O'Shea Construction

Shaun was open to all our ideas and steered us in the right direction. He was able to show us examples of similar work so we had a good idea of what to expect. ANGIE'S LIST ROCKS!!!

I called him and he called me three days later. I then set up a meeting and he came out. I told him what I wanted and everything was fine. He said that he had to go to the planning department here where I live. He did and said he would get back to me. Two weeks went by and I had to call him. He told me what needed to be done. He said something about a problem with what I wanted and the problem when I had to get some pavers. It sounded weird. He said he would contact me a little later. Two more weeks went by and I asked him what the status is. He said that he was getting ready to call me as I had to pick out some pavers. My husband and I picked up the pavers online as told by him and called him back within an hour. It was again two weeks ago and we never heard from him. He didn't give the estimate and the whole process took six weeks. He wasn't clear about his approach with the planning department. He didn't come back and explained in person what they wanted or needed. He called us on the phone, but he wasn't clear about his description about what the planning department said. He is not reliable. He was terrible and I always had to call him back. He never called me back. He was really unprofessional. It was a big project. Either he was not interested with my job or he has a big clientele.

Everything was good. They came out and did what we asked for.

While Shaun's crew was doing the work outside, I was giving the interior an extensive face lift. As a result, I had a chance to observe their work close hand. Shaun had more than one project going so Shaun stopped by most mornings and evenings to check in with his crew. I got the impression he spends a lot of time managing his company's projects and working with suppliers to assure materials would get to job sites. Only occasionally did he work on site which is a testament to his trust in his crew. If you do not want to read all the details: The bottom line: Shaun O’Shea and his crew was one of the best contractors I have dealt with. What I particularly appreciated was the quality of workmanship and materials. For example: and middot; There were no short cuts in the design or construction. Shaun designed the structural components of the porch and upper deck. These are solid and well built. Particularly the upper deck railing… and middot; Shaun added hardware to the upper deck railing and the rails were notched into the posts and the posts were set inside of the edge of the upper deck. The result was a very finished and very strong railing. It was a nontraditional design conceived by a local designer (Chris Parker). It looks very sharp and Shaun’s enhancements made it even better. and middot; For the siding, each board was carefully cut and fitted. I asked the crew why they did not take a couple of short cuts I knew about to make the job go faster. They answered that Shaun insisted on a more careful and detailed approach to assure quality. and middot; The fire ring was poured in place and after much tweaking and discussion, one of Shaun’s crew came up with a concrete finish that looked great, was very cost effective and low maintenance. It was an efficient quarter circle design with two benches providing plenty of seating space. and middot; The secret to great stonework is the preparation of the ground or foundation under the stonework. This clearly is an area of deep expertise for O’Shea and his crew and they take great pride in their work. At one point they were not happy with a section so they tore it out and redid it. While they could have gotten away with sand, they used a more expensive and durable mortar material for greater durability. and middot; I noticed the crew would take such pride in their work that an error of a 16th of an inch was too much for them whether it be decking, siding, or stonework so they would fixed it every time. Upon the few times I asked for things to be corrected, they cheerfully jumped on it immediately and solved the problem. and middot; I asked that some electrical conduit on the front of the house be concealed. They came up with a clean design for a custom channel that looked sharp and fit in with style. and middot; Although the siding and the front door was pre-primed, Shaun had the painter put on a high quality primer and two coats of paint. and middot; I had asked the crew on occasion why a particular material was chosen. Their answer was that Shaun always chose the best materials and that it was one of the reasons they liked to work for him. This level of workmanship I think will show many years after the job is done. and middot; The crew members got along with one another and were very professional with one another as well as with me. As with any project there were some surprises and issues that drove changes and added costs. These issues drive me nuts because I have to justify them all to my wife-the-accountant. We may have had a few more changes than normal because we did not have extensive drawings before we started but not as many as I feared. Shaun always handled them well with an appropriate amount of give and take. In the end, I was able to keep the added costs within my overrun budget. (Never start a project without a budget for overruns!) Shaun and his crew did a great job. Shaun is a younger guy and still developing his business. He grew up in his Dad’s construction business and has a degree in construction management from Cal Poly. It shows. He is a real professional and I would definitely recommend him.