ESSEX RESTORATION

At the initial consultation, Walter took some measurements and we discussed in rough terms what we were looking for. One of our requirements was that the builtins be designed in such a way that they look like they were always there. Walter, Matt, and Jon did a great job with that requirement! One complication in that regard was that the crown molding was somewhat unique so they couldn't find an exact match. They ended up improvising by reusing some of the old crown molding that they removed from where the builtin was going to be. It did the trick. In addition to the high quality of work, the best thing about working with Walter, Matt, and Jon was that they always showed up when they said they would, cleaned up before they left each day, and finished the project within the quoted time and budget. Toward the end of the project, they also coordinated with their painter to finish up the job, and that also went smoothly. They were a pleasure to work with, and we wouldn't hesitate to ask them back for another project.

Walter and his team did a great job on our kitchen renovation. The project was a complete gut job and took about three months, from Jan - March 2015. The project only went about 2-3 weeks over the original estimated time period, which was miraculous considering we had record snow fall that winter. The project included new cabinets and lighting (including recessed lighting), the removal of one wall and a pantry, and installation of a new pantry, sink and breakfast bar. Walter took a few weeks before the project started to plan the renovation according to our budget. We went through several design options before we arrived at a plan that we liked and that worked with our budget. Once the old kitchen was out, the team got to work with the re-build. The lead carpenter, John, all too happily shoveled his way into the condo the minute any snow-induced parking ban was lifted, and he did a great job with all the carpentry work and provided overall general support of all pieces of the project. Eric was the project manager, and he and Walter (the owner of the company) met with us at least once a week to check on the progress of the project, and to check in on decision points as they came up. Walter provided invaluable advice when it came to picking the tile and the granite, the floors, the lights and even the appliances. When we were slow or just overwhelmed with too many options, Walter met us at the tile store and then at the lighting store to help guide the process along. We kept our old Wolf stove, and John took the filthiest pieces of the exhaust fan to his house and washed them in his own dishwasher before reinstalling the stove. He did this on his own accord- I was all ready to clean them myself and could not figure out how they got so clean overnight, until he told me. I was so happily surprised and touched at this gesture. We also kept our Bosch dishwasher (against Walter's advice), and Eric worked and worked to get it reinstalled and working again, and I thought for sure we would be replacing that dishwasher within the year, but we have not ever had one problem with the dishwasher. It still works perfectly. When our refrigerator was delivered in 5 feet of snow (in the middle of the street), and the delivery guy tried to tell me the refrigerator wouldn't fit into the kitchen and I insisted that it would because we picked the refrigerator precisely because it would fit, I made him wait while I called Eric, and while the delivery guy was telling me that my contractor wasn't going to answer the phone, Eric DID answer the phone and calmed me down and told me to just accept the fridge and keep in the living room and we would work it out. And he was right, we did work it out and the refrigerator did fit in the end. The final product turned out great and we could not be happier. All our friends are super impressed at how great it turned out and much bigger the kitchen looks, and the breakfast bar has been a life changing addition to the kitchen. We asked Walter to help us remodel our main bathroom, and that project is ongoing now. I will write a separate review for that project...but so far so good. It is almost done.

Agonizingly prolonged project. Quality of work medium to high, however, owner of company evasive f actual cost, costing thousands above agreed price. Loyalty and authenticity of business relationship proved fake and the feeling of being fleeced left a bad impression. Buyer beware.

What started out as a renovation project with a specialist in old houses with a strong team of subcontractors ended in disarray and complete dysfunction. How do you get a “D” on Angie’s List? Make your client feel like you have wronged him. That was our experience of Walter Beebe-Center and his team at Essex Restoration. For more than five thousand dollars, the three bathroom exhaust fans were chosen and installed correctly, inside and outside; the oak shelves were found, glued and installed (brackets and staining cost extra); the track lighting (billed separately) was installed ably; and the electrical wiring in the bathrooms was correctly updated to allow installation of the fan controllers. However, the replacement of a bathroom overhead light fixture left a glaring and obvious problem. First, Walter said it was not his responsibility. Then he said that since my wife, not I, had given the instructions about the light fixture, they were not valid. Then, when we complained that the contractor had guaranteed his work and that we, silly us, had paid him in full before the final light fixture was installed (never again!), he took four weeks to find a time for a phone call. I asked repeatedly for a call in which the responsibility for the mistake would be clarified and a way forward would be found. I was preparing to have to pay for another light fixture and have it installed gratis by Walter’s able team. That – despite the misunderstanding – would have been an “A.” I was also preparing to hear that in fact there was indeed nothing he could do. At that point I would have given him a “C.” I asked over and over for this call. I just wanted to get to a resolution and move on. Then, in the middle of a busy evening, as we braced to have this call, I suddenly started getting text messages (I hate text messages) from Walter. “In your neighborhood,” he wrote. “We want to stop by.” “Please call us,” I wrote back. “That was the plan. We agreed to that.” But Walter insisted. No talk without a meeting. We did not have the time or energy for this. To add to the dysfunction, he kept texting that he wanted a resolution. Well, I did too. And I wanted a call to sort it out. But that was not to be. That was the last straw. This is how you get a D on Angie’s List. Put the client down and keep shoving him down until he knows that the contractor, not the client, is in charge.