Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling

Founded 2004 • With Angi since September 2011

Locally owned and operated. All handyman, landscaping, home automation, and remodeling services. Your Austin-area experts in home renovation, repair and maintenance, we handle jobs of all sizes, whether you're planning a major renovation, or just need a handyman to fix a leaky faucet, we'll help you get it done quickly, affordably, with high-quality results and some of that local Austin flavor you can't find anywhere else.

Awards and Badges

Angi Certified

Business Highlights

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Remodeled Interior & TileRemodeled KitchenCustom Fence

Verified Reviews

4.4

(933) Verified Reviews

Ratings Distribution

5

594

4

140

3

80

2

39

1

80

Rating Details

Price
4.5
Professionalism
4.5
Punctuality
4.6
Quality
4.5
Responsiveness
4.5

Read reviews by category

handyman (773)door installation (93)woodworking (83)electrician (68)plumbers (63)drywall (58)decks & porches (57)home remodeling (50)
Showing 1-25 of 933 reviews
Herta B.
1.0
05/04/2022
We had someone come out to estimate our project the week of February 21. We never received our quote so we followed up on March 12, and then on April 13th. We have yet to hear from them on the second follow up. The first follow up, we heard back saying that the guy that would be giving us the quote is on spring break with his family, but once he returns, we should expect a quote within a week or two. We heard nothing after we reached out again on April 13th. Our fault for not getting more estimates for quotes from other companies, but this was a referral that we took seriously and would've used for many more projects down the line. We're just super disappointed and frankly bummed. This has set us back now more than months, but probably a year-plus with having to look for more bids from other companies and completely starting over. I had to check whether we'd rehire again or not. We are open to still hiring but really need a solid explanation and plan moving forward to keep this relationship positive as we feel that we've put in effort on our end. All we are asking for is to do your job, please.
Description of Work
Quote for remodel
Category
remodeling
Hire Again?
Yes

Service Provider Response

We sent the quote, are in communication with the homeowner, and working through it.
Joel B.
5.0
06/25/2020
Excellent! Every aspect from scheduling to the quality of work to addition to the project and final walk through. They were a pleasure to work with! every person that work on the project was an expert, courteous and professional. Highly recommended!
Description of Work
they closed in my porch and converted it into an interior living space
Category
contractors, ceramic tile, concrete repair, drywall, electrician, plastering, remodeling, siding, replacement windows, house painters, interior painters, sunrooms
Cost
$20,000
Hire Again?
Yes

Service Provider Response

Thank you for taking the time to leave such a fantastic review! We couldn't be happier that you're so pleased with how your project went and the final results. We certainly look forward to working with you again!
Donna C.
5.0
10/23/2019
Austin Best Handyman did an excellent job on replacing two sets of sliding glass doors. Their workmanship was very good. They were timely with the installation and their service providers were friendly.
Description of Work
N/A
Category
doors
Cost
$3,000
Hire Again?
Yes

Service Provider Response

Thank you for taking the time to leave a positive review! We look forward to the opportunity to provide you great service again in the future!
Robert T.
5.0
08/30/2019
Great! On time- no surprises. They worked 5 days and it looks great.
Description of Work
refloored stairway and upstairs with porcelain tile
Category
ceramic tile, handyman service
Hire Again?
Yes

Service Provider Response

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a kind review! We look forward to the opportunity to provide you excellent service again in the future. :)
dan W.
5.0
07/10/2019
Excellent!! very good, on time and knowledgeable
Description of Work
Outside trim replacement
Category
handyman service
Hire Again?
Yes

Service Provider Response

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a kind review! We look forward to the opportunity to provide you excellent service again in the future. :)
April B.
5.0
07/10/2019
They were great. They were punctual, thorough and affordable.
Description of Work
They fixed a leak at my office.
Category
plumbing
Hire Again?
Yes

Service Provider Response

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a kind review! We look forward to the opportunity to provide you excellent service again in the future. :)
Jason F.
5.0
07/09/2019
Good! They showed up on time and very professional.
Description of Work
They fixed some dry wall, ceiling fan, and fixed the pocket door
Category
handyman service
Cost
$3,000
Hire Again?
Yes

Service Provider Response

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a kind review! We look forward to the opportunity to provide you excellent service again in the future. :)
bryce K.
5.0
07/09/2019
It was very good. From coming in, suggestions, feedback, do's and don't's, they were very helpful. They provided competitive bid. He showed up on time.
Description of Work
They did renovated the master bathroom.
Category
handyman service, home remodeling
Cost
$6,200
Hire Again?
Yes

Service Provider Response

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a kind review! We look forward to the opportunity to provide you excellent service again in the future. :)
farnaz S.
5.0
07/09/2019
It was good. They are really fast and did it right.
Description of Work
They set up some white board.
Category
handyman service
Cost
$269
Hire Again?
Yes

Service Provider Response

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a kind review! We look forward to the opportunity to provide you excellent service again in the future. :)
Marlayne I.
5.0
07/02/2019
Barrett does amazing work! He is friendly, knowledgeable, thorough, and insightful. When my job had unexpected complications, Barrett stayed significantly longer than originally-scheduled time to ensure my job was completed properly and that my gate functioned smoothly.
Description of Work
Handymen
Category
handyman service
Hire Again?
Yes

Service Provider Response

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a kind review! We look forward to the opportunity to provide you excellent service again in the future. :)
François L.
5.0
07/02/2019
Barrett was very responsive, worked quickly, and did thorough work. This was an active leak, so time was of the essence to avoid more extensive damage to the room below, and Barrett did a great job.
Description of Work
Plumbing leak repair (supply line in wall)
Category
handyman service, plumbing
Cost
$500
Hire Again?
Yes

Service Provider Response

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a review! We're super happy to hear of your positive experience with us and look forward to the opportunity to provide you excellent service again in the future.
James C.
1.0
07/05/2018
We have used them before. The work is good. They have had schedule and communication issues before as well.We booked the work and paid over 2 weeks before. Late Tuesday July 3 they emailed to say they would not come as promised on the 5th. It was after hours when we received the email, the next day was a holiday. No contact from them on the 5th. I called and was sent to the “manager’s” voice mail. I’m waiting to hear from her.Highly inconsiderate and unprofessional. Caused us significant inconvenience by canceling last minute,
Description of Work
Install 3 ceiling fans, one in a 2 story great room
Category
ceiling fans
Cost
$399

Service Provider Response

We do apologize and did apologize to this client via phone for the inconvenience of the necessity to reschedule their service date. Communication was out of our normal protocol for this reschedule as we were faced with a mid-week holiday on which our business was closed. We do everything we can to honor agreed to services dates, however, on occasion we are forced to push start dates for new service in order to fulfill our obligations to a client who's work is in progress. We are grateful for the previous business with the Clarks and are sorry we could not accommodate them with this service request.
Stephanie L.
1.0
03/04/2018
I hired this company to put in plumbing and electrical in a 10' X 12' shed in the back yard. The workers they hired were very unprofessional (some of them are daily labors, who doesn't know what they are doing). When they dug the yard to put in plumbing pipes, they destroyed everything in my back yard, such as sprinkler system, french drain pipe, and landscape etc. It was a total disaster. After that, they were unable to put those things back. The plumbing and electrical that they installed were a mess, some of didn't pass City of Austin code requirements many times, and had to be redone to pass code; example of lack of knowledge with regards to City of Austin code requirements! They arrange one guy each time to come to fix this mess...( one person came one day per week, sometimes no show for many weeks) The sprinkler system is still broken, and French Drain pipes are still unfixed since April 2017. It has been ALMOST one year. 1. The company wants you to pay a big payment first.They came to dig the ground very fast the next day, and then they stopped working,...and it comes with all kind of excuses; such as no workers available, kids are sick in the hospital, raining,...etc. The most bothering thing to me was - they won't work consistently until finish. They work one day and than stop for next many days. No consistency! 2. The workers they use are very unprofessional, lack of skills, so they made a lot of mistakes that messed up everything. 3. The owner, Barrett refused to contact with me because he gets annoyed and mad easily. He was the project manager at the beginning, and then towards the middle, he refused to response my questions. I started to call the company phone number again and again, and someone( Melissa) finally called me back and said, now she is my project manager. There's no professional companies do such thing like this. No professional company needs customer to ask who is coming to finish the project EVERY SINGLE day. And even when they said they arrange some workers to come, it end up didn't show up very often. 4. They didn't fix the sprinkler system but told me it was fixed. Because it was very cold(freeze) day, I couldn't test the sprinkler at that moment. I trusted them and paid them the last payment, When the weather got better, I tried to turn on sprinkler, found out it was still leaking at two spots; so sprinkler didn't work still. They also destroyed the French Drain Pipe in the yard. They hired one guy to come to put it back, unfortunately this guy didn't know how to do it correctly. When it is raining, the water gets everywhere in the yard...the drain didn't work. I called them many times to fix this two problems, so far no one comes. Now I am in the place I have to file a complain through BBB and Attorney General Office to get a guide to take them to the court. If you are looking for a good contractor, this is not the one. What's the most important thing when doing business with a contractor? Consistency, Good communication, Reliability, and Knowledge! For those reasons, I don't recommend this company!
Description of Work
Put in Plumbing and Electrical in a shed
Category
electrician, handyman service, plumbing

Service Provider Response

This review is not in line with our account of the execution of this client's project and the complications that transpired. We are working to come to a resolution to the concerns addressed by Ms. [Member Name Removed] and will update this post once that resolution has been met.
Adrian M.
3.0
02/23/2018
My feeling in writing this review is deep and total ambivalence. During this entire project, there were moments of great satisfaction...and great frustration/anger. Let's start with what I felt was done extremely well: Jèsus - The real MVP of this project. This man absolutely deserves the utmost praise and respect for how great a job he did installing the tile for my kitchen/dining room floor as well as the backsplash near the end of the project. The pride he takes in his work shows and my friends/family were blown away at the pictures I showed them of what he did. If he's reading this, I'll recommend you to ANYBODY needing some tile work done! BAH Carpenter (name escapes me, my apologies) - That great frustration/anger I mentioned earlier? This man quelled some of it due to some incompetence on the part of the GC and crew chief (more on that later). Toluca Granite (countertops install) - I already gave them high praise on Yelp, but I'll echo those sentiments again on Angie's List. From the first contact, to the finished product, they were absolutely outstanding! With that being said... Let's talk about where they severely dropped the ball on this project: Drywall - The people they hired for my drywall work were HORRIBLE! They dirtied up my house without any consideration. Plaster footprints all over my bedroom floor, in my bathroom (they stepped ALL OVER my shower drying mat), dirt all in my tub, plaster chunks on my bedroom light switch, my towels, on the side of my sofa, and on the legs of my dining room table. Then, to top it off, they used my broom to SWEEP wet mud and plaster. Total lack of communication - THIS is why my grades in certain parts of this review is so low. Delays are a part of the game sometimes. I get that. But this was ridiculous. First off, there was a situation where my cabinets were delivered and supposed to be installed on 12/29. I came home early from work thinking I was going to see the crew installing the cabinets or already having them done. Didn't happen. Instead, I came home to a pile of cabinets all over my dining room floor and the pantry cabinet standing tall in my living room. So I'm thinking, perhaps they went to go get some more tools/materials and they'd be back. Didn't happen. I texted the crew chief asking what the status was on getting the cabinets installed. Didn't hear anything for nearly 2 hours and then when I did, received the equivalent of "we need to talk." Man is on the phone telling me that the cabinets (I spent a serious amount of money for) don't fit. You can only imagine my reaction to hearing that. It was a sh***y way to end the year and I wouldn't hear back from anyone until after the New Year holiday. Continuing, I get a text on 1/2 from the crew chief wanting to setup a meet with me, the GC, himself, and their carpenter on the cabinet situation. 1/3, the carpenter came through and stated that all but one of the cabinets CAN be installed after he laid out the scenarios for me. The one that couldn't? The GC screwed up on the order/measurement of the cabinet that was to be to the left of my stove so that one had to be reordered. Downtime? 2 weeks. The next instance is what pushed me over the edge: Countertops go in (they had to make two trips due to the delay in the aforementioned lower left cabinet) and I texted the crew chief for an update (1/22) and he tells me that ANOTHER cabinet was mis-measured and that the GC had to order a replacement. If I hadn't reached out, I wouldn't have known. I was ****** off beyond belief. I got so tired of "oh hey by the way..." finding out about these delays that I called the GC directly and voiced my displeasure of being kept in the dark about these screw ups. Downtime: approx. 12 days. Now, despite all of the venting, the delays, the mess ups leading to said delays, the results are amazing. The finished product I'm extremely happy with and it all came together beautifully in the end. It's everything leading up to it that wasn't as pleasant. Advice: tighten up on that communication. If something is wrong, let the customer know asap. If you're waiting for them to ask you what's the status update and THEN you tell them of what's wrong, it comes across as if you have something to hide. Too much money is being invested to keep people in the dark. Also, don't ever hire those drywall people. Ever. Again.

Images

Review for Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling - 6505 Willamette Dr, Austin, TX - 36859542Review for Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling - 6505 Willamette Dr, Austin, TX - 36859542Review for Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling - 6505 Willamette Dr, Austin, TX - 36859542Review for Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling - 6505 Willamette Dr, Austin, TX - 36859542Review for Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling - 6505 Willamette Dr, Austin, TX - 36859542Review for Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling - 6505 Willamette Dr, Austin, TX - 36859542
Description of Work
Kitchen Remodel
Category
home remodeling
Judy S.
5.0
01/15/2018
Excellent workmanship! I will call again!
Description of Work
floating shelf added to dining room wall
Category
handyman service
Hire Again?
Yes

Service Provider Response

Thank you for your review, we really appreciate the feedback. It is our pleasure working with you, please let us know if we can do anything else for you in the future.
Will H.
4.0
12/06/2017
I got the redesign plans, but I could not get them to re-engage with e to start work. They just went dark, after several followups. Weird because I liked their designs and probably would have given them quite a bit of business.
Description of Work
kitchen/bath redesign
Category
handyman service, interior designers
Patti P.
5.0
12/04/2017
Great company and people. I will definitely use them again.
Description of Work
Used for bathroom design and to remove a large built in
Category
handyman service, interior designers
Cost
$300
Hire Again?
Yes

Service Provider Response

Thank you for your review, we really appreciate the feedback. It is our pleasure working with you, please let us know if we can do anything else for you in the future.
Jaime G.
1.0
10/06/2017
Designer came out and did sketch up but after several attempts to reach main folks to come out and give a quote and schedule the job, I gave up.
Description of Work
Kitchen remodel.
Category
custom cabinets, countertops, handyman service, remodeling
Cost
$75
Bruce M.
5.0
09/12/2017
Great! All was left was for me to paint.
Description of Work
remove shower door, cleaned and resealed, then replaced the door.
Category
handyman service, home remodeling
Cost
$125
Hire Again?
Yes

Service Provider Response

Thank you for your review, we really appreciate the feedback. It is our pleasure working with you, please let us know if we can do anything else for you at this time.
John G.
5.0
08/15/2017
Went well, was drawn up as we decided. Received drawings on time and an estimate for work on time.
Description of Work
Had a bathroom design consultation.
Category
handyman service, interior designers, home remodeling
Hire Again?
Yes

Service Provider Response

Thank you for your review, we really appreciate the feedback. It is our pleasure working with you, please let us know if we can do anything else for you at this time.
paul S.
2.0
07/24/2017
The workers seemed to think that I should not question the quality of repairs and their work quality went in a downward spiral. They attached gutters on carport with a piece of wire? The roof sheet metal was not screwed down as agreed to on quote. The down pipe on gutters was supposed to drain away from house, but instead they thought having it drain under the pier and beam foundation was a better idea?

Images

Review for Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling - 6505 Willamette Dr, Austin, TX - 35915124Review for Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling - 6505 Willamette Dr, Austin, TX - 35915124Review for Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling - 6505 Willamette Dr, Austin, TX - 35915124Review for Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling - 6505 Willamette Dr, Austin, TX - 35915124Review for Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling - 6505 Willamette Dr, Austin, TX - 35915124
Description of Work
Had renovations done, which were average at best. For the money I paid, the repairs were rough and after reminding them multiple times to fix items on quote, I gave up and just told them not to come back
Category
handyman service
Cost
$10,000

Service Provider Response

Before we complete any job and collect final payment, we do a final walkthrough with the Homeowner to verify everything is done to their satisfaction. In this case, we addressed every item the Homeowner requested including the gutters, metal roofing, and downspout. We also offered to fix any other outstanding issues that he had beyond these, and his texted response was filled with curse words and threats. We are committed to doing quality work, but in this case the Homeowner was more committed to being angry than getting his issues resolved. He never did share with us what issues he had with our work, but he did pay his bill in full. We are grateful for that and our invitation to him to get his issues resolved is still open.
Brian C.
5.0
07/08/2017
I can trust them to show up. They're reliable.
Description of Work
They did a little bit of electric install and just finished out some carpentry work.
Category
electrician, handyman service
Cost
$1,200
Hire Again?
Yes

Service Provider Response

Thank you for your review, we really appreciate the feedback. It was our pleasure working with you.
Carrie B.
4.0
06/20/2017
Zac arrived right on time and got work. He did a lot more than I expected. My impression is that he is very fast, but not as meticulous as I am. He worked very hard laying flagstone pavers, putting down edging, and helping me with small landscaping jobs. He very fast and very energetic and he got a little ahead of me. I'll have to rework what he did. I will not use the company again, it was a fair experience, but I probably won't work with them in the future.
Description of Work
I purchased and Offer, $139 for 4 Hours of Lawn or Landscape Work. They moved piles of dirt and rock, leveled the bird bath, dug in edgers and put in a mix of garden soil.
Category
landscaping
Cost
$139
Gail B.
1.0
06/13/2017
I paid Best Austin Handyman over $24,000 and I provided 95% of the demolition and materials and did all of the painting. The general contractor, Barrett Criscoe, said work could be completed without permits by a crew within 3 weeks beginning December 4th, 2017. This job did require permits and it took six weeks before the plans were right and accepted by the city during which I had no kitchen. Work began February 7th, 2018. It appears this nightmare won't be over until resolved in court. I fired them on April 24th. They did substandard work and charged me for things that were listed in my estimate, but that they either didn't do, did incorrectly, or very poorly. When they began work they would work for a few hours and then not show up for days or even weeks at a time. Barrett had the job foreman, Eric Gazur, and project manager, Nick Martin, do the electrical work that was supposed to be done by Andy Keil of Live Oak Electric. Those that did the electrical work appear to have been unqualified, unlicensed, and unsupervised. I found out that their work was not done correctly. Andy Keil refused to fix the electrical issues, telling me he had only been paid $500 to pull the permit as a favor to Barrett. Barrett wouldn't talk to me, handing me off to Megan Walker in accounting. When I asked for an itemized list of charges, she gave me a list with each item priced significantly higher than quoted in the estimate and insistence on charges for work never performed. They would not fix their electrical mistakes unless I paid them an additional $2800. A friend sent her son-in-law, a master electrician, to look at the electrical work they had done. He told me what they had done was unsafe and had been done illegally. I hired a legitimate and ethical electrician to fix numerous issues. So far I've spent $6,000 to correct shoddy work including corrected breakers in electrical panel, smoke detectors that were not properly daisy chained, loose wiring in attic, an unshielded live wire that was attached to the electrical panel, dishwasher and garbage disposal that were wired together into one switch, electrical sockets no longer working on one wall of the living room, two walls in the breakfast area, an outside light and outlet, the addition of required light in the attic and corrected wiring in attic to garage exterior light. Other contractors vented dryer from laundry room to exterior, repaired drywall and tile, and finished the other two sides of a beam I paid BAH to cover in drywall. They still need to hang the upper cabinets, move and vent the microwave, install toe kicks, shelving, and backsplash. I've already paid BAH for all of theseitems. For this extensive list of items to be completed or repaired Barrett Criscoe offered a refund of $1,000, which I declined. I've reported everyone involved to Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. I've been told that each person involved can expect fines of up to $10,000 and revocation of licensure. This fiasco has caused extreme stress and loss of sleep, affecting my health. They took advantage of my initial lack of construction knowledge. I documented everything in my personal daily log and recommend anyone using these people do the same., or better yet, staying far away from everyone listed in this review. My goal is to save others from going through what I have.

Images

Review for Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling - 6505 Willamette Dr, Austin, TX - 37466502Review for Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling - 6505 Willamette Dr, Austin, TX - 37466502Review for Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling - 6505 Willamette Dr, Austin, TX - 37466502Review for Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling - 6505 Willamette Dr, Austin, TX - 37466502Review for Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling - 6505 Willamette Dr, Austin, TX - 37466502Review for Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling - 6505 Willamette Dr, Austin, TX - 37466502
Description of Work
Kitchen/Laundry Room Remodel/Upgraded Electrical Panel
Category
ceramic tile, drywall, electrician, flooring contractor, handyman service, insulation, lighting, plumbing, remodeling, home remodeling, doors
Cost
$24,000

Service Provider Response

We entered into a contract with Ms. [Member Name Removed]in December 2017. Her project was red tagged by the city and we had to convert the project from an unpermitted job to a permitted job. We advised Ms. [Member Name Removed]to wait to demolish her kitchen until the permits came in, however Ms. [Member Name Removed]elected to ignore the advice of our company and demolished her kitchen prior to the permits coming in. Best Austin Handyman cannot control the length of time it takes for the city to approval permits. We had to wait to begin work on the property until the permits were ready. The amount of her project was agreed to before the project began, at the time of her initial signing. As the job progressed, Ms. [Member Name Removed]elected to omit certain line items and we entered subsequent change orders to remove those items from the invoice. I have change orders signed by the client agreeing to remove those items from the final invoice. Her assertion that we charged her for items not completed is incorrect, in fact we had several conversations going over the items that have been removed from the invoice. Ms. [Member Name Removed]hired an attorney, we produced he signed change orders and her attorney had no choice, but to drop the claims of charging for items not completed. Ms. [Member Name Removed]also claims that we "refused" to complete or fix the electrical issues. This is not true. Our electrical vendor attempted to fix the electrical issues multiple times, however towards the end of the project Ms. [Member Name Removed]and Best Austin Handyman could not come to terms on the remainder due. We asked the electrical vendor to not go back to her property until we came to terms and had an agreement in writing. Furthermore, at no time did we say that we would not fix the electrical mistakes on her property. We have a 1-year warranty on all work after the completion of any project and we stand behind that. We asked that Ms. [Member Name Removed]agree to pay the remainder of her invoice before we were willing to do any additional work. We were prepared to do the work prior to payment, provided we had a promise to pay in writing. Ms. [Member Name Removed]elected to not agree to pay the remainder of her bill. The electrician that she hired to fix the mistakes was the SAME electrician we used for the project. In fact, Ms. Braswell's son was working for that electrician at the time the work was repaired. Towards the end of the project, Ms. [Member Name Removed]demanded information on the individual charges of each line on her estimate. We group multiple lines together into one large line and charge accordingly. We don't have a specific price list because every house is different, therefore every estimate is different. We told Ms. [Member Name Removed]the only way to separate out the lines it to tell her how much it would be if she was getting that item done individually, using handyman pricing. In other words, what we would charge to send out a technician to complete each task individually. I also told her that doesn't reflect what she is actually being charged because there are discounts worked into a line item where multiple tasks are being completed. Ms. [Member Name Removed]turned in the itemized list of charges rather than the true estimate to her attorney. This made it seem like BAH was charging more than the actual charge. Ms. [Member Name Removed]knew that the itemized list had no bearing on the actual charges on her account. Ms. [Member Name Removed]has shown bad faith through out this project and is now seeking to damage the reputation of all involved in this project. We have attempted to remedy the work at Ms. Braswell's home on multiple attempts, however when she hired an attorney we had no choice but to remove ourselves from the project. We wish her luck with the remainder of her home renovation project.
Ian D.
1.0
05/21/2017
What I got: A contractor that at every step of the way led me to believe I was getting a completely new deck built to code, but was ultimately only intending to replace the surface of the deck and “shore up a few of the posts” to structurally fix the deck**. - The architects plans which I received on Dec 22nd were designed to essentially replace the same design / shape with a new structure and deck surface that met or exceeded the current permits / codes. There were pages that showed the difference in existing structure with the new structure (all the posts were in different positions). There were details on how the deck was attached to the posts etc. It was fairly detailed. At this point to be clear I was unaware of the role engineers played in this and what an engineers stamp was. - I had some questions regarding the railing system on the new deck and the pergola. I decided to swap out the railings to match the original hotwire. - I finally approved the plans on Dec 29th. BAH confirmed on Jan 3rd that they were going to submit for a permit that week. - I had been mostly exclusively dealing with the main owner of BAH - Barrett Criscoe via email (sometimes phone calls). Now Jonas Criscoe was handling the permit directly. It quickly became clear something was up because I was getting two different stories regarding the permit submission process. On Jan 27th, I was helping Jonas fill out paperwork (via email) for the permit. - The permit application was filled out digitally (not hand written). It was printed out and signed. The description of the project was “Replace existing deck with same. No increase or change in size of new deck from existing.”. The architects plan that was part of that permit included the structure changes as well as new deck. - I heard from Jonas Criscoe that there was a problem with the permit and they had to make some modifications. I repeatedly asked for the updated plans but did not succeed in getting an update. I finally heard from Barrett Criscoe and he assured me there had been no changes to the plans. - I received a photo of the permit receipt from Jonas. The receipt is dated Feb 22 2017. It includes the permit number. This can be used to look up your permit application online. - On March 13th 2017, the permit is approved. - On March 30th 2017, I was meeting Jonas Criscoe and two of their deck builders to "walk through the project”. At this meeting it quickly became apparent that something was not right. The builders were asking me how the posts should be secured. I repeatedly had to point out - look at the plans; I’m pretty sure it says to use concrete. When I pointed out that none of the existing posts were in the locations on the new plan - they said that the current deck was “completely safe” and they just needed to shore up some posts. They then stated the scope of the work was just to replace the top / decking. The railings would not change*** and surprise the pergola*** that would not be built due to not being included in the original work scope would now be untouched and remain as is. At this point I informed them that there was something wrong here / expectations were not being met and that I would contact them later. I told them to not proceed with building (which was due to happen the following Monday / April 3rd 2017). Investigation: On April 1st I started looking into the permit and trying to figure out what went wrong - an no, this is not an April fools joke. - If you look at the original application you can see the permit application that was digitally filled out and signed; has been modified with a change to the project description. It reads “*Only deck boards to be replaced. No structural components to be replaced or modified.”. I was never informed of this change. The “problem” that Jonas was referring to was that in the original submission if you look at the architects plan you can see a new structure / foundation. The city wasn’t going to approve that because there wasn’t a demo permit / and the plans were not stamped by an engineer. This “problem” was rectified by re-submitting the architects plan, with two of the pages removed (i.e. the pages with the foundation / structure changes). So, when you look at the later modified permit, you’ll just see a new deck (no new structure or foundation). As a layman that makes no sense to me - if you look at page 1 of the architects plan, you will see an index referring to pages that don’t exist. Why would someone in the permitting office approve that? - If you review the email exchanges and attached documents you can clearly see (IMO - without a doubt) that we were discussing a completely new deck. From the plans I was given to approve (which clearly show a new structure / foundation) to the emails discussing the pergola (how I wouldn’t have one on the new deck - that on April 30th Jonas informed me that the existing pergola would be left intact.) BAH / Terminating their service: I parted ways with BAH at the beginning of April. I asked for a full refund of the initial down payment ($6900); but only received a portion of it ($5244). BAH will claim this is because they paid for the architect and permit process - i.e. $1500 + tax for services that don’t get me what I need. - The architects plan was never stamped by an engineer and cannot be used as is. Most engineers ultimately need to redraw the architects plan themselves before they’ll stamp it. I never personally contracted with the original architect and unfortunately they won’t provide access to their CAD files that engineers need to make changes. - The permit is, as it currently stands worthless, I need to spend a lot of time / effort of my own to submit paperwork for revisions and also apply for a demo permit. In conclusion I paid $1500+tax for something I cannot use. I recently hired an engineer to provide the necessary stamped plans for the deck. This cost me $1800. Links to documents: Main email thread with BAH: [*** Link removed ***] Architects plan is ready for approval: [*** Link removed ***] Architect emails plan directly to me: [*** Link removed ***] Original deck foundation: [*** Link removed ***] Proposed deck foundation: [*** Link removed ***] Permit application: [*** Link removed ***] BAH explanation email after I demand return of money: [*** Link removed ***] Notes: ** Even though the submitted permit would not allow any structural changes. *** See main email thread for railings style and pergola discussion.
Description of Work
Summary: BAH is an untrustworthy company who have wasted our time and money. Read on for the details. What I needed: Back in early August 2016 I was looking for a contractor to repair an unsafe deck. At that point I did not understand just how dangerous our deck was. Everyone who came to the house to look at our deck project concluded with the same thing - deck was completely unsafe and needed to be demo’d and rebuilt. It’s a small deck that includes a pergola on one side of it - quotes generally ranged around the $11-13K mark to demo and replace the deck. What is very disappointing is that *every* contractor (including BAH) I spoke to for the job basically said the same thing - “Oh, you *don’t* want to get a permit from the city - we can build it to code. It’s too expensive and time consuming to go through the city”. Of course that wasn’t good enough as I wanted to make absolutely sure this new deck was safe - I wanted assurance that the deck was going to be built safely and met certain minimum standards. So, the job became a replace job and BAH provided the lowest bid - which I went with - approx. $8.8K. This quote did not include the pergola - that would have been extra. I decided I could live without the pergola for now / that could come later. The Original Deck: Due to a dodgy builder of the original deck, it was never built to code / nor permitted. The original builder had the posts not anchored to the ground but just sitting in concrete footings. Those footings are on a steep slope that is being eroded by rain and water. If you look at it today (May 2017) you’ll see a lot of the footings are twisted / starting to fall over. The deck itself it not attached to the posts in a safe manner - there are simply nails (instead of bolts) holding it together. Surprising and thankfully this deck has lasted almost ten years without incident. But rest assured no one is using the deck right now and it will be demolished.
Category
decks, handyman service
Cost
$8,800

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FAQ

Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling is currently rated 4.4 overall out of 5.

Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling is open:

Monday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

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Best Austin Handyman & Remodeling offers the following services: Kitchen and Bathroom Remodeling, General Remodeling, Additions, Decks/Pergolas/Patios, Handyman services, Custom Carpentry Projects

Swimming Pools, Appliance Repair, Foundation Repair