Green Igloo

Very very good

Crew was very polite and professional. Paint on porch ceiling looks great. Old fan and light fixtures were removed. New outdoor fan and lights we installed. Everything looks great! Job was completed in a timely manner.

WE FIRED HIM I’ll start with a summary for those who are in a hurry then give more details for those who want them. In a nutshell: Stephen seemed almost incapable of providing any project management (such as planning anything in advance; supervising subs; or giving us advance notice of when he would need a draw or decisions/selections from us), which to me is one of the primary roles of a GC. He’s bad at communicating, even at responding to direct questions in some cases. He did all he could to avoid dealing with problems with subs and even tried to put the burden on us to monitor their working hours (my husband and I both work from home). Much of the work he did himself was just sloppily done and some had to be corrected. And he went over budget on every single piece of our project he completed for us before we fired him. To be clear, we had multiple conversations with Stephen about our concerns, the problems that occurred, and how he would address them. Each time, he basically said he’d do a better job going forward. But it never happened. Given the very positive reviews on Angie’s List, we have to wonder if Stephen had something going on in his life that affected his work for us, because our experience was nothing like the majority of reviews (but dead-on with the F reviews). And honestly, my husband and I are pretty flexible people! Our replacement GC even keeps telling us how easy we are to work with. Our renovation Our plans to renovate our 1970s home included several different components, including a complete bathroom remodel (and expansion), replacing doors and windows, replacing flooring, and renovating the kitchen. We met with Stephen three times over the course of several months as we planned renovations and we very impressed. He seemed very knowledgeable, including about mechanical/technical/engineering aspects of the project. As we explained what we had in mind, he volunteered suggestions of other options to consider to achieve what we wanted, many of which we liked better than our original ideas. He volunteered ways we could save money on what we wanted to do. And I was very impressed with the majority favorable reviews on Angie’s List. So we hired him. Some details of Green Igloo’s work The trouble began almost immediately. The Friday before his first subs were scheduled to come out the following Monday, Stephen told us he would be leaving in 2 days to spend 10 days in Las Vegas. We weren’t happy about that, but it is what it is. He had scheduled his A/C guy to come on a Saturday while Stephen was still in Vegas to move our outdoor A/C unit from the back of the house to the side, so that we could build a deck on the back. When the A/C people showed up, they told us they couldn’t do their job until an electric line had been run, which they couldn’t do. We had to scramble to find an electrician who could come out on no notice on a Saturday; our usual electrician wasn’t available, and we ended up hiring the only one we could find, who didn’t do as good a job as our guy typically does, and who has a reputation for overcharging. Sure enough, that project went over budget by 13%. When we asked Stephen why he hadn’t had an electrician out before A/C, he hemmed and hawed before saying, “Well, I guess that was on me.” You guess?! Planning and coordinating the steps and processes of a renovation is precisely what we hire a GC to do! Next was building decks all along the front and back of our house, a significant project. The deck sub does absolutely beautiful work, but we calculated he worked only about 2-½ days per week, 3 at most. (Yes, some of that was excusable, but that average over the course of 3 months, is not!) Stephen didn’t do anything about it that we ever knew of, despite our complaints. The original budget estimate for the decks was $15,000. We decided we also wanted a deck on the side of the house (about ⅓ the length of the front and back). When I asked Stephen how much that would add to the budget, he said he thought we might still be able to keep the total at $15,000, or if not, that it wouldn’t go much over. As we approached the $15,000 mark and still had a lot of work to be done on the decks, I asked Stephen about it again. He said it would probably end up being more like $20,000 - $21,000 total (a 35-40% increase). I asked why he originally thought he could stay within the $15,000 range, and why he hadn’t told me until I asked that it would go so far beyond that. His reply was that he didn’t realize how beefy the sub was doing some parts of the project (again, it’s the GC’s job to know what his subs are doing), and that he had probably underestimated from the beginning. We later discovered that after he signed our contract with the $15,000 estimate, he accepted a bid from the sub for $24,000 for the original work (not including the side decks) -- 60% over the estimate he gave us! When we hit the $20,000 mark with work still left to be done on the deck, I initiated a third conversation about the deck budget as well as the overall budget. At that point, Stephen said he would cut his fee ($21,000) by $5,000 to help make up for the dramatic overage in his estimates. (The deck work ended up totalling right at $24,000, including for the work we added.) Stephen originally told us that he would do some of the work himself. Some of what he did was fine, but he doesn’t seem to be a detailed person. We had to point out things like the new oven needed to be lined up with the cabinets and needed filler on either side. Other things he did were *not* fine; our new GC is having to take out and re-install a French door Stephen originally installed. Admittedly, that door installation was tricky, due to what had been there previously, but it’s a great example of our overall impression of his work: It seems he just doesn’t like to deal with things when they get difficult. Stephen has a horrible memory, which many of us do, but he doesn’t compensate by writing things down. He frequently had to ask multiple times about specific plans, and we had a couple of minor problems like the electrician showing up without equipment he needed because Stephen told him our new oven was gas even though I’d told him more than once it was electric. Communicating with Stephen is frustrating. Getting a direct answer out of him is like pulling teeth, even when you ask a direct question. When we asked him about problems or mistakes, he often got defensive. Stephen almost never talked to us about timelines or schedules unless we asked. The burden was on me to ask when he needed us to make decisions about or order appliances, fixtures, etc. Even though he knew it would take a few days for us to get a check drawn on our construction loan, he always waited until the day before he needed a draw, if not the day of, to ask for one. And as I said, each piece of the renovation completed before we fired him went over budget. Each time, he would say, “But we’ll make it up when we do X piece.” At some point, you run out of room to make it up! To be clear, we had multiple conversations with Stephen about our concerns, the problems that occurred, and how he would address them. Each time, he basically said he’d do a better job going forward. But it never happened. On the positive side, I can say that with one somewhat extreme exception, all of his subs did great work.

My kitchen was a mess and falling apart.  I was almost paralyzed trying to figure out what to do.  I called Home Depot and they sent a guy out that wanted over $20000.  I was shocked and afraid I would not be able to get anything done.  Then I called Steven at Green Igloo.  A good friend of mine had used him and the work was outstanding.  I knew she had done all the research on Angie's List which made it easier for me.

I liked Steven right away.  He is down to earth and practical.  I explained my problem and he talked me through his vision on what my kitchen could look like and I became so enthusiastic.  I told him I had a budget of $10000 maximum and he was able to work within that budget.  He is creative and comes up with ideas that work while saving me money.

His team is also great.  He sent out a tile guy, maintenance guy, painter and electrician.  Sometimes it took awhile to get it all together but I wasn't in a big hurry.  Steven would come out and check on things and do some of the work himself.  I also found that I have more creativity then I thought and picked out some great accessories and colors.  Also, anytime I found a little issue, he would fix it.  For example one tile on the bar was whiter than others so it stood out.  It would have been one of those things that would have bugged me.;  All the rest of the tiles in the box were lighter so he ordered another box of tiles to make sure they all matched.

The end job was a stunning transformation.  From broken drawers and Formica countertops to granite tiles, grey cabinets and white subway tiles backsplash. It looks modern and crisp while still fitting the rest of the house.  My friends are in awe when they see the changes.

I would recommend Green Igloo to anyone.  Steven is honest,  meticulous and responsive.  He knows how to see the end product and how to make someone's dream come to life.  I have him pricing out other jobs for me so I hope he will still have time for me after this good review.

Speedy, well, attention to detail and custoner satisfaction.

That was one of the first jobs they did for me. I have gotten a little cross-wise with the owner of Green Igloo. It’s been basically on his inability to be on time and to show up day after day when he’s supposed to.

I was not happy about the amount of time it too, nor was I happy with the paint job that they followed up with on the siding. Pricing was fair, but that’s about it. The quality rating is difficult, they used a combination of different materials between smart side and hardie board. At this point I can’t tell what the quality is because there’s no age on it. A “C” for responsiveness because they were here and then they weren’t here, and they were here and then they weren’t here. As a matter of fact I’m not using them anymore because of that.

Great thanks to Green Igloo and Stephen Sweet!! Just completed my living room renovation which is the third project I've had done by Green Igloo. The first was my kitchen a couple years ago and it turned out even better than I imagined and is beautiful. Then my hall bathroom. And now my living room, which totally compliments the kitchen work. No more old wood paneling, popcorn ceiling,or carpet up the wall (yes really - see before pic!). Stephen is great to work with...easy going, honest, reliable, available, and fair. I highly recommend Green Igloo!! Thanks Stephen - you guys have really made my house a home.

The service, workmanship and attention to detail were all first-rate. The crew was thoroughly professional, the work was completed in a single day, and I'm pleased with the high quality of the replacement windows. Steve was wonderful to work with.

Very well. All work done was professional and attention to details was apparent as finished work gave house an entire facelift and great curbside appeal. Neighbors even commented positively on improvements.

Excellent, Improved the appearance of the Home. Work was completed on time.

Excellent, work was completed on time, old windows hauled off.

Work was all done very well. Construction people were courteous. Various project were started back in September 2016 and are ongoing.

Green Igloo was one of two estimates that I received for the work needed. Stephen was definitely the more knowledgeable of the two and was able to offer suggestions on different options that might look better than what was there previously. And the bid still came in a little under the first one I received! The job was completed in the time frame expected and they did a great job cleaning up and making sure things were left in good condition. I would definitely use Green Igloo for future work.

Excellent, Steve has a great crew

It took a bit longer than anticipated, but overall it went well.

Green Igloo exceeded my expectations installing my new windows for my home. From the quote to the final product they amazed me! I would highly recommend this company to everyone as they are truly remarkable. They cared for my home as if it were their own by putting tarps down to be sure none of my hardwood floors would be damaged, moved and replaced any furniture that was blocking the windows to be installed, re-hung all blinds and were extremely polite and professional the entire time they were working. Stephen Sweet answered all of my questions the day he visited my home for window measurements and gave me some wonderful design tips that I hadn't even thought about. I could not believe how beautiful my windows are.? I wish I had not waited so long to do this but Green Igloo is definitely in my future for additional updates.? Give them a try, you will be so happy you did!!!!

Everything went great! It took a little longer than expected due to necessary permits. Ours was the first garage conversion approved in Round Rock. Stephen handled getting the permits for us, so that made the process much easier!

I absolutely recommend Stephen and Robert of Green Igloo very highly.
Here's why, I have both completed many construction projects and paid for contractors on several home projects and business projects.
Unfortunately the old adage that you should add 50% of the time estimate and double the budget held true more often than I would like.
For this project I had a very tight budget. I got several bids, all of which were way too high.
Stephen's bid came in more than 30% below anyone else's.  Stephen had creative ideas they were over the heads of other contractors bidding on the job.
Not only did they deliver the project within the projected time frame, but they were within 3% of their original bid!
Give them a call and see what they can do for you.
Bruce

Stephen was easy to work with. He provided expertise in helping us choose the right windows and we've been very happy with the style and quality.   Everyone who worked with him was courteous and professional -- and they came when they said they would!  The entire process was easier than I had anticipated. We've had the windows for 6 years with no problems of any kind. I highly recommend this business.

Provider listened to all our concerns, showed us materials that could be used, and performed the work well.  He even included some work that wasn't in the original contract.  Very easy to work with.

There were  a multitude of projects needed to be done and Stephen was able to complete them without any problems. He coordinated all the people involved in the work so I didn't have to worry about it. Stephen suggested the color for the trim paint and it looks great. Part of the house had to be repainted because the first color I chose did not look good with the brick on my house.  There was an extra charge for that but it was worth the change I made.   Also, if I wanted something changed he was flexible and complied.   The new windows look awesome and I plan to replace more in a few months. I'm extremely happy with the results of all the projects.  Lastly, the workers were good with my dogs and were able to work around them.

Job was managed and completed professionally.  
We purchased Ikea cabinets. Green Igloo provided the demo, reconstruction of a wall. installation of cabinets and plumbing.  granite and tile work.
*Very pleased with the opening up of entry wall 
* Great job installing the Ikea Cabinets and custom building the bases for them.
* Love the detail on the tile back splash. Matching tile pieces on the corners.
* The granite installation was great, with turn around time being about a week.
* ALL the workers and subcontractors were Very pleasant to work with. Willing to listen to our input and willing to make sure we liked how things were coming together.

Mr. Sweet was prompt, efficient and professional.  After examining the attic and evaluating the existing insulation, he explained options we might explore in the future such as a shaded roof or roof spray.  The current insulation is fine.  At this time he felt that a ducted mini-split unit would best suit the upstairs cooling needs.  He does not sell or install these units. 

My husband and I were impressed with the time he took to explain options to us and, most importantly, that he did not try to sell us any products that we did not need.  He suggested that we research some of the options he discussed with us so that we would better understand his recommendations.

When the time comes to replace the exisitng roof  we will definitely contact Mr. Sweet and revisit with him several of the cooling options he suggested. 

KITCHEN RENOVATION?..  We would absolutely NOT recommend this company to do your Reno. . The project management was sloppy to nonexistent.  They took no pride in their work or payed attention to detail, a ?that will do and hope the customer doesn?t notice? attitude.   This job could have been completed in 4/5 weeks if the contractors had managed to work more than 2 days a week, instead it took nearly 9. We were told we would have a site manager, there wasn?t one, therefore zero supervision.   His workers, apart from the granite guy, were complete amateurs.  They prepped nothing, painted over picture hooks, curtain pole brackets, my furniture, floors, windows, door and carpets.  What paint work that was done, was dreadful.  Stephen THEN decided to call in a pro to do it properly, although had we not complained, several times, he would have been quite happy to leave it as it was.  The tile floor and backsplash are dreadful, even after several attempts to make it right. The electrical work was shoddy.  They also left a huge mess.  Every single corner was cut? We now have the added expense of finding another contractor to put everything right??

The list of faults are too many to list....