UBuildIt - Tulsa LLC

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This initial meeting is to explain their concept and to determine if you are a right fit for using them or not. For us, it was a great meeting and should be very beneficial for both UBuildIt and us. So far we are not out anything and they are not a high pressure sales pitch. We told them we don't plan to BEGIN the process for another year. They were fine with that and just told us they hoped we would include them next year. My wife and I were very impressed and we will be using them starting in April of 2014. As our experience unfolds with them, we will update Angies List with our experience.

When we retired and moved back to Oklahoma we decided to totally gut and remodel a house which we had built in 1973. Our first inclination was to do all of the contracting ourselves. During a visit to a local home and garden show, we made contact with UBuildIt and decided that it would be easier to pay someone to help us with the project rather than attempt the entire project ourselves. Enter John -- From the outset, John could not have been more helpful. From supplying a schedule to helping us find contractors, John was always there and easy to contact if there were any problems. Whether there were problems or not, John paid a weekly visit to our job site to critique, offer suggestions, and help solve any issues or problems. The Sub Contractors -- We were given Carte Blanche as far as hiring the sub contractors. We were supplied a list of recommended sub contractors which we called, checked BBB for references, Checked against Angie's List, and finally hired. We were after all working as the General Contractor on the project. I can honestly say that the only contractors that we had any problems with were the ones that we found on our own through a neighbor who was building next door. Even at that, the problems were minor. Remember, hiring contractors without first thoroughly checking them out is like buying a piece of property sight unseen . . . . you are taking your chances. Materials -- Here again we were given Carte Blanche. John helped us find and establish lines of credit with lumber, and flooring suppliers, and I ordered materials and handled the invoices as we received them. Most of my lights and plumbing fixtures were obtained from internet sources after hours of research to get the best possible prices and quality. Our cabinets we had custom built to our specifications by a regional cabinet maker who did an excellent job. We were on site all of the time since we were living in a garage apartment at the rear of the property, so if any of the contractors had any issues or questions they knew where we could be found. We actually broke ground on the addition to our house on March 22, and finished the entire project October 1, so considering everything that was done from Demo to Completion, 6 1/2 months time to complete is good. Regrets -- My only regret is that we were unable to go with solar power generation. We had investigated installing solar panels to further increase our energy efficiency, but ultimately decided it was cost prohibitive. We did install high efficiency heating and air conditioning equipment, energy efficient windows and doors, a High efficiency water heater, and the house has total foam insulation. Working as your own contractor for a project as large as this is not easy and not for the average person. However if you are willing to work at it, and let it totally consume your life then UBuildIt can be a big help. Just understand that it is not easy and not everyone is cut out to do it. But, the satisfaction of knowing that you helped put it all together is so worth it.

Overall this project started off great. John from Ubuild it was very attentive, professional and the contractors that attended to the framing and replacing the sub floors were great. It pretty much went downhill from there. I would NOT recommend using Ubuild it unless you have the time and energy to fight the battles that will likely ensue from using their shotty contractors. Yes, you will save money in the beginning but if you want a quality product I would steer clear of this company. We started this project in June and have not seen or heard from Ubuild-It since mid-August. John answers phone calls but does nothing to follow up on problems. As it stands now we have special order hickory floors that were sent to us damaged and no one wants to be responsible for fixing them so we can not move back into our downstairs, even though our project has mostly been finished for a month. Not Ubuild-It the contractor Ubuild-It supplied or the company that sold the floors. Our house is "mostly" finished aside from many "little" things that were left unfinished since Ubuild-It never followed up and now we are having to chase these little things down and complete them ourselves in our spare time. And again we can't move in because our floors have not been fixed or replaced. Ubuild it pretty much disappeared as the problems arose and nothing was corrected without a fight. We still have a bathroom that is half finished and Ubuild it has no idea because they haven't bothered to even bothered to open the bathroom door. If you have a small project and lots of time on your hands to fix the work the contractors do (they are not held to a standard) then this company might save you some money. BUT if you want a quality project I would not recommend dealing with this company. It it not worth the headache.