Burkheads Home Specialist

There was more than one day that I expected them and made arrangements for myself or someone else to be at my home. They were either late or not show up at all. I would call and there would be a reason, they just hadn't let me know of the change. Throughout the job they had to burrow my shovel? The work area had to be accessed through my upstairs bedroom. They never offered to lay anything down to protect my floor or carpet. When I realized what a mess the job was going to create I got out my own old runners for them to walk on. There was 2 phases to the demo, phase 2 he sent a employee to pick up the check. When he got here I was asked to void the check to the company and make out to the employee. I probably shouldn't have but I did, still feel it was unprofessional and think I was put in a awkward position. The job was just a demo they were not hired for the rebuild. These are some small items, but for the price I expected more professionalism. I've had a lot of work done by professionals since moving into this home. Inground pool installed, fire pit and pavers installed and even hard wood floors put in and never felt I needed to leave a bad review.

I'll preface my comments with a note that I am 'detail oriented' and have been in customer service for 31 years. I know greeat customer service when I see it. This is NOT great customer service. I bought a deal for a roof inspection. Scheduled with Mr. Burkhead who came out in a timely manner. He took pictures and even some video of a problem area. He was initially prompt in communication, though somewhat disorganized in his responses. For example, I'd ask two or three questions and get a response to only one. I'd reply back asking for the other answers and get another response to a different email I chalked that up to him being busy and striving to be prompt. My first red flag should have been when following the 'roof inspection' I was told I had to replace "all" of my flashing, "All of your counter flashings need remade and installed properly." When I questioned that during a phone conversation with Mr. Burkhead and stated that I had just had 2 other areas of flashing replaced in the past two years, he began to back peddle on his comments and then admitted that he had not looked at all of the flashing but "assumed" that it all had the same problems he found in the one area. Against my better judgement and gut feel, I opted to continue working with him. I received my Quote on August 5th and the cost was fair. I accepted on August 7th and was told, "should be able to start sometime next week." On Monday August 11th I received, "Maybe we can try tomorrow or this week sometime." Several emails later, on August 28th I received, "We will have roof flashings done before weeks out next week." On September 5th, I received, "Will it be ok to work Sunday?" So a month to the day for being told 'next week' the work was finally completed....or so I thought. On September 9th I received a request for payment. On September 11th, it rains and my master bedroom has a leak (which it had not had prior to Mr. Burkhead's inspection)....far away from the area that work was performed on the flashing. I suspected the 'roof tune up' may have created the problem. I call Mr. Burkhead a couple times that morning on the way to work to have them come out and inspect/fix the leak. Once I finally got him to answer his phone (he was in a class) he informed me that they had not yet done the 'roof tune up' and that they could not have caused the problem (when his guy came out to do the flashing repair, he did not have the right ladder to get to the whole roof). To his CREDIT, he did come out with one of his team that day and found that a plumbing vent pipe joint had come loose. He did an effective, temporary repair at no charge (which he reminded me several times during a follow up conversation). I expressed to him, several times, that I appreciated him taking care of the leak. On September 15th, he requested payment. I replied back asking when the 'roof tune up' would be completed to which he replied that it was done the day they came out to look at the leak. I went back and reviewed text messages with my wife during that time and from the time my wife told me that they were going to the roof to the time she told me they were gone was 22 minutes. Now I don't have a mansion, but it is a very large, multiple pitch 'custom' roof. When I asked essentially how could they have done a complete roof tune up in that time frame, his reply was, "Once payment is made we can break it down for you." Hardly a customer focused response. Wanting to put an end to this, I made the payment in full. I was told I would get emailed a receipt. After three days with no receipt, I followed up again and finally got my receipt, but still no response to the 'roof tune up' question. I questioned him again to get the reply of, "The tuneup is sealing of exposed nail heads which did not take two guys but only about 10-15 minutes." The previous 'tune up' description was, "We will also do a basic roof tune-up which consist of sealing the rest of the flashings on home, sealing all exposed nail heads on plumbing vents, roof vents, ridge caps etc." While I have not yet paid ANOTHER roofer to come out and review the work (or lack of work) completed, my experience and gut tells me that quality, industry standard efforts were not made during this 'tune up.' In a nut shell, Mr. Burkhead seemed personable and responsive for the initial interactions. It was all downhill from there. As I reviewed my email history of this experience with him I found all of these problems with the consistency of his words. The worst part is that I really wanted to find a business that I could have a long term relationship with for the projects we have identified. What I found lacking was: 1) Consistency 2) Responsiveness 3) Making and Keeping Commitments 4) Customer Service If you choose to hire Mr. Burkhead for any services, I certainly hope that your experience with him is much better than what mine was (and several other people here on Angie's list). From reading the other reviews it seems that his sub contractors do very good work once they get to the job, which was my experience, as well.

Mr. Burkhead provided overall supervision and coordination of the installation of new counter tops, appliances, and lighting for my kitchen.. My home is an older victorian that presented considerable challenges to update the electrical work and incorporate modern fittings while retaining the integrity of the style of the original home. The finished work is beautiful and functional. I am very happy! Cost was extremely reasonable.

I requested a refund of the purchase price and it was processed promptly.

I bought the deal off the website and listed 3 dates and times I was available, which is in the mornings. Messages I received on Angie's List indicated it wouldn't be a problem to come in the mornings. I called the contractor and he asked me to e-mail my info and, again, my availability. I did so and again said I was available in the mornings and I told him several days I was off work and could do anytime. After some back and forth on e-mail where the contractor continually proposed evening times for the service, which I was unable to do, we agreed he would come on Tuesday 10/28/14 because I was off work. This was also nearly 2 weeks after I purchased the deal. I sent an e-mail on 10/27/14 to ask what time he was coming and did not get a response. I waited at home all day on 10/28 and he was a no-show and did not call or e-mail. I received an e-mail on 10/29 asking, again, if I was free in the evening on that date, which I was not due to work. I called the contractor on 10/30 and said I was going to get a refund and he apologized. Also sent several text messages asking if I could reconsider; however, I'm pretty picky about who I deal with in regards to my home and after the poor first impression I decided to look elsewhere. For all I know his work could be great, I just didn't get to see it.

Went great. Jim was on time, super courteous, and professional. He got back to us right away with a bid, and we'll move forward in a few weeks.

He was a contractor so he had so many jobs going at one time. He came out and we could never get a hold of him, he always had to call you back, he was constantly on the phone and he had his other workers to come out. My windows were supposed to be done in three days, it was like two and a half weeks and he never did provide back up on paper work for the warranty. His first group of workers would show up, the first guy showed up to work and the rest of them didn't show up. The man didn't even have a ladder and I had to provide him a ladder and some of the tools to even work. The rest of the people didn't shop up till afternoon because they had evidently been pulled and then he kept telling us that the work inside was done. We kept telling him, "No, it wasn't done." In order to repair the windows I had to put the new windows in and they had to come in and take the strips around the windows off. I had to take the shades and curtains so we were at least a full week, we took some time off work and they said they would be here and they didn't show up. It was just poor communication obviously. The man never came out to check the work after we had committed to the job. He never showed up once unless he was here to drop materials off because they said they couldn't start on the outside of the windows because some materials hadn't come in and he may have dropped it off and never told them. And my husband complained so then he he had to hire another set of workers to come out and work on the job. They had their own company too and they had other jobs committed but they took their time and showed their interest and of course it took them a half a day to clean up my yard because the other people had left with window paints, things thrown all over the yard that was not picked up. It was just not a good experience. The pricing was less what we had other quotes on for windows and the roofing I didn't need to have a roof put over my kitchen area which is separate from the main house and that seemed to have been done. He said we could get it all done in week, a couple of days for the roof and three days for the windows with no problem. It was a problem since it took so long for the windows. They said they would be here and they never showed up. We rearranged our schedules but if one showed up to work on the windows, the rest of them didn't show up and we were just not happy with them. I realized its an old house and every window size is different. The guy has never provided me with any back up on the windows as far as the warranty on it.

Very prompt and flexible with scheduling services. Jim Burkhead came out and measured windows and consulted on other projects. I like his personality and professionalism. He was laid back, easy to talk to, but also professional. The windows were ordered promptly and grid was added on for an extra expense. The windows were ready to install within 2 weeks of order, which was very fast compared to a previous experience I had with another company (8+ weeks). The installation was not as quick and easy as we were made to believe. The guys were nice and the finished product is satisfactory but there were a few issues: the front door and yard gate was left open early on and we had to lock up the pets after we found them outside. The job was not finished within the one day and the guys left in a hurry after all the windows were in when I got home around 5:30 pm on Friday without cleaning up. The guy said he would return at 9am Sat morning to finish the caulking (sealing the windows) and clean up. There were LOTS of old nails, framing wood, paint chips etc on the floors and outside, and a coat of black dust on all the furniture. They ended up not returning until Monday, so at that point, I had finished sealing the windows and cleaning myself. We are pretty forgiving of the misinformation and imperfect project management because we know this was a tough job and the weather (raining on and off all week) was a factor. We have a tough house (old, old old) for a contractor and we are pretty tough critics/customers. I will use this company in the future if Jim will accept us again as customers!

When I contacted Burkheads initially to inquire about doing an inspection, Jim was very professional and responsive. He showed up early on the day of the inspection to be sure he could get on the roof before the rain arrived that afternoon. He was very thorough, taking pictures of all items that he would recommend some action on. He walked me through the house and pointed out the items he documented as well as other "new homeowner" items that didn't need action, but were things that I should keep an eye on for future maintenance. Based on my experience, I would definitely recommend Burkheads for home inspections, and I will likely hire Jim to do other contracting work around my new home.

He could not get off the phone long enough to even talk to me much less give my home a 10 point inspection. There was no moisture reading, no humidity reading, did not bother to go into my attic. No inspection of my crawlspace. No written estimate for cost to repair, even if he did give me a cost estimate I would have not hired him.

I contacted Jim about a roof inspection. Jim performed the expectation, gave me his recommendation. The price was extremely reasonable. The work on the roof was completely within 2 days. Excellent experience. Burkhead Home Specialist is now #1 on my list for home needs!!!!

I had just begun working with a decorator and turned to Angie's List to locate someone who could remodel built-in bookcases where I needed space to put in a desk to create a new home office. Enter James Burkhead and the very talented and efficient Micah Fritzinger and his crew of carpenters. These guys arrive when they say they will, listen to what you want built, and get it done! At the same time, Mr.Burkhead sent his plaster masters to check out the sagging wall in my foyer. They pulled off wallpaper and discovered a small area of the dread black mold. Not to worry, Mr. B is certified to take care of mold..less than 48 hours after the mold was discovered, it had been treated with the appropriate chemicals, my air-ducts had also been treated so that mold spores would not be lurking around for future trouble and in the process Mr. B himself dealt with old asbestos tape that his workers had discovered on some of the old ductwork in my basement. This is not the first time I've had remodeling done on this house and I've been pleased with previous projects. However, I rate my experience with Burkhead Home Specialists as superior to any other contractors with whom I have worked in the past. If my ship ever comes in and I can build my dream home, I know who I will call and I recommend that you do the same!

He did all this while I was at work. I never met him, but we did talk on the phone. He said the roof had hail damage and I"m still waiting for insurance to make an inspection.

Jim was great to work with. Very clear and honest. Even when I decided not to use his services, he was very helpful and kind. He's likely the first one I will call when I need something next.

Jim responded to initial purchase of deal almost immediately. Said that he was busy for the rest of the week but would be over to look at it the following week. Texted me today and asked if it was okay to be on roof if no one was home. He would be in area this evening and could look at it then. He told me exactly how much it would cost to repair and trusted me to call him tomorrow with my credit card info. Also gave me a very reasonable quote to do the gutter hangers and I will schedule that in a couple of weeks. I would highly recommend him. I will be calling him in the future for some other work also.

I only had one week to get siding installed on my house in order to sell it. Since I no longer live in the area, I was scared it wouldn't get done in time! I tried Home Depot and Lowe's, and neither could give me an estimate for several days. I didn't have that time to waste! So, I joined Angie's List and found Burkhead's Home Specialists. It was a great choice! Jim answered my call right away and was experienced enough to give me a quote from a picture and measurements. I selected the vinyl style and color online. Jim had it in stock and was able to install it right away. It looks great. He really saved the day!!! Now I can close on my house as planned, and I'm so relieved.

Mr. Burkhead was very pleasant to talk with. He just explained that there had been a miscommunication and that he had not authorized the posting of the deal that I had bought.

They were very prompt and very customer service oriented. The guy who came out was very professional and honest. They were also easy to get in touch with and showed up on time.

The boss said he was overwhelmed with the number of jobs he had, so his schedule was behind. We finally did set up an appointment. The worker who was supposed to come didn’t call or email, since he was sick and didn’t want to call the boss on vacation. The boss called me later and said he’d reprimanded the worker, and sent over a subcontractor he knows, who did a good job. C overall, F for punctuality, A for other categories by proxy on the other guy's work.

Had trouble getting in touch with contractor. I refused to pay that price, the men left and I never heard from the contractor again. He was supposed to inspect the entire roof and put up to 50 slate back into place. I got nothing for the $149 I spent and had to have someone else come out and put the slate back in place to keep the roof from leaking.

Roof had very minor leak from the chimney side, so bought this package deal. I requested the service person to give me 40 minutes notice, so I can be home when he does his work. My review is based on following things: Scheduling took long time (more than 2 weeks, may be they got overwhelmed by the response they got). I did not get call before the work, So I was not present when they did the work. Apparently I do not know what they did (or did not). Little bit hesitant to buy any "deals" from Angie's List as this was my first experience and did not go well.

5/19/14 Edit: The fine print of this Big Deal was a little confusing. They asked me what I wanted to have done which I sent back to them. They called me only a little while before arriving saying that they could meet me at Lowes. I accepted the appointment even though I was not ready. I had them meet me at Lowe's to pick up a toilet. They brought it back and then found that it was the wrong toilet (not my or their fault) and had to return it and get a new one and installed it. They also raised a shower curtain and installed a towel rack on the wall. I had wanted them to also stain a deck (which they did not let me know they don't do until they arrived despite my having listed it in my message with them previously). I had also requested in the previous messages that they install a light for me but they left in such a hurry that I didn't have a chance to bring it up. One of the men also left prior to the work being completed. They should have told me that they could not do one of the tasks I had requested prior to arriving and also should have let me know of the things they needed in order to do the work so that I could have been ready. The service provider stated that they weren't making much money on the Big Deal and so they weren't doing very much work. The work they did was good, but I do not feel it was worth the money I paid.

I thought he was a very nice man. I really liked him but....First, he was two hours late...the appointment was at 5:00 p.m,and I had to be somewhere at 7:30. He never showed at 5 and I kept texting him for his arrival time..he finally showed up as I was leaving,.around 7:30 p.m...he quickly surveyed the area that I had concerns about and he stated that it was mold. He then went to a couple other rooms and found nothing. He then went outside and said I needed new flashing and something else...He sent a quote of around $1,500. I thought I should get a second quote. The second company told me that they needed to first see the attic for other signs of mold (which Burkhead's did not). The second guy went to the attic and only saw a small sign where mold was present long before and nothing to worry about. He sealed up the flashing where water possible came in at one time. Cost was minimal ...basically, his time.

Everything looks good so far. Still needs to finish.

They were very nice and returned all emails just informed me i needed new roof instead of just repairs. thanks