The McClurg team has a long-standing reputation in Central New York for offering well-conceived, knowledgeable solutions that meet their clients’ design, remodeling and construction needs. The company, which was established in 1978, undertakes about 200 remodeling projects a year. These projects are of all sizes and include kitchens and bathrooms, exterior living spaces, basement conversions, additions, and large-scale renovations - both inside and out. The company also handles commercial rem..
"Overall, everyone I spoke to was very professional and polite. The person who set up our appointment called as soon as I requested a quote online. I wasn't crazy about being asked if I had a spouse- I know there was a time when that was an acceptable question, but that time was the 1970's. From that alone, I knew this was a company that typically worked with older and wealthier clients. We are not 1%ers and are relatively young home owners in a working class neighborhood, but we pay our bills on time, which I believe is the requirement for hiring a contractor. The representative that came for our estimate was overtly friendly, punctual, and professional. She explained all the things that could go wrong, what they could find in the walls, and how slow leaks could add $10k+ to a $30k-$40k base estimate-without changing the layout. She explained that the company was large and had multiple departments, specialist, and hands-on care that generated overhead which why their estimate was twice our highest estimate, three times our lowest estimate and that we could certainly find someone to do the work for closer to the $15k we're expecting, but they wouldn't be insured or secure permits; this, for the record, is not true. The website she directed us to for the area average and "cost vs value added" lists $20k as the average price, still $10k-$20k below her quote. She suggested we replace the tub and not do any other work because it wouldn't be a good investment. She asked us if we work from home and when we said no she asked if we work, presumably because we were home in the middle of the day. From beginning to end, it felt friendly-insulting. It felt like our base estimate was the "no way am I taking this job" highball estimate. Especially when compared to the amounts listed by other reviewers for this type of work from this company, which are in the $15k range. For the record, my marital status is not related to the work I want done and not everyone works Monday-Friday 9-5. We did manage to purchase a house, after all. I'm sorry my house and my neighborhood weren't good enough for this company- actually, no, I'm not. Overall, huge disappointment and a waste of everyone's time.
Erin B. on July 2019
