EXTERIOR DESIGN SPECIALISTS INC

Dan Cashman did a very professional job helping us plan to have aluminum siding replaced with vinyl about 5-8 years ago, including adding window and door trim. Many people have commented since then on how lovely our home looks. Just this month, we called Mr. Cashman to find out how to get a replacement fin for the dryer exhaust, and he brought out a new fin and installed it free of charge. He also gave us extra fins in case one ever breaks again in the future.

We are so very happy with the work EDS did ? they take pride in their work and it shows. We've got a new looking house & received many compliments (even from other professional builders) on the quality of our new siding. Dan is great to talk to, and you can tell he really has a passion for his business ? he has quite a few patents for new siding improvements that put his company's professionalism above others for us. His quote wasn't the least expensive, but it wasn't the highest either. My husband & I felt that if we chose EDS, it would be a worry free experience (compared to some other companies we got quotes from) and it was! We felt like we were in great hands and that is a wonderful feeling. We even had some water damaged areas under our old siding that they knew exactly how to fix. Dan & his team answered all our questions, got the job done quickly & cleanly, and we feel great about our decision. If you're thinking about new siding, EDS is a great choice. We got a beautiful high quality job at a good price with a great ?we feel confident we made the right choice? feeling. Thank you Dan!

This was a very positive experience. We found the team to be very responsive, thoughtful and professional throughout the entire project. I did reach out to other contractors during the bidding process but felt EDS was the only provider who demonstrated concern about the quality of their product. We also give very high marks to the installation team who worked on our site. They maintained their original schedule, kept us informed and cleaned up each day so that we could access our home without problem. The feedback from neighbors and friends has been outstanding and we would definitely recommend their services.

We'd like to share our very positive experience hiring EDS to install exterior siding on our 1200 sqft residence in West Simsbury, Connecticut. We too found them here on Angie's List. We are extremely satistfied with the sales experience, the quality of their product & service, and the workmanship. Their bid stayed in the mid-range compared to others we received, considering that we added significant architectural trims to the design such as PVC cornerposts, 5" wide PVC lineals, 8" high water tables and a structural bracket. What makes EDS unique are the patented, custom-made PVC trims that they themselves manufacture which really added to the aesthetics and curb appeal of the house. We have received many compliments from neighbors and strangers alike on how the project has turned out. We highly recommend contacting EDS for a design consultation and a quote before you embark on a major siding project. Better yet, try to visit their showroom in Windsor, CT to see their patents and the range of trims that they can create.

The price and quality of the workmanship was excellent. Some new designs and angles for our house siding. Workers were always on time, and hard-working. A little miscommunication on getting the estimate, but Dan personally followed through with a good price for the job.

Lets start with the good. Initial contact and evaluations were quick and accurate. Price was the highest of the three from Angies' list that I got but I liked the product so was willing to pay more for the better product. Job times were set up and the company called for confirmation for 50% payment before the materials were ordered. Up to this point the only issue was an unknown person calling for my credit card as sales didn't mention any names to me on who would be following up (the person calling didn't mention the company they only asked my name then for my credit card).... Now the bad. This was supposed to be a one day job that may push to a half day the next. Day one - strip the house, install trim parts. Miscommunication with the siding company, it wasn't in on time. No estimate giving to me on when it would arrive. Week later it came in, ok I get that, things happen. It gets installed. I get home late and look at it the next morning. It's the wrong size. Matched up to the existing siding it was off all the way up. Called back, got a call from the owner with an apology and they would re-side it. After that communication fell off a cliff. No return calls on when the new siding would be in, went on for a couple weeks. After a few attempts, at calling I noticed a new box of siding in my back yard (I asked for the leftovers as a just in case and the original wrong siding had been there since the job started) (I also work long days and typically get home when it's dark) So I went out and looked, sure enough it was all changed. No calls, no follow up, and the first box of wrong siding still sitting in my yard. I'm thinking, ok fine it's done. Upon the inspection on the new siding, I found that one of the trim pieces had a large hole in it that wasn't there before. Called and left messages, took a week to get a call back, said they would replace it. Again no communication, I happen to see it was fixed one day by chance, no idea when it got changed. Now I'm thinking it's really done and I'll just deal with cutting up the wrong siding on my own (not sure why but was done at this point). Now I want to pay..... again no communication, full voicemail boxes, and no call backs. Over the period of a month after all this, I still hadn't gotten a call back on final payment, so I just stopped calling. This was about the November time frame from a September job. In February I got a call while traveling with work that I needed to call for payment. I left yet another voicemail that I don't travel with the card I was going to put the project on and to have them call in the beginning of March and I would make the payment. Today on the 24th of March I got a call asking for payment from someone I've never heard from in the company. He didn't know anything about the project but was nice and let me vent. I made the payment and I asked about the siding sample book that I still had from the beginning of the project. I said I would leave it on the porch and they could come get it. He placed me on hold and when he returned he said you can throw it away. This is one of the three ring binders from the siding company. They didn't even want to stop to my house and get their stuff back..... Oh by the way, the office for this company is across town. All in all, the work looks good. If it didn't there would be a lot worse here. But be warned that if something goes wrong you may be dealing with some of the worst communication I've seen in a company and I hate to say it but a little childish that they don't even want to pick up their stuff after they p***** me off. This job is complete and paid for in full. Like I said before the one person that was good about talking to me was the one person who had no idea what was going on.... in the end all I wanted to do was pay them and it took over 4 months......

EDS did excellent, professional work this past summer, siding our (formerly clapboard) house. We were considering repainting again (got prices from other contractors on that, too) as well as siding, and in the end we are very happy to have gone this route with EDS. I worked with Don Griffin; he met with us several times (and took numerous phone calls with questions), giving us no shortage of time, information, samples, and examples. The company is very professional and responsive; that's true of not only Don, but of the job's foreman as well. The crew was extremely polite and neat, thoroughly reliable, and willing to spend time answering my questions or concerns. Don, and the crew, worked with a couple of other contractors that I had (roofer first, then electrician to follow EDS) to coordinate and make sure that each contractor would leave what the next was expecting to see; I appreciated that. We had several quotes for this work. EDS was not the least expensive, but it wasn't out of line either, was not the most expensive. But one thing that I keep coming back to is that their work, and their products, were top notch. The window and door trim that they use, for example, is just plain BETTER than anything else I've seen. They make this trim, custom, in their shop, and bring it to the job site when it's ready toward the end. It's outstanding. We think we now have the best-looking house on the street, and we've had numerous comments from neighbors on how nice it looks.

see above

EDS was timely, thorough, professional, and affordable. They were incredibly responsive to any questions and acted promptly during all phases of the project (initial quote, the actual job, then final walk through.)

We are very pleased with the work done by exterior design specialists. Don, Alex and the team were very punctually, patient with changes, and fast with getting the job done (we had old siding removed and new siding, trim, and gutters installed). The quality of the work is very good. EDS were not the most expensive, and were not the least expensive, but definitely offered the best service, quickest project completion, and were easy to to changes/additions on the fly. We will definitely consider them when we do some window and door work in the future.

They are great. They showed up when they said they would and did the work they said they were going to do. They were personable and honest and seem trustworthy to have work on my house. Just an all around good experience.

During the October 2011 freak storm, the house sustained damage to the roofing and the siding. I contacted three contractors. One was way high. EDS and another contractor were pretty close. Don from EDS came to the house to look over the work. He also arranged for several meetings both at my house and in his office to discuss the work and options. That is what I appreciated the most; multiple meetings to discuss the work and the time to think about what I wanted to do. I can't stress that enough! As we changed the scope of the work we wanted done, and the different selections of trim, Don provided updated estimates. That was the best part, the estimates were always up to date with the latest discussions. We decided to also replace two skylights that were 20 years old. Don told us the skylight they use so that we could look it up on line and get reviews. He also purchased a skylight and had it in his office for us to look at. He also suggested extending the gables to provide protection against water and to improve the overall appearance of the house. We were provided with many addresses of previous work to look at. In fact, we used one of the neighborhoods EDS worked on to select the siding color, trim color, and roofing color and style. We also really loved the extended gables. EDS has patents on vinyl siding accessories and has many options for trim to choose from. We wanted to use EDS's wide trim around the front door but there was not enough room between the top of the door and the soffit. Don solved the problem by designing a change to the roof to install a gable over the front door. So after may meetings, we finally gave EDS the go ahead. The crew's brought in were professional, friendly and respectful of property. The interior ceiling around the skylights were wonderfully trimmed. Don helped us deal with some rot that was discovered after the old siding was removed. Work was done quickly. The entire job was completed in 2 weeks! The crew did a great job of clean up after the work was done. We have received many compliments from neighbors. Everyone loves the now look of the house!

Didn't use them

Overall, I gave EDS an A rating because they were competant, professional, responsive and reasonably priced. We have an older, Cape style house that still had it's original 1950's siding. Needless to say, it was not in great shape after all of those years of service. Before starting the project, we solicited estimates from five companies. EDS was the next to low bid out of the five. We choose them for the project because they offered the best total package. Don had great ideas about what we could do to replace the old, wrought iron decorative columns in the front of the house - at a resonable price. Work started on our project about 2 weeks after we signed the contract. Don provided us with the name and phone number of the crew's foreman in case there were any questions or concerns as the project moved along. Our house was completely re-sided in 4 days with minimal mess or aggrivation for us. We did find a few items that were not completed to our liking; some of the window wraps were not tight and the columns at the front of the house were not square with the landing pad when first installed, but Alex and Don assured us they would be fixed and they were. Best of all, the crew did a great job working around our planting beds, and made sure all nails, etc. were picked up at the end of each day. The only less than positive comment I have about the project was the availability of our crew's foreman. We called him a few times over the course of the project and found he was slow to respond. Don, however, was always quick to respond. Overall, I still give EDS and this project an A. I would use them again without hesitation.

We received quotes from three bidders. The price quoted was the lowest for the scope of the entire project.The project went extremely well. The installation crew was very professional and friendly. The owner of the contracting firm stopped by frequently to check on the work in progress. The project forman was very friendly and briefed us on what was planned for the next day and answered any questions we had. The contractor worked on the project continuously from start to finish, except when rain prevented it. The crew had excellent attention to detail and the appearance of the installed project is outstanding. The work crew cleaned up every day and was very careful to protect our landscaping around the house. We are extremely pleased at the finished appearance of our home. The new appraised value of our home increased to a value that is over twice the price of the project