SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

Picked them from Angie's list. Not the least expensive, but had a good rating. Good interviews with contractor and his wife, who acted as design consultant. Helped us with buying the tub, sink, toilet, vanity, lighting. He ran good coordination with the subs, and kept them on schedule. All work first rate. Finished on time and on budget. Could not possibly ask for a better job.

We moved into a new home and wanted the old, oddly designed bathroom completely changed. The demolition, didn't go so well. They burst a pipe and water poured down into our foyer, just minutes after our last boxes were moved in. They also threw out the vanity I was going to reuse. Design didn't go that well, either, but that was a matter of completely different personalities and taste preferences of the co-owner/design person. I relied on my own tastes and picking the brain of their foreman. My shower would have ended up too small had I taken the designer's advise. As for the work, they were very professional. T Bros for the plumbing and Catchlight Painting were both excellent. The foreman was also great, although I don't believe he's with the company any longer. The entire project took a really, really long time and went over budget. This was due to the tile and fixtures. I fault this to lack of direction and assistance from the designer. I asked what my budget for tile was and was told there is a huge range of prices for tile. Not until after I selected most items did I finally get a detailed budget and found I was way over on virtually everything. I also didn't get fully reimbursed for the vanity I had to buy given the old one was demolished. I did like that the company tries to use sustainable materials, but I wasn't given any guidance on how to select tile, fixtures, other items that were eco-conscious. I liked the owner quite a bit and the overall bathroom turned out well. They did a great job w/ the construction & completion of the project, but you need to take the design aspect into your own hands.

Overall it was a great experience and we've been very pleased with the quality of the end result. Yes it was an expensive, long project but we view it as a great value / investment as we intend to make this our family's home for at least the next 30 years. The renovation has transformed this 100 year old house into a beautiful home that can sustain our modern family lifestyle and green values while appreciating it's vintage "arts & crafts" features. ***** Like an major renovation of this scale, we initially underestimated the scope and cost of our renovation project. We had come up with a guesstimate of about $350k and four months before choosing our build design team. After selecting Sustainable Construction (partnered with Zero-Energy Design for architectural and mechanical system services) based on their commitment to green renovation and positive feedback from other customers, we spent last summer refining the scope of the project and reviewing the architectural and system design plans. By the end of August, we signed contracts for $550k worth of renovation, design, and material costs with detailed project plan, milestones, and completion date for the end of April 2009 (7 months of work). We moved out into a temporary apartment in September and work began in earnest by the end of the month. ***** During the project we met on-site, weekly or biweekly, with Daniel Glickman (owner, SCSI) and/or the project foreman John Matlack, to review progress, discuss issues, and make decisions. We often dropped by early in the morning or after hours to check-in on progress or ask questions. Both Daniel and John were always available and responsive to our questions either in person, by mobile phone, or email. As foreman / project manager, John was a great, detail oriented "taskmaster" insuring quality and timeliness of the work performed by the various subcontractors and craftsmen With SCSI's oversight, all of the completed work from asbestos removal, interior demolition, insulating, HVAC system install, electrical work, plumbing, tiling, window installation, carpentry,plaster, sheet rock, painting, paving/brickwork and cleanup was of a very high quality. ***** The project was completed on time (actually a week or so early) and on budget. ***** We would highly recommend SCSI, his team and all of the subcontractors he employed for other projects.

The workmen (SCSI employees and subcontractors) made innumerable mistakes that had to be corrected; their supervisors (both the subcontractors, and SCSI's) were rarely present to oversee the work. Also, major problems of non-coordination among the subcontractors also resulted in having to redo many of the component tasks. The total disruption of our home for twice the length of SCSI's original "conservative" estimate of 4 months was inexcusable. Punchlist work then went on, at an ever-slower pace, for another 4 months, and then ground to a complete halt, with several significant items unfinished. Daniel denied any responsibility for the remaining problems, and refused to even come to the job site to see them himself. Eventually he offered a $1,000 settlement for one really obvious problem that he didn't deny (less than the cost of correcting it); but then, despite several reminders, he didn't forward the check for 4+ months, and then only because I promised to take the matter to small claims court. His defense for the length of time that the job took was that I was interfering with the job with my "micro-management," which seems to be his term for the fact that I was paying attention to details which his workers were not, and which his supervisors were rarely present to see. (This defense seems to be a pattern: there's another SCSI report - Sept. 3, 2008, under the "remodeling: general" category - in which another homeowner relates a very similar experience, including the "blame the client" response for any contractor mistakes and delays). Another small issue where my "micro-management" came into play: in looking at the change-order charges, I spotted several charges for items that weren't included in the job. The end result: after a lot of corrections, a generally fine end-product, but with a few significant outstanding problems, and many minor flaws visible.

I met the contractor through a work colleague. They were easy to work with. They worked with my ideas and added their own input. The results were fabulous and I'm thrilled to live here. We did move out of the house, so we were not in the midst of the work. I can't say enough good things about them.

The experience was excellent; way better than we had anticipated. Things got done when we were told they would be and if we had any questions there was always somebody to explain. So, we were very pleased and satisfied when the job was completed in March 2007. Here's the best part about dealing with Sustainable. Thirteen months after the job was completed, we had problems with some of the plumbing fixtures. With no hesitation and no questions asked, Sustainable sent the plumbing subcontractor back to fix/adjust the problems, with no cost to us. We consider Sustainable Construction to have gone above and beyond what they "had to do" to make us happy, and we'd recommend them to anybody who wants to get the job done right.

The finished kitchen is gorgeous. There were delays, but they were caused by the suppliers, not SCSI. We were originally given a time estimate of 3-4 months for the job. At 4 months and 1 week we were back in the new kitchen. The sub-contractors were courteous, experienced, competent and thorough. SCSI s Alex was the project manager and he did a fine job. He always called and let us know what was going to happen each day or week. He noticed several things that we would have missed, little details that weren't quite right, and had them fixed. This was not a particularly "green" kitchen, which is a specialty and passion of SCSI. However, the room was well insulated with environmentally-sensitive materials, low VOC paint was used, and the construction debris was recycled whenever possible. We would hire them again and probably will.

We have never had done work on this scale before, but from the horror stories we've heard from others, we know we were lucky to have found sustainable construction. Not only are they responsible, energetic, creative and excellent communicators, they are nice people and fun to work with.

Outstanding job by Daniel Glickman and his team. They were courteous, understanding and I totally trusted them with I what I felt was a very big project (for me). They gave good advice and didn't advise any action that wasn't necessary to meet my goal of making the space usable for minimal dollars. They communicated with me extremely frequently by e-mail or phone message and were always on time. They should all be this good.

It was a good experience. Professional workmanship, finished on time. Fast to correct misunderstandings. Willing to help in any and every possible way.

Shop around to all suppliers recommended. I went to just one and probably could have gone cheaper. But that's my issue. Keep up the good work.

They are also known as SCSI. They strive to minimize the effects of pollutants and toxins, which are present in many non-green materials. They did a wonderful job! We are very pleased with the result. They only had high quality contractors in to do the work that they did not do i.e., countertops, flooring, electrical, and plumbing. The wife of the owner is a designer and picked the colors to complement and coordinate with the adjoining room. They were very responsive, answered the phone every time I called, and were on the project sight regularly.

It went very, very well. Workers always showed up when scheduled and did fine work. Dan Glickman, the company owner, was always available by phone and/or email and responded quickly. His attitude and that of his subcontractors was always service-oriented and very friendly.

My overall experience was that there was very poor communication. Instructions even when repeated, were not followed. The project went 15% over the original quote of $16,177 and took over 2 months, instead of 4-5 weeks. The subcontractors(except for the plumbers)were sub par. The was damage to my house because on several occasions the workers took no action to protect the surrounding area. They used sheet rock instead blueboard, did not want to remove the original insulation, tried to tile over the original floor. Their knowledge of basic plumbing was also an issue-not knowing what a flange is on a tub. Shelves were roughed before I specified the size/placement for them. One small wall was repaired 4 times before reaching a somewhat acceptable condition. SCSI's estimate was inaccurate because they were unable to determine the needs for plumbing. Additional work was performed without providing and estimate first and invoices were not itemized and often incorrect.

This was a major project. The contractor was attentive to my needs as well as the workers. He was aware we were living there and worked to keep dust to a minimum. The kitchen and open floor plan came out better than I ever anticipated. Bonus wife is a designer and helped with the colors and countertops.

Overall it went well. The only problem I had to speak of was with the painters they contraced out to. They were very sloppy and were let go after the job when Daniel inspected their work and fielded my complaints. The other issue I had was that, and I am still not sure who was to blame, my doors were left unlocked from time to time when we came out to see the job (we moved in after the job was finished). It could have been the contractors he hired, it could have been that someone else had keys, not sure, but very upsetting and Daniel did change the locks at no charge to us. The job was much more expensive than I had originally estimated, but that happens on every remodeling job and I chose high-end materials which drove up the cost. Overall, Daniel was VERY responsive to all of my communications and very accomodating to my needs. His wife did a great job helping us with the design component of the job and that is one of the primary reasons we hired them.

Dan is the best. I wish I had another job for him and his crew. They are always on time. They are there when they say they will be there. Dan takes care of everything. He subcontracts out some services, and stands behind each and every one of them. For example, his painter inadevertly scratched the porcelin in our bathroom sink. Dan replaced the sink at no cost to us. Bottom line, I wish there were more Dan Glickman's out there. You will never have ''remodeling horror stories'' ever again. He was fantastic!

Daniel acted as my general contractor, since I do not live in Boston. The work was done on time and within budget, and the quality is outstanding. Daniel kept in touch with me every step of the way (even when I was hard to reach) and was a pleasure to deal with. I would not hesitate to recommend this company to anyone and would certainly hire Daniel again if the need arose.

The final product is awesome, and the experience was extremely positive. Daniel's constant and attentive communication, as well as his level of commitment to the project, far exceeded my expectations. That, combined with his honesty and integrity, made it easy to put my complete trust and faith in his hands. Even when I thought the job was done, he came back a couple more times to address some details and ensure that the final results met our expectations as well as his own high standards. Daniel employed very high quality plumbing and electrical subcontractors. They weren't inexpensive, but the quality of their work was obvious. Also, Daniel totally respected our home and belongings during the process. Many people were in and out over the course of the project, but nothing was ever damaged. Their daily cleanup efforts were great, inside and outside; there was little sign from the street that said a major renovation was taking place. I would hire Daniel again without hesitation.

The job was kept very clean. They ripped down some walls and really opened the place up. Every day they cleaned up the mess. I saw very little trash around the property. Thank you for a job well done. I will call them again for my next project, they have capacity to do any job.