Get matched with top chimney inspectors in Cold Spring, MN

"It went well. It was wonderful to see a family work together like that father and two sons they got along with. They got the job done. I wanted to pitch in and help myself sometimes just because it's something I used to do. I had to force myself to stand back and just let them do their work. I would absolutely hire them again. It was a pleasure to have them out here. I even cooked them a barbecue one day. It was awesome."

"Many delays mostly due to him accepting other jobs and pushing mine back weeks. 2 week job took 3 months to complete; the job did grow in scope - so 3 weeks might have been reasonable, but... I was probably too nice, but was smart enough to hold back final payment until completed. Super nice man and employees. He is extremely knowledgeable about all things concrete - an expert. Unfortunately he was rushed, had higher value projects come up (mine was $8K), and doesn't provide guarantees. Some of my hearth bricks were damaged during grouting - upsetting to me; admittedly we were chatting while he was working. the garage leaks worse than before - the waterproofing painted on the exterior and interior is flaking and peeling after only one winter (I did not request this, but was already in process when I noticed - he said it would last long) - (it will need wired brushed removal) and the exterior caulking is not preventing leaks - he added expansion joints to floor to prevent other cracks. The basement post work was done to high standards - great job just very messy, poor cleanup. The new steps are holding up well thus far - a little pooling of water on one side of two of the steps - he back filled with concrete debri before the pour of the concrete (seems like that is a common industry practice) - it seemed like an inaccurate estimate concrete order - he used good quality concrete. Some other work done seems to be okay. The biggest issue is organization, lack of prep to have all he needs when he arrives, timing, responsiveness, rushing and lack of follow-up to resolve issues. He was squeezing in my projects between his higher value projects; when we started he wasn't very busy - so things changed. He was trying to maximize outdoor jobs before winter - probably a MN thing for contractors. That's why he didn't complete my indoor stuff till later. He didn't provide a written contract although I asked; I had to insist on a written receipt. I think if I had been a stronger project manager of his work and I had more energy for that, I would hire him again - but that's not really what I want to do. He does need a strong project manager. Very disappointing but kinda, sorta okay. I really wish it was different. Two neighbors had similar experiences. If you want to project manage and work alongside him... you would learn a lot and have fun. That might be a really good and very unique business niche for him."

"This was to be a 6 - 8 week project. We started on September 15th. We expected it to be done mid to late November. It is not complete as of January 18th. We have sheet rock dust everywhere, on all walls, floors cabinets, etc. We have walls that need to be repainted, trim to be done, carpet to lay, plumbing to complete, some cabinet work to finish and Custom Bi-fold doors to make for the oversized framing of the openings, and closet shelves to install. I am leaving things off the list I am sure but you get the picture. Our main contact, Lance, has not contacted us in 3 weeks. Our project sits. My thinking is that he is walking away from it as his last communication with us was to have a worker pick up a check from us in December for our carpet and flooring overage. He didn’t buy carpet is our guess as we have not gotten a install date, we were promised a schedule on December 27th. The team that was used for framing did not have enough experience. Almost all walls are not square or plumb. All Door openings were framed too tall and wide, including the Bi-fold Closet Doors. This team was also used to sheetrock. When I pointed out to Lance the many issues with their work he shrugged it off as not being too bad. Too few screws in the field and too many in other places. All outlet, light switch and register vents were cut larger than the cover plates. Requiring after the fact repair work. A pro sheetrocker would have flipped his lid. The taping and mudding was done by this team as well. They used way too much mud, ineffective use of tape and mud made for much much more sanding. They didn’t bother isolating the basement so we had weeks and weeks of sheetrock dust on our main and 2nd floor and that is with the furnace OFF whenever the team was here. The ceiling is passable save for a few areas that have noticeable valleys that are 4 plus feet long. Not all of the sanding is done yet but the walls are painted and have been patched in numerous locations and repainted, so the paint do not match up now. I can go on of course and I am not trying to bash. I am being honest about our experience. We have no idea when the end is and we feel that they have abandoned us for greener pastures. That’s what the lack of communication leads us to believe at least."