Total Restoration Contracting

After the major rains that caused flood warnings in the area several weeks ago, we discovered the morning after that our sump pump had failed and there was two inches of water coating our lovely finished basement. Panicking, we called around for restoration companies but many were already busy dealing with other customers experiencing the same. Finally, Total Restoration got back to us and said that they could come today due to the emergency nature of the situation. It was a great relief. They arrived on time and evaluated the situation. We had already done some work to mitigate the damage, such as sucking up some water and moving stuff out of the basement. The lead contractor looked at the damage and said they could do the job. We asked for an estimate, since unfortunately we only had a limited amount of $ from the insurance company that would not cover all the damage. He said he couldn't give us an exact number "until they got back to their computer and plugged in the numbers", but gave us a general price range. Normally we would not accept this but it was an emergency and time was of the essence, so we agreed. They started to work and did a great job. All the employees were professional and kept us updated. When the removal and cutting was completed they left fans and a dehumidifier running for several days to dry stuff off. After the job was done we received our invoice, which the final price was definitely in the high range of the previous quote. Overall though they did a professional and thorough job - so much so that when our basement flooded -again- a week later, but to a lesser extent this time, we hired them again for drying and cleaning services.

I've had this contractor do several small jobs. The reoccuring themes are: The quotes are too vague, not enough detail. The work is done by sub contractors without enough supervision and the results have been consistently sloppy. They are willing to fix the work, but it is extra time and hassel. They are a disaster recovery company as a main business and they seem to have an OK reputation at doing flood or fire recovery. However, they also take on remodeling jobs, and I assume since I was not using their primary business, their focus was not on my kind of job. I once asked for a quote to do a bathroom remodeling, and it arrived incomplete. I asked for more detail including a drawing, and the contractor refused to return my calls because of it. It seemed their approach was to trust them or forget it. Between the poor communication and sloppy sub contractors, I would avoid this company for remodeling jobs.

Among other things, they are very thorough and very responsive to what you need and want. They worked out just great. Actually, they are fantastic. I have nothing negative to say about them at all. As for pricing, that is kind of a magical mystery and I have no idea what it cost.