Sterling General Construction Inc

There were complications due to scheduling the contractor and making design decisions, cost and esthetic trade offs and code issues. This is a complex process that is thrust upon you without warning due to fire. For a number of reasons the project got off to a slow start, making design decision, and getting contractor time slots. but never was there a sense once things were lined up that things were anything other than done in a timely manner and with due urgency. I chose Sterling due to another Angie's review. It said that Sterling was a bit more expensive than others but did great work. It specifically singled out Pat, the project leader, as particularly capable and helpful. You really need a Pat on your project because he will tell you what you can safely do both due to code, insurance, and best practices. It is critical that you know that your contractor is guiding you based on fair information and not what is convenient for them. We didn't always see eye to eye but I trusted his word on what was feasible and he was free about explaining the reasons. There is clearly an attitude of doing things right. Almost no one has gone through a fire repair. Suddenly you have to make design decisions for the whole house. Replacing what you wanted to change means you have to design the whole house then execute on the part covered for the repair and revisit it all later for full renovation. It is an opportunity to build your dream house a piece at a time. But you are not prepared and the clock is ticking. Then who knows who does what when an insurance rebuild? So the next thing you need is someone who understands what will be covered. What is reasonable and what you pay extra for. Pat was very good working with me and my insurance adjuster (USAA) to get excellent code upgrades but never with a hint of impropriety. The build up to the production crew turn over is a long and tedious process that Pat handles down to every detail. The profitability of the contractor and lower cost comes from having it all together when it needs to be. I joked that once Pat hit the "go" button it would take a day to do the project as it would fall into place perfectly...not quite that good. You always had the sense that it was close to that. To keep my costs down a number of the items were pulled from the contract for me to perform. That flexibility allowed a number of very nice upgrades. Lastly, if you have fire insurance you MUST have code upgrade coverage. It is a small adder in cost and gigantic savings when needed.

Curt visited our house to assess the scope of work. He seemed like a pleasant person during the initial visit. After a couple of days, he gave us an estimate for only part of the items we had requested. That too was about 25-30% more expensive compared to the 2 other bids we received from equally well rated Angieslist contractors. I pointed out to him and allow him to provide a more competitive bid for the major bathroom projects that he hadn't provided an estimate for. Instead, after a week, I receive a long winded reply and he didn't bother with providing an estimate anyway.

They were decent and they were in our top three. i would consider another quote from them.

They were fantastic; wonderful guy, ethical, knowledgeable, willing to explain how things work, and willing to give good referrals. I should probably trust Mike Sterling more than anybody else; he is a great guy. He did construction on this house in the 80's and he's been out here with his engineer because I am doing more work. He didn't charge me for the work, just gave me his opinion and some referrals. He was out here, maybe, four months ago and he's spent a lot of time on the phone with me and sent me emails with the information that I need on certain things that I need to do. I can't recommend him highly enough; I have so much respect for him and appreciation for him. In fact, every referral for every contractor I have ever had work on my house comes from a referral form Mike - he's actually my personal Angie's List!

Sterling came out on time, did a very thorough review of the situation and the symptoms, and seemed to understand all the underlying issues that could be involved better than two other bidders. The bid itself was detailed, complete and professional. Once the problem area was exposed (stucco walls outside, sheet rock walls and ceilings inside, the whole patio surface itself) it became apparent that they had bid correctly and the work was done on time.

Extremely well. The company did the inspect without any charge and it was all done very promptly and professionally. I would certainly use them if I need to in future.

They did a very good job, were cordial, and had a reasonable estimate. They showed commitment to being there and doing the job the way it should be done. The end result is excellent and we would highly recommend them.