CEC General Contractors

Avoid this company. Carlos is a dishonest and unprofessional person. He was hired after I found him on thumbtack. He has filed bankruptcy with other groups before because he has a tendency to not be insured, and owe money for past disgruntled clients. I was a sucker to pay him a lot upfront, which he used to pay back others. At this point it seems like almost a Ponzi scheme. He knows the laws so he takes advantage of the fact that most people will not or cannot sue him for anything beyond small claims court, of which he goes into bankruptcy to avoid as well. He left my apartment with unfinished flooring and many loose ends. He is in a spiral because he had an insurance lapse on a job after mine and owed them 35k cash. Every job right now is to pay them off so he is taking more jobs than he can handle, asking for money as much possible, and delaying times for work. This review is barely scratching the surface of the misery he brings with him. I can give more details but I'm sure it isn't necessary. Ask around about the Hudson Club flooding. That was him. Don't fall for his profile photos with his daughter, his wife left him and took the kids because clients he tried to run away from, tracked him down and demanded payment; his wife couldn't handle being with a pathological liar and the faces of all these people whose lives he has ruined with his lies. He might come off like he can get work done, but he has no experience doing quality work. Believe me, he did a poor job and has no skills. His main employee is an alcoholic uncle named Luis who is more of a diva than a professional construction worker. He shows up at the site reeking of alcohol and often times doesn't show up, which holds up work. They definitely don't know how to do flooring. I actually lost a friend who I recommended Carlos do a job for, but they screwed up his apartment and demanded money back (which he is now looking for new jobs to funnel money to) that he now resents me. I overpaid and am embarrassed for this hard lesson. There are better guys out there with less drama. Avoid Carlos. You never look for discounts on renovations, especially since he is basically using you to pay off his debts. You might be enticed to gamble and think that you could probably control or manage him better, but he will screw you too. You get what you pay for.

Job went well. Renovation of this size requires a lot of work and can get a little crazy, but Carlos and his crew were on top of it.

This was far and away the best paint job we have ever had, and the bathroom renovation work was also completely professional. Carlos Chira and his staff, principally Luis and Jay, were exceptionally competent and pleasant to deal with. Perhaps their greatest strength was thorough preparation of the painted surfaces, which is crucial to a durable paint job. This group is so well regarded that it has gotten many jobs in this building. Our neighbors say that the paint jobs have proven to be much more durable than other jobs, and ours looks as if it will last a long time too. Also, everything was done neatly and the painting was quite precise. Everyone involved seemed eager to do quality work and gladly returned for a couple of very minor touch-ups. At around $4,000, this wasn't a cheapo paint job, but considering the quality, we thought it was fair value. The bathroom work (about $700) was fairly complicated as it involved carpentry, electrical work and plastering as well as painting. (The recessed cabinets were of a different size and shape than the predecessors. ) But Carlos, Luis and Jay all demonstrated considerable mastery of a number of skills and did an excellent job. We would certainly call on Carlos, Jay and Luis again.