Empire Remodeling

These guys tackled a job others wanted nothing to do with. The bathroom dates back to 1947 and there was a ton of plaster and tile to deal with, not to mention some funky electrical discoveries. Everything was handled on time and on budget, and we finally have a bathroom we can be proud of!

excellent--al and empire are the best of the best---al was always there for advice and help -excellent workmanship fair prices--would hire again with out a second thought----

We moved into our house and it had dated green square tile in our entry way foyer, We hired empire remodeling to replace tile. From the beginning our experience with Al was great. He showed up, gave us a fair quote and was confident that he would meet our expectations. Our job was not a common request. We wanted to use 6x36 tile laid out in a herringbone pattern. He and his crew were professional, friendly and trustworthy enough for me to feel that I didn’t need to hang around the house while they were there. While they worked Al would periodically check in with me and explain what they were doing and what the next step was going to be. We couldn’t be more happier with the final outcome. The did an amazing job. I would really consider Empire for your jobs. We will defiantly call Al again when we need another project done.

Al was professional, courteous, prompt, and priced far more reasonably than anyone else we considered. Empire remodeling was outstanding every step of the way.

Great work. Al and his team were professional, reliable, and honest. The work turned out great, and the quote they gave us was spot on. We will be calling them again for future projects.

Very well. On time, very clean and easy to work with.

Al (and Jay) were punctual, fair, hard-working and persnickety about getting things just right. We are very happy with the finished product!

Better than we expected. We were very happy with the quality and professionalism. Would definitely hire again

Amazing job. Extremely professional. Top-notch craftsmen.

His crew did everything and more - respectful and did a beautiful job - actually went above and beyond our expectations. I would recommend them very highly - kind - trustworthy and did a beautiful job on my home - the results were astounding and I live in Simsbury,CT. I must say I was very impressed with the work they did - I was so pleased and so blessed to have these gentlemen working in my home.

I called Al at Empire on Friday (5/1/15) and spoke to him about getting an estimate for some work I want to have done on my house. I gave him a quick rundown of what I was looking for and he agreed to come out to my house on Saturday (5/2/15) to look around and put together an estimate. Al told me he would be at my house sometime between noon and 2pm. I thought it was kind of strange that he wouldn't establish a precise time, but I brushed it off and agreed to the appointment. At 2:05pm on Saturday, I called Al and asked if he was almost to my house. He said he was very sorry, but a family emergency came up and he wasn't able to make it. Ok. I would have appreciated a call or a text. But, hey, stuff happens. We agreed to reschedule for Tuesday (5/5/15) at 4:30pm. Al called me at 3:45pm that day and told me he was working an emergency job that would run late. So, once again, we had to reschedule. We settled on meeting at 4:30pm on Thursday (5/7/15). At this point, my wife and I had already decided that Al would have to walk on water to get this job from us. We decided to give him one more chance to come through for us. At the very least, it would give us one more estimate to compare to the others. Unfortunately, that was doomed to failure. Today is Thursday (5/7/15) and the time is 5pm. I received a call from Al at 4:45pm (15 minutes after he was supposed to arrive for our THIRD scheduled appointment) and he told me that he was running late / stuck in traffic and he needed another 20 minutes. I explained to him that I have other engagements for the evening, so we will have to reschedule sometime next week. I won't be rescheduling with Al. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but his severe lack of punctuality, correspondence, and professionalism have cost him my business.

We are already planning our next job with them. 1. Quality trumps price in our book and we got both. 2. Their craftsmanship and proactive attention to detail are great. Example, when constructing a bench in front of the tub, Jay did a traditional rectangle, went home and slept on it and came back with a great twist for the design. Another - we like polished chrome for the fixtures and at the of the job they were cleaning up and said - you know, we really should replace the gold hinges to match the bathroom. 3. They want you to be happy and will do what is asked. If you are on a tight budget, I suggest you ask for pricing before changing scope as they will do as you ask without slowing down and re-quoting the work. (Which for us was perfectly acceptable and the price was extremely reasonable.) 4. Al also extends his contractor discount on materials. What else can I say? This is the team that focuses on quality as job 1!

Before deciding to use Empire Remodeling we had several other estimates. Al seemed the most knowledgeable and proffessional. He listened to what we needed done, checked the pipes, the tiles, etc before saying anything and he gave us the impression that he knows his business. Even though his quote was not the cheapest, we felt he would do the best work. I contacted Al in February and he was prompt and courteous when he came to see the work involved and to give us an estimate. Due to circumstances, we were not able to have the work done until July. When I called him he came back just to refresh his memory (understandable). We fixed a date. It would be a 2-day job. The day before he was due he asked to delay it as he was behind schedule on another job. We changed the date and he came as planned with an assistant, Mike. They were both professional and worked quickly. Once they removed the tiles they found more damage and the job got a little bigger but doable. Al and Mike kept us updated with each step and they were busy all day. Mike and Al returned the next day, Saturday, to finish the tiling. All went well. I am happy with the results and would use them again.

Having never done a remodel and hearing all the horror stories online, I contacted about 4-5 contractors before settling with Al. There were other contractors who were also very professional, with beuatiful portfolio's and quotations on nicely typed out sheets. The majorty of them were much more expensive - up to $5000 more. They also appeared to have good reviews, but Al's Angie's List reviews just seemed better and more personable Apart from that, the reasons I went with Al were: 1) Called back promptly and made an appointment to meet up (he had to change the date once but was very professional about it) 2) Al was honest and frank and did not seem to pushing any agenda or product 3) His quotation was thorough and easy to understand - handwritten though 4) About $1000 cheaper than the next highest quote Once having decided on Al, and agreeing to go ahead. He gave me a week window when he would be able to work - a week prior to that, he called and said he would have to move it back a week. He was honest about it, and I did not mind. Though I did get a bit nervous. But I need not have worried. On the day of the start date, Al and his crew were there early in the morning. They were very professional - careful about tracking dirt into the house. Al said it would take a week to get the job done and that is what it took. That included some extra rewiring for the ceiling exhaust fan and light, found some water behind the shower unit on the sheet rock that he cut out, cleaned and replaced. We even changed up things by going from bead board to painting the walls Despite the above changes, I think we only went over budget about $500. At every step of the way, with the changes and new findings, Al was up front about my options and cost. The only 'negatives' were that in removing the old tub door, some tiles cracked - and unfortunately for me, the tiles were an old variety which we were unable to replace and that resulted in a mismatch. Not the contractors fault really about the mismatch. Also, in the same bathroom, I noticed a chip in the wall afer they were done which they came back to paint over. There were a few issues after the fact that arose - minor ones like the toilet feeling loose, one of the light fixtures that I had purchased appeared faulty at the point of installation, the afore mentioned chip in the wall. I contacted Al about them and his crew was back within the next week to have everything fixed with no extra cost. Overall, this was a GREAT experience. The entire thing was very professional. No secret extra costs, no delays and all issues addressed in a timely fashion (especially after the deed was done) I would recommend Empire Remodeling with no hesitation

He was very punctual, very friendly and very helpful. He gave me other options as to what I could or couldn’t do. He was very informative.

They quoted us about $8000 but they didn’t include things like a new vanity and a few other items. They were average, they were okay, and I didn’t think they were as professional as the one we picked. They didn’t have as much information as the other company had as far as presentation material went. I asked them about the additional items that were left out and I got an email back with some quick quotes on it but we went with the other company as we thought they were more professional than Empire was. We had something small things that needed to be done, like we needed the kitchen faucet replaced a new front door and some stuff besides the remodeling the bathroom and they were readily willing to fix those as well. They said they would fix the faucets for free and said something about charging only a half price on the front door. So they was happy to do that too.

I had no problems with them at all. They did a very good job. They did extra work for me without charging me. They were great. Their prices were good and they were right on-time.

They were fine. They gave me a reasonable quote.

Very smooth without any glitches. It was the best experience anyone could ask for. Set up a time online for an estimate, the guy showed up on time and made the whole process painless and easy to understand for us. The carpet installers showed up 3 days later on time, and worked nonstop until nighttime. Very professional. Pleasant experience and would work with them again!

Outstanding professionalism, pride in work, standards of excellence that match mine (very, very high), plus fun to work with. I can't recommend Al and his crew too highly!

Their service was good. I did not feel that they were as organized as the others. It is not like I would not use them, but just basically, the other guy was kind of like a little bit better. On the other hand, their quote was very good.

Don't know couldn't get him to return my messages.

The quality of the work was good. The carpet was what they advertised it to be. We can see the traffic in it but that is kind of how we use the basement. We would recommend them. They were definitely the most reasonable price which is why we went there. They responded quickly.

I contacted Al in November informing him that I needed to get my kitchen floor re-tiled due to a faulty tile job performed by another contractor a few years ago. I stated that i needed the job to be completed before Christmas eve. Al and his crew are very busy and the only area that I did have a slight concern was the communication process. While Al would always get back to me and answer my questions, it at times would be several days before I got the response. When the job began, the crew worked throughout the day for the entire week. They spend the time to ensure the quality of the job is done at a high level. My job entailed them ripping out the existing floor done to the original subfloor and redoing the tiling, etc. One thing I did not is that this type of job produces a significant amount of dust which we needed to spend a decent amount of time cleaning up around our main floor - so keep that in mind. Al was sick for some of the time the job was occurring and thus didn't oversee the majority of the work, but Jeremy filled in nicely. They guaranteed to work and quality from defects which was important due to my problems with the last tile contractor I hired. Overall the experience was good. I have very high expectations and Al and his crew met most of them.

It went better than I ever imagined ! We started with a kitchen remodel and went to a dining area redo, and two new exterior doors. We got more than our money's worth, and it was a very positive experience. Al kept in touch with us and called before he made any major changes or additional work. I will hire Al again and again, for all future projects. I won't even look at anyone else's work. He and his crew are the best !