FREDERICK COLLINS CONSTRUCTION & REPAIR

I've waited over a year to write this review, to make sure I was not over-reacting. The wait however, has not been kind to my feelings on this project. When Fred came out to quote the project, I provided him with copies of the Township code and requested that he get a permit. During our conversation he mentioned how he does not buy wood from the "Big Box Stores" and would only get wood from lumber yards. His quote was in the middle of the quotes, and promised completion three days after starting the project. All seemed OK and we scheduled the job for approximately 1 month out.. Then the problems started. Three days before the project was to start, Fred informed me that he needed a site plan per the permitting process and would need to charge me an additional $300 to do it. When I commented on how this was rather sudden and he had been given the paperwork on what was needed a month prior, he said he could walk me through the steps on how to create one myself for no charge and to fax it over to him. Through his guidance, I was able to get it over to him in two days (both fax and email). The day he showed up, he mentioned that he had lost the plans, and if I had made copies he could have. He then mentioned that he was running behind schedule and would not be there for the project. He also told me he had gotten the wood from a big box store down the road. His sons were a nightmare to work with. This first evening I came home and noticed they had cemented the posts along one section of the fence line with varying distances between them. Not a couple inches off, but feet (8ft for one section, over 10ft for another). The first few pickets were nailed (yes nailed, with zinc coated nails) so they were resting on the ground. I called Fred that evening to get the situation corrected. The next days his sons said it was a good thing I called, and they couldn't believe they forgot about ground clearance. (?!?) To speed up this review a little bit, I will just list the major issues we have had: 1) Project took over 1 week to complete, plus additional trips to correct problems 2) When removing existing wood fence I asked that they save the Arbor connected to it and showed them the screws that did so. The fence was just ripped out of the Arbor, leaving screws and holes where the fence was once attached. 3) My double gate began to sag by the first week of installation, I asked Fred to come out and fix it, he lowered the drop cane and ripped the boards where the gate joined. By Fall the problem had come back. and the gate would not stay closed if there was any wind. We had to stack wood in front of it to keep it closed all winter. This may have to do with it being a 5 foot gate attached to one post only for each side of the double gate (total of 10 feet across). 4) I had to have Fred come out twice within two weeks of the original install to replace 30+ boards that were cracked from nailing them in from the nail hole to the top or bottom of the board). 5) His sons told my wife that they were making the fence like our neighbors, because "(Our town), was full of conformists." 6)I had mentioned when they started that if they cut up the fence scraps to under three feet, I could bundle it and put it out with my trash, thus saving them time and money for debris haul away. The scraps were not cut up, and just thrown next to my garage along with two full sheets of plywood. Fred then added the price of these sheets to my bill, until I mentioned that I did not want these sheets. He then took them off my bill and come to pick them up. 7) One of our walking gate latches was installed incorrectly, so all winter long it would not latch. We had to tie it shut until this spring, when I could fix it. 8) The corner braces that were put on my gates only had 2 to 3 of the six screws required actually screwed in. This caused some parts of the gates to develop an extreme warp in under a year. 9) After only a year all hinge screws were completely cover in rust. and beginning to stain the cedar Needless to say, I have had to rip out the double gate, and will be replacing it this summer, as well as fixing the other issues this year as well. If you add together the money and time I have spent fixing the issues, I would have been better off going with the highest quote I had received. Through the course of the project, Fred was only there for the two days of repairs at the end. The work he did himself was pretty good, but you can only do so much to fix the mistakes his crew had made.

They came when scheduled and did a good job.

It didn't go anywhere since they never showed up to do the quote. Guess that is good, would hate to pay a deposit and have them not show up to do the install.

On my front porch I previously had pre-cast concrete steps that were falling apart from too many winters and too much salt, so I decided on replacing them with wooden steps. After several false starts with other Angie's List contractors, I called Frederick Collins Construction on a Tuesday. Fred answered on the first call (no phone tag) and was able go to the house to estimate the job while I was at work. He called me with a quote, I tweaked some of the details, then he emailed me a written update within a few hours. The price was spot-on and I was impressed with his speed and responsiveness so I called him back to schedule and we decided on Thursday. Fred kept me updated via email and when Thursday got rained out, rescheduled to Friday. The crew was still there when I got home from work but finished the job beautifully. It was only four days from quote to completion. This is exactly how it's supposed to work--no muss, no fuss, professional all the way through, and I especially like how FCC accepts credit cards. Makes the whole process budget friendly. I'll definitely call him back when I'm ready to remodel my bathroom.

This is the best experience I have ever had with a repair on the house. I reviewed many companies and found the review to be what I was looking for. I called and they came out the same day and quoted. They then scheduled the repair the next day, The job cost ended up being less than the quote!! This is the most honest, company I have ever dealt with. When I replace my roof, they are for sure the first people I will call. I looked at the job on the roof and the work was wonderful. They spent alot of time and effort making sure that the repair was good. I cannot say enough good about this company. I want to see what other stuff they do for home repair as they have an honest work ethic which is not common.

Fred Collins arrived on time and gave estimate. Fence installed on date and time agreed. Crew installed fence, cleaned up all installation materials. Very good work.

Mr. Collins met me at my house to look at the roof. He offered some insight into what kind of work needed to be done, how I could save money and what were my best options. He was very friendly, easy to work with. I got my estimate in a very timely fashion.

I called different companies on Angie's list to determine if anyone worked with wrought iron railings, as mine on my front porch were in disrepair. Frederick Collins and Sons were the only ones that did so. I also needed a few other things fixed around the house, and was able to come to a price agreement to fix all of these. When Mr. Collins sent his son out, it was hilarious; it turns out he was a neighbor down the street from me. I knew then, that the work would be done satisfactorily! Nice workers, work was done in a timely and professional manner, they even painted the door for me. Additionally, I had a chimney and some cement steps installed, and I wasn't sure about the quality of the steps, so he inspected the steps for me, and agreed that they were tilted slightly, and also recommended a couple of other improvements (those were settled satisfactorily also). Overall, it was a very positive experience, and I would definitely hire again when I have work around the house to do. I just have to apologize that I didn't get this rating done sooner.

The weekend of 1/19/13, the winds were terrible and the temperature was frigid. Our roof lost about 12 or more shingles on Sunday the 20th and we didn't know who to contact. So we remembered that we received a booklet from Angie's List advertising companies for their services. We called Frederick Collins Construction & Repairs at 8:00am and they arrived at 9:30am. This is a family owned business. One of the sons arrived with another employee to make the repairs. Both gentlemen were very professional. Afterwards we received a thank you card in the mail from the company, thanking us for calling them for our repairs. My husband and I will definitely be calling Frederick Collins Construction & Repairs again. Thank you to Angie's List!

Fence torn down and new posts placed, fencing rehung, took longer than estimated, job seemed incomplete, as there was some fencing that could not be reused and the team leader told me I could fix that myself. They did come back and finish the job after I complained. The crew fighting was not appreciated by me or my neighbor

Had a slight mishap with the spelling of my email to get the review but overl it went well. He showed up 5 minutes early to the appointment and helped shape what I wanted to do.

I had been experiencing several locations where ceiling paint had been peeling in my house, as well as an ice damming issue over the front porch. Frederick Collins Construction and Repair responded to my request for an on site estimate promptly. Fred Collins performed the estimate himself at a time convenient to my schedule. He was able to show me the damaged areas of my roof shingles, and explain what his company could do to repair the damage without having to tear off large sections of shingles or substrate. His estimate and timeline were very reasonable. Although Fred Collins had estimated a two-week wait for the job to be completed, his crew finished another job early and phoned to ask if they could start on my roof repairs just 3 days after I accepted their estimate and hired the company. The work was done quickly, efficiently, and cleanup was spotless. I am completely satisfied with the work provided by Frederick Collins Construction and Repair, and highly recommend them for any roofing services.

Took slightly longer than estimated, but no extra cost. Very professional and considerate. Highly recommend!

Arrived on time, did all work necessary, waited to make sure all work that was done was correct and acted professional and friendly to the customer. Efficient work.

No issues. Will use again.

These guys did a great job, during the quoting process Fred actually got on the roof! The other sales men we got quotes from didnt do that, which is pretty funny actually. We got two other quotes besides this one from companies who I thought would be competitive because of their size(large companies who are really well known in Michigan). From the other two, not only did I have to sit through their long pitch but they both did deals if we signed today, and came in almost twice as much. I really hate that. Being on a budget and not getting any pressure from clearly knowledgeable Fred we decided to go with them. Glad we did, the guys were great, professional, although since I was home both days of the install I would say that the cussing and yelling at each other was a bit on the high side. No big deal for me though, made me laugh at times when I overheard their conversations. They did a great job, were on time and had great communication when it rained one day. The roof now looks fantastic and acts as a roof should, even better at the end of the job they sent a few cookies which made my very pregnant self very happy! Follow up with them has been great, when there was one minor issue, they came out a fixed it. They clearly wante to make everything right for us which is so rare anymore.

From Quote to completion both experiences were fine. The roof was a full rip off and replace and, of course, there was a huge rain storm mid job, but Fred took care of the water damage and got the job done.

Fredrick came out to replaced 2 fence post. He was good and had a very fair price. Very polite and I was pleased with his services. I would use him again

Did ask for enhancements that they did not get back to us on.

They cancelled/delayed once, but it wasn't a big deal to us knowing that we were a very small job and not in a huge rush. We did have to follow up with them for a new scheduled date. They arrived punctually. They were very personable and easy to work with. They did a good job though took a little longer than initially estimated. They inadvertantly cut the neighbor's cable line (which they apologized for even though it was not their fault since it ran on our property). They tried to contact the neighbor and finally left a note offering to cover repair costs (not needed-repaired for free). They cleaned up everything after they were done. *The biggest thing I have to comment on is price! I had contacted two other fencing companies--one gave me an estimate of $1500, the other $1100! I had done the research and knew that the cost of materials was a fraction of this. Compared to these other two, Frederick Collin's quote was much more reasonable and fit into our budget. He didn't try to charge us for more than we wanted or needed and we appreciated this. Overall very professional and trustworthy.

We quoted about 10 roofing contractors/companies. The whole process made us squirm over spending so much money and us just wanting the job done right. Our quotes were all over the place and every company had a different idea of what we needed and what products they should use. Some companies were total flakes, others were super high-pressure. We took our time deciding and decided to go with Fred because he seemed honest, dependable, and knew his stuff. We liked him, he gave us a fair price, and his was one of our lowest bids, so that clinched the deal for us. We scheduled with Fred and waited over a month for them to start, he was booked up. That was fine, the roof needed replacement, but wasn't an emergency situation. When the start date got close, we tried contacting Fred, and had some strange communication issues. It turned out Fred was out of town, their truck was in the shop, it just left us feeling uneasy. They didn't start on the day they were supposed to, but were going to shoot for the next day, and would let us know. We didn't hear anything, so imagine our surprise when we came home from work to find trucks everywhere, an entire crew working, and our entire roof torn off! They got the whole job done in 2 days and for the most part we were completely satisfied. They installed an edge-vent system on the back of the house which wasn't in the initial quote. We appreciate that they added this item because they felt it would be better for the longevity of the roof (at no charge), but we should have been consulted before such a change was made. The vent was all wavy when we inspected the roof and it looked terrible. We couldn't believe they installed it and left it like that. And this was an item not even in our original quote. Our stomachs were in knots all weekend because you could literally put your hand right underneath the vent and all the nails had popped up on it. We worried needlessly about it, because they came out first thing Monday morning and repaired it. It looks better, but we're still not a big fan of it, and we probably wouldn't have had it put on if we were given the choice. We don't like the flashing job or the color they used for the flashings. They are properly flashed, the job just looks kind of sloppy. They offered to fix them, but we told them it was okay. We are going to have trim and gutters done, and we will have those guys repair it. Those sort of things are an art. Anyway, all and all, Fred and his sons are good people. They are honest and hard-working. The communication issues were hopefully a learning experience and they can go forward with a better understanding of how the customer feels. Keeping people in the loop and good communication goes a long way toward overall satisfaction of the whole experience. We would probably hire them again for jobs around the house, although they probably wouldn't want to deal with us again. And they sent a thank-you card and cookies after the job, how many contractors would ever do that these days?!We gave Fred a B across the board because we feel an A is reserved for the contractor who exceeds your expectations in each area. A contractor where there are absolutely no issues or problems and you know you would absolutely hire them for that same job again. We had a few issues, so we felt a B was a fair grade.

The same day we agreed on the price, he had two of his men come to the house and repair the leaky spot. The work was done about 40 days later, and finished in a single day -- a beautiful job. The men were cordial, and cleaned up everything before they left. Fred is great to work with, and they performed all the work we had agreed on.

Fred and his guys were great to work with. Promptly responded to request for a on-site visit to get an estimate. Fair price and honored coupon. All email correspondence was returned quickly and questions regarding the project answered. They had to move back original start date, but I was notified appropriately in advance. The installers did a great job. Original placement of fence was slightly off the planned location and they were happy to correct it once I notified them. Finished fence looks great! Would happily use them again.

Fred Collins came out to give us an estimate very quickly after we called. He answered all of my questions. We got three estimates. With the lowest estimate, we were not convinced of the quality of the work that would be done. Fred's was just slightly more, but would also be able to remove a tree stump that was in the way. Fred showed up a day before to drop off supplies, and then on the install day they were there early and got to work. The workers were professional and courteous. I was able to watch the work and could see they built the fence correctly. It looks great. I think we got a really good deal on the tree stump as it seemed it was much harder to remove than any of us expected, yet they did it without complaint and without charging more.

I emailed Fred and within 24 hours had a response. I then had an appointment to estimate the work within a few days. Fred came out on time and was very clear in the outline of work. He then emailed an estimate of work within 2 days and we went back and forth on some of the details. We agreed on the work and a date. We required the date to be pushed out another two weeks due to another appointment we had, otherwise Fred would have completed the work even earlier. Fred?s team then pushed the date back due to the weather. On the day of the work Fred and his team arrived on time. I walked the yard with Fred to verify where and how everything was to be done. The team worked all day. Fred was there in the morning and late afternoon. Unfortunately, they did not complete everything day one and left without saying goodbye. So we reviewed the work only to find out they did one side of the fence in the wrong location. When we called Fred to discuss, we wanted us to talk to the neighbors instead of fixing it. The next day we called Fred and agreed to a compromise. The next day they arrived to finish the work and they did. They were still staining when we got home and we started to review the mistakes again with the team. This time different mistakes however details that needed to be fixed. They left and returned the next day to complete the staining. Fred came out to review the mistakes and completed the changes that day. Then they came to pick up the check and we showed where they missed stain, where they stained the concrete and house. He fixed the stain and said he would be back to clean the rest. That was the last time we saw Fred or his team. We love our fence but the details were not there.