Slocum Contracting

From my initial meeting with Justin Slocum to discuss the work I needed through the final wrap up, this project went very well. The crew painting the interior of my house was professional and did wonderful work. They were very easy to work with and the paint job looks great! Each night, the work areas were left clean and tidy. About our leak... the crew manager found the leak causing the mold and was able to fix that problem, which was on the exterior of the house. It was nice being able to use Slocum contracting for the paint and then, when I needed exterior work, they were skilled in that area too. Of course, they remediated the mold too! I guess you can see, I am happy with the work that Slocum Contracting did and it was very good experience working with them.

I was very satisfied. They were here for three days. I was happy with all of their work. I had two offers, and they gave me the best price. That was one of the factors that made me go with them. I had not had any work done from them previously, and it turned out to be a good decision. I thought the price was reasonable. I really liked these people and they did a good job. They didn't give a set time when they were going to be here each day, their crews would just show up and work on the outside. I didn't factor in the responsiveness. I would say that they were very professional.

It went excellent and we will definitely be using Justin and Slocum again for future projects.

They did a good job.

The best thing about the service was the time that Justin took to educate me. He explained the exact nature of the painting process and helped me make sure that I got what I wanted. His crew was conscientious and hard working. They kept their work site, my house, neat and clean; they were on time and were respectful of my wife and children. Justin got the job done on time and on budget, including absorbing a cost overrun. Justin Slocum is an honest and forthright business man and I recommend him to all of my friends. By the way, the house looks Great!

unknown

unknown

Slocum Contracting just completed painting the exterior of our home. We are extremely pleased with the quality of the work and the professionalism of the owner, Justin Slocum, and his paint crew. We had over a dozen estimates from top rated Angie's list companies and Slocum Contracting was in the middle as far as price but the quality of the work is as good as it gets.
Justin made sure his crew used one of the best paints on the market, Sherwin Williams DURATION. The crew of Rod, Byron, Rudy, Esiu, and Trent worked around some very rainy periods to get the job done in time for a big family celebration.Although Justin crew did a few extra things over and above the scope of work in the contract, he didn't charge me for any of it.
I highly recommend Slocum Contracting to anyone who wants a quality job done at a very good price by professionals.
Thanks Justin, Rod, Byron, Rudy, Esiu and Trent for making our home look so beautiful!

unknown

unknown

unknown

I have a sunporch with a leaky roof.  This past summer, my husband and I made an appointment with Justin from Slocum, quick response rate.  We bought a deal for $599 and had two workers.  My husband and I, to cut down on time and expense, took off all the shingles  (double ply) and tar paper and hauled them out by ourselves.  The two workers took out four skylights, which was the problem of our leaks, and replaced two wooden plyboards that had gone soft, then reshingled.  They had to come back the next day to finish the job and charged me an extra $200.  On the first day of work, one of the workers told me I had to buy new flashing for the seam (for upper roof to meet bottom half), which I did.  The second day, there was a different worker, he said I didn't need the flashing.  Roof looked good, thought that was that, was planning on plastering and painting the indoor ceiling from all the leaks/stains.
But then it rained.  Rain POURED from THREE different spots from the ceiling- unbelievably, worse than when I had work done.  Called Justin, he sent someone to check it out, patched with a little tar.  Happened again next rain.  Then again.  Then it started pouring out of my recessed light fixture.  Had them come a FIFTH time to repair.  It's been raining heavy the last three days.  My ceiling has no pours anymore, but the water stains are damp.  So STILL NOT FIXED. I'm so sick of having this work "done".  Buyer beware.

Excellent job.   All done in 2 days....    Excellent prep work  and power wash too.   And agreed to wait until house was completely dry to start painting.

unknown

I should preface this review by stating I enjoy painting, have experience in both that and drywall repair (my father was a builder and carpenter.... picture Norm Abram).  Therefore, I expect a professional to do at least as good a job for which they are being paid that I myself can do for free.  The only reason I hired a professional in this instance is I was not physically able to paint the vaulted foyer and stairway myself and, in my opinion, there were some fairly tricky drywall repairs that I wasn?t comfortable attempting. 
I contacted Slocum in early June 2015 for an estimate.  Justin Slocum seemed to have some good ideas for the drywall and assured me he employed skilled drywall specialists.  The work was scheduled for early August and a few days before the start date I contacted Justin to confirm he was still on schedule and give him my paint colors, which I also texted to him at his request.  I  also reminded him we had added a door installation to the job and he said the painters were also skilled in that work.  The morning of the job, he called to ask for the paint colors, having no memory of our conversation and stating the texts must have gone to his ?old phone?.  I re-texted the info. 
Since Justin and I had talked at length about what needed to be done and the estimate listed each item needing attention, I assumed that had all been communicated to the crew.  When the painters arrived it was quickly evident they had no clear idea of just what work was to be done other than painting.  I had to point out every repair area and walk through everything that Justin and I had discussed.  They did not have the necessary materials for two of the drywall areas. One they were able to do in a different manner and the other the foreman had to make a trip to Lowes, which slowed things down that day. 
After they left on the first day, I went around and inspected the work and found several areas missed or poorly done as well as damage done to a stair banister railing.  I called Justin and requested he come by the next morning before they began painting so we could discuss these issues as I wasn't sure the painters really understood what they were supposed to do.  I also stated I did not think the painters were skilled enough to do the door install.  Justin had again forgotten about the door but  said he would have one of his "master carpenters" come the next day to do that. 
Justin arrived mid morning, several hours after the painters, in a rather defensive mood and hurriedly walked through, asking me to point out the issues then talking over me with explanations or excuses for every one.  I again asked about the door and he had AGAIN forgotten about it and had to call his "master carpenter" while standing in my foyer to find out when he would be available.
The painters finished up that day.  They did a good job taping off and protecting the other areas of the house. The paint looks okay if you don't look too closely, though not what I expected from a professional..... my own lines are straighter (without tape) and all of the walls have roller fuzz on them (Cheap or incorrect rollers?  Rollers not properly primed?) including two hallways that I had ALREADY PAINTED that they, for some unknown reason, saw fit to repaint without my knowledge or permission.  I also had to later repaint several areas of trim that had wall paint slopped on to them.
 
You can see the edges on most of the drywall repairs, though it's not likely to be something the average person would notice.  Two of the 3 ceiling crack repairs have re-cracked and there is a section of ceiling that now looks worse than before, despite two attempts at correcting it. Justin and I had discussed this repair at length during our initial meeting and he assured me it could be corrected because "miracles can be worked with a little mud".  However, now, rather than two noticeable seams, I have a large, noticeable square-ish blob. 
When the door guy, Ken, arrived to install the door the next day, I asked if he had experience in door repair because I had been less than impressed with the painters from the day before and he chuckled and said "Yeah, he has trouble keeping painters".  Other than scratches on the hardware and paint where the door was laid face down on the gravel driveway at one point, the door does seem to have been installed correctly.  But, as with everything, time will tell.   
As soon as the door was completed, I received a call from Kim (or Kelly?  Can't remember the name) telling me she had just emailed me the invoice and asking if I could send a check for payment with Ken.  I told her I was on my way out the door as I was late for an appointment but would call her with my credit card info later that afternoon as soon as I returned.  As I was walking out to my car, Ken also asked if I was going to give him a check and I reiterated my conversation with Kim.  I then left.  When I returned and talked with Kim to make payment, I mentioned I wasn't pleased with the "blob" and wanted to give them the opportunity to correct it.  She said she would have Justin call me.  Immediately thereafter, Justin did call me, and insisted I let him send the same crew - that had already made 2 failed attempts to fix it - back the next day to do something with that patch. I asked if he had an experienced drywall specialist on his crew and he admitted he did not, just his 4 painters.  I opted not to give them another crack at making it worse.  He became quite angry, yelling and interrupting me anytime I tried to respond.  He also accused me of "running away" from Ken when he was trying to get payment and continued talking over me as I attempted to explain my conversation with Kim so I just let him rant awhile and told him I would schedule something just so I could get off the phone.  Needless to say, I did not have them back out and won't be calling Slocum for the additional carpentry work I have planned.
The D rating is mostly a reflection of dealing with Justin....he could use some people and organizational skills.  Really, the only reason it wasn't an F is the painting crew was friendly and definitely worked hard the entire time they were here. It is not their fault they were not properly prepped for the job and did not possess the skillset promised.  My only complaint about them would be they kept leaving the front door propped open after my asking them repeatedly to keep it closed so that the wasps didn't fly in and my cat would not escape. I had admittedly lost all patience by the 4th reminder.
So, if all you need is some paint slapped on the wall, are not very picky, and there's little chance of anything going wrong where you might have to suffer the wrath of Justin, then go ahead and give Slocum a call.
I fully expect Justin (or whomever) to respond to this review with his own, very different version of events.  I also imagine that response will be calm, rational, and measured.  As you read his words, imagine them being screamed at you over the phone by a very angry man.

unknown

unknown

unknown

.

justin and his team went the extra mile. They fixed a couple of broken boards, scraped and made the house look amazing!

unknown

Through the course of Slocum's work, I repeatedly found damaged original siding overlooked, often painting over these boards, rather than replacing them as agreed. In addition, I often found areas that were simply spray painted (not my method of choice), over debris and raw siding, with paint globs also left in some areas. As I had often found it necessary to advise Justin and his crew of these oversights, he became quite defensive and confrontational, causing me to dread bringing these issues to his attention. As a result, I don't feel that my concerns were fully met throughout the course of the project, and the entire job was rife with miscommunication.

While the house did get painted and is an improvement from it's original appearance, especially when viewing from the street, the work was overall sub-par. Prep work was minimal, and the attention to detail lacking. That said, Justin did make some attempt to address my concerns, with his crew being generally focused and hard-working.

June 7, 2015

In counter-response to Slocum Contracting, I would like to first address that in no way did Justin replace 35 hardy plank boards free of charge. This would be an absurd assumption to expect as such. In reality, the boards were actually portioned and pieced together to replace specific problem areas. Because much of the overall siding was done in this manner, only a small portion of these boards were not included in the original cost.

In addition, contrary to Justin's allegation with the manner in which his employees were treated, nothing could be further from the truth. As is my nature, I had always shown complete kindness and respect for Justin's crew, often giving words of encouragement, and on occasion, to offer refreshments.

There is no balance due, as Justin chose to terminate the job before it was satisfactorily completed, and agreed to thereby, negate any further financial obligation.

As a follow-up, within only a few months following Slocum's work, a few newly replaced boards have come loose from the house, as well as some newly painted areas on the front porch rails have already started to chip, undoubtedly due to poor prep work. In addition, there are areas on both the front and back porch/deck, where painting had been overlooked altogether.

This reflects poorly on Slocum Contracting, who in addition to having installed the new storm door improperly, also had overlooked painting the frame for the newly installed front entry-way door. This has ultimately left me with a fair amount of work left to complete on my own. Not good!

October 9. 2015

As a third follow up one year later, I have since discovered the stain Slocum Contracting applied to my front country style porch and rear deck, to be showing wear, with the front porch steps in particular showing excessive wear. Although I had purchased the premium Baer Marquis stain and paint as mentioned earlier, which has a minimum twenty year guarantee, apparently the product was applied incorrectly by Slocum Contracting. While only one coat of stain was applied to both areas, according to Baer, whom I had since contacted, it was strongly advised that a sealant be applied on the cleaned porch/deck surface, followed by TWO coats of stain to withhold their guarantee. I had even suggested a second coat be applied at the time, but the painter insisted that this one coat would be sufficient.  As a result, I now find it necessary to either hire another painter, or sand and refinish both front porch and rear deck myself, in order to maximize this product.

As if this were not bad enough, most recently, with the review of my home by two individual licensed contractors, I had learned that the siding used by Slocum Contacting was NOT hardy plank per written contract, but rather an inferior product called Abitibi, which is a Masonite type siding consisting of particle board. This type of siding is known to eventually crumble and disintegrate upon contact with moisture, ie with rain and humidity. This was one of the key reasons for re-siding my home in the first place, having had moisture damage to much of my existing Masonite siding. Because I did not want to deal with this issue again, as well as for maximum durability, it was suggested by several contractors, including Slocum, that Hardy plank be the obvious choice.

As these contractors had confirmed, because Hardy plank is only manufactured in an 8 1/4" beaded board, the 9" beaded boards used, (with a 1" overlap), could NOT possibly be Hardy plank. To further back up both contractor's claims, I contacted a couple of licensed dealers of Hardy plank who confirmed the specifications for both it, and the Abitibi, (Masonite), which was apparently used instead. Although this concern had come up initially before hiring Slocum, due to another contractor's observation, Justin assured me that the replaced siding would be the agreed upon Hardy plank, as the contract clearly reflects. In addition, while some of the replaced boards are already showing indications of moisture damage and coming loose, one replaced board in particular, is most noticeably buckling, and pulling away from the house. As one of the contractors had noted, this was due to moisture, undoubtedly from the summer humidity, causing the particle board to swell in a now, too tight space and to ultimately, buckle. This in itself, is a sure sign of the much inferior Abitibi/Masonite particle board used, and not Hardy plank, as the latter is inflexible, being made from concrete, and therefore, impervious to moisture.

I dare say, the idea of having to re-side and paint my home a second time due to this sub quality siding used in lieu of the contracted Hardy plank, as well as the overall shoddy workmanship by Slocum Contracting, is most daunting.

Having made several attempts to contact Justin, all to no avail, speaks volumes as to his standing in this matter. As a result of this most recent discovery, all avenues will assuredly be taken for this breach of contract, and to bring this unscrupulous and unethical person, Justin Slocum, and his company to justice

November 10, 2015

To address Justin Slocum's most recent response, whether he had come to the house and had taken pictures, is something I was not made aware of. To the best of my ability, I DO NOT remember any such conversation having taken place in regard to switching siding material back to the same inferior particle board product I was replacing. Especially when I was still charged, (and paid), for the more expensive HardiePlank siding contracted. Again, it wasn't until the first part of 10/15 that the two licensed contractors I had at my home, (on two separate occasions), noted the inferior wood siding Slocum used instead. In addition, as their letters will testify, both contractors noted improper installation of the replaced siding, butting the boards up together, without allowing the required 3/16" for expansion due to humidity. This ultimately led to noticeable buckling on a few of the boards as mentioned before. In addition, much of the replaced siding was installed loosely, allowing for air and moisture to get in from under the boards.

As was also determined be these two contractors in addition to most recently, a third contractor from Lowe's, the painting was far less than adequate. Prep work was apparently lacking, as noted by these contractor's, who stated that the paint was applied extremely thin, having used a sprayer, (in lieu of brushes), creating thousands of tiny air bubbles throughout the surface, and leaving a rough, very textured surface, in addition to painting over dirt and debris. Caulking was also of issue, having missed many areas that should have been covered.

In an attempt to resolve these issues, and more, with Justin, I had initially requested reimbursement for this sub-par, (and not what I paid for) siding, painting/s

From time of estimate to completion of job, Slocum Contracting was a top-notch contractor. The crew always showed up when they said they would, paid attention to detail, asked questions instead of assuming if uncertain, and thoroughly cleaned up and returned furniture to original locations prior to leaving each day. It was easy to see that they take pride in their work and go above and beyond to ensure their customers are happy throughout the entire process. I highly recommend this contractor and have already requested a quote for additional work.  

I purchased a deal from the company.

Workers arrived on time. Were very fast and neat. Accomplished more in a couple of hours than I would have all day.