Get matched with top eifs installation pros in Lothian, MD

"Installation Pending. I will follow-up with another review after completion of services."

"Although we contracted and made an initial payment (1/3) on February 27, by mutual agreement the work began on 13 April 2015 to allow the work-site to dry out from the winter weather.  The contractor made incredible progress in the first two weeks demolishing the old deck & garage porch, pouring footers, raising the frame & putting on the roof.  The first crew was very hard working, here early in the morning, & leaving late in the afternoon (after cleaning up the area each day).  When rain was in the forecast, the crew would ask if they could make up the day on Saturday, which they did.  Everything we saw in the first 2 weeks was consistent with our previous great experience with Fox Creek 2 years earlier when they replaced all our siding, windows & doors. The only problem at that point was that a plain black roof (25 yr) was put on instead of the architectural roof (lifetime warranty) we asked for.  The contractor acknowledged the error and offered to replace the roof at no additional cost.  We had originally only contracted for 2 skylights so we asked if he'd install 2 more at no cost versus replacing the roof and he agreed.  We were told that everything was on schedule to complete the rest of the job in 2 weeks.  We made the second (of 3) payment on April 29 which was when the excavation work below the porch/deck was supposed to begin.  No one showed up to start this work for several days and when they did (it was a different crew from the first), they typically showed up around mid-morning and were gone by mid-afternoon.  We had beautiful weather during this period in which very little work got done.  The contractor claimed they were having trouble getting the supplier to deliver sand and crushed rock.  Since we're located in St. Mary's County which is a bit of a distance from the contractor's home base in Crownsville near Annapolis, they decided to use "local" suppliers & subcontractors (electricians) rather than those they normally use.  We found out later that the sand & gravel supplier was located in Brandywine about 40 miles from here (there are plenty of suppliers right here in the county).  When the sand & gravel finally showed up at 10:00 am one morning about the same time the crew arrived, the crew directed them to the spot they wanted it dumped and then everyone left shortly after that without doing anything.  We knew by then that the job wasn't going to be completed anywhere near the 3 & 1/2 week total time advertised.  The predictable springtime heavy rains started and we were delayed even more.  The week of May 11 was the first week we could see some progress each day.  The end product was beautiful.  A paver retaining wall was put in all around the perimeter below the deck/porch and in between the concrete slab under the porch and the pavered patio area below the deck.  

We couldn't understand why the remaining work on the porch above couldn't go on while the below work was going on.  Wiring had to be put in, and also all the finish work (soffets, gutters, trim work, ceiling made of soffet rolls - looks very nice).  Most of the holdup turned out to be waiting for the "local" electrician to show up.  The electrician (Goudie) wasn't really all that local but was from Waldorf 35 miles up the road.  Our contractor had to threaten, cajole and/or beg Goudie to show up and install wiring so that the finishing work could be done on the porch.  We begged our contractor to get another licensed electrician (there are plenty of good ones right here in the county that we've done business with).  Anyway, once the electrician showed up we had to get them back several more times because they'd forget to do something we'd asked for or they didn't have a part and we'd end up in the same waiting game.  They did end up getting shamed into sending an electrician on Sunday of Memorial Day weekend to put in 2 ceiling outlets they''d forgotten to put in, but we still didn't have any fans or lights to enjoy that weekend, by which time our contractor assured we'd be enjoying the porch.  You don't EVER want to do business with Goudie Electrical.  

To make a long story short, after a lot of nagging to get a lot of loose ends tied up, the work was finally finished and inspected the Thursday (the day) before this past 4th of July weekend.  The porch & deck are absolutely beautiful (we'll attach pictures if we can figure out how to do it - they will speak for themselves).  We got some extras that we asked for like 7" wide Azek boards along the tops of the vinyl railings inside the porch to serve as a counter top for setting drinks or small plates of food or snacks, which we've had a lot of nice compliments about.  They're the perfect height for pulling a barstool up to.  One of the things we didn't get that we expected was a decent landing area at the bottom of our deck stairs.  The crew threw grass seed and straw there.  When we asked about getting some sort of solid landing, they shoveled out the area and threw some leftover crushed rock on it and tamped it down.  When we asked if they were going to finish it (we told them they could use some of the many wall pavers that were left over) they said the wall pavers would require digging too deep. We offered to pick up (and did) some square flat stepping stones from Lowe's which we left for them.  One of the younger fellas who was there one day to meet with the inspector and had no tools just laid the stones down, stomped them down with his feet and let it go at that.  The area was not level and a downpour that evening directed a steady flow of water from the stones across our concrete slab.  We didn't bother asking again, just tore it up last weekend, leveled and tamped it down properly and reinstalled the stepping stones ourselves.

Our sense through this whole experience was that there was nobody in charge.  Besides the first crew that started the project and came later on one day to install all the soffets and gutters, it appeared to be young fellas without any on-site direction or supervision.  They did a lot of good work but there was a lot of unfinished work that we had to call our contractor up to get fixed.  If we lived closer to Annapolis or the DC metro area, this would probably have been a much better experience.  They do good work at a fair price and the owners are very honest people and have the best of intentions.  But they appear to be ill-equipped to do business in St. Mary's, southern Charles or Calvert counties or other more distant locations.  I did mention to the owner that if he wanted to do more business here he needed to do more to establish relationships with truly local suppliers and subcontractors.  Communications also need to be improved all around - with the crews, between the partners, with suppliers, subs and us, the customers.  We had the sense that the crews didn't really enjoy coming here and that we were kind of at the bottom of Fox Creek's list of priorities due to our distance from their home base.  As much as we love the final product and will enjoy it and show it off for a lifetime, we couldn't go through the aggravation again.  We would encourage folks from the Annapolis and metro DC areas who are considering a project like this (or folks who aren't in any kind of a hurry to get a project like this completed in a reasonable amount of time) to give Fox Creek serious consideration.  

"

"The personnel I interacted with in preparation for the install as well as the install crew have been excellent and made the whole install experience quite pleasant."

"Hired Retro Foam of Philadelphia to install foam insulation on 3 sides of my townhouse on Wildwood Crest. They did a great job, the team of Frank, Mike, Kevin and Keith were very respectful of our property, They were very friendly and mannerly during the process. when they left, you did not even know they were at my home. Great Job Bob/Jackie Marnie"

"Ace, was prompt. Most professional. The crew were in A C E UNIFORMS. and there truck was exceptionally clean and identified with the A C E l logi. The men were well mannered and worked together most professionally. Go A C E ð"

"Absolutely fantastic!  Home Matters Remodel is most exceptional.  They are a very professional and serious company (most definitely not cowboys! Yay!), caring and interested.  The contractor  took the time to explain issues that could arise, particularly with respect to replacing aluminum siding over asbestos, and worked out estimates to include worst case scenarios ? both of which none of the other companies that I have used over the past few years even came close to doing.  They even very kindly set up my rain barrel for me ? a last minute request; it has already been put to the test and is working very well indeed.
IAfter they were gone, I couldn't a single thing left behind, except for the excellent work they did.  
The labor and time everyone at Home Matters Remodel invested was well worth every penny I spent!
Should I need any further work done to the exterior of my home, they will be the first company I contact.


"

"David and his crew were wonderful. Upon meeting David he was very informative and personable. He worked with me on scheduling over the holidays as well as payment options. The work was done quickly and efficiently and I could feel my home was less drafty immediately. Definitely recommend elite thermal!!!"

"Great experience all around from Wuan and Wesley and the Falcon team. From our first call to the day of install every question I had - the team was there. Would 1000 percent recommend."

"Mike provided various siding samples for me to review. I was uncertain with my selection of color. However, Mike left the samples and patiently waited for my decision. The install crew was excellent and I'm absolutely happy with the color and the overall experience. Excellent customer service from beginning to end!!! I will definitely use for future needs."

"My B rating was due to a miscommunication regarding the day the work would take place. I mailed my down payment in and next thing the supplies were delivered so i had to call to confirm the day of installation. Only other thing is I would suggest they sweep area with a magnet. Although they did a good clean up job I did have to pick up a lot of nails and a bush was damaged but should be okay. I did expect some minor damage to flower beds since i have several against the house."