Apple Remodeling

Apple just completed a five month project involving about a dozen subcontractors and at least the same number of inspections by Building department. Due to Ted’s close oversight and frequent presence on site everything went smoothly, on budget, and on time. There are always some cost adjustments and occasional timing issues in construction, but none had any negative effect on our 100% total satisfaction with Apple. There were no surprises and no BS. Ted was thorough, professional, extremely knowledgeable about every aspect of entire process, easy to work with, and kept the subcontractors on task and on schedule.

The quality of work was bad. No consistently on the staff. Always someone different that would show up. He would fire people doing the job. Very confessional with my pregnant wife. He was very rude to my wife and me.

We did around a 250k remodel with Apple Remodeling, so we basically tested everything that they were made of. To sum it up, right off the bat, Apple Remodeling is a finely tuned machine. I was absolutely amazed at how precisely everything was coordinated and how the actual work was so well done. To really top it off, however, Ted (Owner) is so easy to work with and communicates everything so clearly and HONESTLY. If some changes are made during the project, he makes sure to credit you for even the littlest things, but, at the same time, he doesn't nickel and dime you. On that note, most contractors charge a percentage fee for change orders. Apple Remodeling DOES NOT charge a fee. You are just billed for the work/material. That is a huge plus, in my opinion, because throughout a project you are certainly going to think of things to change/add. That really helps keep the nerves at ease when you're going through such a massive project. Another HUUUUGE plus is that Ted listens to you. If you have questions/concerns, Ted addresses them and doesn't beat around the bush. It is ridiculously amazing how easy it is to work with him. Not only was Ted great, his crew was amazing as well. They are all so polite and considerate. I'd probably trust these guys to baby sit my kid. Further, they clean up at the end of every day. We've even had comments from friends/family on how clean the work site is. These are exactly the type of people you want working on your house--people you can trust. Most of this review hasn't even focused on the quality of work done, which, by the way, is excellent; however, let's be honest, when you're basically having surgery done on your house, you want to be at ease through the ENTIRE project--not just at the end. Going into the remodel, I was not expecting it to go so smoothly--after all, it was a massive remodel. The potential for things to go wrong is there, but it was not the case with Apple Remodeling. I really think that Apple Remodeling is a gem in this business and a step above everyone else. You just don't get the level of service that Apple Remodeling provides from just about any business these days and that is why I am so happy that we found them.

We took on the gigantic task of redoing our kitchen. Ted met with us and discussed in general what we wanted; he then came back with 3 different options. Even as we looked at the drawings, Ted was very amenable to our other ideas and he also provided excellent ideas. The entire configuration of the kitchen was changed. We signed the contract and work began. The complete demo was amazing while the other areas of the house were very well covered. During this time, my husband was unexpectedly hospitalized in very serious condition. I called Ted and he told me not to worry about anything; they would switch work around so that we didn't have to make any decisions during this time and even offered to help me with anything. That meant the world to me. I talked with Ted and/or his staff a couple of times but never felt any pressure to make decisions. They were also very open to work with our daughter in our absence; she was equally impressed with their work and their interpersonal skills. Work progressed at a good pace. The gentlemen who did the work were perfectionists. They were very personable; professional, open to ideas/changes and made outstanding recommendations. We have been so very happy and proud of our new kitchen. My husband is very precise in his work as an engineer and therefore isn't easy to please. We have recommended Apple Remodeling to our neighbors and Ted is currently working on our daughter's house. Apple Remodeling exceeded any and all of our expectations.

Work is still in progress, but so far Ted has been great to work with!

Pretty good. Decent price, explained properly when something had to change from original estimates. They were there on time, kept to their promised schedule. Had a few followup visits to get it right. The build out, plumbing, and electrical is fine. It was the fit and finish that just didn't raise the bar. Had to call to get someone out to get the door to actually close. Little edges of tile not cleaned up or flush fit, dried blobs of grout and caulk afterwards, tool marks on the new fixtures. Solid work, but a bit rough.

I work nights and was grateful to Ted for working around my sleep schedule. Ted always kept in touch, (illegible) the work himself. I have no complaints and am very pleased with the results.

Ted Fossett is an excellent contractor. He provided a reasonable budget, but if we wanted something different we would negotiate a change order. The crews that he brought on the job were all very competent and professional. The carpenter team was especially proficient and professional with a wide variety of skills. My wife and I are very pleased with the final result.

We talked about a complete basement remodel. He gave me some good advice. He was honest and straightforward.

It took about 7 weeks longer than I expected, and cost $2000 more.The end result was fine; some of the workers fine, but the process was unnecessarily painful. A couple examples: My calls that something they'd done was causing the heating to work improperly went unanswered for 2-3 days.I came home one day to find that the worker had stuck a CO monitor onto the wall in my hallway (apparently required by an inspector, but I wasn't told about it, or asked where I wanted it; the ugly thing was just stuck at eye-level in the hall).|The initial estimate was around $18,000, the final cost around $20,000. Since 18,000 was my top limit, I wasn't delighted about the extra $2000. Part of it was due to my selections, part was due to some not-careful measurements and estimating at the start. Some of the rest... Ted was (is) very personable. He walked through a re-building of my mudroom, and we talked through all kinds of options. My house is old, so there was a lot to consider (plumbing, electrical, structural, cement pouring). What I wasn't aware of was who, exactly, was doing the work. I thought it was the two men I was introduced to at the start and with whom I had a number of conversations about what we would do. Other than being told "This is Mike," I was not introduced to the man who did most of the work, and who did not communicate much at all. I usually was away from my home all day. Sometimes when I got back things were different, and other times it was apparent no one had been there at all. I worked from home a few days, thinking I'd be able to have conversations about the work and be on hand to answer any questions, but no one showed up the entire day, or else he walked by, apparently checked something outside, and then left again (total time about 20 minutes). All it would have taken to make this okay with me would have been a simple call at the beginning or end of each day saying: "Here's what we are doing/did today" and explaining that no one would be there because they were waiting for an inspection, or a part, or a 3rd party. Instead, I started to get the impression that a portion of the 7-week delay was that there was a higher-priority project somewhere else. Communication would have helped reassure me.|The original estimate was based on measurements taken, and so forth, but Ted didn't take a measurement of the door, which turned out to be a non-standard size, so replacing it would cost a lot more. |I spent time to track down a replacement used door ($10 instead of the original $220 or so estimated, or the $500 it would have cost for a custom-built), but was given no discount. I was told that reworking the used door brought it up to the initial estimate. |Additional work had to be done to re-build/reposition the opening for the door, for measurements not taken in the original walk-through, or not communicated to the worker. It was good the finishing covered that mess. Another hassle was trying to find a plumber to handle re-work of the boiler. When the first plumber that Ted hired was exorbitant, I suggested the one I'd used before from Angie's list (Builders). They also gave a high estimate and weren't resposive, so we didn't use them either. Ted finally tracked down an excellent guy, who did good work for a reasonable cost (and found mistakes made by Builders who'd done work for me previously). Hopefully Ted's knowledge of who to hire is being honed, but I have this weird expectation that general contractors will have good folks lined for a job before the work must start. As I said, the work was fine. I found myself wanting to put the whole thing behind me, though. I'm on the fence about hiring again.

Ted (the owner) was one of several contractors we interviewed for our kitchen remodel. He had the best design ideas and seemed to really understand how we currently used our space, and how we wished things were different. Other than a handful of subcontractors, Ted and Eric (one of his employees) were the only ones to work on our house. They were both very respectful of our home and family, since most of the first floor of the house was out of commission during the few months of work being done. I was home much of the time they were there with my 3 year old daughter, and both men were great with her. She quickly got used to them being there, and was constantly asking where Ted and Eric were when they were not. They were also very diligent about picking up screws, nails, sharp objects, razor knives, and other hazardous items to young children. Generally good with cleanup all around.Ted was very good with communication and keeping us in the loop about what was currently going on, upcoming decisions to be made, potential modifications needed, etc... Overall it was a great experience for such a large project and would never hesitate to use Apple Remodeling again. I also recommend them to anyone I talk to who is considering a remodel or is looking for a contractor. I don't want to sound completely biased or inauthentic in my review, so I will add a couple of the small negatives that came with such a large project. First, when receiving a quote, know that you are being quoted low for materials such as Group 1 for granite, $3s/f for tile, etc... If you are going to get the very basic of everything, this might fly, but expect to be spending more for materials and upgrading along the way. I would also add that there was some lack of attention to detail concerning a bit of the finishing work, but any problems that we had were addressed by Ted and made right. There was nothing serious enough to warrant anything but and A grade across the board for Ted and Apple Remodeling. I would never consider using anyone else for future jobs. Thank you Ted and Eric, it was quite a ride and a pleasure!

Contacted them as part of an Angie's List deal. Decided not to go forward. Only writing this because every time I log into Angie's List it asks me to review. Getting rid of the popup!

We received three bids from companies on Angie's list for finishing our basement. All bids came in around the same price, so we decided to go with Ted because he seemed the most trustworthy, professional, and knowledgeable. Throughout the process Ted proved that he was all three. He used a great detailed accounting sheet that showed us line-by-line everything we had paid for, what was left to pay, and a separate sheet detailing what we were being invoiced for that week. Because one of us was at home almost the entire time they were working, we knew exactly what work had been done, and he never invoiced us for anything that wasn't done. When a minor issue arose (which happens on every remodeling project), Ted immediately let us know, gave us options, and followed through with what our decision was. The entire time we were working with Apple I felt the utmost respect was given to our home, and to the job they were doing. At the end of the project, instead of skipping out like we have had some contractors do, Ted had us create a punchlist of the last minor issues that needed to be addressed (paint touchups, etc). This truly sealed the opinion we had of Apple, and of Ted, because it showed that he truly cared about us being a happy customer.

We are very happy with the end result, the bathroom turned out very nicely.

Ted is very professional and he was quick with getting the design's to me.

Very clean. Worked fast and communicated well. Would use again.

It went good. Everything he did was alright; it just costs a little more than I thought it would.

It went well and everyone that has seen the finish product really like it and of course I do. They completed all the work in less than 3.5 weeks. For a small fee he had someone that works with him help me picked out the hardware (faucets, bathtub, etc) which was very helpful. I liked that I picked & purchased everything from vanities, tiles, lights, etc so I could purchase what I wanted and if it went a little over what he had budgeted that was ok because it was my decision. Any time I had questions from the work they were doing to a purchase item Ted always provided the information in a timely matter. Even after the work started I had a couple minor changes I wanted to do and Ted would provide what the meant to the timeline and if there would be additional cost so I could decide before agreeing for them to move forward. Just 2 weeks ago, they came back to put in the sink drains (what I wanted was back ordered) I wanted and take out the temporary ones they had put in; I didn't get the bill for that part of the work until is was completed. One of the reasons I had chosen Apple Remodeling they had remodeled something for one of my sisters and did a excellent job for her too.

The owner, Ted, came out to do the initial survey and then emailed us his bid. At that time we were unable to have any work start because of medical issues in our family as well as elderly parents' issues. Ted was incredibly patient with us for several months as we got to a point where he could begin the work. By that time, we decided to revise our plans and he came out again to revise the bid. Ted was always friendly and responsive to our calls and emails. He also provided good advice on design, while allowing us our vision. When work started, we met the team that would be the ones to do the majority of the work. it was a father and son team, Pete and Danny. We could not have asked for a more friendly, clean, and professional team. They worked as quietly as possible and limited as much disruption in our home as possible. They paid very close attention to detail which we appreciated. i think the most appreciated aspect of this whole project is that we were allowed to make small changes as work progressed and were included in every level of discussion about the project. The work is complete and on budget and it beautiful!

We called and scheduled an estimate. We we agreed on meeting between 5 and 6 pm on 07/23/13. At 6:10 we had not heard from them. My husband called and left a message. A voicemail was left on my husbands phone at the same time. There had been a water leak at a job site and he was unable to make it. Then there was an additional call from the same person. I spoke with her personally and she did apologize and said that we could reschedule for either 07/24/13 or 07/25/13. While annoyed that we sat around waiting for over an hour, my husband and I understand that things happen and were willing to set it up for one of those two days. She said she would call us the next morning to confirm which of those dates would work out and to schedule a time. We never heard from her. On 07/25/13 around 4:30 he called and said he was on his way. My husband explained that we had not scheduled the time and it would not work for us (I was stuck at work on overtime). He seemed surprised and thought that we had agreed on the time. He has yet to call back and attempt to reschedule, which we had agreed to do. At this point it wouldn't matter anyway. I picked this company due to its good reviews, but if this is indication of how the rest of this job would go...thanks but no thanks. Again, we understand that unforeseen events happen especially on remodels but really, how long does a quick phone call take?

I was provided the designs for the kitchen and two bathrooms. Provided was a detailed project description for each of the rooms. The investment for each of the rooms and a package pricing with a discount. Terms / Exclusions & The next step were detailed. I received what I asked for by a professional

We are probably a big reason why Apple Remodeling will no longer work on old homes. I know our 80+ year old home gave them a lot of surprises and grief. Apples inability to estimate and manage time gave us an equal amount of grief. The planning of our project went well. Ted was very professional and knowledgeable and understood what we wanted to do and how to do it, or so we thought. His bid was significantly lower than our other bids. This should have been warning sign number one to us. The contract we signed was professionally done and explained all aspects of the job etc. The only thing missing was a Liquidated Damages clause, which probably would have kept things on schedule better. Look it up if you don?t know what it is. Basically, it?s a set penalty for delays. This is something I will not overlook in the future. From the beginning, we were told we would be the only project for our crew and they would be on site everyday. This appealed to us greatly as we have a small toddler and would be relocated to our basement for the duration of the project. While the crew was extremely nice, their presence was not as consistent as expected. Our days ranged from having a large crew of 6 or 7 working a full day to multiple days with only one guy working a few hours, and then leaving or having no one show at all. We quickly realized we were not the only large job for our crew to complete. We were given a timeline of 4-6 weeks at the beginning. In the end, the project took, not the worst-case scenario 6 weeks, but 13 complete weeks. That was from start, till the work was approved and the last check was signed. Our main focus, besides the remodel, was to minimize the construction time, dust and disruption for our toddler and this is ultimately what caused the most frustration. I can understand the timeline growing 25% but it more than doubled. Its hard to plan your life when you have a project with an unknown end date. The second biggest issue was simply misestimating the scope of work. Due to this misestimating, things were taking way longer than expected. I can only assume labor costs were mounting and this led to a string of bad decision and corner cutting. This was heavily apparent in the selection of subcontractors. The electrical work was originally scoped at 3 days. It eventually took the electrician over 5 weeks to complete his work, 5 weeks! This makes sense cause he only worked 2 or 3 hours a day typically. There were other bad subs as well. The other main sub failure was our first floor sub contractor. After he left swirl marks in finished floor, the team at Apple tried to convince us that is was fine and that we were being irrational. We could see the swirls 30ft away and we were being irrational, hilarious. I could go on and on detailing the 13 weeks but I am not going to. It was painful for us and I no longer want to relive it. I will say, in the end, we are happy with the finished product. It?s not an ultra high quality job but it is nice. I am still not sure it was worth it. The one I do know is that next time I would pay 20% more to have a better contractor that is better equipped to quote and finish the job.

Ted was very responsive in calling me back but once I began discussing the project Ted refused to even look at the work and give me a price based on the age of the house. He gave no other reason other than he does not like working in older homes. Ultimately this was a complete waste of time.

Did a great job once they came for the appointment

Although I didn't receive a call back from Apple until I posted a review on Angie's list (4/22, when I originally called on 4/7), once they did return my call, Wendy was very nice. She informed me that my home was too far north for but recommended their sister company instead.