Ray Cordova Construction & Remodeling

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The work was completed in one day as had been scheduled.  We're very happy with the carpet and the baseboard molding looks great.

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This company is also doing business as Ray Cordova Construction and Remodeling.
(Please refer to my report re: Ray Cordova Construction and Remodeling.)

Raymond Cordova was the contractor and Joseph (his brother-in-law) was his helper.
The following explanations are regarding the indicated ** Performance ratings**.

"A" - Responsiveness and Punctuality:
- Raymond arrived promptly to evaluate the project and to make a bid.
During our discussion, Raymond recommended 'minimal' and 'best' solutions re:
- the repair of the existing water and weather damaged siding;
- the prevention of future damages; and
- the exterior painting project.
- Raymond called with a verbal bid: labor cost ($1875) and estimated material costs ($400).
- Raymond called a few days later to inform me that his recommended paint was on sale.
- The next day Raymond arrived promptly with a handwritten contract.
Raymond and I discussed the contract and made changes agreed upon by both of us.
- Each day Raymond and his helper promptly arrived together for work.
They took a reasonable break each morning and afternoon and a 1/2 hour lunch.
They worked steadily until the end of their day (usually 8:00 am to 4:30 pm).
- With my approval (while Joseph continued working on my project) ....
Raymond left one time to bid on another job .... and .... on the last day ...
Raymond left for a few hours to do Phase 1 work on another job.
- Throughout the project, Raymond and Joseph were polite and courteous.

"A" - Quality:
- Raymond did "excellent" work re:
carpentry - woodworking - siding - and - the handyman aspects of the project.
- Joseph did "excellent" work re:
exterior paint preparations (caulking, taping); and the majority of the
exterior painting including all of the trim work.
- Joseph double checked his own work as he went along.
- He minimized splattering and cleaned up incidents at the time they occured
except for a spill on a solar screen that requires a special product
to prevent damage to the screen.
- Joseph and I together inspected his work and he remedied areas
we agreed needed redo/touch-up work.
- Raymond did "fair" work re:
exterior painting of the garage door, the peak above the garage door,
the dormers, and some of the overhangs and siding.
(see comment #2 re: Professionalism)

"B" - Professionalism:
1) Raymond expressed in writing and verbally his desire to do all work to
"the satisfaction of the customer".
2) Raymond is very knowledgable and experienced re: carpentry, wood framing
and siding. At the store, we discovered that the store didn't carry the siding
needed to match the existing siding on the house. Raymond advised me
re: the differences in quality of the siding available including the benefits
of the available Hardie board/plank product. I decided to go with the Hardie
product. Raymond selected all of the other materials/supplies needed to
make the necessary repairs re: the water damage at the back of the house
and the Handyman tasks.
3) Raymond was not as knowledgeable re: the exterior painting.
He recommended Behr Premium "Ultra" (primer/paint all-in-one) exterior paint.
While Raymond was painting the garage door ... I noticed that the paint didn't
appear to be adequately covering the surface and the paint looked streaky.
Raymond immediately touched up the areas pointed out to him and asked
me to be sure to point out any other problems that I noticed. After several
more areas of inadequate paint coverage were pointed out to him ...
Raymond checked with Joseph to see if he was having the same problem.
Joseph had initially experienced the same difficulty but had resolved the
problem by loading his brush more fully. Enquiries at the store resulted
in learning that the "Ultra (all-in-one)" designation did not mean that only
one coat of paint would be adequate (as Raymond had mistakenly thought)
... and ... two coats of paint would most likely be required to provide
adequate coverage. Unfortunately ... by the time this misunderstanding
of the Ultra designation was discovered ... the paint sale was over and all
additional paint was more costly. Eventually I suggested to Raymond
that perhaps they should complete the painting and then Raymond could
perform an inspection of the results to determine what needed to be done
to complete the work to his "professional level of satisfaction" before I did
any further inspections myself ... however ... Raymond preferred that I
continue to do the inspecting to my level of "customer satisfaction" and then,
at the end of the painting work, they would redo/touch-up whatever I requested.
After the third trip to the store for additional paint, my project funds were depleted.
The last can of paint purchased was used to finish painting the last of all surfaces
... however ... there wasn't sufficient enough paint or time left to redo/touch-up
all areas of inadequate coverage ... therefore ... I requested that the balance
of the paint be used on the most critical areas for weather protection.
Joseph continued to inspect his own work and proceeded accordingly.
Raymond continued to rely on me to point out areas for him to redo/touch-up.
4) The screens re: the covered porch windows were not able to be put back on
before the end of the last day of work (the trim paint had not had time to
adequately dry). Although Raymond had another project that he needed to
begin the next day, he indicated that he would be happy to return
at a later date to put the screens on ... however ... that wasn't necessary
because I knew how to put the screens back on myself.
5) Three days after all of the paint was completely dry, more areas needing
redo/touch-up were visible than what I had noticed while the paint was
still wet during the last rushed day of the project. Most of the areas are
where the paint was put on by Raymond when he was thinking that only
one coat of paint was necessary to do the job.
In conclusion:
Raymond would have gotten an "A" performance rating re: Professionalism:
- If he had checked into the siding availability and cost before I went with him
to purchase materials/supplies for the project.
- If he had accurate knowledge (or experience) re: the paint he specified
for the project.
- If he had been more conscientious re: his painting and conducted his own
inspections of his work as he went along (in which case he would
have discovered the inadequate coverage problem himself and he could
have informed me of the problem instead of me discovering it myself).
- If he had offered to return at a later date to finish doing the remaining known
necessary redo/touch-up work ... and ... to inspect all painting after it dried
to determine if any additional unknown redo/touch-up work was needed.
Such an offer would have alleviated my concerns re: the known and
unknown inadequately covered and streaky painted areas ... and ... it would
have reassured me of his desire to achieve "customer satisfaction".