CAPSTONE EXTERIOR DESIGN FIRM

The price was good.

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We contracted these guys through Costco, as we wanted the coolwall paint. I had several bids, these guys were $3000 higher than competing bids, but we went with them because of the Costco relationship (bad decision). Our house is a 2-story 1976 built house with significant wrap-around decks, stairs, railings, etc - genearlly a tough paint job for any professional firm. Additionally, we had areas were there was wood rot and termite damage - however this was negotiated into the price of our contract. The team showed up as scheduled and because of the complexity of the project, ended up extending their scheduled time to "complete" the work (roughly 2-weeks total). The pressure washers they used for cleaning the surfaces to be painted were your standard store bought models (not industrial strength). They did minimal scraping and sanding of existing areas (which led to re-work later on). There was a general disconnect between the sales person (who promised us everything) vs. what the crew was willing to do. This led to frequent calls between the sales person and the crew foreman to align on expectations/promises. The crew did not protect plants/shrubs near the house and we had to monitor them closely to make sure they made the appropriate repairs. For example, they tried to bondo some wood damaged area and paint over them vs. replace/repair. Consequently this caused some re-work in several areas. Additionally there were a few floorboards which were rotted out on our deck floors. Instead of carefully removing the damaged boards, they used a circular saw to cut them out, leaving cut marks on good boards and then filling in the cut marks with wood filler - overall very shoddy. Our decks had debris and leaves painted into them and were not sanded, consequently the paint started peeling a month after the job was done. Ultimately it took more than 6 months (and the threat of legal action) to get Capstone to send a new crew out to repair and re-do the work on our decks (which now look great - with the exception of the floorboards showing the cuts). The process was very exhausting and not what I would expect for the price we paid. Futhermore, there are areas on my house where I can already see peeling paint. I would avoid this firm- they may be fine for a newer property, but not one as difficult as ours.

Initial contact was with David Kenney (CEO) and a second person who I can't recall, but I want to say it was either a salesman with the company or a relative of David's. Both gentlemen were very friendly and had a good knowledge of the product. Their level of professionalism didn't meet my expectations as the 2 men frequently joked and kidded with each other during our meeting. They kept the discussion very fast paced and by the end of them talking my head was swimming in details of the product, application process, cost, and payment options. I did have plenty of opportunity and time to ask questions and should have written them down and followed up after the meeting to let my head absorb and sort out all they had presented, but I got the sales pitch on how I was getting a discount, but only if I ordered now or within a very limited window so I ended up going forward with the purchase (I seem to recall later that Costco, who they worked under(?) didn't have any such limited time offer). Regardless, the work began on-time with a small crew of two or three. I noticed throughout the process that each step in the process we seemed to get a different crew and the lines of communication between the crews and Capstone was not fluid. We never saw David and we may have only seen the supervisor(?) Alfredo(?) once or twice during the installation process. This was troublesome as during the installation process, the workers left the job site (our home) very dirty with construction debris, e.g., nails, stucco washout areas, wiring, etc., which we still find in our yard 9 months after the job was completed. They also broke sprinkler heads, separated windows from interior walls, cut telephone wiring, and many nail pops in our interior drywall. To their credit they did address most of the issues, but am troubled by the amount of lingering issues we were left with e.g., washout areas, nails in the yard, etc... Once we began the process of picking out colors, we were given a small sample booklet (pantone?) of available colors. This was great, but the choices were overwhelming and trying to pick a color for your house from a 2-inch x 2-inch color sample is nearly impossible. Capstone didn't offer nor provide any color samples that we could paint on our home in a bigger area to see what the color truly looked like and in fact rushed us through the color process. Once the CoolWall with color was applied, I immediately regretted my color choice, but what am I going to do. I mentioned this to Capstone, but all I got was crickets. The last think I'll mention is that during our initial meeting, it was highlighted that the installation process included taking the CoolWall onto the foundation and down 6 inches below the soil line. There is one side of my house where the original stucco carries down over the foundation, but appears to leave a small gap between the foundation and siding. When I asked how they were going to address this they stated it was fine and wouldn't need any additional work. Recently while doing some minor landscaping along the side of the house, I noticed the gap between the siding and my foundation and how the siding easily cracked and pulled off the house. If they had addressed this issue during installation and applied the CoolWall under the siding and down the foundation wall 6 inches below the soil line like they had done on all my other walls, this issue could have been prevented. I recently contacted CoolWall about this issue and having it addressed under the warranty and after waiting 3 weeks, I received my response in the negative. My next action is to contact Costco about this issue and hopefully get a positive resolution. Before writing this, I read several of the earlier Angie's List review which all seemed to eerily reflect my own experiences. My advice is to not use this contractor, but if you do than make sure they talk very slowly and clearly. Get EVERYTHING in writing and make sure all of your questions are answered. Don't feel pressured to make a decision right away no matter what deal they are quoting you and if you have any problems or issues than make sure you contact Costco and/or Trusted Home Services as they only way Capstone will change their ways is if they see it in their balance sheets.

Many promises verbally made but not honored! If you use this company, ask to tape record the discussion as the salesman walks around your house. If you don't have a tape recorder, write down EVERYTHING they promise to include/do as part of the job and have them initial it right then and there. Be sure you include/attach these signed promises to your contract. They promise the world and then deny they made the promises. Beware -- this company is not to be trusted. They proudly tout they are part of Costco, but do not be fooled by that statement. I spent over $26,000 to find out they talk a good game, but do not deliver.

We did a walk around, before the contract was proposed and signed. As I pointed different place of wood rot, I was told no problem the Flex Patch would fix those places. Then all of a sudden a boss of the workers came up. Did a walk around and said that would be additional to fix some of the dry rot. I did sign a contract to pay for material and labor. But it was all things that I was told they could repair. They told me it would be $5,620 more. Would not give me a receipt. I negotiate to $3,500 which was still a total rip off. I have all the paper work. I totally think as a widowed senior citizen I believe I was taken advantage of. . Job was not completed until 4/29/13

Capstgone was very thorough with their preparation. They showed up on time and cleaned up at the end of each day. The Cool Wall product is not cheap, but it looks great and seems very durable. Sseveral of my neighbors.complimented me on the new look. I recommended Capstone to them.

Eventually, the service was fine, but there were long delays between first phone call and completed service, including the company needing to reschedule at the last-minute. Their customer service person was very friendly and professional. The men who came out and did the work were also friendly and professional.

Ordered the job through Costco who sent Capstone CW as there licensed contractors in my area to carry out the work. The quality of work was exceptional. Alfredo the onsite supervisor was very professional. He made sure that very tiniest of my concerns that I mentioned to him during the course of the work were taken care of.

POSITIVES: Representative called to confirm appointment. NEGATIVES: No show for appointment and no call or follow-up was received. When I called their office and left a message regarding the missed appointment, I never heard back from the representative.