BENCHMARK CONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

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Andy and his crew did an excellent job! Their attention to detail was outstanding. They had to work around our irrigation system, as well as my flower beds and they were very respectful of our property. I would highly recommend this company.

Day 1: The grass was wet and the ground was saturated. Most people wouldn't have driven a heavy mower over it. However, Benchmark decided that their schedule was more important than my property and drove a backhoe back and forth from the street to the back of the house multiple times, demolishing a huge section of lawn and most of a paver walkway. Then, AFTER the damage was done, plywood planks were put down-- too little, too late. This was just the beginning of an experience in which the providers exhibited very little in the way of sound judgment, decision-making or common sense; poor to no communication; a complete lack of understanding (or providing) customer service; and mostly disregard for me, the homeowner.



While the little band of Chalfant brothers who make up Benchmark aren't old chronologically, they appear to be throwbacks to a day when companies did what they did--and if the customer didn't like it, tough luck. My questions, concerns and issues with the whole process were met with surprise and even disbelief. The Chalfants couldn't quite grasp why I was bothering them with so many questions about so many details! DUH!! The BBB lists Brian Chalfant as the and quot;principaland quot; of the company. He sells the work, secures the contracts and leads the customer to believe that he will be doing/supervising the work. Not only was that not the case, but Mr. Chalfant, 'Mr. Affable' up until my permission was secured to start the work early (for the benefit of the company's schedule), refused to get involved or even return a single phone call once issues arose.

Hire Benchmark and you get a family business, with brothers protecting and covering for each other. No and quot;higher authorityand quot; exists to appeal to. In the end, all you can hope for is for them to finish it up and head off into the sunset as quickly as possible.

I would describe the final product as and quot;mehand quot; -- OK, nothing to cheer about. While I clearly wanted a natural, stone-like look (based on a Benchmark website photo), what is actually there looks more like a shiny nickel, due in large part to the type of sealer used. Now I've learned that there are matte-finish sealers--something the Chalfants either don't know about or just don't want to bother offering to the homeowner as a choice. This seems to be another example of having just one way of doing things, like it or not.

The property damage was and quot;repairedand quot; in the most cursory ways. The walkway pavers were replaced but the walkway doesn't drain as it did before. Some topsoil and grass seed were placed in the deep, deep ruts left by the backhoe, even though much of the grass in between the ruts has died, too, leaving large brown patches. (And this was all thick, green, weed-free grass that has been nurtured for several years.) and quot;Cleanupand quot; was also fairly minimal, and I have been digging buckets of gravel and large pieces of concrete out of the flower beds ever since. MAYBE things can be restored to some semblance of their previous condition before fall is over...

After all this, there was still one final, declarative dismissal of my concerns and dissatisfaction to come: According to Benchmark, and quot;people in million-dollar homes in New Albanyand quot; have never complained... [well alrighty then]

Need I say it? BUYER BEWARE: Proceed at your own risk! This was an expensive and irreversible mistake for me...

Removed blacktop driveway and concrete garage floor. Reinstalled all with new concrete. Very happy with results.

They were responsive in getting the quote back to me very quickly. They were able to give me my quote within 24 hours. They were prompt, and I would recommend them.

EXCELLENT

Benchmark was one of four contractors who we contacted for estimates. Benchmark's estimate was not only lower than the other three, Brian was very knowledgeable and spent considerable time explaining the job to us and making recommendations. We received his estimate promptly, and once the work began, it was completed on time and to our complete satisfaction. The crew that performed the work did an excellent job, and Benchmark did not add any additional costs beyond what was in the estimate.

Brian responded quickly to our request for a proposal. He understood what we wanted the end product to look like and had great suggestions on incorporating a small area into the patio that we had not thought of using. The construction crew took extra care working around my established landscaping and exhibited nothing but professionalism throughout the course of the work. I was so impressed with the work ethic of all the people who worked on our project. The artistic skills of the crew is evident in the looks of the patio. Truly a work of art!