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"Although we contracted and made an initial payment (1/3) on February 27, by mutual agreement the work began on 13 April 2015 to allow the work-site to dry out from the winter weather.  The contractor made incredible progress in the first two weeks demolishing the old deck & garage porch, pouring footers, raising the frame & putting on the roof.  The first crew was very hard working, here early in the morning, & leaving late in the afternoon (after cleaning up the area each day).  When rain was in the forecast, the crew would ask if they could make up the day on Saturday, which they did.  Everything we saw in the first 2 weeks was consistent with our previous great experience with Fox Creek 2 years earlier when they replaced all our siding, windows & doors. The only problem at that point was that a plain black roof (25 yr) was put on instead of the architectural roof (lifetime warranty) we asked for.  The contractor acknowledged the error and offered to replace the roof at no additional cost.  We had originally only contracted for 2 skylights so we asked if he'd install 2 more at no cost versus replacing the roof and he agreed.  We were told that everything was on schedule to complete the rest of the job in 2 weeks.  We made the second (of 3) payment on April 29 which was when the excavation work below the porch/deck was supposed to begin.  No one showed up to start this work for several days and when they did (it was a different crew from the first), they typically showed up around mid-morning and were gone by mid-afternoon.  We had beautiful weather during this period in which very little work got done.  The contractor claimed they were having trouble getting the supplier to deliver sand and crushed rock.  Since we're located in St. Mary's County which is a bit of a distance from the contractor's home base in Crownsville near Annapolis, they decided to use "local" suppliers & subcontractors (electricians) rather than those they normally use.  We found out later that the sand & gravel supplier was located in Brandywine about 40 miles from here (there are plenty of suppliers right here in the county).  When the sand & gravel finally showed up at 10:00 am one morning about the same time the crew arrived, the crew directed them to the spot they wanted it dumped and then everyone left shortly after that without doing anything.  We knew by then that the job wasn't going to be completed anywhere near the 3 & 1/2 week total time advertised.  The predictable springtime heavy rains started and we were delayed even more.  The week of May 11 was the first week we could see some progress each day.  The end product was beautiful.  A paver retaining wall was put in all around the perimeter below the deck/porch and in between the concrete slab under the porch and the pavered patio area below the deck.  

We couldn't understand why the remaining work on the porch above couldn't go on while the below work was going on.  Wiring had to be put in, and also all the finish work (soffets, gutters, trim work, ceiling made of soffet rolls - looks very nice).  Most of the holdup turned out to be waiting for the "local" electrician to show up.  The electrician (Goudie) wasn't really all that local but was from Waldorf 35 miles up the road.  Our contractor had to threaten, cajole and/or beg Goudie to show up and install wiring so that the finishing work could be done on the porch.  We begged our contractor to get another licensed electrician (there are plenty of good ones right here in the county that we've done business with).  Anyway, once the electrician showed up we had to get them back several more times because they'd forget to do something we'd asked for or they didn't have a part and we'd end up in the same waiting game.  They did end up getting shamed into sending an electrician on Sunday of Memorial Day weekend to put in 2 ceiling outlets they''d forgotten to put in, but we still didn't have any fans or lights to enjoy that weekend, by which time our contractor assured we'd be enjoying the porch.  You don't EVER want to do business with Goudie Electrical.  

To make a long story short, after a lot of nagging to get a lot of loose ends tied up, the work was finally finished and inspected the Thursday (the day) before this past 4th of July weekend.  The porch & deck are absolutely beautiful (we'll attach pictures if we can figure out how to do it - they will speak for themselves).  We got some extras that we asked for like 7" wide Azek boards along the tops of the vinyl railings inside the porch to serve as a counter top for setting drinks or small plates of food or snacks, which we've had a lot of nice compliments about.  They're the perfect height for pulling a barstool up to.  One of the things we didn't get that we expected was a decent landing area at the bottom of our deck stairs.  The crew threw grass seed and straw there.  When we asked about getting some sort of solid landing, they shoveled out the area and threw some leftover crushed rock on it and tamped it down.  When we asked if they were going to finish it (we told them they could use some of the many wall pavers that were left over) they said the wall pavers would require digging too deep. We offered to pick up (and did) some square flat stepping stones from Lowe's which we left for them.  One of the younger fellas who was there one day to meet with the inspector and had no tools just laid the stones down, stomped them down with his feet and let it go at that.  The area was not level and a downpour that evening directed a steady flow of water from the stones across our concrete slab.  We didn't bother asking again, just tore it up last weekend, leveled and tamped it down properly and reinstalled the stepping stones ourselves.

Our sense through this whole experience was that there was nobody in charge.  Besides the first crew that started the project and came later on one day to install all the soffets and gutters, it appeared to be young fellas without any on-site direction or supervision.  They did a lot of good work but there was a lot of unfinished work that we had to call our contractor up to get fixed.  If we lived closer to Annapolis or the DC metro area, this would probably have been a much better experience.  They do good work at a fair price and the owners are very honest people and have the best of intentions.  But they appear to be ill-equipped to do business in St. Mary's, southern Charles or Calvert counties or other more distant locations.  I did mention to the owner that if he wanted to do more business here he needed to do more to establish relationships with truly local suppliers and subcontractors.  Communications also need to be improved all around - with the crews, between the partners, with suppliers, subs and us, the customers.  We had the sense that the crews didn't really enjoy coming here and that we were kind of at the bottom of Fox Creek's list of priorities due to our distance from their home base.  As much as we love the final product and will enjoy it and show it off for a lifetime, we couldn't go through the aggravation again.  We would encourage folks from the Annapolis and metro DC areas who are considering a project like this (or folks who aren't in any kind of a hurry to get a project like this completed in a reasonable amount of time) to give Fox Creek serious consideration.  

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"10/10 recommend!!! After meeting with four different siding companies we are so happy we entrusted Stronghold Improvement to remodel our entire home's siding that was originally from the 1970's. Craig, Darwin, and their team of craftsmen were an absolute joy to work. They effectivley communicated the details of the project and the progress and were very efficient with the condensed timeline as we had a baby on the way. Their attention to detail was amazing and the final product far exceeded our expectations. Thank you so much Stronghold Improvement, we are looking forward to working with you again to complete future projects."

"Working with Omar and Jimmy was a pleasure and the crew did a fantastic job on our Hardie siding. We are very pleased with the work."

"Update 2-12-16 :  I was having a little bit of trouble
with my attic fan after the baffles were installed.  Roofing & More
came out and checked it out.  The company sent out Gene Davis, their
Operations Manager.  It was a pleasure working with Gene.  He was
friendly, professional and knowledgeable.  He did a thorough job
investigating the situation.  He ended up tightening the connection of the
fan to the electrical source. His services were covered under warranty.

I would also like to thank Marie Hoffman for her help with trying to find the
right type of replacement vinyl siding for my home.  Marie went out of her
way to come to my house after work to bring me several samples of vinyl siding
that she thought would work well with the exterior of my home.  I
appreciated that extra step Marie took.

Re-evaluating all my experiences with Roofing & More I have decided to
change my grade from a 'B' to an 'A'.  They earned it.


My experience was comprised of both positive and negative
encounters. 
Positive:
a.) receptionist called me back in a timely manner to schedule a free
onsite consultation.
b.) project manager who conducted onsite consultation was professional and
conducted a thorough examination of the items I wanted work on.
c.) the technician who actually did the work was skilled, had command of the
English language and had copies of the work order in hand.
Negative:
a.) I had to chase down getting a quote.  It was necessary for me to
contact the president of the company in order to get this done. After he
returned my call to discuss the matter I received a quote later that day.
b.) my original appointment was cancelled due to an emergency.  That is
alright.  Emergency situations requiring our immediate attention happen to
all of us.  I understand that. A replacement appointment was made.  I
received a call on the day of that rescheduled appointment stating that it
needed to be rescheduled. I was very unhappy about that.
c.) I failed to receive calls /  info when I was told I would get them.
This happened repeatedly. That is not how I do business.
d.) I found it strange the estimate did not have itemized pricing on it. Rather
it listed all the items to be worked on and a grand total reflecting
discounts.  I will say however, the details of each job to be completed
were spot on.  My mistake, other than asking for a breakout of job costs
was not asking what type of baffles were going to be installed.  I would
have paid for a better material than foam.  However, these are my
mistakes.
e.) I dealt with several people within the organization concerning my project
at various times.  I got the feeling they were not communicating to one
another.  I often found myself telling different people the same
thing.  I asked 'didn't he or she contact you about this?.'
f.) There was a problem regarding the vinyl siding that was brought for the
job.  The project manager indicated to me he found a 'perfect match.?  Well that turned out not to be the case. It
does not match at all.  The technician ultimately removed a piece of the
existing siding to see if he could identify the manufacturer and color
type.  He was able to do so.  I asked him for that info.  To
make sure we got the right pieces the next go round I did my own research
online.  I provided that info to Roofing & More.   We are
now waiting to hear back regarding the cost.  I am being told I will be
responsible for this cost.  I am ok with this since they need to order it
in a bundle and I will have left over pieces in case something needs to be
replaced in the future.  I too may have
agreed with the contractor about the original vinyl piece color.   To be honest I can?t recall. 
I would give Roofing and More a letter grade of 'B'. I would also like to
point out the people are ok to deal with."

"1st day trim & siding crew arrived & worked til after dark to finish (left trash on property). I called to have crew leader return to fix sub-par work and finish dryer vent. Roof crew worked all 2nd day & left after completing job - signed off to very satisfactory work."

"I replaced the gutters on my home  and it was discovered that there was no drip edge on one section of the roof and the edge of the roof was rotted on both sides. I had someone else look in the attic and the insulation was wet.  At the time it was thought that there was some insulation with asbestos because of its appearance and the age of the house.  I received an estimate that was very expensive and was very upset to say the least.  I found Young Environmental Services on Angie's List and read the reviews.  Since others said he was willing to explain processes to you, I called.  Mr. Young answered, listened to my description of the problem, explained the process to remove asbestos and then referred me to a reputable company for testing my house.  As it turns out, I do not have asbestos but if I had I feel confident I would have used Mr. Young to remedy the situation.
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"All workers were well experinced in their trade. The job of installing the Patio Door was a problem because of a previous improperly intalled roof which caused water damage to the top, left side panels of plywood and 2 by 4's around the framing had to be replaced. The only issue was that the added work was to be in the estimate."

"They also changed the siding and gutters"

"Kenny, Fredy and Ricardo came out to do the work, and they did a great job. The were efficient and friendly. They fixed the siding, the trim, the roof, all the caulking, and they even trimmed the tree."

I pride myself on my professionalism, as well as my ability to complete every job to the homeowner's total satisfaction. I never leave a job unfinished, or a homeowner not 100% satisfied with my level of service - Call today!