Master Builders Inc

I had a general idea of what I wanted out of a remodel of my kitchen but I wasn't sure what was possible. Tom presented me with several options and I couldn't be happier with the final plan. I have more space than i thought possible. The project included removal of the chimney, moving a window from one wall to the other (stucco house), and removal of the wall between the dining room and kitchen. He also pointed out that their were probably good wood floors under the existing kitchen floor which now look great. In general the materials used were high quality and i was happy with the subcontractors used. Tom and Nate were both responsive to my questions.

Overall we have been very happy in working with Master Builders for both of our projects. Nate was the project manager and ensured good communication and follow-up on all of the details of the project. He kept in constant communication regaridng the scheduling and timeline for the project. His crew ensured that the work was done very professionally - overall we were happy with the quality of the work.
For the first project, we finished a den in the basement, a lower level bath and completed the laundry room. Because the budget was stretched - we were able to order our own cabinets, lighting, etc and have them install to keep the cost down.
For the second project, a 16X14 addition and small deck was added onto the house off of the dining room. I had a vision of what the room would look like -- and they were able to translate this vision into reality. This was a challenge given that I was particular about the details of the room. The overall result was stunning and we can't imagine our house without this room. The only disappointment was the deck -- and the materials used on the deck. I should have done more comparison shopping to see what options were available. The overall project took 2-3 months from breaking ground, to roofing, to the windows and finishing the interior. Most of the time at the end was spent on some of the finishing touches -- getting the cabinets installed. Overall the timeline was appropriate and we had no issues.
They were respectful of the property -- the front lawn was not mangled given the amount of wheelbarrows, bobcats, etc. going back and forth. Similarly all of the trees in the backyard were not impacted by the construction.

I think that everything went well. Nate and his helper made no mess in the kitchen while they were here to do the cabinet hinge replacement. It seemed that they were in and out in about two hours. At the time of completion of the job, Nate asked whether I had paid for the hinges yet and I told him that Tom of Master Builders, Inc. had not sent me a bill yet. When Nate and his helper left, I assumed I would be receiving a bill for the completed job shortly. As things go, I didn't receive a bill within two weeks and just wasn't focused upon not having received one. On December 4th, I realized that I had never received a bill for the hinges and work done so I e-mailed Tom of Master Builders, Inc. He sent a reply thanking me for the reminder and said that he would copy Nate on this so he would get the invoice to me as soon as he got a chance. I received an invoice for the job December 6, 2011, for $745.47, $350 for labor charges and $395.47 for the 76 hinges. That works out to about $5.20/hinge which should have included shipping and taxes.

I e-mailed Tom of Master Builders, Inc. that I thought the labor charge of $350 (or $175/hr.) was a bit over the top for about two hours labor. His e-mail reply and I quote:

and quot;The labor charges aren't nearly that high. There were two guys at your house for about 2 1/2 hours. With a small project like that we have to charge driving time as of course they are getting paid when driving to your project so that is factored in. On top of that we charged something for my time otherwise I'd be giving that away for free. So the labor rate we charged you is more like $50 per man hour. And we normally markup any materials 30% but we actually didn't do that on yours so you actually got a 30% discount on the hinges. Basically we covered our cost on the project and made little or no profit. Does that make sense?and quot;

My reply to Tom for his e-mail explaining the charges was, and again I quote:

and quot;Mumbo Jumbo. You should show “Truck Charge” on the invoice. I’d like to get $50/man/hour! That’s still $100/hour, so that’s $250. I’ll pay but guess that’s our parting shot.and quot;

I think that, for this job, somebody got a bit greedy. The hinges were quoted at less than $5 each. I don't know whether there was a discount to Master Builders or not. You can't charge for giving a quote on a job. That's part of being in the Business that Master Builders is in. You take your lumps sometime.