E and L Builders

unknown

Lots of mistakes during building process.

Working with Clark to fix issues with Heating and Air system and gaps in hardwood floor.

Not
very responsive lately.  Let me know if you are considering using E
& L and need more info.  I have lots of interesting and strange
stories about our dealings with Clark.

For example:

After
Clark finished the second floor several cracks appeared over about 4
months in our walls on the first floor.  Clark said he wanted to wait
until 12 months have passed before coming and fixing the cracks.  Then
after 12 months he told us the cracks were not the result of the new
floor being added, he said they were the result of the first floor
settling.  I thought that was very strange, because they did add 15 tons
of weight on top of our house.  He insisted that the weight was so well
distributed, that it didn't cause the cracks.  I told him that I
thought settling was when the ground (after being recently dug up for
the foundation) settled and caused the house to move slightly and this
could cause cracks.  He said, "yes, your first floor is settling and its
not the addition that is causing it".  I told him I thought it was
strange for a house built in 1964 to just now decide to settle.  Again
he insists that the new cracks were not the result of his work.  Very
strange.

The heat pump Clark added freezes up and makes a lot of
noise during damp and cold nights.  He says there is nothing wrong with
it.  I have googled this and see it is a common issue when the defroster
is defective.

Another quick example is the hardwood floors have a
4 mm crack right down the seam of the two halves of the modular.  Clark
is saying that we need to use a humidifier and it will go away.  It is
clear that it is the result of the modular shifting (also probably the
same cause of the cracks downstairs).

They were very professional, high quality, very accommodating to anything we wanted done differently and things that had an error in them, they fixed it.

. While we had some initial glitches getting plans finalized and materials selected and ordered, which caused some delays, once that was done, the installation went smoothly and execution was fantastic. the company president Clark Crews, paid personal attention to the job, and fixed things when small problems arose. The job took longer than initially estimated, but the job also was happened right during the 2010 "snowmageddon" storm. While the main work crew was polite and respectful of our house, I did think they could have put down some additional dust covers in the rooms right around the work area. Otherwise quality of their work and the work of their tile subcontractor was high. The final bill came in right about the initial estimate, even when the company took care of some additional little fixes that we discovered after demo. Clark was responsive and quickly returned all calls, and made sure all little finishings were taken care of even after the main job was done. I would definitely hire E&L again.

E&L Builders handled our tear down and new build for stem to stern. OUr situtation was a little weird, but E&L took us on with enthusiam and focus. Our design was approved by Arlington Permits in May, the house was demolished un July, the modular home arrived in August and we occupied by Thanksgiving. What a whilrwind and all down very well. They handled all aspects of design documents, permit review, project coordination and supervision of final inspections. Clark from E&L was our main contact and was steadfast in keepingour project on track while his company was in their biggest year for projects. So we intejected our proejct into their 2005 work plan and they handled our project alongside everything else. They did a great job and were totally stand up. We would recommend E&L to anyone thinking of a modular building project and we would be happy to entertain a visit to our home to see the results of what we consider a quality project.

We met E&L Builders at the Sept 2009 Home Expo at Dulles Expo Center. We selected E&L over 3 other companies we had also met at the Expo, mainly because of the sense of trust that they instilled in us. We were not sorry. E&L was willing to work within our very tight budget for a full kitchen remodel when most other companies laughed at us. At first, there were some misunderstandings with their design and sales rep over flooring budgets that were eventually resolved; we believe a turn-over in personnel led to this. This misunderstanding and resulting miscommunications contributed to a delay in some of the work, and the bulk of the project lasted 5 weeks vs. the anticipated 3 weeks. The quality of the work that was done, however was very good, both the work that E&L did themselves, and the work of their cabinetry and tiling subcontractors. There were a few small issues that had to be addressed before the project could be fully completed, but E&L continued to work the issues until they were fully resolved. It took some time, but they stayed in touch and remained professional throughout. We were really pleased at the hands-on approach of company president Clark Crews. His crew was courteous and friendly.