
LDR Design+Build+Renovate
About us
LDR Group is the wholly owned subsidiary of the corporate parent Miscellaneous Enterprises Etcetera LLC, as originally formed in 1993 as a Delaware corporation, and later formed in New York in 2008 in the depths of the Great Recession. Originally doing business as Local Dad Repairs, it had at it's heart the goal of helping people in our community keep their homes repaired in hard times. In 2016, with the economy booming and the need for our services diminished,the company shifted it's focus to commercial consulting, serving millwork (custom woodwork and cabinet) companies in the NYC and Washington DC markets. When the corona virus pandemic besieged us all, we realized that there was an opportunity to once again serve our community, but in a more future focused manner that made full use of the skills gained in energy efficiency and home improvement we had developed over the years. LDR is now focused on providing a very special, very important need to our community and our world-hyper energy efficient Passive House buildings as new homes and home renovations. We will no longer do smaller remodeling projects like kitchens, baths, additions and basements. We have moved on to doing just whole house Passive House 'Renphits' or new build Passive House homes. Ask us how we can reduce the energy your home uses by up to 90%!
Business highlights
Services we offer
Experts in Passive House Certified Design+Build Experts in Passive House Certified whole house renovations Experts in Passive House Certified additions ldrgroup.net/blog
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 90% | ||
| 6% | ||
| 2% | ||
| 1% | ||
| 1% |
"Thank you so much for your kind words. It have been a pleasure to be able to provide you with a renovation to your home that respects its history but updates it with high performance materials and procedures based on the most current building science. Looking forward to phase 2!"
"Thank you so much for taking the time to write a review. We are happy we were able to address the drainage problem and give some advice. We look forward to working with you again!"
"One of our favorite projects is rehabbing homes. It's very satisfying to take a home that is outdated and in need of repair and turn it into a dream home. We are glad you are happy with our work!"
"Thank you very much for your review! We are happy you are pleased with our work!"
"Thank you for your kind review! We are happy that you are pleased with our work, and we are glad we were able to accommodate your schedule."
"We hope we were able to provide you with excellent service, and we look forward to working with you again in the future."
"We hope we were able to provide you with excellent service and look forward to working with you again in the future."
"Thank you very much for your review. We are glad we were able to help you out, and we look forward to serving you in the future."
I called Jeff and explained my situation. He vaguely remembered the water heater but, none the less said he would arrive the next day. On Monday, he called and said the was running late. He said he should arrive in one half hour. He did. Jeff inspected the situation and moved the water heater (which is mounted on the wall) three inches to the left. It took Jeff all of 45 seconds. As he was leaving, I asked him for the bill. He told me that he could not charge me because it was his fault that the water heater was not placed properly. I disagreed because he had never installed such a water heater before so how could he know how to replace the heating elements. He still refused to charge me and actually tried to run out the door when I insisted to pay for gas. It was only when I threatened to call his wife that he reluctantly took the money.
Jeff is an artist at what he does. I have called upon his services before and admire his work, never a problem. He is obviously a man of utmost integrity. He stands behind his work inarguable. He is the one and only to call when you require work, small or large.
"Thank you very much for taking the time to write a review. We are so glad we were able to help you over the years, and we look forward to serving you for many years to come!"
"Thank you very much for taking the time to post a review. Despite a delay with materials due to a port strike on the West Coast, the materials finally arrived, and we were very happy to be able to complete the project to your satisfaction. We appreciate your confidence in us!"
"Thank you very much for your review! We appreciate your confidence in us, and we hope to serve you in the future."
"We are happy to have been able to help you with your project!"
On the appointed day of repair, Walt and Josh set to work with little fuss repairing the work laid out by Jeff.
They knew what they were doing efficiently and very clean.
I would recommend them to anyone and will use them again this spring.
Thank you Jeff, Terri , Josh and Walt.
"Thank you so much for your review. It was our pleasure, and we are glad you are happy with our work. Please do not hesitate to call us any time you need anything else!"
I'm very happy with every aspect of the work that was done.
"Thank you so much for your kind review! I'm glad we were able to complete your project to your satisfaction, even though it took a little longer because of all the rainy days. Please always feel free to give us a call with whatever project you have in mind!"
-Time to complete the job was fair. I am still waiting on a certificate of occupancy
-very courteous and professional
- i am considering using them on another job. quality and professionalism very good
"Thank you for your review and for your patience with the permitting process. I'm glad we were able to get the paperwork for you. We look forward to working with you again!"
"Thank you for your review. I'm glad your project went smoothly. Please do not hesitate to contact us again, and we look forward to working with you in the future!"
He also created a custom screened in system that is true to the architectural design of the house. He and his crews knowledge and workmanship are top notch. It looks beautiful and we can't wait to use the porch in the Spring.
My only suggestion is that Jeff gets better at organizing and arranging his schedule. I understand that weather is a factor and there are things that cannot be helped, such as urgent situations that have to be addressed at other clients and juggling several projects at once. It took only 10 days to complete the columns and stone work because it was very well planned and organized. The screened-in system took much longer.
I highly recommend Local Dad Repairs for any renovation project.
"Thank you for your review. Though this client used our services nearly a half year ago, our records show that they did not get someone else's estimate but did request that we change our estimate once. When we gave this estimate we told them that pavers were not our usual work but we could find them a mason to do this if they would like us to. We did so as indicated by the client and simply passed on the pricing we were given at the time. Please note that the client requested a 'complete' repair to make the paver look like new, which required much more than cutting off a corner of the stone and in fact required several hours of exacting work to accomplish for him. If he had requested that we simply 'cut off a corner' we would have been able to do this during our installation of the window. As to the window, once again we allowed a client to 'do some of their own work'. They ordered their own window and removed the alarm contact themselves. At no time did they request that we replace that contact (in fact we didn't realize it had one) which we would have done within less than 2 minutes, at the time. At no time did we receive any communication from the client that they would like us to do this either. We have several very active clients in his development and would have been able to do this at any point free of charge. When he originally requested that we replace his hose bib (we offered to rebuild it if we could but he wanted it replaced because the house was new) we told him that to replace it would require plumbing work inside the home. We explained this to him and he opted to drop it from the contract for work. We are pleased that he decided to seek a plumber and that the plumber was able to convince him to rebuild it rather than replace it as it obviously saved him money. The fireplace was another story. I honestly thought I could install the switch for this client but after several hours of research, at least an hour on site working on this and further assessment I discovered that I could not. I told the client honestly and up front what the issues were and did not charge him a single penny for all that time and effort. I'm not sure any other company would do this for him but our policy is and always has been honesty and integrity in dealing with our clients. For all of this time and effort on our part we didn't even charge the client our published 2 hour minimum charge but reduced it to a total of just $77 because the actual work of replacing the window (which is the only thing they eventually had us do) took so little time. I suppose no good deed goes unpunished.... Personally I'm baffled as to why someone would wait nearly a year and harbor bad feelings and then write a review like this at such a late date, rather than call us and ask us to address the situation. We always respond within 24 hours (many times within an hour) to any phone call and in person within just a day or two to any client for any reason. Our reputation here on Angie's list speaks for itself, with dozens of A reviews, many 'pages of happiness' and two consecutive Super Service Awards we welcome any client to look at our complete record here and judge for themselves how we approach our business. Thank you"
Although Jeff Eckes, the owner of Local Dad Repairs, had represented himself and his Company as being a General Contractor with 30 years of experience and the professional qualifications to conduct the renovations on the home, my ex-wife terminated the services of Jeff Eckes and his Company on October 12, 2014 due to Jeff Eckes?s negligence
in properly managing the renovations of the home.
My ex-wife has forwarded Letters of Complaint to the New York State Attorney General?s Office and to the Better Business Bureau describing the issues in specific detail and providing specific documentation such as invoices received from Local Dad Repairs, etc. The documented issues with Jeff Eckes?s performance as a General Contractor are so extensive that the nine page Letter of Complaint forwarded to the New York State Attorney General?s Office and the Better Business Bureau did not encompass all the issues, and my ex-wife is in the process of writing a follow-up letter to the New York State Attorney General?s Office and the Better Business Bureau.
My ex-wife works full-time as a pharmacist and she had expected Jeff Eckes to professionally orchestrate the renovations to the home. She had been looking forward to the exciting experience of having her home renovations dreams realized, but Jeff Eckes and his Company?s negligence has turned her dreams into the worst and most disappointing consumer experience of her life.
When Jeff Eckes and his Company started work on the home on April 27, 2014, she placed her trust in Jeff Eckes that his Company would do the right thing for her, but as issues with the home renovations began to accumulate?she began to spend a considerable amount of her finite and valuable time scrutinizing the estimates, change orders and invoices.
The issues with Jeff Eckes and his Company are as follows:
? Jeff Eckes?s Company submitted invoices via email to my ex-wife for work not completed and/or work not even started. The payment terms on these invoices are stated as ?Due Immediately?. Jeff Eckes has not responded to my ex-wife?s inquiries regarding these fraudulent invoices nor has Jeff Eckes issued credits to reflect a balance due of zero on the fraudulent invoices.
? Jeff Eckes submitted Invoices to my ex-wife with overcharges. Jeff Eckes has not acknowledged the overcharges nor has Jeff Eckes properly issued credits where credits for overcharges are due.
? Jeff Eckes submitted Invoices to my ex-wife for workmanship of poor quality.
? Jeff Eckes? failure to competently manage the relationships with the subcontractors that he had hired.
? Jeff Eckes? negligence, which resulted in major delays on the home renovation, such as Jeff Eckes?s failure to file for the necessary building permits. Jeff Eckes claimed that his business partner, Terri Eckes, had called the Office of the Building Inspector and that the Office of the Building Inspector had informed Terri Eckes that no building permits were necessary. Jeff Eckes did not respond when my ex-wife requested the name of the person at the Office of the Building Inspector who had informed Terri Eckes that building permits were not necessary.
? Jeff Eckes? failure to respond accurately, thoroughly and completely to many of the issues that my ex-wife brought to his attention in her email communications. She began communicating with Jeff Eckes primarily through email in August 2014 as she realized that his verbal communication was not trustworthy and that she would need to document the many issues that he was either ignoring or evasive in responding to.
A review on Angie?s is not the appropriate forum to provide the specific details such as invoice numbers, names of subcontractors, etc., but an example of the issues that my ex-wife has had to endure are provided below.
The issues with Local Dad Repairs started with the first invoice that my ex-wife paid to Jeff Eckes? Company, but after her subsequent scrutiny of the invoice, she brought the following issues to Jeff Eckes?s attention via email. Jeff Eckes did notrespond to the issues. The invoice that she had paid in the amount of $14,151 in full on May 22, 2014 was for the replacement of the septic tank.
? Jeff Eckes overcharged my ex-wife $580 because he marked up the subcontractors work greater than the agreed upon 15% General Contractor mark up.
? Jeff Eckes also charged my-ex-wife a $675 fee on the invoice for work that was not evencompleted. The invoice had a charge described as ?Wire 20-amp, 240volt circuit for exterior of house front next to garage for customer supplied sump pump; Install disconnect means for pump at pump location.? The fraudulent charge for work not performed is not related to the replacement of the septic tank located at the back of the house. My ex-wife had requested that Jeff Eckes respond to the erroneous charge, but he did not respond. As an FYI, on my ex-wife?s behalf, a qualified General Contractor as well as a licensed electrician have attempted to locate the 20-amp, 240 volt circuit with no success.
? Furthermore, my ex-wife paid a charge of $1,063 described as ?New York State Sales Tax.? As the replacement of septic tank is a capital improvement, Jeff Eckes should not have charged her the sales tax. The refund due to my ex-wife for the payment of overcharges on the first invoice is $2,318, but she has received no credit from Jeff Eckes on this previously paid invoice.
? Additionally, she incurred a $243 service fee as a result of Jeff Eckes? negligence in properly managing the subcontracted electrician?s work in installing the electrical box inside of the septic tank, rather than outside of the septic tank as had been recommended by the subcontractor who replaced the septic tank. Due to Jeff Eckes? negligence in improperly installing the electrical box, my ex-wife endured minor, localized flooding of sewage in the backyard, resulting in a service call from the subcontractor who replaced the septic tank. Subsequently, she paid the subcontractor $243 for the service call, which was the direct result of Jeff Eckes? negligence. She had communicated to Jeff Eckes that she expected reimbursement for the payment of $243 to the subcontractor, but she received no response from Jeff Eckes. To be clear, the subcontractor who replaced the septic tank was professional and performed quality work.
The prior example is only one example of the many issues with overcharges on invoices, poor workmanship, negligence in managing the subcontractors that he had hired, etc.
Jeff Eckes has not properly responded to many of the issues that my ex-wife had communicated to him via email.
At the time of termination of Local Dad Repairs, also known as Miscellaneous
"The comments put forth by this client here are factually false, misleading and libelous. After weeks of attempts to fairly negotiate a settlement in this case and increasingly hysterical and inflammatory emails by this client, Local Dad Repairs has placed a lien on this clients property for theft of services and non payment of invoices totaling more than $20,000 and further comment here will not be made until legal proceedings are complete. Our reputation here speaks for itself, with two years in a row of Super Service Awards, dozens of glowing reviews and hundreds of clients that use our services again and again. It's unfortunate that people like this exist, but we still choose to believe in the inherent goodness of the vast majority of our clients."
Licensing
State Contractor License Requirements
All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our Find Licensing Requirements page.
*Contact business to see additional licenses.