to be completed in a couple of weeks. Update: 12/17/09 Work was completed over the summer and we love our new addition. Neil and his crew did a fabulous job. Would highly recommend him to all. During the April rainstorms we had leaks between the old and new house. Neil and his guys came out at 2:00AM (!!!) and fixed it. Would absolutely hire him again.

We are almost done with our project. It was a HUGE addition to our house. Working with Neil from Empire has been a pleasure. There have been some snags, but all in all, communication has been good . . . And that is the main thing. Not everything is going to go perfectly, but Neil has been right there to explain everything. He also has great ideas, and we've used many of them. He also helped us design the house, saving us thousands, as he was our architect as well as builder! This, alone, is a plus on his part.

Hired Neil to be the General Contractor for my new home - a 2700 sq Ft, single floor custom home. Neil has been easy to work with, good communications, he has provided many ideas to the project that will result in a better home.

Excellent to work with on this project.

Project is nearing completion-very good experience made better by working with a pro