ABRN DEVELOPMENT CORP

This is the first time we have hired a contractor to complete a project this big, so we have not had many experiences to compare them to.
We selected ABRN because the owners (Richard and Alicia - husband and wife team) were very personable and the company had good reviews. Initially, they were very accommodating, always coming to our house for meetings and always responding quickly via email. They worked with our budget, revamping their quotes multiple times for us until we were satisfied. They listened to our concerns and offered suggestions and solutions.
Overall, we are satisfied with the final product and work that was performed. Work was started on time and for the most part kept within the schedule. The project moved quickly and there was work being done every day with very few lulls in activity. Richard responded to the many questions we had along the way. We liked the finish carpenter Steve. He stuck out to us because not only was his work done well, but he was very friendly and was super helpful, offering his opinion whenever asked even about unrelated project questions.
We did have a few bumps along the road where we felt that communication could have been better. We found that verbally they would give us varying cost estimates for items throughout the project. For example, they gave us 3 different prices for installing LED recessed lights. On another occasion, we did a walk through with the owner and his electrical subcontractor to place all the lights and outlets. We started in the garage and worked our way through the house. There was no mention of any extra costs, but after the electrical work was completed, they billed us extra for the outlets in the garage. A similar issue occurred with the HVAC where we were billed extra for work that was done but never discussed with us ahead of time. We wish they discussed cost over-runs with us prior to the work so we could understand the need and approve them. Our suggestion would be to get everything in writing throughout the project and be sure to ask questions and not assume all work done is inclusive of the estimate.
We did not particularly like the tile/floor installer subcontractor. He used our kitchen sink and bathtub to dump dirty water, they tracked muddy footprints throughout the house and left our front door open multiple times. In the end, the tile installed in our bathroom was left with grout haze throughout our shower. We did not notice until we got our shower door installed about
a week after ABRN had completed the project. We contacted them and they did respond quickly to assess the situation. They gave us an option to use their tile repairman or our own and they would cut us a check for the amount their tile repairman quoted. We decided to use our own repairman and they sent us a check in a timely manner. So we appreciated that they responded to us and rectified the situation.
So in the end, we are happy with the outcome and would use them again for future projects. Just be sure to get all the details and get any verbal quotes in writing before proceeding.

They are currently working on a driveway project for us which will include totally renovating our driveway and adding snowmelting heal under it. Richard is extremely professional and easy to work with.

COMPLETION TIME: The first-floor powder room was completely remodeled first. It took several weeks longer than expected and pushed back the rest of the remodeling project. As a result, ABRN had to stop work for a week while we were away on a trip. The remodeling of the two second-floor bathrooms took twice as long as planned, (4+ months). We were forced to postpone other work planned with another contractor for the exterior of the house. COMMUNICATION: As the remodeling progressed, communication between ABRN, its vendors, subcontractors and us went from fair to poor. We were sent at least one daily email at different times of the day (both during and after normal working hours) summarizing changes in that day’s activities or the next, so it was necessary to check our email throughout the day. I suggested they call us, but the emails continued most of the time. It was not an efficient way to exchange information. During the remodeling of the first bathroom we were home unpacking and setting up the house each day, so ABRN’s activity changes were not a problem. However, once the other bathroom work began, we began to make appointments and run errands, so we were not always be available to accept and store delivered goods or to let in contractors and town inspectors. Adding to our frustration was the frequent changes in schedule which wasted a lot of our time. For example, the plumber showed up the day before we were told to expect him to do his work. Twice I had to call ABRN to see where the wallpaper hangers were, when they were an hour or more late. We wasted two full days at home, waiting for an inspector who never showed up (no explanation was ever given to us by ABRN) and a fixture delivery that was a day late. Finally, we told ABRN that we were unable to remain at home or change our plans to accommodate last minute rescheduling or no-shows. It surprised us that ABRN seldom seemed to know that a delivery problem or contractor delay had occurred, until I called them. From our point of view, there was ineffectual monitoring of the details of the project. POOR PLANNING/QUALITY CONTROL: Quality control became an issue when the first bathroom was “completed”. I noticed several problems: numerous bubbles had formed under the surface of at least 50% of the wallpaper, the window trim had not been completely repainted and the new sink did not hold water. Had someone checked off a punch list, ABRN would have found these problems before I did. ABRN took care of the omissions, but we wasted more time having ABRN fix the problems.
Surprisingly, the same type of oversight continued to occur during the balance of the project. For example, several of our bathroom fixtures and wallpaper samples were not ordered promptly –ABRN should have confirmed that the vendors had placed the orders promptly and checked their status to avoid delays. The wrong caulk was used to seal one bathroom shower ceiling seam – it had to be replaced. One whole set of bathroom fixtures was ordered in the wrong finish. They were delivered to our house, unchecked by ABRN. Since they could not be installed, their replacement caused another delay. The wrong type of toilet-to-wall connecting pipes were delivered to our house. Again, no one had checked them prior to delivery. Door hinges for one shower were delivered in the wrong finish and had to be reordered. Installation of new doorknobs and caulking around a bathroom sink were not done until I reminded ABRN that it needed to be done. The positive aspects of our association with Alicia and Richard Nardo and their associates were that they are very willing to take time to discuss matters with their customers, particularly Alicia who graciously took me to several supply houses and a decorating center to help me pick out fixtures, wallpaper, marble and tile. In addition, when a problem arose or a mistake was made, they stood behind their work and rectified the situation to our satisfaction. Their employees and subcontractors were neat and courteous. The replacement of the deck and balconies went smoothly and was finished on schedule and without issue: the materials were ordered, delivered and installed without damage or delay, and with no additional costs. We were ultimately satisfied with ABRN’s finished product. But, although none of the problems discussed here was serious, the frequency with which they occurred and the additional time required to correct them adversely impacted the efficiency of the project and inconvenienced us more than we feel was necessary. Our past remodeling projects have taken only an extra week or two to complete. For these reasons, we would not hire ABRN again.

Excellent overall service. I did extensive renovations and an addition to my house. ABRN quickly became a trusted partner in the project. Everything from helping to select an architect to paint color schemes to landscaping ABRN was able to bring in experts and provide quality recommendations. As a general contractor, ABRN was always looking to keep within the budget that I set and making recommendations to bring cost effective and high quality changes to the project. My family and I did not move out of the house while the project was going on and ABRN worked hard to make sure that we could continue to live at the house and kept to the schedule on the few times that we needed to be out for a day or two. Overall I'm extremely satisfied with the work and the way it was completed. I have received nothing but positive comments from family, friends, and neighbors on the quality of the work.
ABRN has my highest recommendation and I am using them for a couple of additional projects (roofing and redoing the attic) this year.

ABRN was a delight to work with from start to finish. They listened well from the beginning, provided great advice and suggestions that added to our project beyond what we could have done alone. They came in with a very reasonable estimate and then proceeded to do the work professionally and elegantly. Everyone is impressed by the finished space; it's immaculate and beautiful. I was particularly impressed by several things: client liaison was superb -- Alicia listened and kept us in the loop throughout -- attention to detail was excellent, and the usual bane of contractors -- actually finishing the job -- went without a hitch. This team is the best we've seen.

Working with Richard and Alicia Nardo was an absolute pleasure. From the beginning of the project they were always prompt and respectful of our time. They listened to our concerns, answered our questions thoroughly and educated us, when necessary, about the entire process. When they found out we were leaving for 2 weeks, they strived to complete as much of the project as possible while we were away. Knowing we were anxious to be kept informed of progress, Alicia emailed photos and detailed accounts of the work at regular intervals! Then, realizing that more work needed to be done in the garage than anticpated, they rented a POD and personally filled it with our belongings from the garage. They kept on schedule even with much more water and termite damage than anticpated. When we returned, Richard and Alicia continued to keep us informed of work schedules and tracked the tiniest details. All of the subcontractors they hired were first-rate and extremely professional.