Columbus Home Services

Horrible. Angi only sent 1 person for a 2 person job which required our pro (who was excellent) to stay double the scheduled time, use our tools and also our help to not even finish the job. When requesting another day for someone to come complete the unfinished work, we were provided with dates and times that did not work with our schedule and a broken link to reschedule the service that did not work. The project did not show up in my profile and therefore the only way to reschedule was to call in or chat which required waiting on hold for 1+ hr. After finally getting it rescheduled for a time that worked for us, the pro was not updated and still came at the earlier time. Angi then cancelled the job without contacting myself nor the pro therefore requiring it to be rescheduled yet again. We had to advocate for both of the pros that worked on our jobs to be paid appropriately which should not be the customer’s responsibility. The pros we worked with were excellent however the entire booking, rescheduling and payment process is an incredibly frustrating and broken process that needs addressed. Needless to say we will never use Angi again. Save yourself the headache and book somewhere else!

It was very good. He had a team out here. We didn't really didn't see him much for that particular time. He had a team of people that came out and they worked on the kitchen. We had it completely gutted. They worked with Lowes at that time. I picked up the cabinets and everything that I wanted and they took over from there. They were good. They were pretty professional.

He came out, he did a really good job. I love it. It was actually main bathroom for the house that anybody can use. We have 2.5 and this is the main one in the hallway and he suggested doing some demolition taking out certain parts for bathroom, it is made a lot bigger because that bathroom is like an after thought. It seems much larger now and it is beautiful. He did answer emails of whatever we had concerning that bathroom. I have already recommended them. I would use them again.

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I have used Jim and his crew before when he was affiliated as a contractor for a home store in Columbus several years ago.  I was so impressed with his work when he remodeled my bathroom in a former home.  I just wish I had found him when I started my kitchen remodel in my current home because I have wasted time and money on poor workmanship that had to be redone.  These guys are top notch.  Their commitment to quality is second-to-none.  If you are rehabbing now or stalling on a project because you don't know who to trust...you need this team!  They are hard to get but worth the wait.

This company is extremely easy to work with, work was all completed in a reasonable amount of time. Scheduling and response times were great and pricing was on par. I have already referred others to them for estimates.

I contacted Jim Strausbaugh after an attempted break in at my Mom's house that was for sale to obtain an estimate for replacing the 9 light door with a steel door.  I was given an estimate of nearly 600 from another company.  Jim who I have used previously for work at my own home, agreed to purchase and install the door for us in quick time.   Jim and his assistant were very attentive to time being of the essence for safety and welfare reasons and we were most appreciative.  Jim is a very skilled carpenter and we have used him for the installation of other exterior doors and windows at our other houses.

Contractor insisted on e-mailing me even though I didn't want that.  Missed message due to clogged, choked e-mail.  About four months after the work, toilet started leaking through the basement ceiling - had to call a plumber who did a patch job - about $150, but said if it didn't hold, it would cost a lot more - $800+.  (So far, it has held, thank goodness.)  The toilet moves when sat on.  The custom-ordered sink has a faded patch, but too much hassle to worry about.  Too much trouble coordinating with them.

They came to my house, said they would give a quote but I never heard from them again.

Took the store a long time to supply products needed but that's not the contractors fault.

I could not be happier with Columbus Home Services. Jim Strausbaugh did the etimate and was willing to work with me on changes that were made. Adam and Rick did the work. They were wonderful. Always polite, showed up everyday at the time they indicated they would and made every effort to accomodate our needs. Workmanship was excellent. They are extremely conscientious and take time to do it right. If it's not right, they redo. Very, very satisfied.

Went very well - Jim was super. 
Attentive, experienced, worked with my situation/budget/timing/wishes.
Worked with my tenant to get it all done.
Worked by text/email/phone and in person to accomodate my busy schedule and took care of extra issues that arose that were totally outside the scope (e.g. gutter went down, basement drain got clogged that was due to tenant stuffing a sock down there!).
I could not have asked for more from my experience overall.

They were punctual, answered all my concerns. Good. Professional. Was an excellent experience!

Jim arrived on time.  Went to work, completed the task, answered all questions, was business like, did a good job.  Will reschedule for more work.

I was originally introduced to Jim Strausbaugh and  this company through Anderson's when they installed a new front door and added insulation to my home in December 2009.  I was pleased with their professionalism and attention to detail, so I asked them to bid on my complete kitchen remodeling.  I was going to be out of town for the month of April 2010, and I thought this would be a good time to have the kitchen done.  In the months preceding the remodeling, I picked out the cabinets from Lowe's separately, also picked out flooring from another vendor, butcher block from another, and my granite from another.  Jim acted as my consultant throughout the weeks leading up to the beginning of the project, in March, and then they began the work once I left on April 4.  Talk about complete TRUST .  I had no doubt they would be able to meet my expectations.   They probably finished the majority of the work during the first two weeks of April; all that was waiting at the end of the month was the granite countertops to be measured and installed.  I returned April 29 to a brand new kitchen.

Throughout this process, Jim communicated with me regularly.  His long-distance advice and calming influence helped ease any worries I might have had.   I was so excited -- this was my first remodeling project. My son forwarded me pictures of the different stages during the construction to keep me abreast of the progress.   I would have been lost without the photographs.  Helped with little changes along the way.

Finished product:  Incredible new kitchen.  Flawless.  Perfection.  The outside area of my house was completely cleaned up from all work they had needed to perform out there.  The inside was also all cleaned.  All I had to do was restock the kitchen with everything in my living room.  I was amazed by their attention to detail.  Everything I had asked for had been incorporated into the final design.  It was a leap of faith having the work performed while I was away , but I couldn't have been happier with the result.  Following completion, if I had a question or something needed tweaking, Jim and his crew would be right there to make any necessary minor adjustments.   Lovely experience.  Delightful individuals.  Excellent craftsmen.  Thorough professionals.

I will not hesitate to use Columbus Home Services for my next project.  In fact, they will be adding a small bathroom to my basement in the upcoming months (2012).

UPDATE:

Nearly two years after our window replacement, half the windows installed need replaced.  They were apparently ordered too tall and in order for them to fit, the installer (Jim) had to cut the sills, compromising the integrity of the windows and voiding any warranty.  Now all the sills have warped (crowned) screens will no longer fit (the warping was apparent but I didn't know the reason for it and it got much worse over time).  This is disturbing in a couple ways.  First, the installer talked about how many years of experience he had doing windows initially but didn't know better to stop and tell us the windows are too big, we need to reorder.  Second, he tried to hide this from us.  I didn't realize the sills were cut until another installer looked at some photos when I was recently trying to figure out what was going on; the problem was identified immediately.  Further, when asked initially why the window sills were warping (slightly at the time), he didn't have an answer.  So whereas I thought this was an individual that could be trusted, he proved himself to not be.  The Andersons General Store is refunding our fully paid amount so we can find a solution on our own as they no longer sell windows.  The fact we have to go through this tedious exercise again is inexcusable and I find myself not being able to recommend this installer.  It seems others here have had better luck.

Original Review:

Columbus Home Services in this case was sub-contracted out by Anderson's General Store for a window installation job. Jim Strausbaugh, the company owner, did all the work on-site as far as measuring, consulting and installing while Anderson's General Store handled the scheduling, ordering, deposit/payment and warranty (installation) areas. What we liked about this window installation (our first since we built the house 15 years ago) was that Anderson's didn't care whether we bought a single window or windows for the entire house. Some window companies will charge more if you do fewer windows making it much more expensive to break a project like this into multiple phases. For us, we did this in two phases, early spring and late summer. We were upgrading our builder-quality vinyl windows with top of the line Andersen windows (different than Anderson's General Store) and patio door.

We could not install replacement windows, we needed to install the full framed windows because we had vinyl prior which didn't have the framing needed for replacement windows. So this route is messier and more difficult to complete (as I understand). In short, Jim (and his brother) did an extraordinary job. A few things where he went the extra mile at no cost to us. The moulding (trim) we had in the house...the profile was unique and the company that originally made it went out of business. Jim took a sample to a local mill and had it custom cut. So all the moulding they had to remove from the old windows was replaced with new matching moulding. Where stucco needed to be cut, they were careful to not cause it to crack unnecessarily by using a special saw. Where windows had to come out where bathroom tile or dining room wallpaper was in very close contact, both of these rooms came out perfect without having to do additional repairs.

Since I work at home, I spent two weeks (one week per phase) with Jim and his brother and these guys are skilled and do a complete job. I feel these guys can both be trusted...they're professional in appearance and communication, courteous and well-mannered and will take time to talk with you about the project or just chit-chat. They know what they're doing. These are not the kind of guys that you would worry to leave in your house alone if you had to run an errand.

So in the end, we had the whole house upgraded (what a huge difference in drafts and quietness) and are happy with the results. We would recommend Columbus Home Services without hesitation.

One note about communication.  Jim uses an answering service.  I'm not sure what the problem is here but it seems sometimes he doesn't get his messages readily.  Email and his cellphone are the best options for getting in touch with him quickly.  It may have been bad timing (vacation) or something but Jim will return a call if he knows about it.  We had some caulk fail from early spring (weather-related) and Jim came back out and inspected/repaired it.  Aside from this, his communication is excellent, he'll call if he's running late and not leave you wondering where he is.  Again, a pleasure to deal with.  Recommended.

Jim Strausbaugh was there to inventory the delivered kitchen cabinets and installation materials the day they arrived. He immediately began the kitchen demolition. He and his helpers worked everyday (and all day) until the job was finished: I delayed him with a missed appliance delivery (for nearly a week) - Jim accommodated this interruption to his 'other' work with a gentle smile. These guys do excellent work! You should see the beauty of the cabinet joints - upper and lower. You should see the detail beauty of each trim joint on the crown mold and upper cabinet lower edges. The appliances properly fit the spaces provided for them. These are 'nice' people to have work in my house. I trusted them completely when I was away.

Time past and I called a couple of times and I never got him to call me back again.

The craftsmanship was good and the workman was courteous. The work on the kitchen wall turned out to be more difficult and time-consuming than they figured, but they agreed to finish it with no price adjustment. But in the middle of the job the workman had a death in the family and had to go out of state for several weeks. The company had no one else to assign to the job so the wall was left very rough with open electrical sockets exposed, and the kitchen's usability was limited. When the workman came back he started work on other jobs instead of first finishing mine, saying that he didn't want to get too far behind and make more people mad. It took much prodding with the company's manager to get the job finished - about a month late.

He gave us the best price compared to other quotes. The glass was back ordered (we got LoE glass), but other than that everything was on time. They did a fine job, and went around and checked every window to make sure they were functioning properly.

WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY. NOT HONEST IF THEY DO NOT WANT THE JOB. THEY IGNORE CUSTOMERS

SUBCONTRACTED CONCRETE DRIVEWAY - JULY 1994. DRIVEWAY PITTED AND CRUMBLING. MEMBER VERY UNHAPPY. COMPANY NOT RESPONSIVE.

VERY DISAPPOINTED/SUBCONTRACTED WORK WHEN THE MANAGER PROMISED THAT THEY WOULD NOT/LIED TO MEMBER/WORK WAS MARGINAL/NOTHING CAN REPAIR THE DISTRUST MEMBER HAS FOR THIS COMPANY