GALE CONTRACTOR SERVICES

It was great.  They were in and out.  They cleaned up everything.

Trying to get the work scheduled was somewhat difficult, as we originally were going through the contractor who was working on our garage.  In order to save us some money, that contractor suggested we contract with Gale directly.  It took at least two weeks for Gale to come install the garage door, which (unfortunately) was during the cold snap, so the rooms adjacent to the garage were very cold.  Afterwards, we promptly paid the invoices which were sent to us, then gave Gale's billing department a credit card number in case there were any additional charges, as there was some question about whether we needed to pay the sales tax.  Today, we (my husband and I) each received a certified letter threatening to put a lien on our house for the remaining amount owed.   This was without any additional contact from Gale between our contact with the billing department (before Christmas) and today.  We attempted in good faith to pay what we owed before today. The amount Gale was attempting to collect was less than $150.

We have a 2 foot wide cantilever, or overhanging section, on 3 sides of our house that we discovered had no insulation. The area runs along the entire length of the house, appox. 45 feet, along the width, approx. 36 feet, and along another portion of the length for approx. 20 feet.. Having read about the advantages of spray foam insulation, we called around and got estimates from several companies, and all were pretty much within the same price range. The difference seemed to be the advice we were getting on using foam, using foam along with pink fiberglass insulation, or just pink fiberglass. Richard, the estimator for Gale, was very thorough in going over the options and prices for such insulation; foam being the more expensive way to go. Within a day we were emailed an estimate. To make sure this was what we wanted, he gave us an estimate with just fiberglass insulation and one with foam for comparison. During our decision-making phase, we called the company a couple of times to ask more questions, and the office staff were all very courteous and patient with our questions. When we were ready, we called and made an appointment for the work and were scheduled a time within about a week. Interestingly, one of the installers called a couple days before our scheduled time and said they had the time and could do the job a day ahead of schedule if we wanted, but unfortunately we weren't able to take advantage of it. We thought it was great that they offered to be ahead of schedule- a new experience for us! On our scheduled date the two installers arrived on right on time and took the time to examine the area where they would work, confirming with me what they were going to do and going over some of the more complicated areas to be sprayed. I did have to specify that foam be used not just in the upper surface of the soffit, but also corner spaces, over exposed ducts, and plumbing pipes, and while they said it wasn't on the job order, they would do it. I was relieved there was no big argument over this. One man set about protecting the house from overspray with plastic sheeting, with enough sheeting to protect the concrete patio and the ground and plants near the walls. They were very thorough, examining exposed heating ducts and sealing off any potential spaces that might allow the foam to go up inside the house. The spray operation was quite efficient, with one man spraying and the other coming behind him afterwards and cutting off any excess foam that would be in the way of reinstalling the soffit covers, as well as taking down the plastic sheeting. And while I was prepared to check the depth of the foam, myself, I didn't need to since the sprayer automatically checked it in each section himself. This type of spray work is pretty messy, but they did a good job of minimizing the potential for damage to the walls and surrounding area. The installers were very professional in their approach to my project. If I had one annoyance, it was that while they took care to protect the house with plastic by stapling it in place, when they removed it, they left the staples behind. Later, I had to find and pull all the staples to ensure that the soffit panels would be installed flush into the overhang.

The first day they showed up with the wrong tools needed for the job after they were 3 hours late. They returned the next day with a 2 man crew-not nearly enough to complete the job. They did come in on a Saturday to complete the job because they were making us behind on the rest of the project. The next time they came out they forgot some insulation that needed to be installed so they had to send someone else out to do that. The next time they never even showed up! They came the next day and completed the job. I continue to get invoices for my PREPAID work!

I decided to go with them and their price was competitive. They were very professional, punctual and cleaned up after themselves.

Dealing with this company was extremely difficult. The cost of this project was only $2500(approximately 1/100th of the cost of my overall remodel)and yet they were by far the most difficult subcontractor I have dealt with. I spoke with nine different people, faxed multiple copies of contracts to them, and spent hours on the phone making certain that their workers knew what was to be done on my job site. After dealing with all of this, I learned that they would not commence work without full payment up front, before ever setting foot on my property. If I had known from the beginning that they required full payment up front, I would not have used this company. Even after learning of their policy, I considered canceling my job with them, but because of a time crunch, I didn't have the opportunity to find another company. I would strongly urge others to find another company. The insulation was done correctly and on time. The gutters, however, were not. The gutter installers did not have downspouts in the color that I selected, so they had to return another day to install those. I also had ordered(and I believed paid for)gutter covers, which were not installed. I had to make another phone call and authorize another payment on my credit card before they would install the covers. Finally, I received a bill from them, indicating that I have not paid them for the work that was completed, even though they require full payment up front, and that payment has posted to my credit card.

I had a few issues with the installation of some of the fireplaces with regard to venting. It took 3 attempts to get it done. I was a bit frustrated with the lack of communication at times, but am happy with the fireplaces and the installation. The installer was very polite and professional at all times.

I was the general contractor (GC) for my house addition and got a referral to Gale Contractor services who provides number of "subcontractor" services under one roof, for a reasonable price, which is why they're popular among GC's. Gutter install is one of a few subcontractor services that I used, and I'm sorry I did. They improperly installed a section of gutter which failed to properly divert water from a large section of roof. Water then overflowed and entered the house Through the ceiling. I called and informed them of the problem and they had no interest in claiming responsibility as they said it was the roofer's fault. They asked me to hire an independent consultant and reconsider, pending outcome of report. I did so and the specialist concurred it was faulty gutter installation. I provided this report to the Gale rep. and they still refused to take any responsibility. I contemplated taking them to court, but decided it was not worth the battle.

The final work was fine, but we were lucky. We had scheduled the work and called the day before to confirm only to be told our salesman had "left" and that we were not on the schedule. We were told it would be months before we could get back on the schedule, and it was only by calling a friend who does lots of business with Gale, were we able to get back on their schedule, a few weeks later. The workers came out and did the job, and did a pretty good job of installing the gutters.

The work went well. They did what we hired them to do, and did it in a timely manner.

We were one of their first referrals, so they forgot to install a carbon monoxide detector; however, they called me right back and came the next day and installed it. On a further inspection, PSE determined that Gale needed to adequately vent the bathroom fans, and Gale came back and did that work, adding the vents at no extra charge. Throughout everything they were very professional and conscientious about their work.

Excellent. Arrived on time. Job proceeded quickly and properly. Took care to protect against damage to home during the process.

They did a great job. Dean came out and gave me an estimate and advise. In his car he had samples of the gutter and gutter covers. He sent me an estimate the next day. It was in line with another estimate I had got. I sent in the contract and about 2 weeks later they called to tell me they were coming the next day. The gutters are straight and plumb, and they took care of a problem spot that I had been worrying about. It looks good. I couldn't be there to watch, but Dean said all their employees are experienced. I'll probably get an estimate from them to install insulation when I'm ready for it.

We were very pleased with the job that Gale Insulation did when insulating our ceiling. They were very prompt with a bid and came back within a couple days and completed the job on time.

MY HOUSE IS ONLY EIGHT YEARS OLD AND ALTHOUGH THE INSULATION MET CODE AT THE TIME OF CONSTRUCTION, IT WASN'T ENOUGH TO REALLY HELP ON THE HEATING/COOLING BILLS.

THEY ARE VERY EASY TO SCHEDULE AND KEEP TO THEIR SCHEDULE. THEY WERE VERY CLEAN AND FAST AND PROFESSIONAL. THEY WERE VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE OF THE CODES. VERY PLEASED.

I WAS VERY PLEASED WITH GALE. THEIR WORK CREWS WERE COURTEOUS, PROFESSIONAL AND EFFICIENT. THEY DID A WONDERFUL, CLEAN JOB AND OUR HOME HAS BEEN MUCH MORE PLEASANT SINCE THE NEW INSULATION. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEM TO ANY FRIENDS.

THEY DID AN EXCELLENT JOB. THE CREW REMOVED THE OLD GUTTERS AND INSTALLED THE NEW IN A VERY SHORT TIME, AND EVEN DEALT WITH A COUPLE PROBLEM SPOTS WITHOUT ANY CHALLENGES.

WE WERE VERY HAPPY WITH THEIR SERVICE. THEY CAME OUT WITH ALL OF THE PIECES IN THEIR TRUCK AND HAD A RATHER LARGE JOB COMPLETED IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. WHEN SOMEONE CRASHED INTO ONE OF THE GUTTERS THEY CAME OUT AND FIXED IT FOR A NOMINAL AMOUNT.

THEY DID A BEAUTIFUL JOB, WITH A VERY CLEAN WORK AREA AND WITH PROMPT SERVICE. THEY ALSO DID A GREAT JOB WITH THE LAYOUT OF THE ROCK THEY INSTALLED FOR THE HOME.