Five Star Improvements

DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT, CONDUCT BUSINESS WITH THIS DISHONEST COMPANY! I’m 65 years old and dealing with this shady group has been the worst customer experience of my life - by a long shot. As the saying goes, the fish rots from the head down and this group of liars is a textbook example. I’ve been either lied to, or misled by, every person I interacted with at “5 Star Improvements”. Starting at the head of the fish with an owner who said “all of my guys are certified” (and then schemed with the worst project scheduler I’ve ever dealt to send an email to me with a fake training certificate attachment (that the installer never saw before!)); to the person who answers the chat line (“I can’t answer that online, I’ll forward it to the office and we’ll get back to you”); to a receptionist who deceived me into thinking I was complaining about the company to a Jacuzzi Bath Remodel employee; to yet another employee who told me the owners were not in the office (“they’re both out of office and at a conference tomorrow”) when I demanded to talk to one.

Short Review: AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COSTS; THEY DO NOT LIVE UP TO THEIR NAME. The work is inferior and overpriced. They are a complete headache to work with. I have detailed below a few of the most egregious issues we had working with them, and you can view pictures of the work quality here: [*** Link removed ***] Full Review: Working with Five Star is the worst experience I've ever had with a contractor. We hired them to replace the flat rubber roof above our kitchen (because it was leaking through the ceiling), demo our kitchen and bath, install our shower, and complete the plumbing, electric, and drywall. I would take over finish work from there- installing cabinets, painting, flooring, and trim. Unfortunately, the entire process was riddled with communication issues, disorganization, and subpar workmanship. Communication issues were immediately apparent after our signed contract and deposit were received, as they failed to show up for our initial measurement appointment without any prior notice. Our point of contact was new to the company, and it was evident. His poor communication and lack of attention to detail on the job site required constant supervision and scrutiny to ensure things were completed correctly. Five Star heavily relies on subcontractors, which, coupled with the poor communication, leads to confusion over the work that needs to be completed. I had at least three different plumbing companies show up to my home during this process. Keep in mind, they only installed the tub/shower in the bathroom. I installed both sinks and the toilet myself. Beyond the issues installing the tub drain, the original Five Star employee simply stuck some sort of putty to the shower faucet and pushed it onto the copper pipe before caulking around it. That caulk cracked 3-4 times before they sent the last plumbing company to replace and correctly install the faucet. After Five Star was finished in the bathroom, sewer gas was coming up from the shower, and I ultimately had to fix it myself. You can see what others had to say about Five Star's plumbing work while I asked for tips in a forum on how to handle the sewer gas issue here: [*** Link removed ***] The worst part of Five Star is they over-charge for inferior work. They charged us $5700 for tear-off and replacement of a small 12' x 12' rubber flat roof. The new roof leaked and damaged the recently finished kitchen ceiling. Despite asking Five Star to fix the issue, they said it looked fine and offered no solutions for the leaking roof. When I had four independent roofing companies look at the roof to get the leak fixed, they each independently pointed out a seam that was finished incorrectly and some highlighted the flashing as the possible issue. Each company also provided quotes of $1200-$1600 for the same tear-off and replacement that Five Star charged over $4000 more for. The drywall work took a long time to complete, it still ended with poor quality work. The original drywall seams were sanded into the drywall tape, and the rough surface would have shown through the paint. I had to ask them to re-do the seams a second time, and they are still poorly done with each seam visible. They only sent one person to do the majority of the work on our project, so it took weeks to complete. Despite our efforts to address these issues with Five Star, they have failed to provide adequate resolution or even basic communication. They have stopped responding to us and left us with unresolved problems which will require additional time and money to address. We caution others before undertaking any projects with this unprofessional company.

Beware... avoid dealing with Five Star. This company signed a contract over 10 months ago to renovate my 1892 Victorian, has done almost none of the contracted work, and the little they did is incomplete and/or not to code nor to the architectural plan, meanwhile sitting on $70K of my hard-earned money, stringing me along for months and months with empty promises, lies, and excuses. They will tell you they obtained permits and inspections but they will not actually get the plumbing and electrical permits, and you'll find out the hard way they lied to you (when the city inspector shuts off your electrical service because FiveStar didn't get the permit for electrical work, so there are no lights on inside or outside of your house, putting your belongings and property at risk and costing you a huge fee and a lot of hassle to try to get an electrical permit later on). Occasionally someone will show up to do demo for a few hours and it's a single, unskilled, unsupervised laborer who has no idea what he's doing or what he should be demo'ing, drinks (alcohol) while on the job, and leaves holes in the walls and haphazard patch of demo here and leaving plaster/lathe there, so drywall will be almost impossible to piece in. The framing is haphazard, with broken and old boards installed in some places and failure to nail boards down in many places, and odd sizes of door openings (again not according to the architectural plan nor the the size of the beautiful Victorian solid wood interior doors they had agreed to reuse. A few months later you might get a cut-rate plumbing subcontractor to finally show up that will do less than half of the job you contracted with FiveStar to do (despite the $14,500 you stupidly paid FiveStar for rough plumbing), it won't be according to code, they totally botch installation of basement drain line, and no one ever shows up to finish the work (what? rough plumbing includes attaching pex to the water supply line? plumbing should have ptraps and vents? (which also happens to be specified in the contract but not done) new drywall should include insulation on exterior walls? (which oh by the way is also part of Rochester building code). 8 months will go by before your windows even show up, then turns out they ordered the wrong color, wrong size, they "forgot" to order half of them despite the $22,500 you paid them for installing new windows throughout the house, and the installer put them in haphazardly, eg crooked, at different heights for windows next to each other on same wall. They refused to re-order the windows in the dark color requested to match the original trim in the house and said they'd instead re-stain the moldings to match. 3 more months go by and still the window installation is less than half done, no one has shown up, and of course they've done nothing about the trim color. 10 months go by and your staircase is still not rebuilt that you paid them thousands for (and you have to ask numerous times before they even bother to order the parts for the stairway, because they (illegally) used your money for something else not related to your house so they couldn't afford to order stair parts)... they will do demo after framing instead of before, cause alot of damage including to your classic tray ceiling in the dining room, breaking original 1892 ornate iron scrollwork furnace vents (with no apology or compensation), and flooding your basement because their cut-rate plumbers removed the downspouts from the drains and no one bothered to put them back for weeks until I noticed when visiting (the house is still uninhabitable)... When you eventually get fed up and desperate because of the lack of progress and you need a place to live, so you have to start being your own GC and line up contractors yourself to do all the work that FiveStar is already contracted to do and meanwhile you're double paying because FiveStar still won't return your money. They say they'll provide "a credit" from the $70K you naively gave them (of a $105K contract), then the "credit" they offer for electrical and hvac only would cover 1/10 of the actual cost to do the job right and get the permits they failed to. They'll claim that installing shower pans/liners and installing gas lines to range and dryer really aren't part of rough plumbing to bathrooms, kitchen, and laundry rm as contracted. Do not pay them, do not trust them -- you will get next to no work out of them and what you do get will be poorly done... and you won't get your money back without a long drawn-out court battle. They write up contracts deliberately vague so they can try to wiggle out of doing what they're supposed to (oh, the windows should actually be installed?) They will leave huge holes in your floor then refuse to install a subfloor before installing floor tile.When you start becoming insistent that they complete the work they started, fix the mistakes (eg installing toilet drain in wrong place) and repair damages... they will walk away, claiming they're done, and not return your money. Here is how my house looks after 10 months... (yes, it used to have floors, ceilings, and walls before FiveStar started... they should rename themselves OneStar, it's more accurate of the work they do)

At first great then dates did not get meet, could not get ahold of them and keep gett put off. 1st crew almost tore off main roof ( not part of job ) 6 workers and none of them spoke english. one couple was more intrested in romantic relations than working. 2nd crew face boards over half of this project was a mess. left old long woeden gutter supports hanging down side of house and a section of tin from an old repair before i bought house was left sticking out in the air and a big hole open to my roof. many of the seems from the new boards were open with big gaps into my roof. 3rd crew. gutters. the gutters leak in many sections and the water drains behind then not completely into them and in spots the water drains off the roof into the rotted wood seams. final inspection. one of the owners came out and took lots of pictures and when i told him my concerns he only said i will talk to some one and get back to you. for weeks nothing then i get a de bill. after many many emails i get told we will not send any one out there . now i have to hires another contractor to fix the problems.

They didn't show up when they were supposed to, but I did call. He did come out a couple days later. I thought it was awfully expensive for him to just take a look at things. I recommended him to somebody else in the neighborhood. He charged her an absorbidant fee just to come out. I would use them again just on a limited basis. My husband went up there afterwards and said everything looked fine, but he's not a professional. I called the morning of the storm, so I got in right during the storm, but they didn't show up when he was supposed to. I wasn't even on his schedule, but he did make good. When he said he would come out and fix it, they were here when they said they would be even though they weren't here 2 days prior. I would use him again if he could show up to when he has an appointment.

Did not hesitate to give an estimate for such a small job. Completed replacement of roof shingles and addition flashing within two weeks after giving the estimate. This was done during zero wind chills and heavy snow last December. Returned last week and did a good job cleaning the porch roof. I don't know of any other company that would do that.

They are priced right, are clean workers and polite. I have never had an issue with the quality or workmanship.

Although the weather was a little crazy, the crew kept to their schedule and maintained a professional attitude throughout the completion of the work.

roof install satisfactory, special instructions included in contract NOT communicated to work crew. Collateral property damage never satisfactorily completed

I have used 5 star several times at different homes. Windows, Roof and siding were all done on time, and with no issues. The price comparison is always right in line with others or less expensive. The workers are clean and understand that we are living where they are working and they do everything to keep things picked up.

The salesperson was friendly and knowledgeable. They are insured and work comes with a (transferable, if the house is sold?) warranty. The job was completed in less than two full workdays! They were efficient and very neat! My neighbors were actually commenting on all of the effort the guys were taking to keep my yard clean and debris free. Additionally, they raked my lawn and swept my deck after they were finished with the job. I mowed my yard after they left and never saw one screw on my property. My roof looks great and the crew even cleaned all my gutters for me and fixed some siding that came loose in the windstorm, as well (free of charge). Because of the high volume of roofs that needed to be replaced in the area, and all the rain that we've gotten this season, it took a little while to get my house scheduled. However, when I talked to them about the need to have it done before a certain time frame, they immediately complied with my request. Very highly recommend 5 Star!

I'm sure they were busy with this type of work, but Five Star was able to complete the repairs within a couple days of calling them.

Call and Spoke with very pleasant staff member who told me an estimator would be calling me back to make an appointment for estimate. I heard nothing more.

They did an excellent job and cleaned up the site daily. The weather was very bad but they were careful not to let any weather into my house. I have not had any issue with the roof. They are now in the process of replacing some siding that was in very bad shape. They also did a great job on skylights inside the house.

The service was outstanding. They arrived on time, completed the job as contracted, and behaved in a professional and cordial manner.

First two times they were here the next day. Curteous, professional and quick. Cleaned up after. The third time there was some kind of scheduling mix up, but when I called again, same as first two times.

Left information on Five Star website late last night, got a call before 10 am, job complete before 4pm! I used a drone to video damage and Jason, owner of Five Star was able to estimate from the video, had shingles delivered to my house, and his crew was out this afternoon. Excellent work, very professional and polite. I would use them again.

excellent job. Ross was very helpful any step of the way, answered all the questions whereas some other companies did not even talk about fixing ventilation at all but Ross explained well and installed the soffits, hopefully i will get satisfied results in this winter. Job well done.

Needed a tear off and replace roof job knowing that I would need at least a dozen sheets of new plywood. I shopped around and interviewed several Angie's List top rated contractors and eventually decided on Five Star because Jason presented the best attic/roof ventilation design; in fact he was as concerned with good attic ventilation as I was! I could probably have saved $1,000 with a lesser contractor (or spent thousands more on Fullmer), but we were most comfortable with Five Star's reputation and presentation, and the 50 year warranty sealed the deal. So I gave them a deposit in August and patiently waited nearly 2 months before they could get to my house - really cutting it close to bad weather season. They completed the job in three days, however I had trouble with the subcontracted roofer crew apparently not having prior knowledge with the type of ventilation that was specified. During the soffit vent installation on day 2, they discovered some rotting eaves and fascia board, which they repaired at an extra but very reasonable price. Then after they wrapped up, I demanded they return to fix a few problems, some noticeable and some not (such as sealing up the gable vents from the attic). Jason was readily available, respectful and patient and got the guys back out as many times as it took to make sure I was satisfied (and admittedly, I am a picky customer). A nice touch was how they took the initiative to fix some of my siding that was falling apart. But here's the best part - after the winter season a small section of the roof had noticeably buckled or warped, visibly from the road. I contacted Jason and instead of blowing me off, he offered to make it right! It was determined (from the attic) that the plywood was bad and should have been replaced initially. Jason and company came out again, some 9 months after the job was supposedly "completed" and paid off, and replaced plywood, shingles and ice shield to fix the problem. That's what I call "service after the sale". After enduring one of the hottest, driest summers I can remember, I can say that inside my ranch house (with no A/C) was indeed more bearable due to the much improved attic ventilation. All contractors make mistakes, but the best ones will work to make it right, even when they have to go back several times. If you want a company who won't cut and run on you after they get paid, you should give Five Star due consideration.

My house is a very old house that went into disrepair with the former owner. Jason was great. Even though the work took longer then expected he was able to get it done in a few weeks.

Installed quickly with no mess left behind.

Cleared snow from the edges of our roofs and applied salt compound to the gutter areas. Seemed adequate although I thought they might have removed snow a little further back. Overall happy with the service provided and the rapidity of the response given the extent of snow and numbers of people needing the service.

Five star had very competitive pricing and was on the low end of several other bids. However Ross who served as the project manager was very informed and provided me with lots of material options and even found a way to reduce some costs by using trim pieces to replace siding that had to be cut out. The materials they used were high quality and the shingles I chose to replace the old ones matched the color and style very well. After a few months of rain and snow I can't tell where the old shingles stop and the new ones start. They also repaired several sections of plaster on ceilings and walls hat came out great. There were some initial leaks on one side of the roof but Ross came out and made sure the area was repaired properly. After this recent winter I've had some water getting in again on one dormer where it had been leaking before, not sure if this is the roof itself or just ice dams from the winter. Ross came out again to look at the interior walls and is going to do water testing on the roof in a few weeks when the weather breaks. 5 star warranties their work and is very responsive to phone calls and emails, I would recommend them to others.

I had my roof redone in 2011 and the provider did a great job. One thing that they did not do well was the chimney flashing and the vent pipe sealing, the didn't clear off any debris off the vent pipe prior to installing the boot and they just put a boulder of tar on the chimney. Consequently I had a 30 year roof with a 3 year chimney solution... Which started leaking. I phoned Jason and one other provider. They both seemed highly knowledgeable, but I had prior experience with five star for some maintenance and guttering install...which was excellent, so I went with them. They were quite busy but Jason kept me in the loop at all times and they did the work, the chimney and vent are bone dry now. I fully intend to use them again, it's just a question of when. As a house owner, you know you never want to call a contractor but five star are permanently in my shortlist.

It was flawless. Jason is laid back, not pushy, no high-pressure. He had a great portfolio. He was well-spoken. He is very helpful with design aspect. He was on time with everything. The guys were clean on time and quick. The craftsman work was phenomenal.