Great Additions Construction Co Inc

We just recently completed our Home Addition/Remodel with Great Additions (GA) and we are extremely happy that we chose them. We had a half-dormer added to our home, as well as many other areas of our existing structure and back deck remodeled, and all while myself and my family (with 2 young kids) were living in the home. The work started at the end of November 2021 and within 2.5 months our project was basically completed, which was even quicker than the initial time estimate we were given. Before signing the contract with GA, we were very nervous about such a big project and were hesitant to pull the trigger for several months. The sales person John was so patient and friendly and understanding with us. We constantly had additional questions and “what if” scenarios and he always got back to us quickly with an answer, and even came to visit us in person several times to show us diagrams and pictures and other hands-on materials to help put our mind at ease. We had several visits and quotes from other companies and many of them seemed like they don’t even need/want your business, but John’s attitude, knowledgeability and willingness to help was a breath of fresh air. He is the sole reason why we signed with GA, and we are really glad we did. Our project Manager that we were assigned was Mike, and from the onset of the project he was always in constant communication with us. Mike visited our job several times each week to keep an eye on everything and answer any questions we had or to look at the work that was being done, and ensure it was correct. As with any construction job, there were a few small hiccups that came up during the work, but Mike and his company always made sure that it was taken care of promptly and to our satisfaction. We even had a situation where an outside company that we hired to do our flooring, accidentally broke a water pipe in our livingroom ceiling which caused water to come through down into our living room. We didn’t know what to do, so we frantically called Mike at 7pm at night and even though his company wasn’t the cause of the issue, he was quick to help us find one of their top plumbers who rushed over to help fix the leak. I can’t say enough about Mike and how friendly, helpful and available he was for us. I would text him or call him at different hours of the day (early or late), and wouldn’t expect a response for a while, but would be pleasantly surprised when he responded back within 5-10 minutes. You can tell that he truly cares about his clients being happy with the work, and wants to make sure that things are done the right way and not by cutting corners. He knew how much these home improvements meant to our family and even when there were random hurdles that popped up in need of a solution, he always made sure they were completed even if it was not 100% mentioned in the contract. Mike is the best and I would recommend him to anyone! We were given a reliable timeline of what type of work would take place on what days, and they even have a mobile App that helps you keep track of the schedule, project progress, payment progress, etc. We were working from home during the whole remodel and it was extremely important that we had internet access at all times. GA and all their subcontractors were very understanding and considerate of that fact. Whenever there was a situation where power had to be cut, or plugs had to be removed, we asked them to give us 30 minutes notice so we could prepare. Almost all the subcontractors that came to our home to do different types of work were all very nice and respectful, and cleaned up after themselves. Derek, an amazing carpenter, was at our home for several weeks in a row and is one of the nicest, cheerful guys you could ever deal with. Us and our kids were always super excited when his truck pulled up outside of our house. He did great work and always had an amazing 70’s and 80’s rock music playlist playing in the background. He’d be singing along while he worked, and I found myself singing along from the other room as I worked lol. All in all, our new addition and remodel came out even better than we initially dreamed it would. You always hear stories and see TV shows about construction companies who do the wrong thing. We were always waiting for something bad to happen, but it never did. The budget that was quoted to us before we signed the contract, was exactly what the project cost (though we decided to add a few extras to the job). The timeline was even quicker than we were quoted, and though it was difficult for a family with kids to live in a house that is having major work done to, I feel it wasn’t as difficult as we thought it would be. I appreciate all the hard work and dedication from everyone at GA and I recommend that you choose them too. You wont be disappointed.

We hired Great Additions to redo our second floor - dormer and increase sq footage. Their sales pitch is impeccable, and their quote was the lowest of all that we had received. That in itself should have been a red flag. Well the whole job was a disaster from day one. Our project manager was Michael G, the owner's son, and to say that he is irresponsible would be putting it mildly. I am going to summarise below all the issues that we faced, but the biggest issue is Michael - thoroughly unprofessional, constantly promises something and fails to deliver, and never listens to our grievances and is oftentimes dismissive. So here goes - 1. Construction delays and missed deadlines resulted in our project being prolonged by 2 months - Michael would constantly promise to send workers over and they did not show up. 2. Destroyed our deck - I spent two weeks removing the construction debris and cleaning and re-staining. Michael promised to clean up on multiple occasions but never did, as usual. 3. Partially destroyed my storage shed - One of the demo guys was walking around on the roof of my home depot shed and put a crack in the roof joint. - Michael promised to replace the roof on multiple ocassions, but as usual never did. I had to finally settle for him using some industrial glue to bond/fill the crack, and it still leaks when it rains. 4. Left debris all over the backyard for me to clean up - Michael made promises to send a crew to clean up, and again no one showed up. 5. Destroyed our existing split a/c system - They were contractually obligated to take down the system and put it back up. They told s that they worked with the best hvac company on Long Island (Phoenix Air, what a joke!). It has been 6 months now since that company has been trying to fix their mistakes and we are left with a non-functioning condenser and 4 units. Michael and his father both have hinted on multiple occasions that the system was faulty before they took it down!! The Phoenix air tech also accused me to damaging my own condenser! Why would I do that? Anyways, this is by far the biggest loss - 12K write off. 6. The new baseboard heating system installed on the 2nd floor only works in 1 room. The other 3 rooms barely heat up. Michael informed me that this is how baseboards work. They are inefficient. I did not know how to respond to that ridiculous statement! Secondly, in one of the room I can hear the system making a racket, and it is not air that is the culprit. I paid a plumber to come in and bleed the system and he informed that if it was air we would hear it all over the 2nd floor. 7. Inadequate exhaust fans - This issue was finally resolved, but only because one of Michael's workers verified my claims. Initially, when we started bathing in our two bathrooms on the 2nd floor, both the bathrooms would fog up, even when we left the doors ajar. I complained to Michael on multiple occasions that the exhaust fan was not powerful enough. And every time I was told that I did not know what I was talking about (per se), and everything was fine. It's only when one of his plumbers came by to look at something else and I showed him the problem, was when he called Michael and told him that the fans were inadequate. The plumber went to a big box store and purchased two new fans and replaced the originals. The bathrooms now vent just fine. 8. When we first started using the 2nd floor, we noticed that when my son walked in his bedroom (right above our first floor living room) the chandelier in the living room would sway dramatically. When we brought this to Michael's attention he, as usual, brushed it off as nothing. When we pressed home the point he made some excuse about how he cannot control how the existing structure behaves, and that we should have somehow thought about this before going ahead with the construction! It is only when we threatened to withhold the last tranche of payment that he wizened up and send his folks in to make some big repairs in out first floor ceiling, so that it would support the 2nd floor bedroom. The above 8 instances are just a few of the numerous times that we encountered issues. All in all I estimate that we have incurred losses of greater than $10000 and have been lied to constantly throughout this process. DO NOT HIRE THESE FOLKS - caveat emptor!!

Spent over half a million dollars, and they struggled to finish. Seemed like details are not their finer points. Along the way, wrong parts/cabinets/items were ordered. faulty items also ordered. Basically had to GC the job myself. The subcontractors they use are decent, but man is Great additions disorganized. Every week it seemed to be a fight to get someone on the job to finish a particular part of the project.

Everything went better than we could ever expected! We are extremely pleased with the renovation and so happy that we made the decision to move forward with it. The service they provided was above and beyond anything we could have ever hoped for. We definitley will have them back when we are ready to remodel our basement.

We had a wonderful experience working with Great Additions. Mike, Howie and Allison were all excellent to work with and extremely professional. They were all very patient, helpful and responsive. They would get back to us all hours of the day with any questions we had. Mike was our project manager and i cant begin to explain how incredible and helpful he was. He made a major renovation project so much smoother than i ever imagined. We were living in the basement while we were getting the work completed, and all of the workers were very respectful, understanding and courteous of our privacy. They were consistently on time, worked hard, and constantly cleaned up after themselves. We couldn’t be happier with the work they did and would highly recommend them to anybody looking to do a home renovation project

Don’t hire anyone else to do your home improvements; this company is THE BEST around! They are a family run business who really care about the customer and their work product. Get other estimates, but RUN back to Great Additions. Do NOT have any other company talk you into hiring them; hire Great Additions, you’ll be glad you did!

Well pleased

We were quite fortunate to find Great Additions (GA) as we were searching for a home remodeling company to work with on our project. It just so happens that homeowners on our block had selected GA for a similar, though more extensive remodel. We had not encountered them before that. We watch our neighbor's ongoing renovation, and were impressed to the point where we contacted them for an estimate. The estimate was fair and detailed, unlike some of the others we received, and the references were very good. What was important to us was the quality of the work, and the follow-up given any issues. They graded very well on that. The owner was present, and the complete staff (Allison, Vinnie, Eric, Vito, Plumbers, etc.), and all the subs, especially Giorgio and the siders, were really very good. Any items we brought up were handled without any issue. We are completely satisfied. It was a pleasure working with GA. We appreciated their patience with us as we worked through construction and finishing details. We have nothing but Great things to say about Great Additions!!

Very good and very pleased....some minor issues with communication, I think they were a little busier then they expected, but all resolved and very happy with the end product. Excellent craftsmanship.

We are extremely pleased with the job that was done, everything was done on time.

It was very important that I be able to live in my home with my family and dog during construction and even more important to have the timeline adhered to. Allison, Howie and the entire staff went out of their way on numerous occasions to ensure all of my needs were met. The crew was professional, neat and true artists in their workmanship. I have recommended them to many people and will continue to do so.

It was a long and stressful process. We were promised 8-10 weeks and it turned out to be more like 17 weeks of work and 7.5 months until we closed everything out. Our job was delayed several times because the office staff failed to order needed supplies on time (shower door, shower fixtures, tiles). Almost everything was sub-contracted and the work that was completed in house was just okay. Lots of sloppy, lazy work. We had to have several things fixed and had to hound the project manager (who was fired mid-job) and the owner, Howie, (who is actually a nice guy who gives a crap). We also had to hound the accounting person (who was also fired) to get answers about pricing. In the end, we ended up owing an additional 5k that we simply cannot afford because SOMEONE made a mistake. Here's one of the big problems about this company: the owner's wife, Allison, handles a lot of the office tasks. She is horrible at following up and has a cocky attitude. She never once apologized for ordering our items late--was always very cavalier about everything. It was her husband, the OWNER, who was apologetic. They need to figure that situation out or the company will not continue to grow. They have a lot of work in our neighborhood because ultimately the out come is decent but a dormer should be easy for a seasoned contractor. What matters most is the level of customer service, length of time it takes to complete the work, staff keeping their word and minimizing stress, and attention to detail. This company is lacking in all of those areas. I hate writing bad reviews but spend your time and money elsewhere. This process was one giant headache and ended up costing us probably 15k more than we anticipated (at least).

I have to say that by far, Great Additions was the best company I've ever worked with! Craig was amazing in the beginning during the creation and negotiation process; he even was on-hand whenever I needed to ask questions or to have him look at something for me. Allison and Ronnie in the office were on top of all of the ordering and billing, and Brian was great with all the kitchen design. Howie the owner was always around overseeing things. All of my friends, family and neighbors were in awe of how quickly, efficiently and professionally each of the different crews were. There was never a question if someone was going to show up, or leave early; it just never happened. As you can see, I would HIGHLY recommend this company for your next house design!

The staff was very professional and always on top of every job that was performed. They worked everyday to complete the job in a very short time and were always available to answer questions or concerns. Craig, Howie, and Allyson were excellent and wonderful resources for decisions we needed to make. We couldn't be happier with the incredible job they did. They were very professional and never tried to "sell" us on anything. No pushy salesman! They were fair and listened to everything we wanted.

Bob was extremely professional and courteous. He showed up promptly to give me an estimate. The estimate was 15 pages long and thoroughly itemized. They had more knowledge than the other 5 contractors I priced out. Once the contract was signed I had the pleasure of dealing with Howie the owner who was on top of every aspect of the job. Things moved very quickly and the whole house was done in just 5 months including the winter months. The work quality is top notch and the sub contractors are all professional and courteous. The inspections went smoothly as well. From planning to completion these are the guys to use. They are very nice people and they are the real deal. A pleasure to work with.

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They were responsive, mindful of our budget, efficient, and friendly.  We highly recommend them to others.

Howie and Greg are Great people. They always made sure me and my wife was happy. After the workers were done with something they always came by to make sure it was done correctly. going to have more work done to my house and I assure you it will be Great Addition doing the work.

Never provided a price.    Came out and walked through. / recieved the drawngs asked the approriate questions-
After waiting month and calling  2x  + email, to see where they were with the numbers - he advise that they were still waiitng on the mason to get to the house to see it-  Said he couldn't get there becuase of the  weather., In four weeks? 
Not a good sign if the contractor is not even attentive in the bid process. 
Moving on awarding to someone who was.

Work has not started yet.

Howie (owner) and the team at Great Additions were amazing! Punctual, truthful, honest, answered everyone of my questions and phone calls during the entire process! My dormer and entire house remodel went as planned and also every one of my concerns were addressed and in a punctual manor. All the workers were extremely professional as were Mr and Mrs Gumpel (owner). Howie was at the job site everyday which gave me such a sense of security when I couldn't be there. i would Highly recommend Great additions to anybody. I have had nothing but a great experience with great additions and have not one bad thing to say.

after getting 5 estimates i called great additions. greg came over to give us a estimate he not only give us a estimate but came up with a few ideas like making are living room are dining room and are new additions are living room.me and my wife was not sure about it at first. but said ok will go with that we are so glad we did we love it and putting in a  hall closet at the front entrance and some other ideas  all we love but there was some problems some of it to with the  bad weather we had this past winter but Howie the owner is the best.  was here almost ever day there was working making sure thing was going ok and ever time I called him he always called me right back or answer his cell phone not once did I have to call me back a second time and took care of what ever problem there was right away i can't say a enough about him. he was a real gentleman and a pleasure to deal with thank you very munch Howie we love the job your company did.

They were very clean. They were fast. They were very responsive. And, the owner was here everyday. This is the company people should go with. The owner and the wife's owner pass by our year, very accessible by their phones. They pretty much did what they say they're gonna do. They're good people.

They called and appologized for not getting back.

We are very happy with our new bathroom; new closet & modified master bedroom.  Greg's plans made great use of our space & his refiguring the windows in the bedroom and placement of fixtures made the bathroom very functional.  He was on top of the situation in relation to getting permits and necessary paperwork for the Town of Oyster Bay.  Howie was very easy to deal with and is very professional.  He always returned calls within the day, if not immediately and was able to calmly handle any situations that came up. For example, on the first day during demolition it became evident that the steel header that was supposed to be there (it was in the plans from a previous extension done 10 years prior) was non existent.  Howie was able to assess the situation and fix it on the spot.  Frank, who was the manager on the job was present most days and was extremely competent.  He was a pleasure to have in our home.  The sub-contractors did fine work and if anything wasn't to our liking Howie or Frank dealt with it immediately.  I would highly recommend Great Additions.