Capital Home Improvement

I had 3 doors installed to replace old ones for a newer look that have all had problems opening and closing because of the door hitting the frame due to the door not being hung even. I’ve reached out to have this issue fixed and all he did was come out and put dust in the screw hole and rescrew it in. A few months later now and the issue has arisen again with no response from them for help. They do half quality work and I do not recommend moving forward. I paid over 3k for these 3 doors I bought to be installed and that includes no trim work just for the new frame to be damaged.

Excellent workmanship. Neat. On estimate. Would recommend.

SUMMARY It was a struggle to get the work performed to a standard level of quality. The list of issues and unprofessional behavior is extremely long. Some of it is below. Perhaps the most telling thing is that at one point John Cambouris said to me he's not really a painter and he should have hired one for my job. John left without completing the job, violating our contract in the process. He's been paid $13000 on an approximately $15,500 job. TASKS JOHN BACKED OUT OF: John decided he can’t hang a mirror, as contracted for, unless I absolve him of responsibility for it sagging or falling. Says drywall is too thin and I can pay him extra to reinforce wall. He should have figured this in when estimating. He offered me a $50 credit. I hung the mirror myself. John decided he can't provide a door for the contracted for price. He had surveyed before he worked up his contract. I was able to give him all the time and access he wanted. He realized after we signed the contract that he made an error in judgement. John agreed to modify my kitchen cabinet so that it would accommodate a new and wider electric oven and microwave than the wall oven that was there before. We discussed his having to come up with some kind of trim work to neaten the look. He cut the hole and the appliances are in the hole. He won't trim the hole without more money. He said the contract calls for only his cutting the hole, not trimming it. Areas John painted required more than one coat. John said his contract calls for only one coat of paint. We then looked at the contract and saw that it doesn't specify any number of coats. (There are currently places that need more paint.) MAJOR TASK LEFT OUT OF CONTRACT, DENIED DISCUSSING: I emailed John my task list for him to incorporate into his contract. In it I listed that he paint windows in a variety of rooms and we discussed this part of the job during his survey. To be sure nothing was missed, I asked that he please be sure he include all my list in his contract. He twice emailed back regarding my list, once saying that he "scoured" it to assure me he got it all in the contract. The window painting didn't make it to the contract. John later denied ever discussing window painting and ever receiving my list. I showed him his email responses to my list and he said the contract price doesn't include window painting, anyway. He added that his memory isn't what it used to be. He says the price he quoted doesn't include painting the windows, anyway. That same conversation he said his biggest mistake was not going through the list of tasks I sent him face-to-face. REMAINING ITEMS (either because they were done poorly or John didn't get to them before he left the job): FOYER - Screen door chain needs to be replaced/fixed Edge of basement door not painted as of 10/10/18 Edge of closet door not painted Bottom step cove molding needs to be attached Curtain fixture needs to be removed from above window. Remaining holes smoothed, painted. OFFICE - Carpet is damaged from installing tile/carpet transition, as of 10/9/18. Transition screws stick up from the transition – torn socks, cut feet could result. Remove paint from window rails Ceiling yet to be painted Top of walls not finished, prior paint shows through. Ceiling trim not painted. ceiling fixture to be installed Office door to be replaced with solid door to keep out sound Adjust window molding to accommodate new blinds, width of window frame should not change. Molding can be wider than existing molding but not narrower. Office back door to be painted POWDER ROOM - Remove paint from window rails Door Trim is chipped Fill/Paint as needed as of 10/10/18 Adjust to window molding to accommodate new blinds, width of window frame should not change Bathroom side of door not painted. Door frame needs blue paint on bath side around door Door scrapes door frame Walls paint job is uneven. Looks like brush strokes amidst rollered area. KITCHEN - Louvered door edges need another coat. Paint spilled onto side that wasn’t supposed to be painted. Wall to be patched or molding needed at top of steps as of 10/9/18. Primer showing through in spots on walls as of 10/10/18 Ceiling paint peeling - as of 10/10/18 Remove paint from window rails Adjust to window molding to accommodate new blinds, width of window frame should not change Smoothing around windows as of 10/11/18. Paint to be removed from Dining Room door hinges Handle to be reattached to Dining Room door Molding between cabinets and ceiling has paint on it UPSTAIRS FOYER - portion of wall left of Dustin's door unpainted. UPSTAIRS BATH - Sand/fill unfinished holes accordingly as of 10/9/18 Finish painting wall - missed spot between window and shower stall - as of 10/10/18 For my pointing out his shoddy work John said I was too picky. He also said he did lots of things above and beyond the contract. I agreed that he probably did--I go above and beyond all the time in my line of work which is also a custom in-home contracted service. He was suggesting that since he did this then the poor workmanship should be overlooked. INADEQUATE PROTECTION OF FLOORS AND FURNISHINGS WHILE WORKING : Stereo speakers - Without asking, John moved, improperly, one of my stereo speakers which is 130lbs and on spikes on a wood floor. This put holes in floor and could have loosened the threaded inserts for the spikes but those seem fine. HD Projector - Jeff, John’s partner, took down my video projector. Until that point, every morning when they were here I’d remove it so it wasn’t in their way, and every evening I’d put it back so I could watch TV. They’d seen me do this at least three times. The first time I tried to use it after Jeff moved it the picture was intermittent. It turns out the HDMI cable that runs into the projector had been compromised. That cable had been in use with no trouble for approximately 7 months. I bought a new one and ran through the walls and ceiling myself. Floors - I offered John booties shortly after he started. He didn’t want them. I asked if he had paper to put down on the floors and he said he didn't. After a couple of weeks I realized that the floors were getting worn from all the walking in and out of the house by John and Jeff. A lot of their prep work took place on my driveway and in my garage. After a couple of weeks I told John to cover the floors. The next morning John covered the frequently trod areas of the living room and foyer. The living room cover stayed but the foyer went cover away after new tile was installed. He never put down new covering over the new tile which was put in the foyer, my office, and the bathroom. These 3 areas still had a lot going on. Dust and splattered paint - Early on, when John and Jeff were working in the first room they worked in, the living room, I asked if the stereo and furniture and anything else shouldn't be covered for the dust. They said they didn't think it was necessary. Things got dusty from the work so I covered them. From then on, I covered lots of things as they were not doing it. I scraped specks of paint off furniture, a subwoofer, a wireless speaker, and two bookshelf speakers. JOHN WON'T RETURN: On 10/10/18 John offered me a credit for one of the doors he was to provide but later decided he couldn't do for the contracted price. As his contract doesn't have line-item pricing, and since I don't know what appropriate pricing is, I told John I need to find out what it will cost me before i agree to his credit. I called other vendors to find out what they would charge for the door, immediately after John offered the credit. He said if I don't agree to his credit by 10/15/18 he won't finish the work. I was able to get a vendor over on 10/13--no pricing from him yet--and two others I've yet to get here. John hasn't come to finish the job. Again, the above is not a complete list of ways in which Capital Home Improvement was unprofessional and unsatisfactory. The photos are only a sampling of the poor painting. All of the areas shown were declared "finished" by Capital Home Improvement.

I reached out to John again to help with patching up the drywall in our master bedroom as there were some holes and corners that were crumbling. He did not overblow the work needed and did another great job for a reasonable cost. Thanks again!

Jeff did a great job with my laundry room! I had a vision and Jeff was able to execute everything I wanted for my new laundry room and more. I absolutely love how everything turned out and Jeff was a pleasure to work with. I have used Jeff before for many projects and will use him again.

The guys built us new exterior doors and rebuilt some stairs in the house. They are very good carpenters and always timely. They price fairly and are professional and courteous. They work deliberately and ask questions along the way so everything is done right. They also create a work proposal first so there is a contract. Good for your record keeping. They also hung a custom mirror, installed ceramic tile and installed a light. They do light electric and plumbing which is helpful in a pinch.

John and Jeff did a fantastic job from start to finish! The price quoted was fair. As the project proceeded I requested to also install railings and they were able to keep to the tight deadline initially requested. The wood floor, base board and railing suggestions were spot on and kept with the style of our home. The finished work was well done and high quality! They were very responsive in answering all my calls/questions. I'll certainly look to use their services again when renovating our bathroom.

The powder room went like clockwork after our learning experience with the master bathroom. It should have been the other way around but our master bath was screaming for attention. Planning is crucial, and budgeting paramount. Be very clear in your design. John and Jeff are stickler for getting the job done as discussed; Although we did wish every now and then that they would have tips to guide us through our first remodelling project. Here are some tips and lessons learned for a bathroom project: 1. Select the Tiles, Toilet , Vanity, Mirror, Lights, Paint, Trim and Shower door well in advance. 2. When hiring a contractor ask them if they have installed the selected items or something similar. It is important as the newer models require some major changes to plumbing fixtures and will cost more to install. 3. Check to see if the remodelling needs a permit. 4. Understand the building code: like an exhaust fan is not needed if you have a window: no permit is needed if the layout is not being modified. 5. Pay attention to detail: Tile layout, Grout, Tile care, Baseboard,Trim, Color, Paint. 6. Time to complete. Once you and the contractor understand what the job entails and it is codified - your project will proceed like clockwork.

Jeff was terrific in resolving a few issues that arose. The bathrooms look great.

It went very well. They worked within our budget and completed all the work in the time space they estimated.

I am not one to write reviews but just had to share this company’s work. Their prices are very affordable, all work was done professionally and most importantly they cleaned up after themselves when they were done and left the place spotless. I would highly recommend this company!

Very well. The work took a few days longer than projected (drywall finishing), but work quality was fine and the pricing was reasonable.

Capital Home Improvements was a disaster. I told him I understood that my 117 year old house might have caused some problems but after on day my walls were crooked and there was no way to put molding around the door because it was so uneven. They don't do their own spackling anymore so someone else showed up to do that. When we complained about their work John and Jeff showed up to explain how they were going to fix the problem by cutting away some of their original work to fix the problem but told me they wouldn't finish the bathroom closet because we were't satisfied with their work. Since they were fired that day we had to bring in another contractor. First of all Capital Home Improvements installed regular sheet rock in the bathroom closet instead of the mold and mildew resistant kind. Imagine my surprise when it was removed to be replaced by the proper sheet rock and found the MOLD they were suppose to correct. We also told the new contractor that there was old plaster in the hallway and he asked did they remove the old plaster? NO they didn't that's why my new sheet rock was crooked. Now that all my new sheet rock is in the garbage and the old plaster has been removed along with the lath that was underneath my walls are perfect and ready for the molding to be installed. Capital Home Improvement should have told me they weren't capable of removing the old plaster and the mold. Instead they put up sheet rock to cover the problems and were going to charge me $1940.00 for this job. As is I gave them $1200.00 to start this job and its all in the garbage and I have had to pay the new contractor to clean up their mess. Many of Angie's reviews were for bathroom remodels did he use regular sheet rock in those bathrooms?? If the mold starts growing in your bathroom you will know why.

In less than 2 weeks I had a totally remodeled bedroom thanks to Jeff. The project included: Removal of all built-in master bedroom furniture, light fixtures, carpeting, closet doors and trim. Moving electrical switches and outlets, adding crown molding and new baseboard trim, closet doors, spackle and paint. My room was totally transformed thanks to Jeff's hard work. This was the third time I used Jeff for a major project in our home and he did not disappoint. He is punctual, clean and does an excellent job. I've posted a photo of his great work.

Very smoothly, from my vantage point. I know the vanity did not arrive as soon as expected, and there may have other issues that I was unaware of, but every effort was made to keep the project moving forward. I especially appreciated that, as well as the fact that the area was left clean and debris-free at the end of each day's work.

John and his son Jeff do great work. They spent 2 months at our house doing everything from demo to finish work. They stripped the entire house into a 30 yard dumpster leaving only the walls and ceilings. They removed old fashioned drop-down soffits in bathrooms and kitchen and a cosmetic wall that divided the master shower. They leveled the sub floors to prepare for nailing in 1700 sf engineered hardwood flooring. They did a full kitchen remodel including all new kitchen cabinets. 2 full bathroom remodels including ceramic tile on walls and floors, frameless glass shower, vanities, lighting and accessories. They work with local electrician, plumber, cabinet and glass tradesmen as needed. We were onsite for much of the work and it was a massive job! I've attached a few pictures of the kitchen and bathrooms.

It went very well. slight delay because some materials were on order. Jeff was very professional and considerate of all surroundings considering the demo that was done.

John Cambouris was extremely helpful and professional during the planning process. There was some extensive demo that needed to be done beyond the scope of the big deal and he was very reasonable in the estimate. Jeff was the professional who completed the work and was very helpful in bringing up design options and questions. the work was completed on time and the bathroom looks great! We had some temperature modulation problems and Jeff came back as soon as possible to fix it. We are very happy with our new bathroom. John and Jeff were very professional, capable and I feel like we got a tremendous value! We are keeping their business card for future home renovations. I highly recommend them!

They did respond to an appointment pretty quickly and did work within promised time frame unfortunately the results are far from professional. Tiles were placed uneven and grout was left all over them very sloppy the same with spackle very uneven not smooth and ready for paint. My husband had to sand it down himself and even after painting you can see bumps and groves on sheet rock from uneven spackle. We spoke to them about our concerns but they had excuses for everything they did like uneven walls and window anyway look at pictures i do not have to say no more. Very disappointed because it costs us a lot of time to save to get our bathroom done.

Having Jeff work on my project has been a very positive experience. Jeff is a true professional: punctual, hardworking,  responsive, accommodating, neat and good at planning/projecting work timeframe. He is also conscious of the use of materials (regardless whether purchased by him or supplied by his clients) resulting in minimal waste. Plus, his pleasant demeanor helped to make the entire experience stress free.

The quality of his work was excellent and and completed to my satisfaction. I'll definitely consider Jeff when planning future home improvement projects.

unknown

Job was completed

This was the second time using Jeff and again he did an excellent job.  I love my new Master Bathroom now!

Jeff was great to work with and very good with coming up with solutions/suggestions for our bathroom.  He was always punctual and completed the job on time and budget.

All of the work done was excellent and completed to our satisfaction.

unknown

VERY GOOD EXPERIENCE.  PROMPT, POLITE AND NEAT.  VERY GOOD CARPENTRY WORK AND FLEXIBLE WITH OLD HOUSE BASED DESIGN NEEDS/CHANGES AS NECESSARY.