Helmuts Herrmann Design & Remodeling LLC

They installed seamless gutters, and when they connected the new gutters to the old ones, they have never worked since day one. The representatives that they sent to do repairs after we called them were older gentleman and one had significant vision problems. It has been an endless process of trying to get our gutters repaired and we are finally giving up.
The reason we used this company was because of the service we received when we had our roof replaced about seven years ago, but the services had declined since that time and we are no longer interested in dealing with this company.

They are very good with concrete work. The work was satisfactory and everything turned out great.

We are very happy with our new kitchen. Jeff and Deb and the team were great to work with. There were some unavoidable challenges that came up, and Jeff was quick to find solutions. The sideing on our older home needed to be patched after the install of the vent for the range hood. Jeff went to great lenghts to find a perfect match, We really appreciate his attention to all the details.We went with Helmut's not because they were the lowest estimate, but because we wanted quality workmanship and service. I am glad that we did.

They did a great job on the carpentry work. Just outstanding. I can't praise them enough for that. The bad things were that they started the job late, the job went longer than it should have and some of their subs were not that great either. The workmanship was good, but since the contract ran long and I paid more that what I expected to, they were higher than a lot of other contractors. Helmuts was an A but their subs were not. I would not use them again.

They were a very good company. They are fast and neat at doing their job.

Soon after our job was completed, we experienced a roof leakage problem. While Helmut?s did ?respond? to our service calls to fix the leaking vent pipe (a process that began in 2006), the roof continued to leak until another contractor properly fixed it--redoing the shingles vs. applying caulk. This was followed (in 2009) with shingles that had flown off the roof. Other contractors who had inspected our residence informed us that our roof and siding were not properly installed. Tired of hearing these reports, we spent $800 for an independent inspection, performed by Roofing Consultants, Ltd., on Helmut?s work. Their report (available upon request via email) concluded there was improper fastening/nailing of the shingles throughout the roof; improper positioning of shingles--both horizontally and vertically; shingles were improperly applied/positioned short of the rake and drip edge; improper installation of flashing and counter flashing; improper gutter/downspout installation; improper installation of a roof/soffit venting system; improper installation of the masonite siding; lack of underlayment felt on areas of the roof; lack of a proper wind/paper barrier that should have been installed behind the masonite siding; and last, improper attempts to fix the leaking vent and nail holes with caulk. The result of Helmut's work is water infiltration along the gable end walls and in the field of our roof. As a follow-up, the same consultant did a visual inspection under the deck of the roof and concluded that the soffit venting system (installed by Helmut's) was not functioning. The new roof vents installed in the garage were improperly positioned to facilitate proper ventilation. The consultant's conclusion was that after only 10 years (note: the shingles carried a 30 year warranty), we needed a complete tear-off and re-roof. Further damage may be discovered during the tear-off/inspection. My problem with Helmut?s is one of trust. We checked them out on NARI, BBB and followed up via phone with their references. Obviously Helmut's sent their "B" team to perform our work without proper supervision. The ironies to this story are 1) the person who supervised this job, Ken Connor, now of Connor Remodeling & Design, has garnered similar accolades with NARI and the BBB; and 2) the very Helmut?s employee--who used caulk in the multiple attempts to correct the leaking vent?was nominated by Helmut?s and awarded the NARI Employee of the Year award. This was a tough lesson for someone who thought they did their ?due diligence? in selecting a contractor. We were wrong to assume an accredited contractor would always do quality work. Just as important, it was wrong (naive) to assume that the same contractor who did the installation (incorrectly) would properly fix his work (again-incorrectly). It just confirms that work needs to be independently verified by a third party--during and after the installation process, with payment subject accordingly. Just as disappointing is that Helmut's continues to enjoy an "A" record with organizations such as Milwaukee-NARI, because under Wisconsin law, contractors have financial protection under a 10-year statute of limitations (yes, I investigated legal recourse--unsuccessfully). So even though the roof, siding, gutters and venting system were installed incorrectly--according to an independent consultant and other contractors--Helmut's pocketbook and reputation remain unscathed. After sending the Roofing Consultant's report via certified letter--still no reply from Helmut.

Since I had little experience in remodeling, it took a while for their designer and me to come up with a materials plan. It was complicated by my desire to retain some of the existing tiles. In the end, it saved us substantial dollars, so it was worth the effort. We agreed that they would not start the project until all materials were in hand.. Hence, Helmut's Remodeling gave us a start date with a projected end time of about 3 weeks. We hired them to remove an improperly installed, malfunctioning, awkward, dangerous whirlpool tub and to create a new walk in shower with grab rails, a bench, niches and an additional hand held adjustable shower. When the plumber arrived to survey the job, he informed us that the existing plumbing would not meet Milwaukee codes and that he would not work without pulling a permit. He explained why we needed a larger pipe for the shower and pointed out an existing plumbing setup that was destined to cause problems in the future. We agreed that the plumbing needed to be done correctly, and that meant tearing out the whole tiled floor of the bathroom. That added significantly to our costs and added another couple days to the project. There were all kinds of unwanted surprises under those hundred year old floors. I was glad we chose a responsible company the does good work. When the work started they covered the floors and two flights of stairs with taped down paper. Every evening when the workers left, they cleaned around the work areas, removed construction debris and put their equipment out of the way of traffic patterns to our living quarters. The workers and tradesmen were always polite and kept us informed of changes or problems. They took great pride in their work. It was clear that the subcontractors enjoy working for Helmut's Remodeling and working with each other. Tile and Stone Pros, Inc. installed our tiles. Their pride of workmanship shows. They fitted 4 inch tiles in the shower pan in a way that you cannot see where they had to cut tiles to fit the slope of the floor pan. They came up with an idea for creating a shelf in the niches that incorporates them into the design of the decorative tile strip. The end result is a beautiful bathroom and an easy to use shower that gives me a visual pleasure every time I use it. Working with Tim Schweiger, VP of Sales was a real pleasure. I would definitely hire Helmut's Remodeling again.

Sales staff were helpful in selecting the appropriate window. Work was completely in a timely and professional manner.

They were fine, they did a good job. they cleaned up well after themselves. I didn't drive over any nails when they were done. The roof is fine, it has held up well. I checked them out before I hired them.

Start time was delayed due to complications on previous job, but once our work was started it was top priority. Tim was here everyday to make sure everything was done well. He was pickier than I would have been about details. The bathroom is finished and we are pleased with all aspects. The company was also good about cleaning up, and putting down floor protection in other areas of the house. All of the workers were polite and considerate.

The work was all done in a great amount of time and I was pleased with the service. They were reliable and on time. I would recommend this company to anyone because they were dependable and friendly.

We had this company come very highly recommended to us. They were a very polite and friendly group of guys. They did an outstanding job. Everything turned out perfect. They were always on time. The project was actually fully completed a few days before the scheduled date. We have no complaints. I would rather not disclose the full amount we paid. We would definitely use their services again.

Tim from Helmut's returned every phone call, most times within a hour through out the project. The work was good. They use sub-contractors more then the lead me to believe at the time of bidding the job. Just about the whole project was done by subs. I was originaly told the project would take about a week or so. It took almost 7 weeks. I think if they would of had their own crews doing the work, the work would of been complete a lot quicker. I was disapointed that sub-contractors were used. The project cost ended up costing 450.00 most the the origianl bid becouse of a extra layer of roof they were not expecting. Some days the clean up was really good, but some days I was picking up screws and nails at the end of the day the were in the driveway and lawn. Now that it is all done, I'm happy with the work. They would of gotten and ''A'' if it was done in two weeks and no sub contractors were used ( except for the stain glass window).

I FEEL THAT OUR PROBLEM WAS INSIGNIFICANT TO HELMUT'S, BASED ON THEIR ATTITUDE, AND THEY MADE LITTLE EFFORT TO CORRECTLY DIAGNOSE THE REAL PROBLEM BEFORE RECOMMENDING WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE.

THEY WERE VERY THOROUGH WITH INFORMATION THEY PROVIDED, WERE NOT CHEAPEST BUT WAS IMPRESSED WITH THEIR SERVICE. ALSO SET UP WITH PEOPLE TO PUT UP GUTTER FOR ME!

unknown

unknown