George Matthews Construction

Description of Work: I called Mr. Matthews to discuss a remodel for a newly purchased townhome & asked if he could come out for an estimate. We discussed the overview of the project. He asked a number of detailed questions, which I answered. He asked me if I had a "plan" drawn for the remodel & advised me that I would need to hire an architect to do so, but he would still come out to take a look. We made an appointment & he was punctual. From the beginning of visit, while I discussed what work I wanted done for each room/area of the house, he paid little attention, sometimes not even looking in my direction & instead, knelt down on the floor & began removing the HVAC vent grill & while commenting on energy/insulation issues, sometimes interrupting what I was saying or pointing to. He did this in every room of the house, even though this topic was not part of my remodel & was never discussed on the phone prior to the visit. At the end of the visit, when I asked how soon he could get an estimate to me, he stated he "no longer does anything for free" & advised that to provide me with an estimate would cost $900! I told him that 'I would have appreciated' him telling me that this was his policy, when we were on the phone, as I am unable to afford that amount of money for an estimate. I asked him why he didn't tell me this before the appointment was made. He said he wanted to see what I needed. He dismissed my concerns, stating that the $900 would be "absorbed" into the cost of the remodel. I advised him that I was unwilling to pay $900 just to find out how much his remodel would cost me. He wasted MY time as well as his. I believe Mr. Matthews was VERY disingenious & handled this matter extremely unprofessionally. I would never hire him do any work for me, energy retro fit or otherwise.

Description of Work: I spoke to someone from George Matthews Construction on Monday since we want to remodel our bathroom and our laundry room. The work includes replacing toilet, tiles, and handyman work.

Description of Work: George Matthews Construction Services transformed our Mid-Century modern home in the Oakland Hills through creative design and skilled execution of an extensive kitchen remodel, new wood floors, new doors throughout, and upgraded electrical and plumbing. The principal, George Matthews, designs and builds with a commitment to aesthetics and energy efficiency. George translated our needs for additional space, light, and a state-of-the art kitchen through utilization of novel materials and an innovative retro-fit of our existing home footprint. George was always responsive to the homeowner, always to schedule, and realistic on budget. He hired skilled sub-contractors for painting and electrical and worked well with an array of city building codes and inspectors. His work style keys organization and attention to detail. He anticipated potential problems and effectively implemented change orders to maintain progress. Due to everyone's busy schedule, communication was vital and George kept us informed throughout the project.

Description of Work: 1. Fixed French doors so they closed very securely and stopped letting in cold air below them. 2. Fixed a revolving corner cupboard in kitchen so it stopped in a closed, not open, position. 3. Rehung two Roman shades that were skewed. 4. Ingeniously fixed a swamp cooler so cold air can't blow in through it. 5. Made numerous suggestions about how to improve the energy efficiency of our old house.

Description of Work: He did weatherstripping and set up a new front door. He found a spot on my roof where a raccoon was coming in. He cleaned up everything very well.

Description of Work: He did sizemic retrofit work in our basement and he put in a new toilet as well.

Description of Work: He installed some track lights in my living room. He did such a great job I had him back to completely remodel my kitchen from top to bottom.

Description of Work: Weatherstripped windows, front door (and rehung), found entry from roof for opossums and closed it off, earthquake proofing.