ElmWood Flooring & Construction

It makes me really sad to have to write this, because I love supporting small businesses. This company has a pattern of threatening lawsuits for bad reviews (as stated in an earlier review, and then stated to me via email), so I'll stick with the facts and write what I can prove. The work consisted of cutting a window hole in a wall, removing old stair railings, removing two curtain rods and replacing them with new ones, and removing two pieces of wall, about a foot each. In total, I paid just over $7,000. After the work was "finished", I met the painters (different company) at the house. They said that for the most part, the wall was in fine condition to prep and paint, however, the section where they removed pieces of wall still had tape on it, and areas with holes. The painters told me that the wall still had a lot of work that needed to be done, and that I should reach back out to the construction company and make sure they finish it according to my contract. I emailed them, and that's where things took a sudden and aggressive turn downward. After emailing them, John from Elmwood emailed me back, saying that the painters I hired were lazy and didn't want to do the work, and that I should read my contract, because they never stated that the wall would be "paint ready". I emailed back that I wasn't expecting it paint ready, only to be in the condition that they left the rest of the walls. After emailing me back again, aggressively, and lecturing me on the fact that I didn't know what I was talking about, and calling me a penny pincher, they acknowledged, based on a photo I had to provide, that was wall was in fact NOT done. I emailed back, asking why they couldn't have admitted that in the first place, instead of sending me a bunch of rude and defensive emails. They replied back that they don't care how much money I have to spend on projects, and that they turn down millions of dollars because of "difficult" customers. They then stated that after Darren came back to fix the wall, they were "done with me". All because I asked them to complete the work I had already paid them to do. That, I guess, made me a difficult customer. After, my painters said that Darren completed the job with "quick dry mud", and it was done so poorly that they had to re-do it, costing me an additional $350. I never brought this up with Elmwood, because I knew they would fight me on it anyway and the stress wasn't worth it. Fast forward to the day we moved in. I went to hang the curtains in our master bedroom, on the newly installed rod by Elmwood. Keep in mind, Elmwood told me the size of rod to buy, and I confirmed the type of rod in an email. When I tried to hang the curtains, I realized that the brackets were in the wrong location, making it so that there was over a foot of uncovered window on either side. I emailed them, with a photo, and said that since they expressed that they were "done with me", it makes sense for them to refund the $170 I paid to have it installed, so that I can have it re-done. They emailed back and said that the painter must have moved the bracket, and that it voided the warranty, and that they could send someone to fix it, but that they would charge me again. I looped my painter directly into the conversation, and the painter replied to Elmwood, saying that they didn't touch the brackets. It would have made no sense for the painters to move the brackets, path the holes in the wall, re-install them incorrectly, and then continue painting. I asked if they had proof that the painters moved it, and Steve replied saying "how would I have proof of that?" and then called me pathetic for suggesting that Darren lied. Then, said "John will reach out next week". John never reached out. With no protection on the windows, I hired someone else to fix the curtain rod, and they did so with ease, and no issues whatsoever. I then decided to file a complaint with the BBB, because I couldn't stomach working directly with Elmwood anymore. We went back and fourth for a bit, and Elmwood continued to change their defense. First, the painters moved it. Then, they said they couldn't install it correctly because of a metal lining around my window (false...), and third, that they couldn't install it properly because they didn't know in advance what kind of rod I was going to hang. Of course, I have proof that all of that is incorrect - in writing, but after a certain mount of back and fourth, the BBB closes the case, acknowledging that the business does not agree to fix the problem. I emailed Elmwood directly one more time, and asked them to do the right thing. They said, after much back and fourth, that I gave them no opportunity to fix it, and that it would cost $145 to do so according to my contract. So I paid $170 to hang the rod, and it would have been $145 to have them fix it (as they told me later). They then said that if I left a review, I'd be hearing from their attorney. Needless to say, I'm hiring a different company.

UPDATE: 6/10/14 Darren emailed us on Sunday to let us know that the estimator who was to meet us was in a bad car accident. Since this was an unfortunate circumstance and not in his control, we rescheduled for Monday. Darren showed up promptly and was very professional. I especially appreciated that he shared his knowledge of hardwood floors. After reviewing 4 estimates from different contractors, we decided to go with another contractor who had more reasonable and competitive pricing (within market price). ********************************************************************** We drove from the suburbs where our temporary home was located to our recently purchased home to meet with ElmWood representative for an estimate. We waited for 20 minutes after the set time elapsed before calling the main number. We left a message. Waited another 25 minutes...still no answer. Even the delivery company delivering our new patio furniture called half hour early to let me know that they were running behind and gave an approximate estimate of their arrival. We didn't even get that courtesy call from ElmWood.

I liked that they were able to work with my schedule and were flexible in their pricing. My real estate agent recommended them to me. They made the floors look so beautiful, that they make the other wood in the house look not so good.

They did a great job, uncovering the beauty we knew was under that nasty carpet when we bought the house. They removed almost all of the stains and scratches and it looks like a brand new house now (except all the other repairs that now look even worse next to those beautiful floors) They were right on schedule, and we didn't feel that they rushed the job, taking their time to do it right. They did all they could to work within our budget, though additional work was admittedly needed on the stairs, and ended up increasing the final price by about $500 from their original estimate. They were very courteous, professional and accommodating.