S + H Construction Inc

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They helped us by giving us options. They did a good job.

They worked with us on the design because we had designed it ourselves and with a kitchen designer. It went fantastic. They were on time and slightly under budget. The people we worked with very wonderful. They were a little bit expensive but they were worth the money. They were very conscientious and really listened to what we had to say. We were lucky because we contracted with them a while before we actually did the work because this was done when there was a boom in remodeling. We had a long time and it worked well for us. They are in demand and I would recommend them for a big job; they are not the kind of company that does small jobs. They were very punctual and the price was what we expected.

So far, so good. It sounds like they were very honest. The quote was very detailed and they were very concerned with what I wanted. It was very thorough.

The quality of the work was very high. And their project managers are very good at working with customers. They were there when we expected and in general, we feel we avoided some of the hassles that you tend to encounter when you're dealing with overextended contractors. In the end, though, when we all look at the result, we don't feel that it looks like a $25,000 job. I would feel much better about it if we had spent about $16,000 for what we got. S+H is known in Cambridge as one of the most expensive outfits around, and I think they're just used to working with people who aren't very price-sensitive.

I had an unfortunate experience with them. They gave me an estimate and a week later, after a great deal of deliberation, they sent a revised estimate just before work was to start. The new estimate was more than 25% greater. The guy had miscalculated something and his revised estimate was considerably more than anyone else’s. I would have understood if he said there was a mistake and maybe split the difference. We had basically signed off on going forward with this thing but he said we couldn’t go forward until we agreed to and honored the new amount. I was not impressed with the front end business and I decided I didn’t want them doing business here. This is not a company that I will be calling in the future.

I found them to be good communicators. Alex was my initial contact, and we talked a lot about what I wanted and what they could do to to complete the project. They were willing to work with my quirky tastes.

They were very professional, very accommodating and friendly. The project manager took me out to see different sites and to see their installations. They were great, but their prices were really high. They have a lot of layers in their management, and it seemed like there was too much supervision.

We had 2 different crews working on these projects, which were completed at different times. Their work was exceptionally good + their crews were very professional + schedule on target. As changes were made during the course of construction/renovation (to be expected in this type of work), the scope of work involved was reviewed and costs made clear.

They were professional, do the work they say they are going to do and showed up on time. They were easy to communicate with as well. We would use them again.

They are on the high end on prices but they do a great job. Very pleasant to work with.

The only negative in a long string of positives was that S + H initially underbid the first job. When it was awarded to them, they reinspected the structure and had to raise their bid $7K. Since that unfortunate hiccup, they have more than made up for that mistake on a variety of fronts. The revised bid on the job was $12K. The work started on time, their subcontractor was first rate, and the work was completed in three days only. The 'happy ending' was that the work came in at $5K, matching their first bid, and $7K lower that their revised bid. The project manager was outstanding, returning all calls and emails promptly. The owner of S + H personally inspected the job three times. And more work ended up being done that originally promised, while still coming in under budget. The second job was a porch rebuild. Based on the positive experience on the fire-escape, we selected S + H. That job suddenly ballooned into the identification of major structural issues with an unsupported overhang. An engineer was called in, and said the issue was a 'disaster-waiting-to-happen'. S + H rebid the job for us within one day. The same subcontractor (Stick Built Construction) was called in. They completed a major, complicated rebuild in two days flat, involving the installation of two massive LVL beams. Again, the final invoice was lower than the estimate, this time by roughly 35%. Construction debris was removed quickly, the workers cleaned up their work, and S + H provided requested updates on billing almost simultaneous to the work being completed. Equally impressive was S + H's ability to roll with the erratic decision-making from the condo. The discovery of major structural issues caused us to pull a $17K contract on the porch rebuild. S + H did not give us any grief, or attempt to enforce a contract-termination penalty. All in all, they are a highly-recommended company to work with.

We need to completely renovate our basement, because of some very serious water damage. I was referred to this company, and I feel that I am in very good hands. They are very professional and do an outstanding job. I think the work they do is very high quality.

The project manager was very professional and good. The work was excellent and at the estimated cost, but it took twice as long as estimated to do the work and there were many days where nothing was happening. They kept it very clean and neat and most of the subcontractor were very good. Generally their projects are very large scale. So a small bathroom project was probably not a good fit.

They had a can-do attitude, and were willing to take on a difficult project. They chose to work in the reverse order of urgency. Work started 10 weeks late, and frequently interrupted with lame excuses. A long break waiting for an inspection ended when we called the inspector who said S+H had not called. The foundation repair went well. They worked around troublesome neighbors. A new crew took over for the shower, which became a complete bathroom remodel, as they found many code violations. They promised they could better fit the shower in the small bathroom, but didn't measure twice. Instead they had to rip-out and redo significant work, twice! They credited us for that labor. Rates were reasonable, but materials were suspiciously high. We asked for back-up and found charges for up to four times the materials needed, material not used, and some 20% mark-ups were really 27%. That effectively ended the project, and we spent almost a year debating a punch list and getting an inspection.

I thought they were competent and professional. Their job was way too high. Their sub contractors were not good. They didn't do a good job of correcting the problems of the subcontractor.

Called and spoke with someone said we'd get a call back within 48 hours. Alex Slive called and listened to me and told me their current time frame. It was a little later than we hoped for so I merely asked if he could please suggest some engineers. He sent a list to me right away. We then determined that their time frame might actually work well so I called back and Alex arranged for someone to come in just a day or two. Dave Madden was knowledgeable, easy to communicate with, and seemed thorough in his questioning and assessment. We decided with him that the next step was to call in an engineer. He told us of the cost upfront and arranged a meeting with an engineer himself, and us. He called to say he could not make it that day, but would send Quami to represent S&H. I liked him as much as David and Alex. The engineer submitted his drawing to S&H a week later and Alex had it forwarded to us with the bill. We are not hiring them partly because another contractor is available sooner.

FIRST CLASS OPERATION FOR HIGH END REMODELING. QUOTE WAS SOMEWHAT HIGHER THAN OTHERS, BUT EXTREMELY ACCURATE (CAME IN SLIGHTLY UNDER QUOTE). LARGE PROFESSIONAL CREW, EXCELLENT PROJECT MANAGER AND LEAD CARPENTER. STRONG NETWORK OF RELIABLE AND REPUTABLE SUBS FOR PLUMBING, HVAC AND ELECTRICAL. PAID ATTENTION TO EVERY DETAIL, WORKED VERY WELL WITH US AND OUR ARCHITECT. PROFESSIONAL IN EVERY REGARD (CARE FOR BELONGINGS, MAINTAINED A CLEAN JOB SITE, WORKED WITH NEIGHBORS TO MINIMIZE IMPACT, ETC.). COULD NOT HAVE BEEN HAPPIER WITH THE WORK AND THE PEOPLE.

I CALLED ON THREE OCCASIONS AND NEVER RECEIVED A RETURN PHONE CALL DESPITE PROMISES FROM THE PERSON WHO ANSWERED THE PHONE (ON MY THIRD CALL) THAT I WOULD HEAR BACK PROMPTLY.

DOUG HANNAH AND HIS ASSISTANT, ALONG WITH A PLUMBER, CAME TO DO AN ESTIMATE FOR RENOVATIONS ON A BATHROOM, ATTIC AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS IN THE HOUSE. THEY TOOK PHOTOGRAPHS, ASKED A LOT OF QUESTIONS, AND WROTE EVERYTHING DOWN. (QUITE A FEW CONTRACTORS WHO CAME TO DO ESTIMATES DID NONE OF THESE THINGS.) IT TOOK A MONTH TO GET THE ESTIMATE -- BUT DOUG HAD WARNED ME UP FRONT THAT IT MIGHT BE ''TWO OR THREE WEEKS'', SO I WAS MORE OR LESS PREPARED FOR THIS. ONCE I GOT THE ESTIMATE, I NEEDED SOME THINGS CLARIFIED, AND DOUG PROMPTLY REPLIED TO MY QUESTIONS BY E-MAIL. I INTERVIEWED TEN CONTRACTORS (SOME DID NOT SEND ESTIMATES AFTER PROMISING THEM, SO I HAD TO MOVE ON TO OTHERS). WE WILL BE DECIDING SOON AND I THINK WE WILL HIRE THEM.

GOOD WORK, EXCELLENT WORKMANSHIP, MAYBE A TAD PRICEY, BUT TRUSTWORTHY

VERY IMPRESSED WITH HIS PERSONABLE AND HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL NATURE. PRICE WAS HIGHER THAN PRACTICAL, BUT HE OBVIOUSLY KNEW A LOT ABOUT AND SHARED A LOT OF INFO ABOUT OUR OLDER HOME, AND I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO USE HIM, CONFIDENT HE WOULD HAVE DONE GOOD WORK. VERY CLEARLY AN EXPERT ON OLDER HOMES.