Gator Tough General Contractors and Roofing Co.

If I could leave negative stars then I would. I signed a contract to build a garage in Nov 2018, they poured concrete in Mar 2019 and started framing in May 2019. The never call to tell me about the status of what they are waiting on or when they will be here. Before June, they would only answer calls sporadically, and always say they would be out to work "next week." But then they would never show. Since June, they have not answered my phone calls, texts or emails. My phone always goes directly to voicemail, if I use a work phone, it rings 5 times and then goes to voicemail so I feel like my phone number was blocked. His voicemail is full and I can't actually leave a voicemail.

Gator Tough, Andrew Ryan Blanton, was contracted to build a garage in our backyard last year. Every single aspect of working with Gator Tough was horrible. The problems are too numerous to even list. They range from not showing up at all, not having any materials at all, trying to get by with poor quality materials or throw away materials from another job, taking over 6 months longer to build than was quoted, having poor employees who don't have enough knowledge to construct anything or any supervision to ensure things were done properly. We finally had to pay other contractors for supplies and labor to complete the garage. We heard numerous complaints from Andrew Ryan Blanton's employees that they were having difficulty working on jobs due to lack of supplies and payment. We also had several local companies inform us that they will not do business with him any longer because he is not paying them for the supplies that they provided him. We are currently receiving threats of liens against our property for unpaid trusses despite the fact we paid Gator Tough in full for all materials and labor.

.

The owner was very nice when we were looking for a contractor and planning the project. Unfortunately, the workmanship was very shoddy. The ceiling was initially put up with no trim, just the bead board material cut off at the ends, front to back, completely out of square, and the edges so ragged it looked like someone had sawed it with a kitchen knife. The nailing is terrible with 1/4" or more of the heads sticking out. There are also screws that had been run through to the other side of the railing so that sharp edges were protruding. The trim work could not have been done by a carpenter. The railing and handrails were done with one piece of wood on top of another of the same dimensions, with no cap on top. Straight cuts were made where there should have been angles. The spindles are all different lengths and some pieces of wood were used that should have been scraped. The step treads were made of single widths of wood so two months later they are already cupping. The treads were also pushed all the way back to the risers, so the riser extends out a bit beneath each step and will catch debris and water. Our first call about the workmanship was returned right away and the owner came out and agreed the work was poor quality, saying the carpenter had probably "gotten in a hurry." The ceiling was fixed to our satisfaction, but that was it. Expecting to hear from the owner when we made the second and final payment, and assuming that he would call to see if we were satisfied, was a big mistake. We dropped off the payment and he never called to see if we were satisfied. My husband refused to call the office back and simply does not want them to "fix" anything. I would think any professional contractor would follow up to see if a customer was satisfied, and make even more of an effort if there had been and dissatisfaction. Since then we hired another contractor to add a deck and make some other improvements. He looked at the porch work and found that there isn't even enough support under the floor which is a concern since it is nearly 5' off the ground. Unfortunately, I did not belong to Angie's List until after we had Gator Tough "complete" our project!

It went reasonably well. We had a debate about the proper installation technique for shingles on a mansard roof but we got that resolved. Attention to detail on the framing crew was average. I finished the interior with drywall and framing was not all plumb and square - caused additional interior finish labor. All in all, the price was fair, Gator did what they said they would do and in the timeframe promised. My recommendation to others is to get all the details in writing up front and things should go well.

I found out about the company thru a neighbor (few streets over) of mine that had them build the exact barn I wanted. It took some planning to finally get to talk to someone in person. When I finally met, I told what I wanted. I wanted the same barn as my neighbors. I tried to get them to look up the account so I would get the same but that was like pulling teeth. I never found out what the dimensions were but I did tell them numerous times I wanted the same kind of barn as my neighbor. I paid the first installment and waited. They did not give me advance warning on when they were supposed to show up. My wife called me and told me the concrete people are in the yard. I had no warning. Needless to say, a tree I was going to remove was not removed so they had to excavate the yard about 4 feet up from my original plan to avoid the tree. The concrete people did a fairly good job but did leave a lot of concrete in the yard. They put it in a hole near where the side door of the barn was going. I called and told Ryan I wanted this concrete removed. The framer's came out a week or so later and started framing the barn. They parked both their truck and the trailer in the yard all days. They did take the excessive concrete when they left for the day. After the second or third day, I came home from work early and asked them about my small windows for the loft area. The builder said he can maybe put the windows in sideways if at all as I won't have much of a loft. I said,"WHAT?!" They said I ordered a Gable roof. I asked them to show me what a Gable roof looked like (thinking maybe they call barn roof's something different). They showed me and I stopped the progress immediately. I called the main store and told them the mistake they made. I was told Gable roof was on the contract and I told them they knew what I wanted because I wanted the same barn as my neighbors. The man I talked with (I believe his name is Jason) remembered that I wanted a barn. He told his framers to stop and regroup at the shop. Jason told me that I signed off on the Gable roof and I told him you could tell me whatever you wanted, you are the experts. You knew I wanted the barn from day one. If I hadn't come home early I would have been really p*****!!! When they started framing the roof I again noticed it is not at the same height as I expected. I asked the framer about the other barn (my neighbor) and he remember he built that one. Finally I got the scoop...my neighbor had an 8 foot loft built. My barn was not built like his as I wanted; my barn has a 4 foot loft. I knew it was too late to change again and have learned to like my barn. Having an 8 foot loft in a residential area may not be a good idea down the road. When they put my steel door in, they did not shim the door and thus the door does not shut properly. I will have to remove the door and install correctly. The only things I am not too happy about besides the height of my loft area is the height of the concrete. For a garage, I am used to being able to drive a car into the garage. My garage is built on a 12"+ height. Could be good if it floods in my area! Now I have to use a ramp to get vehicles in. I do like the Hardy board look, I painted the barn "Barn Red" with trim painted "Barn White" from Home Depot. I am currently looking for someone to add electric. Over all, I think Gator Tough did a good job. They just need help in communicating with clients. Would I use them again? Yes, but next time I will show them pictures of what I want.

I used Gator twice in the past, both times to build a 10 x 16 on-site. They were great. That was several years ago. Since May 2012 I have visited their offices twice, called three times, left messages, one appointment was set, they were a no show. Ryan called twice saying he saw a message and didn't remember anything about our previous conversations. I found out they are under new ownership since my previous two purchases. All I can say, is if they don't show up to make the sale, can't keep it together to return calls that would have been a $16,000+ sale (16x32) ....I'd hate to see what would actually happen if I would have hired them to construct the building.

DO: Expect good results. Completed shed was better than others I saw during our selection process. Project was accomplished ahead of original schedule and on time (2 days). Workers arrived fully prepared to complete the project, bringing everything needed on trailer. I am retired and have plenty of time, so, I watched the process from the start to finish. Workers were professional, hard workers. Wasted no time...worked together as if joined at the hip. Took only a lunch break. I saw a very high work ethic and careful attention to detail. Craftsmanship was very good. Cleaned up the site before they left. No doubt the shed will be here long after I depart this world.

Very disappointed in quality of work. Took months from start to finish due to crew regularly not showing.