S + H Construction Inc

"We fully understand that we had an unsatisfied client on this project and, of course, her impressions of our company are really all that count in the end. However, there are a few things to consider from our end. 1. As she says, she "has no complaint about the work itself". We did a first phase of interior repairs, working with her on a complex project of skilled demolition, finish carpentry, tile work, plumbing, and painting work. We did this phase while working in a beautiful home which, of course, needed daily attention to dust and floor protection, etc. 2. We also helped the client coordinate with the emergency cleaning company that she contracted and helped her with communications and problem solving with her insurance company. As a matter of fact, the client asked us to be the main point of contact with both of these parties. 3. As she mentioned, we did accommodate her schedule request to pause the exterior work around her family needs. 4. Upon returning to the project, we did have a failure in that the scaffold company we were relying on did not live up to their schedule commitment. This led to a chain of events with scheduling problems with the roofing subcontractor and the insulation work. We should have realized this and probably used another scaffold company. 5. The first phase (interior work) was produced during the aftermath of the worst winter in recent history when all construction resources were tapped out. The second phase (exterior work) was not in our original contract and was added on during the project. Again, we realize that our customer was not happy with the scheduling of the project, but we believe that we delivered an A+ product at a fair price"

"[member name removed], Thanks for the great review. We are glad you were pleased with the job. S + H Construction"

"Thanks [member name removed]. We are happy that you were pleased with the work !"

"[removed member name], Thanks for the great review and best of luck. Doug"

"[member name removed], Much belatedly, thanks for the great review. Doug"

"While waiting for the siding sub to arrive because his Lull ( " crane " ) was in the shop, our job super / lead carpenter decided to start on the porch. It was also his opinion that rather than assume that large areas of the siding were rotten, he prefers to let the painters start scraping and then inform him of what shingles are salvageable or not, in thier opinion. This is based on his 30 + yars of experience in the trades. This saves the customer from spending extra on siding replacement that may not need to be done. True, the schedule may suffer a bit. But this was also the middle of the winter, albeit a mild winter, when painting generally does not take place. So our intention only sprang from a desire to be conservative in the removal and replacement of shingles in order to keep the budget down. In hindsight, it may have been better to just have done entire areas, but we always try to conserve and do less if possible. It sounds like there was some coming and going on the job, partly due to the schedule of the siding sub and thier equipment problems. This is unusual, but if it does happen, it should not have been a significant inconvenience, as work on the exterior of the house in the winter generally does not affect daily life. Though my partner Alex is curently on vacation and I can't ask him directly, I find it very hard to beleive that he would refuse to do some work for a customer. Why would we not want more work ? That is what we do, it's who we are. You want us to do work for you, and we are there, to do the work. Yes, we may try to talk people out of doing things that we think are unecessary, but if they insist, they are the deciders. I appreciate the member's statements of satisfaction with the quality of the work, and we apologize for any perceived inconvenience or ineffiiciencies on this project."

"S + H Construction's work is routinely done following a time and materials or cost plus contract which, over the years, we have found to be a fair arrangement for both parties. Our proposal describes the work to be done, and includes a list of hourly rates. On many projects we get competing bids from the various trades in order to realize cost savings for owners. We generally track the budget and change orders. As the customer correctly describes the job, her shower threshold was leaking; there was also concern about mold in the area. We felt we could only be certain of stopping the leak if we re-tiled the entire shower, not just the threshold and lower tiles, as was first suggested. Perhaps this different assessment of the extent of the problem is one reason our initial proposal was higher than others. During the process of the renovation we were told by the owners they would like a new shower door and shower head. The grout used in the powder room was provided by the owners; we were told to get it from the garage. Because the color of grout changes when wet, it was not obvious that it did not match the adjoining tile, until it dried. The tiler is an excellent and conscientious craftsman. Using the wrong grout was a mistake, but not his fault. Finally, the customer complains that our final price was nearly twice the original proposal, but she does not fully acknowledge the costs of the extra work she authorized. For example, replacing two bathroom fans required patching and painting the ceiling, replacing flexible duct vented into attic space, with metal duct properly vented through the roof. As mentioned there was a new shower door, as well as marble jambs and shelves and other extra work. Our fault in this case, which we acknowledge, was not to have kept the customer apprised in a timely manner, of the costs she was adding to the project. Still, there was significant extra work that she requested and we performed, which went well beyond the scope of the original estimate. Most customers understand that when they request extra work, there are additional costs associated. At the end of the job we provided a list of these extra costs which totaled over $ 7,000. We also gave them a $ 1,000 credit. At S + H we take every possible measure we can to ensure the satisfaction of our customers. We regret we were not successful in this instance."

"The member's description of the series of events and the way the job was performed is right on. The only thing that is missing is the amount of the estimate that we gave him. I have copied it below ( I removed his address for privacy reasons ). We estimated between $ 1,400 and 1,800. The job came in at $ 1,353.06. Yes, we detail the labor costs on our time and materials invoices, which included 2 hours of Mike's time to inspect the site and get the guys going on the job. There is no way I would just send some guys up to the job cold, without at least a site inspection. This is always curious to me, and I have run into it before. Is it better to be up front about costs, or just bill in a lump sum ? I could have, I suppose, sent out a bill for $ 1,750, without a breakdown, and since it was lower than our top end estimate, presumably, it would have been paid. Instead, we honestly present costs, which end up being below the bottom end of the estimate, and we are criticized for having too much management. The member seems like a nice guy, and I appreciate the nice thing he said about the way we performed the work. I just am still scratching my head about why we would get a D on price on this job. Member November 7, 2011 XXXXXX XXXXXXXX Estimate for Work at XXXXXXXXX, MA Scope of Work A. Replace Cracked Beam in Garage $1,400 – $1,800 • Shore structure as necessary prior to removal of cracked beam. • Remove cracked beam and dispose. • Install new engineered lumber beam. B. Note: • Work to be performed on a time and materials basis as per the attached spreadsheet. • Does not include moving owners belongings out of the way. • Does not include engineering costs (if required by building inspector). C. General Conditions • All trash will be removed and the work area will be kept clean. • Costs for building permits, coordination of inspections, dust and floor protection, daily and finish cleaning, and trash removal are included in our estimates. • We are fully insured with Worker’s Compensation and General Liability Insurance. No other costs for insurance are included at this time. • References, cost breakdowns, and insurance certificates are available upon request. Submitted by: Doug Hanna S+H Construction"

"Thanks for your comments. S + H Construction"

"This job was done on a GMP ( guaranteed maximum price ) basis. Essentially a fixed price which was worked out with the condo association up front. The contract was negotiated by a member of the condominium association who was a lawyer, very professional and thorough. I would be very surprised if she did not do her due diligence by getting multiple bids for this work. I suppose that a decision may have been made to accept our bid even though it was higher, because of our reputation, though I was not privy to the decision - making process. The site work and hard-scaping in question may appear to be small in nature, but in this type of work it is often what you can't see that matters most. Proper excavation, drainage, base prep and compaction are essential in the difference between a job that will hold up for 50 years, or one that will only last for 10. This site was also challenging because it was located near a blind corner on a very busy fast moving street. I appreciate the writer's comments about our quality and people skills. Though we are certainly not the least expensive company around, we do plenty of work for " regular people " who also get competitive bids and, as stated before in so many words, you get what you pay for."