TOWN & COUNTRY BUILDERS

I had a very difficult experience with Town and Country Builders. I’m sure this is not everyone’s experience, but it definitely was mine. My project consisted of me removing an existing one stall garage and having town and country builders do the site work/slab/building of the new 30X30 garage. Brian who quoted the project was throughout the whole project was very responsive, but at some point he was not the lead on the project and things went very badly. My top two complaints were the workers were not very dedicated to my job (it took 2.5 weeks to complete the building portion of the garage). And they were not very clean, my garage siding was very dirty when they left. Below is a list of challenges that I had throughout the project along with amount of time spent on my project by the builders of the garage. Operations manager Derek called to ask about when the garage would be moved and when I told him it would be that weekend, then next time I talked to him he informed me he didn’t know it was moved. I dug the trenches by hand for electrical and gas through clay, passed that information onto the site workers that those pipes needed to be in place there, only to have them re-bury them (with clay, not sand) and say they would dig them up later which they never did. I ended up digging them again by hand and again all clay because they said they forgot to, and concrete was going to be there the next morning at 9. I needed those pipes in before the concrete.and middot; During the site work we lost a shovel and our wheelbarrow was used and the bottom of it is now very different (scraped and rusted) than when we bought it. (not accusing you of taking the shovel at all, but like I said as things go on it all compounds as part of a bad experience. They did use the wheel barrow.) Our driveway slab was cracked in quite a few more places from the equipment that was driven over it during excavating (its not a great driveway by any means, but after living on it for 7 years I know when there are new portions completely cracked). After pouring the garage slab, I was told I should get the slab sealed within 24 hours, I was under the impression they were going to take care of my building from start to finish not subcontract the sealing of concrete out to me. The sealant the concrete worker told me to use was about $150 to buy and took about 2 hours to apply. It was not easy to find on short notice. Derek told me July 3rd was when they would start. I informed him that that was before the holiday and he told me well maybe it won’t get started then, and didn’t give me a new start date. I asked him to let me know if things changed. The afternoon of July 3rd I called Derek to find out when they might be starting next since they didn’t start that day. He said they have me down on the schedule for Tuesday July 9th, two business days away. July 10th, I waited past the July 9th date to hear from Derek and heard nothing so I called him that afternoon and he said he had us and quot;locked and loaded and in the schedule for early next week.and quot; I expressed my displeasure with not being called at least to be told that they were not going to be coming and that I understand that it happens in construction, but I would like to be kept in the loop, and to please do so. He told me that with all the rain things got pushed back (between july 3 and July 9th there were two working days and neither day had rain, they were beautiful. Said they would be coming early the next week (week of the 15th, this week). The crew showed up on Monday and Tuesday (7/15 and 7/16) of this week both days they did not arrive till 10:30 or 11 and both days were gone by 2-2:30. I later found out it was because of faulty equipment (which I understand, but when I don't get told, I would hope you could understand that makes me feel like nothing more important that an owner of a home). The carpenters on this day told me that they would have the trusses up on wed and be ready for the man door by the end of the week. Wednesday 7/17 No one showed up today to work, and after I Brian my first e-mail I got a call saying they had car trouble (again understandable, but not being kept in the loop.....not understandable). Brian told me that on 7/18 that there would be 5 carpenters on site. Thursday 7/18 Only 3 carpenters showed up and they showed up at 10 and left at 2 again. they were able to build 2 Headers, one for each garage door, and set up a set of scaffolding. I called and talked with both Brian and the owner Larry of Town and Country and expressed my displeasure with the amount of time being spent, they both assured me it would change. Friday7/19 They showed up around 9:30 and worked till around 4:30. Today they put all of the trusses up and sheeted some of the right side of the roof. Saturday 7/20 they showed up around 10 and left around noon. Finished sheeting the bottom portion of the building and almost all of the roof. Sunny all day. Monday 7/22 they showed up around 10 and left by Noon. They boxed in the upper portion from 8 feet and up of the building to the top of the trusses. Sunny all day Tuesday 7/23 they showed up around 10 and left around 2:30. Today they completed the framing of the eves and placed tar paper on the roof and shingled 1/3 of the roof. When I stopped at lunch they told me that they were going to finish the roof today. Sunny all day. Wednesday 7/24 they showed up around 9 and worked till about 4:30. Today they secured the inside walls, finished the roof, installed the window, cut off the extra boards and wrapped the house. Was told by the lead builder that weather permitting they would have the siding done tomorrow and then eves and doors done on Friday and they would be finished. Sunny all day Thursday 7/25 they showed up around 9:30 and worked till about 3. They completed all the bottom starting strips, corner pieces and one side of the garage is sided. Sunny all day today. Friday 7/26 …..no work was done. Light sprinkles all day today. Saturday 7/27 no work was done Sunday 7/28 Crew worked from 8:30 AM –4:30PM Did most of the remaining siding work. Put in the wrong man door ( I had asked when the job was quoted that a red door that we possessed be put in as the man door to match the house, they put in a white door they had brought with them). Monday 7/29 Crew worked from 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM Put up the two garage doors. Worker was peaking in our home windows, I called Brian and told him about the peeper and the door, the door was going to be corrected and the worker was going to be talked to after the project. Tuesday 7/30 Crew worked from 8:30AM - 4:30 PM Finished up all the remaining work and closed out. Switched out the man door. Total Garage Cost $34,200.00 Brian told me they like to pay the installments in Thee payments (Thirds). 1. Paid first installment to Brian for the Garage in the amount of $9,000 in April ($25,000 remaining). 2. Paid the second installment to Brian for the garage in the amount of $4,000 on 5/28/2013 ($21,200 Remaining). 3. Paid the third installment to concrete builder in the amount of $12,000 on 6/20/2013 ($9,200 Remaining). 4. Brian called and asked me to pay an additional $1,200 installment for the rebar add on. Amount was paid on 7/5/13 ($8,000 Remaining). 5. Paid final installment of $8,000 upon completion of project on 07/30/2013 6. Total days duration of the project from first date of payment was 109 Days.

All the men who worked on this project were professional and quality driven form Brian who did the estimate, Knutson who did the site prep and landscaping, Nylunds who poured the slab and Pat Moen who built the garage. It came out just as promised and what we expected. All the work was done in a timely manner and I cannot express about the quality enough. We are extremely pleased with the finished project.