BEST CHOICE HOME IMPROVEMENTS INC

I really appreciate Duffy and the crew at Best Choice Home Improvements, Inc. I had a small job and most companies would not take my business as it was too small; I couldn't compete with the homes having all their windows replaced. But they took care of me and now I have new double pane windows that open!!! Gone are the ugly single pane 50 year old windows! Very happy customer.

I received a very competitive quote from their salesman (Duffy) however I really appreciated the time he took to go over the different options I had for installation as well as exterior trim. The work crew was able to install the windows within about 3 weeks (vs the 4-6 week estimate) so that was nice in that we wanted the new windows ASAP. The work crew worked very diligently and quickly and I am very satisfied with the final product (so far). My only gripe is that there was a LOT of sawdust everywhere, despite them taping up some plastic in the rooms, so I had to spend a lot of time cleaning up the rooms after they were done.

The sales person Brian showed up on-time everytime we scheduled a meeting. We had some issues with noise and had a limited budget. Brian made some excellent suggestions on how we could get maximum noise attenuation and lifetime warranty without spending a fortune.  The installers showed up on time.  They had all of the tools and materials needed for the job.  They were professional, hard working, neat and above all very conscientious about the work they were performing.  We had other windows installed before and were happy but Best Choice were simply at another level of quality.  The outside trim work ,lining and casing were exceptionally tight.  We had our other windows to compare them too and frankly there was no comparison.  The owner Ray stopped by the house at least once while the job was being done to ensure we were getting what we wanted and were happy.  The job site was completely clean after every work day and all warranty paperwork and receipts were sent after final payment.  We have had several contractors over the years but working with Best Choice has easily been our best experience. 

Update Sept 2011: We're changing our initial rating because Best Choice came back and redressed one of the windows that had an issue. Ray (owner) was very cordial and eager to correct the problems I identified but these windows still require quite a bit of work on our part to make them weatherproof. We maintain that the job could have been executed much more effectively from the get go. A more through initial examination, with more attention paid to what was wrong with our existing windows and an explanation of the various options would have made this a successful interaction with a more satisfactory outcome. 

Aug 2011:
Best Choice replaced 4 windows in our 1929 home. One of the 4 windows was leaking the other 3 were just old, single pane, painted shut etc. We ordered Milgard fiberglass woodclad windows which are relatively expensive and we expected installation to be on par with the quality of the windows. Unfortunately it was not. A representative from Best Choice came out to measure our existing windows. He did not mention, due to the fact that the new windows would be deeper, that they might have to do something to accommodate the extra depth within the existing wood frame. I don't know if he measured the windows wrong or the installers just couldn't figure out a reasonable solution but each of these 4 windows now has a slightly different sill: 3 have shims between the windows and the sills and those shims don't reach all the way to the corners of the windows so the corners of the windows are hanging in the air.  One of the shims sticks out from underneath the frame whereas the other 2 are recessed. One has no shim at all. All in all they look pretty sloppy and I'm worried that the poor installation will eventually cause damage to our new windows. Also the leaking window was installed above a brick sill that needed repair. The installers noticed this but did not mention it to us. They just went ahead and installed the window which limited our ability to fix the brickwork in a way that will prevent further leakage.

Since then we've had a few other contractors at the house working on the bricks and woodwork. When I mentioned the new "cedar sills" the carpenter pointed out that the sills were not cedar but just regular pressure treated hardwood. The quote I have from Best Choice specifically says they would install new cedar sills @ $82/ea! The mason who repaired the brick sill was really surprised that they didn't alert me to the broken bricks and masonry on the sill. The new wooden window sill is now flat instead of tilted slightly outwards to prevent water from accumulating on the sill. This sill could've been properly placed if the mason was brought in to fix the bricks before they nailed in the new wood sill and installed the window.

As for punctuality...they were on time and polite. However they scheduled the job for 2 days but it only took one. At first I thought this was great but in hindsight it seems like they rushed the job.

I contacted the company and the installers came back out to try to answer my questions but essentially they said they did the best they could do!

They did a great job.

They were wonderful. I thought they were fine. They replaced my windows for me. I spent about $3000 on the job. They were very efficient and were on time. They were nice and cordial. They did the job. The price was good. I chose the quality of the windows and they did the work. They were polite and professional. I will use them again in the future.

It was excellent across aboard. They are very responsive. They solved a problem for us with some awkwardly shaped windows where they rebuilt a whole outside wall. It was on a second story which made it even more difficult. The owner was responsive and good to deal.

Punctual, professional and polite workers. Excellent clean-up after job.

From beginning to end, nothing went right. The salesman and office manager thought it was acceptable to fax and email a document that contained all of our credit card information. When the person in charge of critical measurements did not show for a pre-arranged appointment, no one called to inform us of his change in schedule. If Best Choice has better installers, then why did we, the customer, have to create the punch-list of details to be completed...and have to spend a day cleaning up all the mud and debris in the house left by them? The only follow-up we have had from Best Choice was the salesman inquiring when the second half of the payment would be made. Duffy said "I don't get paid until this payment is made." And finally, when the manufacturer was completing some warranty work, we asked if our windows were the ones we ordered. No, in fact, they were not the windows we ordered. Best Choice has not made any attempts to help facilitate a solution with the manufacturer.

I can't say enough about how wonderful these guys were to work with. Extremely professional, courteous and very conscious of treating our home with respect and care. They covered the floors in all areas where they were working and left the house (both inside and out) as clean as they found it. The new windows look exceptional and are much quieter and warmer than the old ones. Sales experience with Brian Atkerson was very easy and low-pressure. Brian explained all the options we had and worked up multiple quotes as we figured out exactly what we wanted (including increased noise protection). He's a bit old-school working up quotes by hand and scanning to email, but he was always responsive. Brian also came out to the house on the first day of the install to make sure that we were happy and that everything was going smoothly. Pricing was better than expected with Angie's List discount. I think that we made an excellent decision with Best Choice - highly, highly recommended.

They were the best price out there! I would recommend them.

I felt that I had to be on top of things. When I finally got them, I asked them what was going on and they said that one of the windows had a defect. They had to call the manufacturer of the windows and replace the part. I would say that Best Choice is a good company, but that the manufacturer is not.

The price was really cheap because I only had to have them install them. I bought the tiles myself. I liked their work and I was very happy with them. I would recommend them.

Best Choice definitely was the "best choice". After receiving a $6000 bid from another Angie's list contractor for identical work and windows we called Best Choice. We first worked with Darrell Duffey who was friendly, thorough and professional. He came up with a great solution for a large den window (which was originally custom built) to replace only the bottom damaged portion. Darrell also took time to explain some repairs to windows which we opted not to replace. The lead carpenter came within days to finalize measurements. Darrell estimated 6 weeks between the estimate and installation so we were pleasantly surprised when BC called 3 1/2 weeks later to arrange installation. The installers (Andre, Jesse and ?) arrived at the appointed time, were professional, worked neatly & quickly but didn't rush. Cleaned up as the went along, even vacuuming the cedar shake roof in the rain! Put down cloth runners to protect the carpeting. Even replaced cedar trim at no additional charge.

The work began in November 2006 & was finished in March, 2007. They were scheduled to work two days. They did it in one, but left a mess with furniture not replaced, floors not cleaned, scratches on several sills & frames, too much sealant used on some windows, grids for two windows not installed & two windows had ill fitting sashes. In addition, one window was damaged. They recommended two windows, that were inappropriate for the area designated. Initially they responded quickly & offered to replace the two inappropriate windows & the damaged window, at no additional charge & offered a small amount for the staining, that had to be done again, because of the excess sealant used on some frames. The rest of the story is delay & lack of communication. It was very frustrating, when promised emails were not sent or my emails were not responded to. We finally negotiated a small reduction in price, but experienced inadequate communication & a lack of understanding of the customer.

They did an excellent job. In a project that big, there will inevitably be problems both in the materials and the work. We did have some of those problems. In those cases their workmen took good care of us. The owner said they would take care of us and they did.

Estimator was late for appointment but otherwise very capable and helpful, answering questions before I asked them, and giving me a variety of options, when he could. He essentially matched the price of a previous estimate. Windows were installed within two weeks and it took 4 people most of the day to do this. Job was generally well done. Everyone was professional. When there was a problem with some of the screens fitting properly, they were here the next day and resolved the difficulty (screens inadvertently put on the wrong window.)

Very well. They had a very competitive bid, were able to get the works scheduled quickly, and completed the job in two days. The crew was very friendly and neat. Would definitely use them again and recommend to others.

This was a large project, and the bid I received was very competitive. Each person I interacted with at company was customer service minded, and a pleasure to work with. The crew was prompt, professional, and worked very hard to complete the job on schedule. They generally cleaned up after each days work, and made sure I was happy with the final project once it was all completed. I would definitely work with Best Choice Home Improvements again.

They were very prompt, listened to our needs, and did fine work. We'd use them again.

Marco and his crew were very nice guys. They were respectful of my property and made sure to clean up after themselves when finished. They were very quick, yet thorough. Fun, friendly guys. Brian, the salesman, was very nice and made sure that I understood what I was buying and what my options were. He was very patient once he quoted my job. It took several months from the time of the quote until I actually had the job done- my delay, not theirs. When I called him after several months, he immediately remembered me and was out to my house within 48 hours to finalize the order.

From the first visit of salesman, Darryl, through the followup visit from Ray, the owner, to submit the bid, and through the four full days of work required to complete this job, we were entirely satisfied. We can't recommend this firm highly enough - outstanding. Ray runs his own crews, and they clearly like working for him. They were the most professional workers we've ever had at our home. They worked with our tight timeframe to get the job done.

GOOD WORK DONE - CLEAN, ON TIME AND SAFE. MY HOUSE LOOKS MUCH BETTER THAN BEFORE. THEY ARE VERY CAREFUL WHEN WORKING IN MY HOUSE, SPECIFICALLY WITH MY HARDWOOD FLOOR WHICH WAS MY CONCERN INITIALLY. THEY CAREFULLY PREPARED AND CLEANED UP. AFTER THE JOB WAS DONE, MY HOUSE LOOKED AS CLEAN AS IT WAS BEFORE, OF COURSE, IT LOOKED MORE BEAUTIFUL AND WARMER.

I WAS ABLE TO STRIKE A BARGAIN ON PRICE AS WE HAD CASH ON HAND AND DID THE WORK DURING THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER. THE CREW WAS GOOD AND THE WORK WAS INCREDIBLE - I WISHED I HAD DONE IT SOONER!

RAY LEWANDOWSKI GAVE AN ESTIMATE, THE WORK WAS DONE BY ANDRE AND HIS HELPERS. EVERY PERSON, FROM RAY TO THE OFFICE RECEPTIONIST, TO THE INSTALLERS, WAS POLITE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE. RAY WAS ALSO ABLE TO HELP US OBTAIN FINANCING.