BERO ARCHITECTURE

Description of Work: Please also refer to my review of building contractor, Fred R. Steele, Inc, Bruce Steele, President, as it correlates with this review of Bero. In late 2010 I decided to proceed with my dream of having a room that was mainly glass that would be added on to the home I had lived in for over 30 years. My house is on the Lake Ontario shoreline, so this room would provide excellent views of the lake. At that time I was a 68-year-old widow who did not have unlimited income. And while the investment in such a room would be significant, I knew I would derive years of pleasure from it and it would be a great selling feature whenever the time came to sell my house. My house is in a preservation district so I selected Bero Architecture as the firm I wanted to work with; because of their excellent reputation in the community, and their experience working with preservation district homes. John Page was the Bero architect with whom I met and who designed my Conservatory. When the design was complete (the cost was approximately $7,000.00), I asked John for the names of contractors he would recommend to do a job of this scope. He gave me two names. One contractor never returned my call, the other contractor, Bruce Steele, President of Fred R. Steele responded promptly and when Bruce came to my house for a meeting, I felt very comfortable with him and decided I wanted him to do the job. I rehired Bero's to aid in things like construction documents, assistance with construction etc. The fee for these services was $13,918.94. Mr. Page accompanied me to two meetings with the Preservation Board to gain approval to add this Conservatory to my house. He was also helpful various other times during the construction of my room. Mr. Page's original estimate of the job cost (less than $200,000.) and the time it would run (3 months) did not come to pass. Mr. Steele's contract price was $255,685.00, and the job ended up taking 10 months. Once the job started Mr. Steele presented me with Change Order after Change Order, each with numerous items of additional costs. A few Change Orders were for items of extra work I had asked be done, but most were for "extra charges/costs to me". Mr. Steele explained each additional charge and, because I had total faith in him, since Mr. Page had recommended him, I accepted his explanation and wrote a check. Near the end of the job, charges were coming in that appeared..to me..to be double charges. Mr. Steele and Mr. Page had both come to my house to explain the Contract prior to me signing. One of the questions I asked Mr. Steele was the % of markup he placed on his material and labor. He said 10% on each, which I thought fair. However, it later appeared that Mr. Steele had added far more than 10% to many of his prices. I discussed my disappointment in Mr. Steele with Mr. Page, and provided him with Change Orders, emails and letters between Mr. Steele, my attorney, David Ross, and I that supported my concerns. Mr. Ross had closely examined the drawings, the Contract, and the Change Orders. He came up with 40 questions regarding possible discrepancies and hoped to have a meeting with Mr. Steele, myself, Mr. Ross and with Mr. Page serving as an impartial mediator who could help determine which charges were valid, and if there were any that were not. Neither Mr. Ross nor I thought Mr. Page had anything to do with Mr. Steele’s charges, but since I had hired Mr. Steele because of Mr. Page’s recommendation, we hoped Mr. Page would be willing to assist. By May 2012 Mr. Ross and I decided to try one more time to set up a meeting with the 4 of us. I wrote Mr. Page a letter, which I will copy and paste below. ================================================================== May 30, 2012 John Page Bero Architecture PLLC 32 Winthrop Street Rochester, NY 14607 RE: Fred R. Steele, Inc. Dear John: There has been no resolution in my attempt to get Bruce Steele to respond with explanations to multiple questions my attorney, David Ross, has raised after comparing the Contract, the Architectural Drawing and numerous Change Orders submitted by Bruce. All except the final Change Order have been paid. Bruce’s position is that he explained Change Order items to me, and he refuses to address questions related to apparent discrepancies between the Architectural Drawings and items for which he included in Change Orders. It appears from review of the Change Orders, Drawing and plans and specifications that some Charge Orders resulted in me being charged for extras or changes for things in the plans, thus effectively billing me at least twice for a considerable amount of work. In your letter of October 15, 2011 (sent as an attachment in an email dated October 24, 2012) you mention that you had no part in the Change Orders prepared by Bruce. Accordingly, I am not in a position to contribute anything substantive to your review with Bruce. I don't think that it is appropriate for me to be in the position of arbitrating disagreements about costs that I was not a party to and that were outside of my agreement for services. I had hoped that this matter could be resolved at this level of dispute, but since Bruce will not cooperate, my attorney, David Ross, and I think your input is needed in an attempt to preclude more aggressive action. While Bero had no part in the Change Order items, they did prepare the Drawings which pertain to some of the Change Order Items we find questionable, and it was based on a Bero recommendation that I hired Fred R. Steele. On August 17, 2010 you, Bruce and I met at my house to discuss Bruce’s proposed contract, during which time I took notes. When I asked Bruce what his profit mark-up was, he said it was 10% on subs and material. However, on January 7, 2011 Bruce gave me a Change Order in which he charged $1,065.00 for a Baldwin front door lock, which I later found I could purchase online, at retail, for $489.40 -$542.50. I am no longer able to find the source of the $489.40 price but will copy below links to 3 sites that offer the lock at $542.50. http://www.handlesets.com/baldwin-6544-rfd-hamilton-right-hand-dummy-handleset-trim-set/p976908?source=gba_976908 http://www.build.com/baldwin-6544-rfd-hamilton-right-hand-dummy-handleset-trim-set/p976903?source=ntg_976903&baid=498459431 http://www.nextag.com/6544-RFD-Baldwin-6544102RFD-666154915/prices-html Assuming Bruce was able to acquire the lock at the same cost, or less, he passed an approximately 100% mark-up on to me. I am basically a trusting person, and my trust in Bruce was enhanced by the fact Bero Architecture thought highly enough of him to recommend him. And for several months there were no warning signs that my trust was badly misplaced. Bruce would submit a Change Order, explain what the costs were for, and, unfortunately, because I trusted him, I accepted his word as truth. However, as we approached the end of the job, warning bells started to ring. One Change Order item (item 6 on Change Order 9, dated 2/24/11) was $215.00 to provide for disposal for ceramic tile floor removal from kitchen. When I reminded Bruce that Change Order 7 (Proposal) for $5,120.00 included “Clean up and dispose of existing floor” he protested that this $215.00 was a valid additional cost that I should pay. Other warning bells were prices Bruce charged me for work I had asked be done without first getting a price. (Shame on me!!!) A few of the charges which appear to be excessive: … Drill 8 holes and insert 8 screws to (2) door screen guards that I had purchased. $120.00 … Attach a door bell that I provided, to the wires that were already there from the previous doorbell that had been 2” away. $120.00 … Labor to install (2) 24” x 40” plain/flat sidewalls on a TV cabinet $ 960.00 (the additional cost of the millwork and painting brought the cost of the two new sides to approx. $ 1,300.00) I acknowledge my mistake in not first asking for costs of the additional work I had done, but wonder if you would have recommended Fred R. Steele had you known Bruce would confront me with charges that appear to be significantly out-of-line. (I have since had additional work performed by a respected local cabinet maker who just shook his head when he heard the prices I was charged by Fred R. Steele.) And these high charges prompt me to wonder how many “hidden costs” were equally excessive in the basic contract. I feel thoroughly ripped off and my trust violated by Fred R. Steele. Bero is a highly regarded local firm, both for its quality of work and for its integrity. So I hope you will find the questions raised about Change Order charges, referred to in paragraph 2 of this letter, worthy of further investigation and that you will join Mr. Ross and me in requesting that Mr. Steele explain, in detail, his justification for these charges as well as answering other questions Mr. Ross and I have raised. Who would be better to confirm what was or was not included in the plans and drawings than the person who developed them? Sincerely, Suzanne