Bright Construction Group

Although Bright Construction Group's proposal was slightly higher than another proposal we received, our meeting with the owner, Mr. Rui Domingues, was instrumental in our decision to hire his group.  His professionalism shone through our conversation, and his description of his company gave us a good feeling for the way he runs his business.  Even though it meant more work for his crew, his suggestion that we use a round shape in the backyard patio was excellent.
 Also, we felt comfortable in our dealings with the company whenever we contacted them.  There was always a person answering calls, which I believe is the exception in this cell-phone-reliant era, and they called us to let us know the timeline for the start of our project. .
 The crew arrived when we were told they would the previous day.  The crew chief, Rui Vicente, couldn't have been nicer or more efficient.   The walkway, driveway, and patio look great.    We wholeheartedly recommend Mr. Domingues's group to anyone who needs similar work done to his/her yard.

Overall we were very impressed with Bright Masonry.  In the process of providing an estimate, both George and Rui (who came back later to answer additional questions) were very professional and as prompt as they could be.  They were also very honest and it was clear they were working in our best interest and identifying an approach that was as economical as possible, and not trying to suggest more elaborate options that would also cost more. 
Once we agree the right option, the process for reviewing the quote and scheduling the work was very easy and the folks at the office were very helpful.  The scheduler even worked with us to prioritize our job in consideration of a shed we were due to have delivered. 

The experience with the construction crew was great.  Unfortunately they were a bit late in arriving which is only a issue if you're staying home from work to wait for them.  But once they got started the team was very professional and took the time to understand the finer details of what we expected.  We were particulary impressed that they crafted an angled brick transition from the alley up to the new brick patio/driveway. 
The final result was one that we felt was of high quality and great value.

On May 31 we had an estimator spend an hour or more assessing and discussing the work we needed and various options.  One week later, after not receiving an estimate, I called the company and they said they'd get it to me right away.  Still no estimate came so I called again and they said they'd get it to me the next day.  
As of June 20 A.M. we still have no estimate.
If a company is so unresponsive that they cannot even provide an estimate they either don't need the work or are substantively deficient in some way.  It would therefore be way too risky to contract with them to do any work.  Would they even show up to begin?  Would they start and then stop the work? Would they take my money and not perform?  Who knows?

I got a call back from Pam that very same day, as well as a confirmation email, stating the time  that Mr. Domingues himself would be coming by to do the estimate.   On said day, I came home early from work and waited for him to show up at the appointed time.  When he didn't show up after 15 minutes, I called the office to find out whether he'd been delayed in traffic or was perhaps running late with another client.  Whoever answered the phone said he didn't know, but would call me back.  Turns out that Mr. Domingues was stuck in traffic as the presidential motorcade passed by.  The courtesy of a simple phone call from his car would've been appreciated as I had taken time out from work to get home to meet him.  Instead, the individual in the office called me back to let me know what was going on.  When Mr. Domingues finally showed up,  I asked him why he didn't think to call me and he couldn't really give me a good answer.  Instead, he offered to show me photos of the motorcade taken from his cellphone.  The very same cellphone he could've used to call and explain. Maybe business is so good that they can pick and choose their clients, but I did not appreciate his cavalier attitude and lack of professionalism and, while his estimate was reasonable, there is no way we will be using Bright Masonry any time in the future. 

George, the estimator they sent out, seemed extremely knowledgeable and experienced, and came up with creative, money-saving options for us to consider that would have been cheaper than what we had initially planned on doing. He also sent us a written estimate before any of the other companies we contacted (several of which also came out the same day as them). We are currently leaning towards not proceeding with this work, since -- even with George's creative ideas -- we realized the work we were interested in doing was much more expensive than we had initially thought it would be. Instead, we're leaning towards just power-washing our stoop, repainting it, and planting shrubs around it and hoping nobody notices the cracks on the sides. :)

While the estimators were very late for the 1st appointment, I liked how they seemed to understand what we wanted and worked with us to flesh out the hazier details.  I appreciated the sketch work and the ease of making adjustments to the design, even though we had to pay extra for changes beyond the 2nd pass.  The work proceeded fine and even exceeded my expectations for how they made off-kilter lines of the various walkways fit seamlessly together.  The only thing I did not like (after the fact) was what I call "clown grass," cheap grass seeds they put down to cover newly exposed dirt areas.  Seemed like a good idea at the time, but the grass is a poor match w/the fescue we have around it.  It grows way faster and choppier than fescue, so looks pretty stupid and needs to be removed.  Plus, I had the guys remove some old fencing and they did a great job at that and did not charge much for the add-on job.

Same as above

We emailed Bright Construction Group at the email address provided on the estimate on 3/17, requesting that the painting task be redacted, and the discount applied. 

On 3/22, having received no response, we emailed them again, reminding them.  On 3/23, we received a response saying only that the office would remind the estimator the next day.

On 3/31, we had still not heard from Bright Construction Group, so I sent them another email, letting them know that I could still consider an estimate if I received it by close of business on 4/2.  I still have never heard back from them, so I am taking my business elsewhere.

Outstanding experience!
 
Stephen, our Bright contact person, appeared on time for his first visit--to inspect the job and discuss design and material options. He also provided literature on stone type and color options. Within a few days I received a proposed design and cost estimate via email. I was already very impressed but decided to wait until I completed scheduled visits for designs ideas and estimates from other contractors. (Bright was the first to visit.) Two of the other three potential contractors were also impressive, but Bright offered the best price by far and was the only one to provide helpful literature. That literature made it easier for us to choose a stone color and type, and also made it easier for us to get approval by our development's architectural review board.
 
Stephen and the crew showed up early on the day the job was scheduled to begin. The crew was very professional and technically skilled. I noticed they were very careful about using the level frequently and in the way they prepared the base and set the stone pavers. On day 1 they worked until about 7:00 pm so they could complete one phase of the job. The regraded the area, spread grass seed and cleaned up thoroughly when the work was finished.

Stephen visited several times each day and was always available via his cell phone when he was absent. For example, I was concerned that the crew had begun to lay stone for the walkway but did not seem to be installing the border we had discussed. I called Stephen and he explained the work sequence that would lead to the border installation. He encouraged me to call again if I had any questions. Stephen estimated the job would take 2-3 days and they finished in 2 days. The final invoice arrived via email about 10 days after the job was completed.

We could not be happier with the result.

We got an estimate from Stephen when he was working with our neighbor.  After signing the contract the demo started in two weeks and the driveway was poured the next day.  The crew worked hard and was very professional.  They cleaned up when the job was done, hosing off the apron and street and planting new grass along the edges of the new driveway.  We are very pleased with their work and would definitely use them again.

Overall very good job; efficient.  I would make sure you get a start date from the scheduler/estimator.  It took me a bit of time to get that done, but once we locked in on a date, they arrived on time and finished the job as promised.  Foremen and crew were great; willing to work with you to make sure the job was done to your liking.

This is a very friendly and hardworking company.  The work they did on our home was outstanding and everyone we met on their crew was incredibly nice and most importantly - skilled in their work.   We will be tackling another project in our home next year and will not hesitate to call them.

That being said, they are a bit disorganized and it affects their ability to communicate effectively.  My family has been in the construction industry for a few years (NYC), so it was no surprise... this is common with a lot of smaller construction firms and even a few big ones.  On a smaller job, this is not an issue, although it can be a little annoying - just breath deeply ;)...  on larger (multi-week jobs), you will need to call your lead leading up to the project to make sure everything is on track(Important), meet the foreman/crew the day the project is started to go over the details in your contract (make sure you have a detailed contract - Bright was very good about this - another reason we liked them) and finally, call periodically to just review which construction phase they are in and it wouldn't be a bad idea to review the details of that phase - we did this with the on-site foreman, as it was easier than communicating with the office.  Worked well. 

Overall, We are very pleased with how the project turned out and would use them again without a second thought.

They're price was much less than other estimates, but comparable to what is offered commercially. They gave us an estimated start date, but did not call the day before as promised.  So they had to move things that I?d promised to get out of the way.   Excavation, framing, and pouring went as promised.  They did what was asked, but should have recommended a wider parking pad.  14 feet is just too much of a squeeze for two cars.   I?d definitely use them again on another job.

Can't say enough good things about this company. Outstanding performance from initial contact and interview to completion of the projects.

After a terrible experience with Scott Services (they had not replaced our driveway apron 3 months after we had contracted for it to have been done, and had left an open hole at the foot of our driveway from a week before Thanksgiving until Dec 7, had let the permit expire and failed 5 of the 6 points for inspection by the County), we called Bright.  They called me back within 15 minutes, I spoke with an estimator, upon giving them the "green light" they pulled a permit that day, finished the excavation the previous company had done poorly, received inspection green light from the County, poured the concrete and cleaned up all in one day!!  Their guys, who were incredibly friendly and diligent, were still working at 8:30pm.  I was SO impressed.  Their responsiveness, thorough and high-quality job as well as friendly, courteous and cleanly workers make me highly endorse their service!!  I would absolutely use them again, and have been telling EVERYONE how great they are!!

I found them on Angie's List.  I was completely happy with them.  They did what they were supposed to do.  They came in at a reasonable price and I was happy.  Everything was perfect from start to finish.  Their price was far better than another price that I had agreed to with.  I landed up getting my deposit back from the first company because they were twice as expensive and they were not going to do all of the work.  Bright Masonry Inc was excellent.  The staff was very, very friendly.  The only grieve I've got against them and it's not really a grieve.  When I had asked for bids from 3 different places, I hadn't heard back from them.  I just thought that they blew me off which was done by one company as they did not give me anything.  I went with the first company.  They gave me a bid which was twice as expensive, but I didn't know that until I got a bid from Bright.  They took a long time getting their bid to me.  I had already put a deposit down on somebody else.  They were slow to get the bid to me.  I just went with another company because they were late getting back to me, but I was able to work it out.  Everybody was professional.  They did a great job.  They cleaned up and they were friendly.  Everything was fine.  I would use them again in the future.

Great!

On time.  Very professional.

The finished product looks great.
The work only took 2 days.
But they did not save any extra soil as we requested.

A mix-up in the starting date delayed the work by two days, but once it was started it all went very quickly.  We incorporated some of the suggestions Mr. Domingues made regarding trim along the driveway and extended it down to the sidewalk and around the front of a flower bed, which will help with dirt erosion.  We almost didn't get the rebar put into the driveway, which was on our contract slip, but my husband noticed and it was put in.  We also vetoed having the driveway broken into 15 sections, as opposed to the six listed on the contract but, again, that was taken care of.  (We were happy that we had been at home to notice those things, however.)

The garden wall, consisting of pavers with caps came out beautifully and the workers worked closely with us to make sure it was constructed the way we wanted it to be.  We were able to watch as the work was done and were very impressed with how diligently everyone worked during one of the hottest days of the year.  They obviously knew what they were doing and were professional all the way to the clean-up.  Mr. Domingues came by on the final day to inspect the work and make sure that we were pleased with it.    I would definitely use Bright again as well as recommend them.  

Lots of compliments from the neighbors!

The work done by Stephen, his crew chief Santos, and his crew was exceptional.  They took great care in removing the old concrete, protecting the existing drain, stairs and wall, building a form around the drain to accomodate the existing iron drain cover and pouring the concrete so that water would channel to the drain.  Their finish work on the concrete was precise.  All of this was done with the temperature in the mid to high 90s.  All of them were obviously highly skilled and worked together as a well organized team.  The professionalism and skill of the crew made the project a rewarding experience.  We cannot praise them enough.

Getting the initial estimate from the company also went well.  The estimator arrived as scheduled, was very professional, and gave a detailed estimate.

On the other hand, after receiving the intial estimate, the responsiveness of the company was frustrating in getting the work scheduled.  Work was to begin within 4 to 6 weeks of recipt of deposit.  An email acknowledged receipt of the deposit and said to let them know if we needed an earlier start date and they would make a "best effort to attend your expectations".  We called and said we would like the job scheduled as early as possible or at least narrow down the time in which the work would be done.  The individual said he would pass the message to customer service and someone would call us back.  No call came.  As the sixth week approached we called on July 8, 11, 13, and July 18 and in each case were told they would get back to us not later than the next day with info on the start date.  It was not until July 18 that we finally received a call back with a start date.

Based on the quality of the work, we would hire them again.  Based on the hassle of getting a response on scheduling the work, we would not.

It went very well. They were excellent.

As stated above - I would NEVER use nor recommend this company. 

The only negative part of the entire experience with Bright Construction happened after the down payment was made.  It was difficult to get the scheduling person to respond to requests to set a firm construction date.  Consequently, I had to badger the office for two weeks to get a date set.  However, once the date was set, the rest of the experience was great (see below).

The foreman showed up on time.  We reviewed the scope of quoted work, and verified boundary lines of the new driveway and new patio.  At that point, the construction team arrived and received direction from the foreman.  Though the foreman did not stay at the property, he did provide a business card with his cell phone, and directed me to call if i had any issues or concerns (FYI, i never needed to call). 

The construction team got to work removing the old driveway, pulling up the bricks (which were to be reused as part of the patio refurbishment effort), excavating the soil (to the required depth) in both the driveway and patio area, and prepared the concrete forms.  By late afternoon, the patio and driveway areas were ready for concrete.  I was originally told that the concrete pouring would not occur until the second day.  However, the construction team made so much progress on the first day that the concrete pour was able to start on the first day; the concrete truck left around dinner time.  I noticed that the workers took great care in smoothing, forming, and trimming the concrete.  Day 1 ended with a fantastic looking driveway being to cure.

On day 2 (the last day), the team returned early in the morning to finish the patio.  The re-installation of the bricks on top of the new crushed rock and concrete surface lasted until early afternoon.  The new brick patio looks very nice and feels firm (no loose bricks).  

Overall, I give the quality of the concrete work an "A" and the masonry work a "A-".  WIth that said, I have no regrets choosing Bright Construction.

Lastly, the clean up performed by the crew was amazing.  All of the old debris and left over materials (including the left over bricks from the old patio that I didn't want) were hauled away.  The crew used my hose to wash all the dirt off of the patio and driveway, swept the area, and even wiped down my shed where some dirt and concrete drops had fallen.  I can't stress how much effort was given to clean the areas before the crew left at the end of each day.

Tony, of Bright Construction, was one of the contractors we checked with in doing our project.  He was professional but very curt and short with his visit.  We found his price to be a bit high as it didn't include any paving of bricks or flagstones, however we didn't ask to include that in the proposal -- so that's through no fault of theirs.  I felt that there were no connection so we didn't use him.