Coppola Construction, Inc.

my company consists of three people: myself, one full time employee and one part time employee. We do one job at a time. I'm the person who bids on the project. I'm the person who does the work and I'm the person whom you pay. Other than one or two neighborhood newspapers, word of mouth is my advertisement. My clients find this very reassuring and encouraging to the point of calling me back for future projects as well as recommending me to friends and relatives. This goes a long way in minimizing their fear in me as a contractor and my fear of not getting paid. I work this way despite the income limitation because I enjoy the process of working with my hands. I enjoy the begining, the middle and the end of a project. My pleasure and my reward, other than getting paid, is being able to step back at the end of a job and feel - "yeah, wow, I did that". I don't use subcontractors but have no problem working alongside any that you may hire to get the job done, such as architects, plumbers and electricians. I am currently unlicensed though I plan to get my license within the year. Up until recently my jobs have been mainly cosmetic, though they have been growing in scope. I generally work in brooklyn and Manhattan but will and have gone to Staten Island, Queens, Nassau county Long island and parts of north Jersey. I might add a traveling fee to cover the cost of fuel and traveling time if the project is far enough. I work up itemized estimates free of charge and include building materials such as lumber, drywall, etc. only. I don't include the cost of fixtures, appliances and finish material unless specified by the client. Ussually the client shops around for those items since they are so subjective and varied. In this way the client can control a big part of the cost of a renovation. I ask for 40% the day work comences, 40% midway project sometime and 20 % upon completion. I have a strong background in art and architecture and have come to rely on that in a lot of day to day developments on a project. I am detail oriented, very neat with my jobsites and I am always anxious to please my clients.