ELITE CUSTOM EXTERIORS

We have had a horrific experience with Ivory Homes and the contractor that did our exterior, Elite Exteriors, Inc.  I would give zero stars if possible.  The contractor not only used a different material for our exterior trim than what was promised in the real estate agreement, but they also installed it incorrectly by failing to prime and paint it according to the manufacturer's instructions (thereby voiding the manufacturer's warranty at the time of installation).  They did not prime the boards, did not use the correct type of paint, did not paint all the exposed edges of the boards (the bottoms of the boards are completely unprimed and unpainted), and did not tilt the window sills down to allow water to run off the surface.  The result is that we have horrible looking exterior trim that deteriorated rapidly and needed complete replacement by the second year.  Both Ivory and Elite claimed that we were outside of the warranty period, and the manufacturer will do nothing because the warranty was voided by improper installation.  However we persevered and continued to complain about the problem frequently, so last year they did us the "courtesy" (in their words) of replacing just the window sill boards and then caulking and painting them.  This so-called "repair" was done with the lowest quality workmanship possible, and now our windows look even worse than before.  The worker who did the "repair" did not even make a reasonable attempt to match the color or lustre of the paint, so you can see the difference in color and sheen even across the street!  He also did not even attempt to smooth out the caulking, so we have hideous fat beads of crooked and bumpy caulking that were allowed to dry that way and simply painted over!  Elite Exteriors should be ashamed to admit that this was their handiwork, because no one would ever believe a professional had done it.  Ivory should be ashamed that they allowed a contractor to pass off such ridiculous workmanship.  Since the time of the "repair," the trim has continued to deteriorate and some of our water table trim board is now falling off because it is so warped and swollen by water damage.  Meanwhile, the window trim boards that were not replaced have continued to swell and crack around the sill boards that were replaced, making the whole "repair" even more worthless than it already was because the surrounding window trim is a water-damaged disaster.  Plus the newer sill boards were made of a similar material to the original boards (a low quality engineered wood board, which is similar to particleboard and not very weather-resistant even if treated properly), and the paint is already beginning to flake off after less than one year.  Most likely they did not follow manufacturer's instructions on those boards either.  We are still pursuing the issue with both companies although they refuse to do anything.  They are very difficult to work with and sometimes seem to intentionally misrepresent facts in the hopes that we might fall for it and give up, for instance they are now stating that we have fiber cement board siding when that is not remotely true and in the past they even told us what brand the products were (TruWood and MiraTEC).  Lest I forget to mention it, we live in a community called Garden Park, which is a 55+ community intended for seniors, and many of our neighbors are having the same problems because Elite did their exteriors too.  Unfortunately, they are having even less success than we've had at getting the problems resolved.  In a community that is touted as "maintence-free" in its marketing and by its salespeople, one would expect a lower level of maintenance than the average home, but in fact they have been abnormally high maintenance homes in many ways. Many of the residents here are elderly and unable to deal with this kind of trouble in what was supposed to be a low maintenance retirement home.  Ivory Homes and Elite Exteriors should be ashamed of how they have treated this senior community.  To anyone who reads this, do yourself a favor and don't ever buy a home in Garden Park, or an Ivory Home in general, or a home with exteriors done by Elite -- it will only cause you grief and might even give you a stress-induced heart attack.

I needed some exterior remodeling. I called around. Got some referrals from a salesman at a builder supply distribution company. Who better to recommend a good, quality contractor? Interviewed a bunch of people. Got a lot of bids...
Just about pulled the trigger on vinyl. Ended up with the fine folks at Home Depot. Quality products, lifetime guaranty on materials and workmanship. Big name to stand behind my investment. In the end, I was too snobbish to drape vinyl on my home.
Found Elite. Very soft sale from Dave Gile. They do a lot of new construction. They've worked for every large builder in the Salt Lake Valley. Worked with me on design although all I really needed to do was look at one of their catalogs and point to a picture and say, "Make my house look like this one." I'm not too picky except when it comes to women.
I had them re-roof. The previous owner had shopped roofers and had given me a name and price expectation. They had to take the roof down to the plywood. Elite came in under what I expected and did a fabulous job! All the vents on the roof were replaced.
The re-wrap took some time. Mostly weather delays and I wasn't in any hurry. I made some changes because I didn't like the way the bay window turned out. Chose Hardy Board. The trim was done with a manufactured wood product. The painters were all of three days. Elite wrapped the exterior beams, did a great job with the trim work around the windows and capped the chimney with an aluminum hood.
I had them replace or cover soffit and facia. Their metal guy did the work on a fancy home I built in 2002. He's a craftsman! I replaced the rain gutter. It all turned out phenomenal!
I worked with their "fix-it" guy. He took care of all of the miscellaneous stuff that I wasn't 100% about. The siding guys had beat up my new shingles when they were doing the upper story. Asphalt shingles tend to become delicate in the middle of the summer. They used four bundles of shingles to replace those that were damaged.
I had Elite replace the garage window.
Like with anything, communication is essential. In the end, I think I chose the wrong color scheme. I would have liked the field to have better matched the used brick. Entirely my fault. This was a time I could have used some help from someone who knew what they were doing. Elite laid it in my lap which, I suppose, is where the decision for color choice should have been. I'll never make it as a designer.
They started mid-spring, finished late summer. I paid them half down, another 25% at one point when they neared completion, the other 25% when they were finished. Had I been in a bigger rush, it would have been completed far sooner. Had I been a squeaky wheel, it would have been finished far sooner. If I'd been a bigger jerk, it would have been completed quickly. 45-60 days maybe? I went into this thinking it would take what it would take. I wanted them to take their time and do a good job rather than rush things and cut corners.
The one thing that stands out most about my experience with Elite and the significant investment I've made in my home was Elite wanted my COMPLETE SATISFACTION as much, if not more, as they wanted payment for their services. I really felt that they were going to do whatever they needed to to make certain I was happy with my project. They demonstrated on numerous occasions their willingness to remedy anything that I wasn't happy with.
My home looks new. It would fit right in if I lived at Daybreak. I've got a maintenance-free exterior that, aside from some paint in the future, should last another 38 years and beyond. Their craftsmen were craftsmen. I paid less than I could have. I am delighted and would highly recommend Elite Custom Exteriors!

Quality work, very pleased.

The Sales man Dave is great until he gets the sale.  Then he is a missing person.  He will not return phone calls or inform the crew of what you had asked for or any specifics.

The crew that comes and does the work is great and does quaility work.

Their scheduling is a nightmare and they don't show up when they say they will.  If you speak directly with the foremen in charge they will give you the real story.

Just go directly to the foremen that handle the crews and you will be happy.  Don't expect anything from Dave.

One of the worst for messes. Did not clean up after themselves AT ALL. Left boxes, as well as, scrap everywhere. I found them in parade of homes magazine, as well as, other magazines. A discount was suppose to be given if you mentioned you saw there add in the magazine. Turns out you have to be more specific & mention that you want the 10% discount otherwise it will not be given. They had to come back twice to fix soffit & facia problems, it took them over 3 months to fix & complete the rain gutters. While waiting for the rain gutters to get fixed I had there accounting department call me several time requesting payment, every time I told them the job was not complete. They cut corners where they could & the result was disappointing. Not too happy with the job that was done. Would not recommend them. It was a mistake to think since they had done Parade of Homes houses that they would be good. As I learned through the process, working on a Parade of homes house does not mean anything.