Covered Bridge Home Improvement

They did a very punctual job. They had different people in and out doing different jobs. The job took about four weeks. Everything was left very clean and the only issue we had was getting them to come back to do a few things. There was a piece of transition wood that was never replaced and we had to go to another company to get it done. I'd tell my friends that you have to make things very clear, they are willing to work with you, but you have to follow-up on things and not to pay the final check until everything has been completed. The end result was lovely and the tile work was really nice. The drywall needed to be sanded in some spots by us and we also did some painting after the work was done; mainly some finishing touches were done by us.

The overall quality of the work was satisfactory, but we ran over time and over budget. We ran into some issues with a few of the subcontractors that were being used. The electricians came in a removed all the electricity so that we could only work during the daylight (in winter) and then they damaged the kitchen wall which caused me to have change my design plan. We had issues with the plumber subcontracted with billing. They charged us for services that were not part of the contract and then tried to bill us separately from our contractor - who hired him. The company owner did not take good notes during our initial consultation so items that we discussed at that meeting were not included in the initial bid and came as overages as we were working through the project. We also ran into issues with the final bill as we had a construction loan with designated draws from the bank that needed to be pre-approved by an inspector. And then because of the company's chosen bank, I had to meet the owner at the bank for each subsequent payment. And there were discrepancies with the final bill because the draws and deposits were not appropriately applied to the account.

When I first contacted Steve to obtain an estimate on enclosing our 4th BR, he said his estimate wouldn't be the cheapest we could find, but that he took pride in providing value and service to clients. He was right...his bid was not the lowest (note: $11,000 figure cited above is estimate of total of all jobs he's done for us) but he earned the business based on those other factors and then he delivered! During the bid process, we ran into several contractors who were very unreliable. Steve was always responsive...before and after getting the job. The great experience we had in 2011 was repeated (or maybe even surpassed) when we used him in Feb/Mar of 2013 on several jobs in preparation for putting the home on the market. We now live out of state, and the peace of mind we had in being able to rely on Steve to get things done right and on time was invaluable. While not the cheapest around, his prices were very reasonable considering all other factors including quality, reliability, flexibility, and punctuality. Covered Bridge would definitely be my first choice if I had to do it all over again and I'd highly recommend him!!

Before the big basement job, I asked Steve for a bid on my siding and gutter replacement. His bid was $6k lower than my first contractor! I ended up choosing the first guy for personal reasons, who dropped his price, but then surprised me with $5k in overage charges, plus the job took forever. Lessons learned. So on my next big job - the disastrous basement flood in the summer of 2008, I called Steve first. He organized the subcontractors, finding me ways to save money on a big drainage system that I needed. He kept close track of the subs and the job site, checking in regularly in person, by e-mail, on the phone, and by text. He worked with me to find a lower price on the carpet supplier too. Of course, in the process of the job, little changes needed to be made and I considered adding other features to the project. After those conversations, Steve would e-mail me an altered contract to consider and I usually, although not always accepted the changes. WIth a house full of kids, I always appreciated the tidy worksite at the end of the days during an on-going job. Although he isn't necessarily inexpensive, he's less expensive and more professional than many I have worked with. His prices are reasonable and when my budget has been tight, he has helped me find ways to trim the project and still achieve what I needed. I have found that the peace of mind from a job well done is worth the price.

I engaged Covered Bridge Home Improvements to update my kitchen. The Contractor outlined a schedule for a 3-4 week process. The job turned into over 3 months. His communication throughout the process was absolutely terrible – sending only short one line text messages and was not present to manage the process. He would show up very infrequently at my house during the process and would stay for just a few minutes at best. As such, his Electrician did not follow the plans (architectural / design plans were made) and two of the lights in the ceiling ended up shining into the tops of the cabinets and had to be repositioned with new holes made in the drywall which necessitated repair. The wiring for the lights had to be completely re-done, as well as the two outlets in the island repositioned (additional holes in the cabinetry made) because the Contractor was not present nor managing the process. Also, my new cabinets got scratched by the flooring people because the Contractor could not schedule his carpenters to do their work first because he had them working on some other jobs. This required new cabinet faces to be ordered – extending the time for completion. Most upsetting was that I sat for days on end waiting for the Contractor to schedule the carpenters / painters, etc to come out and would get only short texts that his carpenter was ‘pushing him back’. Additionally, the carpenters did not follow the plans and the island had to be completely dis-assembled and moved 4 inches -- creating more work to be done to the floor (new floor planks to cover holes /sanding / refinishing newly exposed floor) plus reordering of new materials for the island – more time added to the process. Additionally, due to new codes in the City, additional electric work was needed (smoke detectors and CO2 monitors). When I asked how much? He texted me that it would be $575. I asked repeatedly for an itemization. He went ahead and did the work without approval from me. He was not even present for the electrical inspection and texted me asking if we passed. It should be noted that it was not until the final invoice that he provided the itemization for the electric work and the equipment listed was almost triple the actual price from Home Depot. He also added many additional items to the final invoice that were never discussed or approved. When I told him I take exception to not having these things discussed previously he said that he couldn’t believe that I was “nickel and diming him.” In summation, I would not use Covered Bridge Home Improvement again and would caution others, as the managing of the process and overall lack of communication was not professional nor representative of someone wanting to provide good customer service. This added much frustration and time to the process.