Home Improvement 4 Less

I contacted Rick and we set an appointment for him to come to my house, discuss some remodeling we are going to do, and obtain an estimate needed for closing our (approved) refinance loan with Neighborhood Finance Corp. I left work early to meet with him as the appointment was for 5 PM. At 4:45 I received a call from his wife saying that he asked her to call, that he was hung up on another job and couldn't make our appointment, and would call me to reschedule either later that night or the next day. That was 2 weeks ago, and I have not heard from him as of this date. I have left a message via Angie's List and 2 or 3 voice mails asking for a call back, even if only to say he was too busy or wasn't interested in working with me; all without result. Very disappointing, especially after reading his other reviews on AL. I guess he figured my project wasn't important enough to merit a call back.

The details are small as I am still waiting for a response from this provider. How long does one wait before they start looking elsewhere? I ended up using another service to find a handyman.

Des Moines, you will be shocked but there is an honest contractor working in the area. Rick spent two hours in my home just to give me an estimate. He not only diagnosed the problem with the subfloor and underlayment, he also showed me other problems in my home. It was amazing how much he could tell about my house by just walking through it. If I ever sell this house and buy another, I will hire Rick to inspect the new home long before signing any purchase documents. Rick is much more knowledgeable than any home inspector I have ever hired in my life, and I have hired several. He is honest and not in the pocket of any homebuilder in the area. Rick gave me an estimate well under other estimates I had received and stood behind his estimate regardless of what he found when demolition began. Unfortunately, the developer of this house, Jerry?s Homes of Des Moines, had done such an unprofessional job the demotion turned out to be a project that had to include use of a jack hammer to get the out underlayment out. He corrected the structural problems, which included leveling out some flooring and fixing a place where the developer had not attached the subfloor to the joists. I estimate that he saved me at least $6,000 over the next closest bidder. Although I had assumed that the new tiles would be placed in the standard straight-line way, he took the time to go to the tile store and show me other possibilities for my floor. He turned a drab floor into something I will be proud of for years. Although there were additional costs for the special layout, he was reasonable and I am so glad he had the design capabilities to make my floor look outstanding. He took the time to do everything right; making sure the underlayment actually strengthened the subfloor that will prevent future fractures and repaired the other developer defects. It was so fantastic to find an honest, Christian contractor who I could trust without question. He never cut corners in making sure this job was done right. He cares about the customer?s happiness with the finished product and has amazing design ideas. He is a contractor who wanted me to be to be happier with the finished product than I would have dreamed. Although I wish the project could have been done faster, I knew that I was working with a craftsman not just a contractor. It is shameful, but finding a true craftsman is a Godsend. He knew I was a disabled veteran with limited resources, and he made sure to stay within the budget I had for this project. He was not just here for just the paycheck; he was here to give me the most value for my money. That is so extremely rare these days. He not only did the flooring work I asked for, he fixed a doorknob, installed a new ceiling chandelier, and fixed some very poor woodworking done by the developer. He wanted my home to be right. His ideas are fantastic and as I can accumulate the funds, I will follow his lead because I cannot find a reason to disagree with his sense of style or functionality. I would recommend him to anyone in the Des Moines area and already have; he is the best I have ever worked with in my life. I am including pictures of his work, I am proud to show these to the world. He has made my house both increased in value and shortened resale time, which was not may goal, but made it a house that I can live in and take such great pride I live in such a home. My neighbors are drooling over the project and I am sure I am making a few husbands angry in my neighborhood. I know giving him this review on Angie?s list is great; I will be giving his name to anyone who has any home improvement needs. I can recommend him without reservation. I have projects that will take some time to save money for, but I already know whom my contractor will be. He will be the one to update my baths and change my shower from plastic to beautiful tile. He will be putting in an on demand water heater and utility sink in my shop. I have jobs for him for years to come; as the funds are available he will be my craftsman. Do not hesitate to call Rick if you have a problem or just want an upgrade. He is the man for the job and will deliver more than you could imagine.

didnt finish the job. and wont return my calls,

unknown

Home Improvement 4 Less designed a solution to give us a tub and shower in this little bathroom without taking out the window. And then introduced us to a wonderful plumbing concept called PEX. to give us better water quality and pressure. He scheduled the demolition in such a way that we were able to still take bathes and have a functional toilet right up to the change out of fixtures. Then he installed all the new water lines where they were ready to hook up then switched over the water source and pressurized the system and without any delays or leaks we were back on line. With improved water pressure and taste. Yeah.... Finished up with trim at ceiling and floor. And was on to the kitchen ceiling. The new design for the ceiling face lift was perfect. He designed a white beamed ceiling and beadboard to cover ceiling tile and tied it into a 2 ft.x 2 ft. square pedestal to tie in a new white ceiling light in center of room and new pendant light over the sink . It looks like a country kitchen now. This time we saved $900 on bathroom remodel $450 on the new PEX system in labor and materials. And he only charged us $175 for new kitchen ceiling. I would have gladly that just for the design. What a creative concept to make a ugly old ceiling disappear. So once again i saved about another $1,450.00 and his design ideas were free. But if you ask me they were priceless......

When the crew arrived they had a meeting and walked around the outside discussing where to lay tarps over flowers and shrubs where the dumpster was going to be and that the clean up was as important as the install of the roof was. They were all on the same page. In the plan they made it very clear they were only going to tear off what they could put back on before leaving that day because a surprise rain can happen. I dont now how many times i have seen roofers tear off a roof then put a thin blue tarp over it then go home. To me that says I dont care, its not my house. Each day the crew was right on time and didnt leave till that section was completed and spotless clean. Not a nail, not a broken piece of shingle, or a plastic bag. Each roof section went as smooth as the last untill it was done. Then came the big surprise. He deliverd enough shingles so he had enough to re roof the old tool shed just so it would match the house and did it for free. At the end of the job we did a complete walk thru and signed off on contract. The price was exactly what the bid said and they did work that wasn't even on the contract. And he was about $1,300 under the other bids we received so if you add the upgrade cost for 50 year shingles ($150.00) and re roofing the tool shed ($245.00) thats $1,695.00 back in my pocket. Home Improvement 4 Less is exactly that..... Note; This last spring we had a major storm with straight line winds reported at 80+ miles per hr. and it blew over 2 huge 130 year old trees that great grand father planted on each side of the house and i can say that not one shingle came off. "Now that is amazing". i tell everyone the same thing, If you dont call Home Improvement 4 Less you are throwing away money.

They were there at time designated and worked quickly and efficiently. Cleaned up after themselves which was a plus to me as a senior citizen. Explained what they were doing and were done in one day. Very cordial and easy to talk to and ask questions if needed. Checked over everything they had done before leaving and asked us to check and see if we were satisfied with their work before getting paid. I would recommend them to anyone for the type of work I had done and know of others who have had other work done who are very satisfied. That is how I found out about them was from someone who had work done for them and very satsified with work and prices.

Everything on this project has progressed smoothly from start to the current stage. There were no real hiccups that weren't easily dealt with. A wall was moved, which put a heater vent from inside to outside the bathroom. They simply cut a new hole inside the bathroom, and covered over the old vent with wood flooring - matches perfectly. The owner, Rick, was always very upfront obout any concerns, kept me up to date on the daily progress, and where we stood financially. I was never surprised at any numbers, as I knew exactly where we were. That specifically allowed me to put this particular project on hold so that I could focus on a couple others. Had I not chosen this specific shower system, I know the project would be complete and have cost significantly less (fixtures were a large part of the expense, and not the labor or general materials). I couldn't be more satisfied with how things are progressing. I look forward to the finished project! Excellent work, Home Improvement 4 Less!

Mr Spurgin was consistently professional, inquisitive, and courteous. He was sure to let me know that he wanted this project to reflect what I wanted it to be. At the same time, he was willing to offer suggestions or advice if I seemed hesitant in not knowing what I might want. The work was quick, clean, reasonable and really, I coulldn't be happier with the results. It's one of the pieces in the house that always garners attention for its bold statement and practicality. For my next project, Home Improvement 4 Less gets first dibs!