Harlan Custom Contracting

BE AWARE of getting scammed, and do NOT hire this contractor! He is a master at running a bait-and-switch scheme. I would have rated him below 1 star had that been an option. He misled and defrauded us by more than tripling his plumbing labor costs as a part of what was supposed to be a total remodeling of two bathrooms. The inconsistency in between the project contract we agreed to, and what he ended up charging us was flagrant at best. When we questioned this, his excuse was that he only provided “budgetary costs”, that we don’t understand how construction works, and that he ultimately wouldn’t finish remodeling of the first bathroom unless we pay him upfront for what turned to be more than triple the charge. He also failed miserably to install a standard bathtub sliding glass shower door for which we’ve spent over $1,100. He tampered with the door, altered it and damaged it in the process of attempting to install it, and then told us he couldn’t install it, and that we would have to hire a third party contractor for that. Because the shower door has been altered and damaged, we were neither able to use it nor return it to the retailer for a refund. He also damaged our brand new bathtub in the process of attempting to install the shower door. He damaged our brand new vanity, used the wrong door threshold which was intended for the second bathroom and said that he would order us a replacement for it at no charge, but never did after we paid him in full for all the work that has been done. He had also delayed the work throughout the project, and been unresponsive on so many occasions. He would show up one day, and disappear for several other days before resuming work at his leisure and then expected us to always accommodate him with short, little or no advanced notice whatsoever. This contractor is untrustworthy, unreliable and phony at best. BE AWARE and DO NOT be lured or fooled into hiring him under any circumstances. You’ll be totally disappointed and would only end up getting ripped off!

Bruce was professional from the beginning but it quickly went downhill and we also take responsibility that we should have did our proper research and questioning. He'd arrive late daily, there was such miscommunication between him and his people (meaning his father) and things were done which were not supposed to be done - now I have such a mismatch from my top floor to my bottom floor. Quality was just not there and this project was due to complete Oct 18th by the time we moved into our home and for the most part, it was but he just returned finally in Dec. after numerous missed times to complete the small job he couldn't manage to squeeze in (remaining work should have not taken more than 1 1/2hr- 2hrs but yet it dragged on and on). It felt like we were taken for a ride. And by the way, just to note: he received a deposit check from us for $1,000 except the bank cashed it as $2,000 since the 1, looked like a 2 but he never bothered to tell us. We mentioned to him - so he was basically going to take an extra $1,000 of our money if we hadn't noticed this. What an ethical guy right?

the Bruces did a FABULOUS job tiling my great room. 700 square feet of a complicated pattern--the finished product looks GORGEOUS!!!!! They were on time every day, worked hard, communicated with me, provided progress reports and let me know what was going to happen next. They were great with my dog, great with me, and I'd hire them again in a heartbeat. Moreover, they took over from a contractor that I had to let go for poor work. the contrast between the two contractors is significant. They handled that well too. Great job, fair price, on time. Can't say enough good things about Harlan Custom Contracting. I would love to post pictures, but haven't figured that out yet :-)

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I contacted Harlan Contracting because they got good reviews from Angie's List. When I first contacted them, Bruce was great. He got back to me quickly and I was able to set up an appointment for a free estimate. However, when the appointment rolled around he never showed up. I called him to see what happened and we rescheduled. He never once apologized for missing the appointment. He never mentioned anything at all which annoyed me. He made the next appointment and was on time, professional and explained a lot to me which I thought was great. He also explained that he would have the estimate to me by the end of the week because he was going away the following week. It never came. I called to let him know that I found someone else for the job. He finally emailed me the estimate and followed up with a call. Too little, too late. I am giving Harlan Contracting a D and not an F only because he actually made it out to my house for the estimate. Beyond that, Harlan was a big disappointment.

Bruce returned my initial call within an hour and was on site to give an estimate just a few hours later. The job was to install hardwood flooring in my bathroom and foyer using existing materials I had leftover from a previous house remodeling. Bruce was willing to work with me on the price which included materials (staples, glue, etc.) necessary to complete the job. Bruce was always prompt to show up and was very professional. He always kept a clean work space and left the home broom swept and clear of debris before he left each day. We could not be happier with the hardwood floor installation. Bruce is very detail oriented, as is evident by the shoe molding cuts he did including detail work in small corners of the space where the floor was installed. Bruce made sure I was completely satisfied with the job before leaving and I have confidence that he will stand behind his installation. We were impressed with Bruce's service and plan to have him back to complete a kitchen tile backsplash project, for which he already gave us some great ideas on the design. Thanks for your help Bruce.

Still not sure I got the best quality materials because I needed the contractor to bring the price down. However, I didn't ask him to compromise quality. I told him if we couldn't agree on price, then I would just have him install the door, which was a true necessity. The door and windows seem to be decent quality but only time will tell. I did ask if they were the grade of quality that we agreed upon and he said yes. Was he being honest? I don't know. He arrived on time to give estimates and perform installation. However, I live in a development with a HOA. The workers left parts of old windows on my front lawn after the first day of installation, some of which had nails sticking out. This was dangerous to neighborhood children. Had one of them been hurt, I would have been liable. Plus, there was the HOA issue. Residents are not to leave debri on their front lawns. A friend and I took the trash into my garage, since this occurred on a Friday and despite my phone call the owner did not come to pick it up over the weekend. When he arrived on Monday, I made it very clear to him that I was not happy. This is not professional. All in all, the young man who owns the company seems nice enough but I would NOT use him again.

Wife and I have the U shaped Kitchen and decided to have a Travertine backsplash installed. We found bruce through Service Magic. He contacted us promptly and came out to the house to give estimate. The price was very reasonable. Bruce was courteous and prompt finishing the job in a day and half. Backsplash looks fantastic!!! If anyone is looking for a General Contractor, I highly recommend Bruce. We plan on hiring him this spring to finish a basement for us.

Bruce was very prompt with his appointment. He took his time for measurements and gave us a quote which was more than 10% below some of the A graders on this list. Bruce's professional demeanor, attractive pricing and my bias for to support local business played a key role in deciding in favor of Harlan. Next working day, Bruce was again very prompt with his appointment and a team of 3 individuals (incl the owner) worked diligently for 3 days. Every evening before leaving they broom cleaned the work area and ensured walkways were cleared up. Their work practices reflected attention to detail, punctuality, safety and cleanliness. Bruce gets personally involved in the job and makes sure quality is not compromised. We had him do some extra work that was not covered in the initial quote and he was pretty reasonable with the extra charges. I will have no hesitation in recommending Harlan Custom Contracting for your next flooring or remodeling job.