McClurg Remodeling

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I contacted the company by email after receiving an outrageous estimate over the phone. A company representative called immediately to try to justify the estimate, and smooth my ruffled feathers. There was no solution, because the estimate was not justifiable. They may do outstanding work, but I can't judge because no work was performed.

In mid-June 2011, a McClurg representative visited my home to view and prepare a proposal for repairing the deteriorated brick and mortar steps at my home and to complete some minor additional pointing. This representative made some measurements, indicated that a full replacement of the 4 steps was indicated, and a proposal would reflect that. McClurg's subcontractor stopped by a few days later to see for himself. He commented on the condition of existing brick noting it was unlikely he would be able to match it. He also mentioned a similar project was recently completed at a nearby house using limestone for the treads instead of all brick. When the proposal for my work arrived from McClurg, it was for a repair, not the full replacement as the McClurg representative had stated. I posed several questions to clarify. Their response was rapid and pretty complete. At this point, I asked for references . After a week, we talked further about references (which had not yet been provided), and a full replacement option instead of a repair. I was told the subcontractor was sending a revised proposal. Another 2-1/2 weeks went by, and I asked again for the revised proposal and references. This time, I was told the revised proposal would be provided the next day at "the latest." What I received the next day was a picture of the neighbor's completed project, and a question asking if that style was of interest to me; but no revised proposal. My response was yes, I was interested, and yes, I did want a proposal for that style. Again I asked for references. Three weeks after that, the first portion of reference information was provided on September 7th, a full 7 weeks after the initial request. Still no information about the revised proposal. The balance of expected reference information was provided several days later, and contacts with the references were all satisfactory. I spoke to the McClurg representative again on September 16th explaining that I needed a revised proposal immediately if this work had any chance of getting done before winter weather. I was promised that it would be provided by early the following week (assumed to mean 9/19-9/20). On September 30th, McClurg's representative called to say now they were ready to review the revised proposal with me - - 9 weeks after it was requested. Based on lengthy delays in receiving this revision and the reference information, I replied that I was no longer interested in entering a contract with McClurg. Based on my understanding of the quality of their work, and the possibility of having some additional work done by them at the same time, I was looking forward to hiring McClurg for this project. However, inconsistent communications, numerous delays, and failure to meet specific commitments for information, confirmed for me that I could not depend on them.

I searched Angie's List for someone who could take our our existing 5 foot patio sliding glass door, and put in a 6 foot french door. I contacted Mc Clurg, and heard back from them in a decent time frame. We made an appointment for them to come out to the house and give us an estimate of the job. 2 men showed up. I showed them the old door and told them what I wanted. I even showed them the new french door I had purchased, and wanted installed in the old door's place.I could NEVER get them to give me a price. Instead I got one of their pre-made ditto sheets that read that they get $74.00 per hour. When I asked how long it would take them, they told me about 3 or 4 days! I WAS actually offended. I knew that this job only take ONE day,MAYBE a day and a 1/2.In the end I was told to "earmark about $2,000.00 - $2,500.00" for this job.So in the end, I showed them the front door.Mc Clurg wouldn't put ANYTHING IN WRITING EITHER, so that was a RED FLAG for me.With a contractor like that, it leaves to much room for them to run up a never ending bill. I have since signed with another local company.I will give a review of them when the door is completed.

Went with another contractor, not on Angie's List, but highly recommended. Work was done well and slightly under budget.

They were good. I hired them not knowing that they would be doing two sides of the drain tile installation and thought I would need it. I had a problem with leaking in my foundation built to live in the bottom floor. They were just very professional. We found the right person to do the job. They oversaw the job and made sure everything was paid before hand and also after. There were actually two people who kept track of it and the people who did the actual digging work were great as it was very hard to dig right by the foundation. When they took out my deck they just dismantled it and carried it to the truck and they didn’t do anything to our yard which was pretty impressive. I saw that they were in Angie’s List before I contacted them. I had different estimates and the way all dealt with the problem was completely different from what McClurg dealt with it and finding the real problem. They are very good in finding out problem if we didn’t know the source of the problem. Their price was not cheap.

It couldn't have been more perfect. They came in and did their work, cleaned up and when we got home from work, you could see progress. Besides that, it was always very clean! They are very neat and meticulous about their work. Perfectionists at the least. It was awesome. It was a little more than we were wanting to pay out but we knew in the end it was going to be worth it. The turnaround time was unbelievable. We had graduation coming up and needed them done and out by a certain date and everything was complete, as promised. The first visit was a consult. They sat down with us and we explained what we wanted done. Then, they would offer input and ideas and cost cutting ideas as well, based on our budget. It was always about us and our budget. They were very accomodating. They were always at the other end of the phone and provided cell numbers as well as office hours to reach them. Communication was superb. We can in within budget and we absolutely love it. It could not have turned out better. We were new at contacting a contractor and weren't sure but we went with references as well. We were more surprised at the cost of materials than anything, therefore we were a little more flexible on stuff. We were able to shop and purchase every item ourselves and they took care of the delivery. A couple of items we ordered online because its what we wanted and the price was right. They were always helping us find the lowest price. We went to their facilities and learned a lot about their products and services. We couldn't have asked for better treatment.

It was great and they had good workmen. They handled all the permits and code guys. There were no problems dealing with them whatsoever. They were very clean and very thorough. It was a little pricey but you get what you pay for. I would use them again if I could afford them.

They were very responsive and punctual. They were similar to another company that we talked with.

Looking for Mike Holmes & Co. from HGTV? You may have found them with McClurg. We bought a house that supposedly needed $5K in repairs. After 7 bids on the work, McClurg's guy (Mark) was the only one who talked about all the permits we'd really need, was willing to offer multiple bids on the same job to give us options with costs, voluntarily talked about their references and insurance, and seemed to know Syracuse codes the best. In advising us about doing demo ourselves on our "minor" project, Mark also realized our deck & porch were attached to the house by a small piece of rotting wood - could have lost the back of our house if we'd done demo, waited until Spring, or went with other bids. Ended up being cheaper and safer to remove our 4-season back porch and deck entirely (and relocate laundry to the basement), instead of trying to make repairs. They ran into many problems with our 100+ year-old house, including hidden electrical and HVAC, completely rotted floors, three back doors that were covered up, improperly done prior remodeling and plumbing, etc. Handled it all professionally, work looks great, responded to questions and issues that always seem to come up during reno, and kept a communication book so we could always remember our questions. They even gave us a few free tips for home repairs we could do ourselves with the basement to cut energy costs. From start to finish, we knew McClurg would cost more, but we'd never have to redo the work or worry about it later - I'll pay extra for peace of mind (that's why I graded them an A instead of a B for price). They were creative to help us save costs in the long run - e.g., created new gorgeous wooden stairs in the back that are sturdy but actually able to move, so when we can afford to add a deck, the stairs will move and attach to the deck, saving us the cost and energy of doing them again (even the city inspector liked that idea). They also saved some of the finishing (e.g., Tyvek instead of siding on the house...just for now), so we can replenish our savings before we call them back to complete the job. We've already recommended McClurg to others - and have warned friends to not be put off by the price. Go back and see what your other bids were missing, and think about whether you'd want anyone else handling the many inevitable problems that arise. Maybe watch a few episodes of Mike Holmes, too. And after all of that, you'll probably go with McClurg. Next time, they'll be the first ones we call instead of the last ones.

They were very good, thorough, professional and very nice to work with but were very expensive. I didn?t really check them out because they were hired by my insurance company. I didn?t spend anything - it was all paid for by insurance. I only used them that one time, and I would never have been able to afford them if it wasn?t for the insurance. They have a very good reputation in our area. They provide full service. They do everything from planning to the actual repair work or design. They do new construction as well. I would recommend them except that they are expensive. There are probably other companies in the area that are good and may not cost as much. I would rate them highly and would consider using them in the future if the cost is no consideration.

We contacted McClurg about a door problem; we were looking to get the door repaired or replaced. McClurg responded right away, sent two polite, knowledgeable professionals over to do the measurement and estimate. They recommended replacing the door. They called with an estimate in excess of $2,000, about twice what we expected. We decided not to hire McClurg for the job; the price was too high. The estimate was free.

We haven?t yet received an estimate from them and so we haven?t yet got the work done. I was very impressed with them during the interview. They were very professional, detailed and thorough. Their punctuality was fine too.

They always to top quality work and stand behind their jobs. They are pricey.

They were very good and very efficient. They were very professional and I would give them high marks.

They were very professional. I went with another company because they followed up. A person from the other company came and sat down with me to go over the quote. He went into much more detail. McClurg quoted $14,000 for the bathroom and $28,000 for the kitchen. I don?t think I will use them in the future.

They were very professional and the gentleman that came out was extremely nice.

Could not have asked for anymore from a contractor from start to finish. They are among the most expensive in the area, but the work speaks for itself.

They removed the basketball assembly and repaired the roof underneath. They did an excellent job and even took the assembly with them so my mother did not have to figure out a way to throw it out.

They were very professional, responsive and punctual. They also gave me lot of information.

Professional job, well-executed. Highly recommend.

They were very good, very professional but I would not go with them because of their price. Their prices were twice the nearest competitor so I had no interest in talking with them any more than that. They probably would do great work. I would not likely use them in the future.

My chimney is about 5 feet by two feet, and they did a really neat job. They cleaned it up really well, and it looks great. I had it done before by another company who did a lousy job, and McClurg made it look great. Their prices are fair, and they did it when they said they were going to do it. He even did a little extra work for me, which I really appreciated. I was really with their service.

Overall, we were pleased. They were not the cheapest, but we were confident that they would do a great job. They rearranged their schedule to accommodate us, and I would definitely consider calling them again in the future.

The project was completed exactly as they said it would. They completed the repairs and painted the fence the same color so you couldn't tell the repaired parts of the fence from the original fence. The project also cost less then originally estimated.