DIVOT CONTRACTING COMPANY

I had a rental apartment that needed renovating. While Divot Contracting was more expensive than my regular handyman, I hired Fred Popolo because he said the work would be completed in four weeks. That was very important to me because that would mean I could rent the unit out quickly to help offset the renovation costs. On May 19, 2012, I gave Fred a deposit of $5000. We spoke in person about the overall fee, as I was concerned about what I was paying and what I was getting. Fred made me feel better and we moved forward. Unfortunately, after he cashed my deposit, the unit was not worked on for 2 weeks. Needless to say, the month marker came and went; Divot spent 2 full months on the apartment. In my eyes, the overall cost of the renovation is $11, 200 + a month's lost rent of $2200, equalling $13,400. While Fred and his workers were nice, they did not work on the apartment everyday. Their schedule was erratic; I never knew when they would show up nor when work would be finished. One time, Fred complained to me that the washer and dryer did not fit into a doorway. Prior to finishing that doorway, I had asked if the washer would fit and he said yes. Obviously it didn't and then he complained to me as if it were my fault. I am sure I paid him to fix the doorway twice. Additionally, the cost for the services were high. Once I realized they were not going to meet their deadline, I began eliminating easy repairs. Fred was going to charge me $95 to install a fixture that would take 15 minutes. I definitely felt I was being taken. At this point, I asked for a discount for not meeting the deadline and for a faucet that was missing. Fred would not negotiate. Then, to make matters worse, the work was less than finished when he sent me the final bill. There were 3 outlets that did not work, the cabinet in front of the kitchen sink was not installed, there was an empty area in then bathroom flooring where a tile should have been. I asked for those line items be removed from the bill 3 times before he relented. He wanted to return to the property to fix them because he didn't believe me, even when I sent him photos. After his attitude and disrespect, I hardly wanted him to return. Ultimately, he discounted for the missing faucet. After final payment, I discovered he did not install the dishwasher even though I paid him to do so. The dishwasher was in place but not installed. When I hired someone else to install it, he found soda bottles and garbage lodged behind the cabinets that Fred had installed. Let me reiterate: Fred buried garbage behind my brand new kitchen cabinets. I am a very straightforward person who doesn't mind paying for good service. But with Divot and Fred, I absolutely did not get the service I expected. I am sure he will negate my complaints. He's seemingly very nice, but don't trust him. He won't live up to his word.

Your search for a contractor ends here! Divot provides trustworthy, high quality, detailed work. Highly recommended. While gutting the basement of our Chicago 2flat we found we were in need of an entire basement overhaul -- termite damage, severe plumbing issues, as well as a large section of the floor (hidden under a tile floor) that wasn't concrete :( After getting rid of the termites, we had several contractors come over to address the state of the basement. The prices were all over the place and nothing felt right. Then we called Divot. Owner Fred Popolo spent an hour or so taking notes, measuring, and asking us questions while we walked through the space. Fred did such a thorough inspection that we were ready to hire him on the spot. He came back with his estimate and we were wowed by the detail he put into the paperwork. The price was right, the plan of attack was great, and the details were all clear. Divot started work shortly after that. Demo, concrete floor poured, bathroom, new windows, doors, framing, walls, tile, painting, custom shelves... everything they did looks great. Even little things, such as the trim around the windows, clearly show the work of skilled craftsmen. Fred also referred us to an amazing plumber who coordinated with them as the basement was worked on. Divot exceeded our expectations as we saw the basement unfold into an exciting space. Fred checked in with us every step of the way, and the communication level was great. We felt we were in good hands the entire time. Divot clearly aims to deliver an outstanding service and make the customer very happy.

Once they understood the extent of the problem, they fixed it immediately.