Center Island Contracting Inc.

I would not hire CIC again if they were the last contractor on earth. They got so many things wrong, and did so many things poorly, it is impossible to list. They refused to take ownership to fix their mistakes, and usually blamed their subcontractors (who they supervised) or, on occasion, us, for project delays, poor workmanship and other disfunction. CICs cycle of incompetence caused our project to take 5-6 times longer than their estimate, and we still had to pay other contractors to finish the work CIC screwed up or never even finished. Other contractors who have since come to our home to fix their work cannot believe someone who claims to be a professional would think the work they did was acceptable. In addition to the incompetence and disorganization we saw, we experienced a level of disrespect that is usually reserved for jailhouses. Caleb was condescending, mean and an overall just a bad person. He wanted to squeeze more money out of us and intentionally delayed our project for months while I pregnant. Caleb made it very hard at every turn unnecessarily by the time our project was over. Buyer beware.

I have done everything I possibly could to avoid writing this review, including offering to pay Center Island Contracting more than they are owed to finish the home renovation and home addition project we contracted for approximately 18 months ago. Unfortunately, Center Island has taken many thousands of dollars for work never begun, or in desperate need of repair, and refuses to finish their contracted work. It is 1.5 years after we signed with CIC and we have an unfinished home in need of repair, and I am unable to obtain a certificate of occupancy because they refuses to do the work they have already been paid for. I invite anyone reading this review and considering CIC, to my home to personally see the product of a year of CIC's work. If you decide to hire them after that, good luck to you. No one from CIC properly supervised or checked subcontractors (who perform the vast majority of the work). Virtually no care was taken to protect my existing house, and the result is that CIC and their subcontractors left an absolute mess. Hardwood floors and carpets weren't covered, causing damage, personal items were removed from secured areas and thrown on the floor, and dust and debris was left for us to clean ourselves every time someone from CIC came to our house. This project, which added only ~500 square feet to my home, will end up costing me over $300,000, and it could have been significantly more had I not been knowledgeable about home improvement. My fear for those who are not knowledgeable about home repairs is a long list of unwarranted change orders increasing your renovation budget to an untenable point. I expected a high end finished product for the kind of money I spent. Unfortunately, CIC believes it should buy you the bare minimum: bare minimum work product, bare minimum respect, bare minimum integrity. Our outstanding punch list contains 90+ items that Center Island agrees are issues, but refuses to address. I have paid every payment on time and according to the agreement, but Center Island is now demanding additional, payments for work we didn't agree to in order to finish the job. Shockingly, even after I agreed to pay these additional disputed amounts, Center Island continues to refuse to finish the job to this day. They have not done a thing in MONTHS. I've heard many contractor horror stories, but the lack of respect and lack of integrity from CIC is something I never could have imagined. For example, while communication throughout the project had only been with CIC's project manager, Orlando Daniello, Caleb claims Orlando's communications throughout the project are not valid or representative of the company. CIC will not honor ANYTHING Orlando has said or done. For one example of many, I was forced to purchase the same bathroom faucet THREE times due to CIC's disorganization. Orlando, in writing, told me that CIC would credit me for it, but Caleb will not take responsibility. We have found incredibly frustrating situations like this to be all too common with CIC. They have caused damage to my home and my property which they refuse to take responsibility for, despite clear evidence to the contrary, and despite them already admitting fault. Caleb has a plethora of excuses for slow work and no work, including: 1) an inability to find workers, 2) too much work, 3) 18 (!) company vacation days in the winter to celebrate the holidays, and, my personal favorite, 4) the threat of tariffs make ordering materials harder. In further efforts to avoid coming back to work, Caleb makes erroneous claims, including that we have breached our contract by bringing in 3rd parties to perform work, despite being instructed to do so, in writing, by CIC, and despite the work being outside the scope of our agreement with CIC (painting and countertops). The way my family and I have been disrespected is unfathomable. Caleb has been inappropriate and disrespectful to us and even made my pregnant wife cry on three separate occasions. Making matters worse, if that is even possible, Caleb has demanded that I sign a contract agreeing that I will not issue any negative reviews of my experience. Its a shame that in this day and age that a company has to even ask a customer not to post an honest review, and I can only imagine how many unwritten negative are out there because Caleb will not finish his jobs until honest negative reviews are wiped away. Please be very careful if you are considering Center Island Contracting and do not base your decision on internet reviews as they may be misleading, and you are likely not reading those that have been suppressed. Evan and Caleb may be able to turn on the charm in their first few meetings with you, but in my experience, that level of customer service and respect wanes very quickly once the project begins. Good luck, you're going to need it.

Everything went very well.  Everyone on the job was skilled and professional.