A-1 Armor Construction

A1 Armor construction was called to my parents house. They recieved an estimate. An A1 Armor employee came back at a later date and took a $2400 deposit in cash. The company has yet to come back and finish the work. All they have done is partially remove ceiling tiles from a bedroom. The owner Steven Smith is irate and argumentative. He is far too dificult to deal with. I don't think someone should have to fight/argue to get a refund or get a company to do the work they were paid to do. My parents were looking for a roofer not a charity to donate to. Police report has been filed and a coplaint with the office of the attorney general.
ALSO ... THIS COMPANY WEBSITE CLAIMS THAT THEY ARE BBB ACCREDITED. GO TO THE BBB WEBSITE FOR YOURSELF AND SEE THEY ARE NOT. DO NOT TRUST THEM. DO NOT CALL THEM. IF ANYBODY NEEDS SCREEN SHOTS OF THEIR WEBSITES CLAIMS PLEASE CONTACT ME AS I TOOK SCREEN SHOTS OF THEIR ENTIRE WEBSITE AS PROOF OF THEIR LIES
I also see this company did not pay Angie's list for their advertising. Can't say I am surprised. This company is not reputable in my opinion. I hope Angie's list pursues this contractor to uncover any other elderly people that were taken advantage of after Hurricane Sandy. I would glady provide them with all information I have. Perhaps they should poll any member that viewed this contractor through their site to see if they too were ripped off.

The overall experience was good.  However, it was a little pricey for the work performed - $250 for silicone and cement.  There was a little snafu with the appointment process - first appointment wasn't recorded properly, but I called the day before to confirm and at that time they added and confirmed the first appointment.  However they called during the first appointment time to state that they had an emergency and couldn't make it to the first appointment at which time they rescheduled for the next day - I believe they simply didn't have time to add this appointment that they originally didn't record properly and therefore faked an emergency to postpone, but regardless they came the next day, promptly for the second scheduling of the appointment.  Fix was quick - a half an hour and they were done.  Also they were courteous and pleasant to deal with.  I would use this company again.

He did what he said he would do, in a timely manner and fair price.

Steven Smith showed up at the time he had scheduled (4:00 PM); inspected the differennt areas in relation to the chimney and proceeded to give me two options to how have the chimney repair, indicating the pros on each one and cost.  Once we agreed on what was to be done, he contacted his staff who, luckly, were on the next town over and it was arranged that the work will be done today, which has been.  I am very pleased with this experience.

I would recommend them highly.  they did a great job and were quick and professional.

The professionalism and speed to complete this job was off the chart. I want to give them 8 stars. They did the job quick and cleaned up everything. They are the BEST!!!!

Updating on my earlier post. We seemed to have the dates mixed-up and they arrived today. best price when compared to three other companies. Also gave me a cheaper option on material if i didn't want the stainless steel. I went with the stainless steel anyway. They took measurements the same day. So far very professional. Will update after work is done.

He said when he came to the house that he worked only with permits. He started the job without the permit b/c he said that it was delayed. I called the town to ask about the permit and it had not been given. I called Steve the guy that did the work and told him that the permit had been pulled and he hung up. I emailed him and let him know that he needed to get the permit. Steve has never returned my call. He would not accept a CC for the payment he wanted cash or a check even though his advertisement says he takes CC. Without the permit an inspector cannot even come out to check the chimney and the boiler out. When I spoke to the girl in the courthouse she said that if he has been doing work it has been without permits. He has only gotten 1 permit that is on file.

We had a broken cast iron damper on a wood burning fireplace and venting issues on a chimney for the boiler and hot water heater. On 10/5/2010 we called Chris at A-1 Armor to check out the issues. An appointment was set up for the same afternoon and Chris called prior to arriving - right on time. An assessment of the issues indicated the need to remove the old damper and replace it with a top mount on the fire place. The inspection of the other chimney revealed that prior work performed by a different contractor was wrong. The metal liner was incorrectly sized and the hot water heater vent was not even attached! We set up with Chris to have the repairs and corrections performed the next day. On 10/6/2010 again with an advance notification call the work crew arrived at the expected time. The work was completed in 2 - 3 hours in a very professional manner. Towards the end of the job, Chris arrived to check and inspect the work the crew had performed. He also gave us hands on instruction in operating the new damper. Our experience with A-1 Armor was great. We would describe them as Professional, Prompt, Courteous and Fair. There was no hard sell to do more than was necessary, the work was excellently done and the clean up after completion was immaculate.

The chimney work was very professional. The contractors were punctual both for the estimate and the work which was performed the following day. There were two teams that performed the work. The chimney team was quite professional and took the time to explain the steps they were taking and offer tips and advice. The gutter replacement was subcontracted to another team who was a bit less professional. I had provided instruction to extend downspouts far away from the exterior of my home due to the sloping of the yard; however, the team cut through our wooden fence to extend the downspout in one area without obtaining permission in advance. In addition, the downspouts were not aligned where the prior downspouts were located in all cases. This left a line of discoloration along the exterior of my home next to where they had installed the new downspouts. After discussing this with the team, they repositioned one downspout. Then they used spraypaint on my siding to try and cover another area to my dismay. Finally, there were about 100 nails and pieces of gutter debris left in my yard following their work. I asked them to clean up, which they did poorly. Weeks later, I am still picking up nails in my driveway, yard and deck. I would use the company again for chimney work, but would not recommend them for gutter work.

The whole process went very well, especially in comparison to the scare tactics of 2 competitors, whose prices were between 4 and 6 times higher than A-1 Armor's. Steven Smith, the president, did not try to sell work that did not need to be done. He came to our house the day the work was to be done and explained what would be happening when his men arrived to do the work and how long it would take. The men did a professional job and cleaned up completely. I also got a call later that day to make sure everything was done satisfactorily. The only problem was that we were told that the business accepted credit cards, but seemed reluctant to do so on the day the work was performed. I had to post-date a check to allow time to move cash into our checking account.

A-1 Armor Construction came in and they originally quoted me $675 for the job. When I showed them another chimney specialist's quote for $435, he then matched it. I had placed special cement caulk on the chimney that I wanted removed and replaced with mortar, I informally told the worker who was doing the pointing (patching the mortar between the bricks up) and he didn't do it. They did everything within an hour and left some pieces of concrete on my roof. This job was relatively simple, a $250 job at the most to be honest. I wouldn't use these guys again, at least not until I had gotten quotes from other guys. This company was also a bit too pushy for my taste. He wanted to do the job right away. Overall I wouldn't use these guys and I'd suggest that people look elsewhere for simple jobs as well. I can't rate how they do big jobs, but for little jobs they aren't really worth it.

We had water leaking from the top of a window, but did not know where the leak was coming from. Called two contractors who performed exterior and roof repair, presenting them with the facts available regarding the leak. After examining the interior and exterior at the window and the roof, both contractors recommended partial reroofing. A-1 came in and did exactly what they said they'd do and I have no complaints with the work they performed. Unfortunately, the problem was not with the roof, but with the masonry of the exterior brick wall, as we discovered during an intense rain the following week. I asked Steve if he wanted to submit a proposal for that work and I've never heard back from him. To sum up the experience: if you know exactly what you need and can layout out how someone should do it, you can call A-1 to execute it. I wouldn't recommend them as problem solvers as they did not demonstrate a wide understanding of the the problems one would think they encountered on a daily basis. Steve and his crew were fine and I would hire them again, but I would not look to rely on their knowledge, just their performance.

Had to call them to see where the service person was. Was scheduled for 9-noon. Came at 5 PM

On the morning of February 23, 2010, I noticed that the gutter on the back of the house had partially collapsed and separated from the home, elbows on the ground. Days earlier, I had used the fireplace and had smoke billowing into the house. After searching companies and seeing A-1's high scores on Angie's List, I called A-1 on the morning of 2/23/10 and asked for a quick appointment because of the approaching snow storm (picture snow and then days of melting snow with damaged gutters). A-1 gave me an appointment of 2/23 between 1-3PM, and they showed minutes before 1, inspected the gutter damage, and fireplace. After giving me the estimate (including discount for having mentioned Angie's List because A-1 offers the coupon), they told me they would show up between 8-9AM the next morning to begin the work. By 8AM the next morning, the "looming" snow storm had arrived and had already dumped three-plus inches of snow. A-1 showed at around 830 and, by the time I went outside, ladders were off the truck and up against the house, and one of the guys was on the way up to the chimney to remove the old screening and install the cast iron top-mounted damper. Because it was snowing pretty hard, I asked if they wanted to come back, but they kept working. The new damper was installed quickly, and the old one was removed, and I was provided easy step-by-step instructions on how to use it. The team of three then proceeded to work ladders around the entire house -- in the snow storm -- to repair gutter downspouts, elbows, and leaders. Then, on the back of the house, they repaired the broken gutter, and re-pitched it. While doing so, they told me the gutters need cleaning -- and they proceeded to clean some while up there (when I called, I didn't request cleaning, and they did it on their own; notably, the estimate they gave me did not change despite some of the cleaning). The guys were professional, had a plan before the arrived, wasted no time in setting the plan in motion, and were done within 2 hours, all during a snow storm that eventually dumped 16+ inches by the time it was done (the storm of 2/25/10-2/26/10). Use them again? To be sure, I plan to call them as soon as spring hits for an official gutter cleaning (or at least the ones I can't get to), and for laying a new cement floor in the garage. I only wish I could remember the workers' names so I could applaud them here by name. Thank you.

During the home inspection of a house we were planning to buy, the chimney/fireplace was deemed "unsafe" and I contacted A-1 to clean it and to inspect for structural and mechanical defects. I was able to get a quick appt and Steve arrived on time and did the work and inspection. I wasn't able to be there and he let me mail a check instead of paying at the time of the service. The responsiveness issue came up when I asked for a written estimate of aprox $1,400 of work he said was needed to repair cracks and flashing....which I would have used to document our request for a credit at closing. Although he and his assistant both promised to send me an estimate via email or fax, we had to close 6 days later without it. It's now 2 weeks later and still no estimate, so I'll have to find someone else to reinspect and do the work.

Fantastic job! Provided services the same day I received an estimate. Superb quality of work completed in a few hours by friendly and knowledgeable staff. Work site was spotless after they had finished. Total price was several hundred dollars lower then two other estimates I received from local competition. I would definitely hire them to do work in the future, outstanding company.

The terra cotta chimney liner was flaking away and pieces were flying around. Upon inspection he informed us that various sections (2 foot sections the length of the chimney) were worn away and breaking apart. We had two estimates prior to A-1. His explanations were more thorough and complete. He checked the BTU on the boiler, as did one of the other companies. He was able to do the work quickly and his price was much better than the other two companies for the same work. He was thorough, clean, and very pleasant to deal with. He and his workers were polite and respectful. We were thrilled with the great job!

Steve came out and took a look at my chimney and assured me that I have a smaller furnace than the chimney and since the chimney is older than the furnace. The furnace is 1700BTU, and he recommended to install a stainless steel lining to match the size of the furnace. He did the job right away and it was a good price.

They had to put a new collar around my chimney. They waterproofed the area where the problem was. There was quite a bit of water damage and the were very good about helping with it. They were very professional and courteous.