1st Choice Glass Block LLC

Initial install pretty good. After 1 year and 2 blocks are cracked. Contacted Matt 3x and customer service and lifetime guarantee is out the “cracked” window.

They showed up on they said they would, dug with back-hoe to install the new well, installed the new windows and backfilled with gravel. The wood casement around the windows has over 3/4 " gaps that were filled with some type of caulk. The windows have no trim and therefore the handles cannot be installed. There is no caulk around the outside of the windows and trim. There was no soil put down so there is basically big holes left to fill. One of the windows has too much gravel. If there was dirt put on top it would never grow grass. The quote clearly indicated a soil backfill. Not drain was installed. There was one originally.

Owner, Matt, is not trustworthy and took money out of my account against explicit direction not too. Had to file police report and eventually money returned. Work was not performed properly and had to hire another company to lower and reinstall egress window with proper header support. They did not account for joist loads above window which was massive and only installed a 3/4” thick horizontal board where 8” thick was required per expert engineer. City confirmed it was not done right. He Tried to lie about number of rim jousts to try and get out of fixing properly. Owner lies and is a bully and also tried to charge extra without letting me know in advance. I would avoid this company.

Seamless transaction. Met Matt at the Columbus Home and Garden Show. He was very knowledgeable and patient in answering my questions. Was on time with our initial appointment and installation of the windows. Installed two block windows with vents. Look great. Totally satisfied.

Would not recommend. Lied and stated we didn’t pay (see screenshots of cashed check that he accepted on day of service, along with a written receipt form his employee stating check was paid) all because we left him a bad review. Unprofessional and deceitful business owner. Be careful doing business with this company.

Schedule was delayed twice by the company and was very inconvenient. They apparently over schedule and come up with weak excuses to reschedule. The installation went very well with quality professional contractors.

Came out 2 days after agreeing to have the work performed. Very fast service. Work was completed in 2.5 hours from the time they arrived. Friendly staff that is experienced. Would hire again.

1st Choice Glass Block responded to my initial contact within hours. He came that very day to measure and quote us a price. We hired him on the spot. 4 days later, two cordial workers arrived at the appointed time and efficiently installed all three windows in half the time they said it would take. They had assembled the windows at their factory. These windows are beautiful and such an improvement on our old, rotting, broken original windows. They are clean, bright, secure and were reasonably priced. We are very happy and highly recommend this company!

Project went very smoothly, they did a nice job of cleaning up at the end of the project

Windows look great but they left a mess of all the previous material, glass on the floor, dirt etc.

Excellent. Very professional and affordable. Even when there were a few challenges, they were able to accomplish the project fast and for no extra cost.

The whole process was wonderful from start to finish. First the estimate was completed professionally and when requested. Installation was completed in just about two hours and everything was cleaned up. I have already recommended Columbus Glass Block to a few other people who are looking to get windows replaced as well.

The Egress window went well. The installers were good and the window looks good. The problem was with the communication of the owner. Apparently, the owner is a one person company. He didn't return my calls on the install day. I had to call to find out when the crew was coming out myself. He treated me like a non-pay after the job was over. Maybe this owner has been burned by customers or needs cash fast. I don't know. I would've liked to have been treated better. My intention was to pay him by the end of the day. He needs to work on the professionalism. I wonder how many other customers have gotten the same experience???

The windows are awesome. It made a world of difference in the appearance of my garage.

Matt and his guys were focused on efficiently completing contracted work. They were willing to explain installation options and accommodate my preferences. I am pleased with the results and would hire again.

We got all we needed - design ideas, materials samples, help with Historic approval submission. The work was perfect - we've had people stop and ask us many times who did our wall. Matt even went so far as to buy up the materials we would need in advance of any payment - because the supply in the area was running low. The work was done efficiently, with quality.

I am very sorry to say that it did not go well. Since we had used Rosati Windows in the past, I called them to ask about basement windows and get an estimate. The gentleman at Rosati explained that there is not a huge thermal savings by using double pane windows in the basement and he suggested we look into glass block. I asked who they recommend and he said 1st Choice. After checking out 1st Choice on Angie's List, I called Matt Hildebrand. I wasn't too concerned about the negative reviews in that one must leave room for error on both the part of the company and the person hiring the company. When Matt arrived we went to the basement and he looked at the 2 windows. This is pretty standard work for them, so he began to tell me what the would do. I had reviewed the comments on Angie's List, I noted that 2 of the most recent problems occurred during the last 6 months. And water leakage around a glass block window was one of the concerns. So I mentioned that I had read the reviews and asked what would happen if the glass block window leaked. This question was like "poking a bear." He came back with asking me if that review was from the "crazy Asian lady?" I had no idea since names are not used on Angie's List. Then I was told that for "every 10 thousand jobs we do, if I p*** off 2 people, then I call that a win." Then I asked about the insulation around the windows. At that point he said, "I do not want to do this job. It is going to be more trouble than it is worth." And he left. I have since gone back and read the reviews again. It seems to me that when a job goes well, then hooray. But if anyone questions the work, then watch out. His responses to the customer who writes a negative comment are not in the spirit of cooperation or apologetic. It will be interesting to see what he has to say about my review. I suggest to anyone who reads this and is considering using 1st Choice, to be very careful. I would check out the A RATED companies first.

I called on Tuesday and they came out on Wednesday with a quote. They installed on Thursday afternoon. Brought in 6 basement windows and a nice size window for my kitchenette. They were friendly, worked quickly, and treated me with respect. I was appreciative of all the guys who worked hard, cleaned up and let me razz them. It was a long afternoon with the kitchenette window as it was up high and very heavy. Basement windows were done so quickly that I couldn't even tell you how long it took.

We had to have another contractor fix the problems incurred by 1st Choice.

Excellent. Matt was prompt and professional providing the quote. He had us on his schedule two days later with a very good, competitive, quote. Two days later the crew showed up cheerfully on a rainy day just a little bit after the promised time. They did the work professionally, explaining to me each step of the way what they were doing. They were very conscientious about mud and dirt on a rainy day so they were careful to have one inside worker and one outside worker. The outside worker didn't come inside until they were almost finished with the whole project. The work appears to be exactly as promised and I was very surprised at their punctuality, professionalism, and quality of work. I very much recommend 1St Choice.

Job went well. Guys worked in difficult area.

Both the estimate and the installation process went smoothly. I have a hard work schedule for availability and they accommodated without hassle. They were in and out in less than an hour and the work was amazing!

They provided a very reasonable quote and timely built the egress. I look the step that was built into the retaining wall blocks and my children enjoy it too. Overall a very nice job. I painted it just this week and it looks great.

The glassblock repacement in my finished basement went smoothly. They look nice afterwards. However after the installation, I noticed cold air flow into the basement. I called the company and complained the leak. They sent someone back to check after a week and said it was caused by the broken trim between the window block and the wall. It was not there before they installed the glassblock. I checked the leak and the edge of the board was damaged when they replaced the window. Matt, the owner said it was not their responsibility!! Though he can fix it with caulking since he has plenty of it but I need pay him extra $150 and have to wait another week or two. Now I have to either fix their damage by myself, or pay extra to him and the extra heating bill during the waiting time! I will not use this company again! And I won't recommend this company to anyone if you want the job done correctly, unless you have someone handy at home to fix the damage or want to pay extra afterwards!

They did a fantastic job and it didn't take long for them to take out the old windows and put in the new ones. I would defiantly recommend them.