Elvin Fisher & Sons Construction

The roof was our first project. There were four layers of asphalt and cedar shakes, and the decking over the bathroom was completely rotted down to the joints. Elvin rebuilt that area and reinforced the other areas that were in bad shape. He installed modern roof vents. While the final product is good there were issues during the process. Elvin is not very good about cleaning up and we are still picking up nails from our yard. Also, the gutters were left in place while they were tearing off the roof. He reinstalled them using the cheapest fasteners available instead of screwing them into the fascia board. We bought top of the line special order shingles and the tabs stick out like a sore thumb. Also, the gutters are in terrible shape after having loads of debris dumped on them and will have to be replaced. Because he gave us a good price on the roof, and because we were having a hard time finding a carpenter (it was summer and most contractors were months out), we had Elvin build a fence for our dogs. The fence is a shadow fence with a lattice top and we get a lot of compliments about how nice it looks. Unfortunately, Elvin started at one end, instead of starting from the center and working out, so there are a lot of half boards where there shouldn't be. Also, the fasteners he used are very noticeable and need to be camouflaged. For our current project, he reinforced and added lolly columns to support the first floor and parged the walls in our cellar. It is a stone wall and part of that wall was collapsing. Elvin rebuilt it and it looks great. Elvin's younger sons cleaned out a lot of junk that had been left in the cellar and removed rotten insulation in one of the attic crawl spaces. The boys are all very sweet but not very contentious. We found junk dumped in the garden, dumped a foot away from the dumpster, and full vacuum/garbage bags left in the mudroom. Elvin tore out the main section of the house and installed the framing. He leveled the floors, tore out an old stairwell and put in the framing for a new staircase. At this point we had to stop building. Now that we've had time to look at the work done, we have had found many problems. Corners were left unsupported; the walls are not level; studs were cut short and just toenailed in place; studs are crooked in the door frames; and several studs were scabbed in to fit. One section of floor will need to be ripped up and replaced because it was pieced in to fit and not sufficiently supported underneath. And they didn't flush out all his fasteners/screws in the floor decking. While Elvin is very hard working, he cannot read blueprints. If he is unfamiliar with something, and you don't tell him how to do it, he will improvise. When the building inspector came, he told us that had problems with Elvin in the past and that he is very close to fining him for not building to code. (He's had several warnings) Elvin's rates are inconsistent. Some jobs he quotes by the job, but for the renovation of the interior he charged us by the hour ($55/hour for him and his son. We have since found rates of $25-$35/hour for the same work.) Elvin's son/assistant does not measure very well and it is apparent in all the short studs we've found. The worst part was that a substantial part of the gutting/rebuilding was done in the winter and they would leave windows open while they were working. Our fuel bill went through the roof because the furnace was on while we were at work, and the heat was going out the windows. (On the days I was home, I would turn off the furnace and had to huddle in front of a space heater.) Once, Elvin left the windows open after leaving for the day and the temp was in the teens - inside and out before we discovered the open windows. He did call several hours later to tell us after he remembered. They were supposed to clean up but I had to clean up several areas. I estimate it took me 2-3 days to clean up these areas. Framing with exposed nails was left around the house and were a danger to us, and our cats and dogs. Elvin was paid to remove an old chimney last year and it has not been done yet. He also recommended a painter who not only overcharged us but has never completed the work. Elvin works exclusively with his oldest son and they are both very nice and receptive to any requests we have. He is punctual and very easy to get in touch with. He will re-do anything you ask him to fix but we are financially not in a position to work with him at an hourly rate. We would hire him in the future for basic jobs but are going to use different contractors to complete the work that is already in process.