RLG Development LLC

We sleep soundly through storms now. There has not been another incident since this was done last summer. We really liked every employee that worked on the project. We are very happy with the results.

We started this project with a lot of excitement. Unfortunately, it was riddled with poor planning on the part of the contractor, shoddy execution, layers upon layers of unprofessional behavior, and poor workmanship. What we were told would be a project of ?about three months? became a nine month debacle (after permitting). We were optimistic after early conversations with RLG?s scheduler, Lori Grutsch, who is nice but apparently powerless to control her husband?s chaotic projects and ragtag crews of employees. Ultimately, it is Ric Grutsch?s disorganization, inattention to detail, poor communication skills, and inability to assemble a group of skilled workers that made the project the disappointment it turned out to be. In the end, we paid them just to get out of our lives and Ric apologized only for many ?miscommunications??a word that hardly captures the situation. We would welcome an opportunity to tell interested parties more details than we can include here, but share some highlights:
1. Poor communication. You will never know when crews will show up, sometimes for weeks. You can talk with Lori, but her word is as good as your guess. Since RLG?s onsite management is extremely poor, customers really have to be home all
of the time to manage situations.
2.     Lack of responsibility. When things get bad, RLG doesn?t take responsibility. They rarely apologize and do not have the kind of professional staff capable of fixing problems in a timely manner or in a quality fashion. For us this included the following:
a.     A poorly wrapped exterior during construction;
b.     Blown--which became frozen--pipes during demolition (to which RLG simply told us to ?call a
plumber? because it was hard to get one when the Buckeyes were playing);
c.     Swarms of bees that built hives in exposed roof lines when RLG hadn?t shown up for a number of days?RLG didn?t return our calls that day so we had to deal with it ourselves, two weeks after the birth of our child;
d.     Poorly installed hardwood floors, through which RLG drilled holes for some reason--Ric ?couldn?t remember why we did that?--and failed to repair properly;
e.     A consistently sloppy paint job that we are now hiring professionals to fix;
f.      Poor caulking;
g.     Sloppy window installation (you can actually see insulation through the cracks around the window edges);
h.     Installation of roof shingles that do not match our existing shingles; and
i.      Dozens of other small problems that just smack of poor quality.
3.     A general lack of concern for the customer?s home or situation: Do not expect RLG to clean up properly or even express much concern for how they leave your house each day. Debris will be strewn about, including food containers, and will not
be hauled off regularly?until the customer complains loudly enough. Triple the time estimate they give you for completion. Expect sizeable financial overages. Do not expect RLG to communicate regularly, or for people to show up when they
say they will. We are still trying to get concrete residue and mud off our floors.
4.     As our architect can attest, RLG basically ignores architectural drawings. Instead of following them closely, they seem to depend on customers and inspectors to point how sometime very big problems. When we encountered some problems, Ric once told us, ?I?m not much of a reader,? and when we realized that expensive changes would be required because of code compliance Ric said, ?I can?t possibly keep up with all of the codes.? As a result of this inattention to detail, pilings were not secured as written, and doors were improperly installed. When the architect pointed out problems, RLG often took half
measures (two bolts inserted into a three bolt fitting, mosquito netting under the floor boards installed only under part of the porch, etc.)
Perhaps most revealing are the things that RLG?s own employees and subcontractors, as well as inspectors, said to us. One subcontractor said: ?We built our entire house faster than they?ve done your extension,? adding that he had ?moral concerns? about working with them again. He added, ?You shouldn?t treat people like they?ve treated you,? calling them ?pigs? who left
the worksite more ?disgusting? than he?d ever seen. Other subcontractors emphasized RLG?s unprofessional planning and execution.
As our architect (who RLG recommended to us) put it in written documents to RLG, ?In general, the painting is extremely sloppy,? adding  ?I am disappointed in the workmanship on this project. There was little attention to detail, and in many instances, the drawings were not followed.?
One of the city?s inspectors agreed, with a telling statement. He noted that they used to be able to fail inspections for the
quality of work RLG had done, on the basis of ?poor workmanship,? but are no longer allowed to do so, much to his chagrin. This inspector lamented that he couldn?t do so anymore because the quality was so low, though his wished he could require them to fix many details.
As the architect also noted that in other projects she works on, when issues arise, contractors contact her for clarification. In the case of RLG, however, they simply did whatever was cheapest. The paint job is still a mess. Our gutters still leak. As I mentioned, we gave up on RLG just so we could get our lives back. They drove us to a limit. The price of fixing the
poor workmanship?especially the painting?is significant. The pain RLG put us through was even more so.
While the problems were significant, I also want to stress just how hard we tried to work with RLG on these problems. We reached out with detailed notes addressing issues, and did so politely. They also tried, at times, but simply weren?t able to deliver. Though they would fail to show up for long stretches of time, we would always pay them on time. As the problems
mounted, we did get frustrated, but our goal was to find a way to get the project done, and done well. I hope other customers will avoid RLG at all costs.

Ric and Lori (owners) are nice people.  I hired them because they were communicative, timely, and felt like an "old school" honest company.  Their estimate was $2000 over the lowest bid (of 4) but I chose them because of these reasons.
Things that went well:
1. Working with Ric and Lori was good.  I had cell phone numbers and they were easy to reach if needed and always responded to me quickly. 
2.  The final layout of the bathroom was exactly as drawn and as I expected (with one minor off-centering of the vanity light).  When we ran into design the closet, Ric immediately called me.
3.  Damon (the primary worker on site) cut the floor and shower tiles beautifully.  Although the grouting had some issues (e.g., missing spots and spaces left in), the tile lines are perfect.
4.  Shortly after the install of the shower, it leaked into my kitchen causing damage to my ceiling. Ric immediately addressed the problem and as soon as possible had his drywaller come out to repair the ceiling and it looks great.
5.  Although the project took longer than expected (what project doesn't), I was satisfied with their work hours and they always showed up on time and communicated changes to their schedule.

Things that did not go well:
1.  Install of the shower was problematic form the beginning.  I paid for a custom shower pan and when it arrived, it was the wrong size.  Instead of reordering it, Ric cut it to fit.  I could have spent 1/3 the money and bought a standard base and had it cut to fit. I don't know if cutting it resulted in the problems I am having, but the shower does not drain properly (water pools in the corners and causes mold build up) and the door leaks because the "curb" angels out.  The drain was also installed improperly (it was 1/4" above the shower pan - thus water could not drain properly).  When I asked Ric to fix this, he said "it's the best it will get."  Thankfully, the leak in the kitchen required that he pull it out and do it again - thus, it now is flush with the floor.
2.  Some of the design did not get built (e.g., bench and shelves in shower).  The design of the bathroom occurred after signing the contract.  Ric does not often write things down - we verbally talked through details of the design such as the built-ins.  In hindsight, I should have ensured that this was written into the contact as an addendum.
3.  We had major issues finding a vanity that would work and that I liked.  Ric and Lori were great in trying to make the situation worse.  My frustration came in that had I been given the realistic timeline for ordering one (5 weeks instead of 1-2 weeks), I could have custom ordered exactly what I wanted and we needed for the space.
4.  The quality of the overall job is just disappointing.  The drywall is not flush or smooth, and now a few months in, I am getting unevenness in the seems.  Each time I asked Ric to address the finish of the drywall, he insisted the problems were unfixable due to "existing, uneven" walls. My concerns is that most of the problems I am having are in brand new walls (new studs and new drywall).  Further, Ric had to build something to cover the new plumbing in my utility room (first floor mudroom, so very visible).  He promised it would "look real nice" and I trusted him without a drawing.  It's awful.  It's a very large, uneven mess of boxes around the piping.  And they left this drywall so unfinished that it had large clumps of mud all over the edges.  I spent a few hours sanding and cleaning this up as best possible.  Finally, the install of the built in shelving was so uneven that I pulled most of it out and reinstalled it.  Just a lack of attention to detail on building these, drilling the shelves at the same height, and installing evenly.
5.  Besides quality issues, the biggest frustration of this project was the disregard for my home.  The crew didn't cover my floors until I asked (and after some damage had been done to the carpet).  They used so much of my personal property during the project and I found this to be completely unacceptable.  They had to replace my personal vacuum because they used it as a shopvac; my brooms were ruined with drywall and grout mud; my entryway rugs were ruined because they were used as dropcloths; they used an entire pack of 12 papertowel rolls in my garage; destoyed several microfiber cloths to clean up their messes; and used my extension cords and a few tool on occassion which I had to retrieve from their supplies/truck to ensure they stayed on my property/in my possession.  And they sawed porcelain and wood in my garage and the bathroom without covering.  Every inch of my garage and bedroom were covered in dust.  I'm still trying to clear it up.  While I expect some wear and tear on my home during construction, this was unbelievably frustrating.

Overall, I am most disappointed in the quality of this job and respect for my home/property.  For the money I paid for professional construction,  parts of the final bathroom look DIY'd.  I know they are capable of better (according to Angie's List and the drywall completed on my kitchen ceiling) so I don't know what went wrong.  I have many regrets in choosing RLG.

They did a great job. They are responsive and listen to customers concern. I will definitely use their service again.

I contacted RLG Development, LLC via Angie's List. Lori and Ric came by to hear what our ideas were for the bathroom. We needed to expand our main bath because it was very small for the main bathroom. The had a few projects going on other than mine, but they explained that to me. They started maybe a week & a half or 2 wks after the initial consult. From beginning of the demo to end, it was about 2 wks, shorter than the time frame that they originally gave me, which was an added bonus. I even changed my mind about an item or two during the process, & they were very patient and willing to help me create the bathroom of my dreams. It looks like something that you would see on HGTV. I would definitely recommend (& already have) to my family and friends.

The project was completed on time and stayed very close to our budget and contract. Both my wife and myself were very happy with the finished product. We feel that we were always treated professionally by all the workers, as well as Rick and Lori. We would definitely use this company again and we feel very comfortable recommending them to our friends and neighbors.

unknown

fair to middlin

This was by far the best experience we have had with contractors and remodeling.
Unfortunately with the age of our home,we experienced major water damage related to old shower grout and walls.  The damage extended to the joists of our home and involved both bathrooms, and  the exterior of our home.
Andy was great!  Evaluated our situation and assured us this could be fixed in a timely manner, and  for much less than a previous quote.
His team arrived everyday on time, pleasant and professional. The team was very mindful that we were down two bathrooms at once with no place to shower and would be living in the home during the renovation.  They were very efficient and worked quickly to get the job done. The guys were polite as we carried on around them in our daily routine, cleaning up everyday before departing, friendly to the kids and pets roaming the house, and frequently asking our opinion about the work.
We had one minor incident mid project, that required a call to them after hours. They were easy to reach and back out that night to fix the problem in no time.
The bathrooms are beautiful top to bottom.  Andy suggested many small touches that have made a difference in the appearance of the bathrooms, that we never would have thought of. We had never had this type of work done in our home and needed quite a bit of help with design ideas, fixtures,  and where to even start "shopping." . Andy was extremely helpful pointing us to the right stores and products.  We appreciated his guidance and are very happy with the product choices we made.
Thank you to the entire team for making repair and remodeling of our "disaster," pleasant and affordable.
We would definitely use RLG services again in the future.

unknown

It went very well overall.  Lori was very responsive and we were able to set up an appointment with Rick on a Sat. morning.  He was exactly on time (same with follow up appointments) and was a pleasure to discuss the job with him.  We immediately got a feeling of trust.  After some misunderstandings on a few details (almost everything was handled efficiently through email) we signed a contract and then RLG took over.  I would estimate that overall it took them about two weeks to do the complete job, including taking care of a few lose ends at the completion of the job.  They also subcontracted a concrete company to take care of a sagging concrete slab that was under the old shed and that we were able to reutilize.  They left the site very clean for a construction job.
We were a little disappointed that they did not provide warranty on their work, but we were told they don't do that on exterior structures like sheds and that may be an industry standard.  However, Rick told us (i.e. verbally) that he would be available for minor repairs due to construction faults, if necessary, during the first 12 months.  The only other minor complaint we would have is that Lori was a little pushy to get the payment, and I had to ask for an invoice (she was expecting me to hand the check to the last worker on site), but I would say that is just a matter of form.  Perhaps a better way to handle payment would be to invoice a customer with a "payment due" date, rather than expect a check immediately as soon as the last itty bit of work has been completed.
Bottom line, we are quite satisfied with the final product and the relationship with RLG.

They were prompt and followed through quickly with our questions and concerns. The was done in a short amount of time and we are pleased with the results

Great!

RLG was very professional and easy to deal with.  As with any remodel project issues did come up but they were handled well and to our satisfaction.  Rick was extremely knowledgable and the entire team was courteous.  The entire project was completed in 11-12 days.  We will use them again and recommend them to our friends.

This company has done work for us in the past and we were satisfied then just like now. They were very accommodating as we changed our minds on several of the contracted items. We don?t feel they tried to gouge us with the extra costs. We were
extremely happy with the whole experience and would feel comfortable recommending them to anyone that needed work done on their home!

I was surprised to find after all these good reviews on this contractor
to have a very bad experience with them.  We found them to be very poor in
relationship to timeliness and the quality of work. Our job was very small
just adding a bathroom , a closet and a window to a basement. They estimated
2 to 3 weeks to complete the work. It took 7 which includes 1 week for vacation
they took in the middle of this work.
   They often came in at 10 to 11am and left by 2 to 3 pm. They did not cover
or protect anything in the basement work area. They just let the concrete dust
and dirt go everywhere. They left there tools, bottles and other junk on top
of our furniture, freezer etc. They left nails and moulding with nails on
the floor including in our storage area. They left trash for many weeks
outside of our house as well. They borrowed things without asking and left
our barn door open as well. They hooked up power for our bathroom through
a utility room light so when the light was off we had no power. They put in a heater
vent that leaked so bad that no heat got in the room. The workmanship
was very poor overall and the only reason we are not giving them a F is that they reinbursed
us for the sink and stairs to the window which were very poor workmanship.
(and which we replaced). 
     They were honest at least and the owner tried hard to make it work but in end we were
very unhappy with their work and would never use them again.

We are very happy with the work RLG performed.  The final result looks great and we have quite a bit of additional usable space as a result of the work.  
Ric and team treated are home with care and were very respectful. They delivered everything as agreed, and Ric was communicative about any issues that arose during the work.  
Some of the final touches lingered a bit due to scheduling and waiting for some hardware to come in. But overall we were happy with the quality, and we would engage RLG again in the future if the need arises.

Rick was very professional and helped us to get insurance to cover most of our claim. We only paid our deductible ($1,000), although his total cost was around $10,000. We had substantial water damage after some big storms, and upon opening up the wall, discovered a whole corner beam had been washed away, making the claim much more substantial than we had thought. Rick talked with the insurance company to get everything taken care of.
Rick is a very trustworthy guy and was patient with our concerns and questions. His crew did a good job not trashing our house, since we were living and working here while they were doing the work. It did seem that his crew was often not punctual, and we did lose one perennial plant when they were doing some lumber cutting in the yard. And like most work crews, Rick and his crew had to be reminded about different parts of the work we'd agreed upon. And while they said they'd bring fans to speed up the drying process so they could finish sooner, they never did, so we had to wait quite a while for everything to dry so they could finish. They had also agreed to remove some problem gutters, and they never did. In addition, at the last minute, a few things happened (such as a mildewy baseboard's being re-installed) that we had assumed were going to be covered in the original quote, and we had to pay a little extra to take care of that.
But overall, it was a positive experience, and we're thankful for the work they did.

I have had an excellent experience with them. Their professionalism was excellent. I would recommend them to my family members and friends. Their price was fair. I was very comfortable with them.

Ric and crew removed walls, moved plumbing to add an extra vanity, and added a window to completely renovate our master bath. We had a small space and we told Ric we wanted 2 sinks. He found a way to make it work and it looks incredible. We changed a few things after they started work, and added a few things, but they were very accommodating and made it look exactly the way we wanted. We can't wait for them to get started on the kitchen and I'm sure our dog will be happy to have them back too.

They were confident on how the problem will be addressed.

It was a great experience. Rick was very professional and easy to work with. He also did a great job dealing with insurance on my behalf. In doing so he saved me $5700.

Both rooms came out great! The office was basic framing, electric, lighting, wallboarding and painting with a custom cabinet/book case added. The wine room had a lot more custom carpentry with amazing library paneled ceiling and walls and special cabinet area for a white wine frig and HVAC unit. The room is absoultely stunning!
Ric and his entire crew were courtious and professional throughout the project and very skilled at their trade. While I created the overall design of both rooms, Ric and his Team had great suggestions on both rooms, most notably doing the library panels in the wine room.
While all remodeling projects in your home are an imposition on your everyday life, Ric and his Team worked hard to minimize the inconvenience.

The roof needed repaired, structural frames needed replaced and the porch soffit needed rebuilt.

Ric is trustworthy and very easy to work with.  There were several times when he ate the cost of something because he hadn't properly anticipated it in his bid.  
I also hired Ric to complete a minor floor repair on another facility, which he did for a lower cost than I was otherwise quoted.
He does quality work, but is very mindful of staying within your budget.  
He made a complicated project much easier for me than I anticipated. I would recommend Ric and RLG Development to anyone.