1st Choice Glass Block LLC

The price was reasonable and they did a good job.

They were great from the get go. Very professional & great service. I highly recommend this company!

Matt promptly got back to me same day after I sent a message through their website asking for an estimate. He came out a few days later to show us what the window would look like and answered all our questions. We hired them and they completed the job a few days later. They were very professional, courteous, reasonably priced, were done quickly and the windows look amazing. Would definitely recommend them to others.

I called on a Friday for an appointment for an estimate. Left a message, and they returned my call the next Monday. I wanted to speak to my husband before making an appointment, so the company checked in with me on Tuesday, and I made an appointment for the following Monday morning. No call, no show, no estimate.

Discussed our need. Was shown brochure. Choose one and window well finish. They arrived, tore out basement wall, complained about steel studs, nicked sump pump pipe, "fixed" pipe. Installed egress, didn't know how to fix upper wall where basement window had been. Put in wood pieces to create a filler for window opening, attached cedar board over wood ( it appeared we had broken window from outside) and told us to paint cedar so it wouldn't rot. Discovered window well finish not what we asked for. Showed brochure . Showed pics of other places done. Asked for refund of some monies to cover our "fixing" costs. The owner agreed to refund some monies . It should be noted that the owner did have a previous problem with someone and it has caused him to be more inclined to work with men then with women.

I went with 1st choice because Matt seemed like he knew the most about what he was talking about and pointed out the need to replace the broken lintel, the movement of which was causing damage to existing window. Other bidders did not point that out or quote a repair. 1st choice's bid was substantially cheaper than others even including the lintel repair. His crew was on time, in and out in 3 hours in a snowstorm. Did a great job. Didn't take any payment until completed and approved. I give a B instead of an A in the professionalism category for smoking on the job and not fully cleaning up after their work (lots of broken glass and mortar beneath some of the windows).

They did a fine job for a reasonable price.

It started out very well, but then things went downhill. I first spoke to Matt Hildebrand in November, and got a very positive first impression. I was concerned that he might not be interested in doing such a small job, but he assured me that he did plenty of small jobs, that in fact this was the bigger part of his business. I explained that it was very important to me that whoever agreed to do the work get it done before the end of the year, because my divorce settlement entitled me to partial reimbursement IF I presented the bill by then. I'd been delayed in getting started because of illness, so it had become a bit of an emergency. He assured me that it could probably be done in one day. He also told me, a bit apologetically, that his minimum fee was $750.00, regardless of the size of the job. I was okay with that, I had no idea what this should cost, and I accepted that most companies wouldn't want to bother with it when they could get bigger jobs. So I agreed to his price before he even saw the work to be done. He came out a day or two later, looked at the jobs to be done, confirmed the price, and sent me a written estimate. We agreed to start work on December 10th. In the meantime, I was supposed to buy the handrail. Matt had described in detail what I should buy and where I should buy it--Home Depot. I forgot all about it until the morning of the tenth, when I went to Home Depot several hours before Matt was due to come over, only to find that they didn't carry anything like what we wanted. When I told them Matt had bought them there in the past year or two, they said they hadn't stocked them for at least seven years. So I went home and called him right away. It was about 8:30 am, and he was due to arrive at ten. I apologised for having forgotten to buy it sooner, and asked if he could tell me which Home Depot he'd gone to, so I could go out and get one before he arrived. He was really nice about it, in fact, he offered to check on it himself, by which I thought he meant that he was going to look it up in his records, call me back, and let me know where to go to get one. Hours went by and we heard nothing back. My partner Ken said that perhaps Matt had decided to get the handrail himself. I decided that I must have misunderstood him, and that he must be doing just that. We gave him until 12:30, at which point he was two and a half hours past his starting time, and we were concerned that he might not have enough time to complete the job, plus we simply didn't know what was going on, so we called to check in. He said he'd driven up to Marysville and bought a handrail. I was extremely impressed that he went to that kind of trouble. So when he asked if we could reschedule the job, of course we said we could. He was due to come back today to do the work, and he called early in the morning. I will let Ken take it from here, since he took the phone call, and can more accurately relate exactly what was said. Ken says: Matt called at about 8:30 this morning and said he wasn't going to be coming to do the job. When I asked him why, he said that he didn't want to get into the reasons why. I was dumfounded and asked him if it was because of the weather. He said, "Yes, that's part of it too." I said, "Since you're saying "too," that means there's some other factor involved. I'd like to know what it is." His response was that he didn't want to get into it, and didn't have any interest in doing the job. At that point I asked if there was anything we had said or done that had caused him to feel this way, and he said "I don't want to get into it." At that point I said, "I just wish you'd be up front with me about the reason why you don't want to do the job. " And he hung up on me. End of conversation. Ken and I have speculated on what could have happened. Maybe the job really was too small? Maybe he blew us off on the tenth for unknown reasons, but told us he was out buying the handrail, and then couldn't find one in time and was embarrassed to admit it? Maybe we said or did something that upset him? Or maybe he just had some family crisis that he didn't want to talk about. Of course we didn't need to be told personal details, but something like, "An emergency has come up and I'm really sorry, but I have to give it priority" would have been polite. It's a complete mystery, but we'd written a contract, he'd seen the job, as far as we knew right up until the day of the job, nothing was wrong, and then he left us in the lurch without offering any sort of excuse...and even hung up on Ken, which I consider very unprofessional. The shame of it is that he seems like avery nice guy, and he has a good record with Angie's list, so I am inclined to conclude that whatever was going on here, it was something personal that had nothing to do with us or this job, and for reasons of his own he just didn't want to spend the day it would have taken to do it. All this was very inconvenient for me, because now I won't be able to get the job done in time to collect the fifty percent my former spouse would have paid had it come in on deadline. And Matt knew about this issue when he agreed to do it, so he was fully aware that bailing out on this particular job was going to cost the customer hundreds of dollars. I think what we have here is a decent guy behaving in a very unprofessional way for reasons unknown.

We received an estimate from Matt and, after comparing prices with a couple other local competitors, scheduled our glass block window installation for Saturday of the same week. Matt told us that they use all American-made products, which was also a major selling point for us. Bill came out to do the installation. He was a few minutes late, but it really wasn't a big deal (it was Saturday morning for Pete's sake). Bill was very professional, and his experience in the industry really showed when he got to work. He had the new windows in and sealed within a couple of hours, and even straightened out the masonry on the ouside of the basement windows. I'm not sure if that's standard, but it looks SO much better. All around, our windows look fantastic, and we were very pleased with the experience. I would highly recommend 1st Choice Glass Block to anyone else considering glass block installation.

fine. work done quickly & affordably. nice folks. could have a better professional appearance. could do a better job of cleanup at end of job.

A salesman came out and gave an estimate, and I scheduled it for a few weeks later. the price quoted was excellent.

Salesman arrive on time. He provided a quote to replace six basement windows with six glass block windows, two with vents. While he stated they did alot of business in Bexley he was not aware that a permit is required by the city to install glass block windows. It does not appear that they have a builders license as he did not mention it nor was it annotated on their quote sheet. Their prices were high and I choose a cheaper company which also recommended a third vent for air flow.

installation was efficient and well done.

Great job. Very professional. Excellent follow up and follow through. Did most of my communication and payment via phone.

Excellent I am hesitant on using contractors due to a bad experience with kitchen addition but they proved there are some good ones out there.

They didn’t do a very good job. They had agreed to come at 10 o’clock. They called within an hour and a half notice saying they’d like to push the time to after noon because of staffing issues. I ended up calling them after 3 to see where they were. He said he would call as soon as he could track his guys down to give me an ETA. At that point he said his guys were about 20 minutes away and would be right over, which puts us at about 4 o’clock or a little bit after. When they arrived I was busy on the phone and they said they would just go and get started. I’d already dug part of one of the window wells for them. One of the guys was smoking and I think if you’re on someone’s property it’s rude to not ask if that is OK to do. There is one area that has a drainage part that needs to be pushed away and they were able to successfully get the wells in around that. I checked on them at two points during this work. They came to the door when they were done and said they were leaving and I asked to look at the work with them. There was one section that had a depression, instead of having a convex to let rain go down. I asked them to level that area off and apparently I wasn’t clear with them because they leveled it off so that the next time it rains it will all run off into my neighbors driveway. Not to mention it’s all sitting on my grass which will kill my grass if it’s not removed. While they were finishing this project, the guy was again smoking. Obviously it’s the first time they have done this work. I wasn’t in the mood to supervise and teach them how to do this job. They said someone would call to send me my billing. I had to pull off the dirt and smooth out the grade myself. The company called today for my credit card. There was no customer service. He didn’t inquire about the work, my satisfaction or any follow up, he just wanted my credit card.

They were excellent. I had a break in a week ago and they didn't get in, but there was glass all over the floor. I talked to two other companies and thought their prices were too high. One of the companies wanted to charge me almost twice the amount per window. My friend recommended them and they did a marvelous job. I was extremely happy. They came the next day after signing the contract and they did the work in about two hours. They were all business and didn’t talk me to death. I would highly recommend them to anyone. They don’t waste time and they are fairly busy. I would use them again and they said that if someone were to try to break in again, it would be like going through concrete. The windows are extremely pleasing and they look great.

We did some research online and thought the cost might be prohibitive. Matt did a great job of explaining the process and going over everything they would do, and we thought his estimate was very reasonable. I was impressed with the organization of the project. Throughout the day, various people, and various trucks/equipment arrived at different times, when they were needed. They got the whole job finished in one day, when I expected two. They were respectful of our property, cleaned up the area when finished. I am very pleased with their work, and the windows.

I ordered two glass block windows to be installed in my basement. They arrived & began their installation. In the process of mixing concrete, they dumped mix & sand in my front lawn & told me "uhh, sorry about that" & made no attempt at cleaning it up. But that was the least of my concerns with this company. They then proceeded to concrete the windows in without putting down a drop cloth. Fortunately, I have Berber carpet in my basement, so it isn't that noticeable. Again, I wasn't happy, but I wasn't displeased enough at this point to complain. I was just hoping for the windows to be done correctly. Upon completion, the installers left & I handed them a check for the agreed upon sum (upholding my end of the agreement). After two days I noticed cracks appearing in the concrete. I called the company & explained my concern & they assured me they would come out & fix this problem. When the gentlemen arrived, I showed him the cracks & he explained that sometimes this happens & that he would fix it. One of the windows is located in my utility room downstairs. The window is directly above my washer & dryer. Four inches or so to the right is my utility sink. The original installer, (with my consent) stood on top of the washer to install the window. I explained to this gentleman that he could either do the same, or I could pull the washer out for him. He replied "don't worry about, I can get to it." He then tried to squeeze himself between the utility sink & the washer. The utility sink not being bolted to the floor (it’s pvc) had to give. Unfortunately the drainage piping led to my sump pump which was secured & completely tore the bottom out of the sink. This made a rather loud plastic, scratchy sound which at the time I attributed to a combination of him sliding the sink over the concrete floor. I, at the time, was not aware of the damage that had been done allowed the gentlemen to complete his task & leave without acknowledgment. About a week later, I went to use the sink for the first time since the repair & water rushed out the bottom onto my basement floor. It was then I remembered what the employee had done to squeeze himself through & I was very upset. I decided to call & speak to the manager of 1st Choice Glass Block in hopes that he would take responsibility for his employee's actions. Over the next three weeks, I called a total of seven times & left messages for the manager to please return my call at his convenience to no avail. The person answering the phone apologized to me & stated that he had told the manager to please call me , but that there was nothing else he could do. I decided to give it one more try & called. I explained that this was my last phone call, & then asked if they were members of The Better Business Bureau, Angie's List? The employee replied that they were & again apologized & stated he would call the manager right away. The next day I finally received a phone call from (I believe his name was Matt) the manager/owner. I explained the whole situation & all my concerns from the beginning leading up to the sink. He then asked me “Well, what would you like me do to do about it?" to which I replied that I felt that he should stand behind any repairs that need to be done caused by his employees. He seemed very reluctant, even bordering on calling me a liar. He stated that he had asked his employees about it & they declined to have any knowledge of it. I replied that it didn't surprise me that they would claim ignorance rather then accept responsibility. At this point I told him I would like an answer on how he is going to handle this situation. He said that he wouldn't do anything until he saw the sink. I agreed & we made an appointment two days from the phone call. I can't say that I was surprised when the day came & went without hearing from him. I waited months from that day before writing this complaint. Still no phone call. UPDATE RESPONSE 9/25/09: In response to the company’s response, as I’ve stated above the windows & the minor issues with cleanliness were not my main concern with the experience I had with this company, although these minor issues were discussed with the owner on the phone when I initially talked to him. My phone call was not a month after, but in fact was a month after before I received a phone call after numerous tries to reach the owner/manager. Internal looks into your own company aren’t really internal looks in my opinion. I think the fact that the appointment that we made at my house to look at the damage was a no show on your part speaks for your company’s poor customer service. To add insult to injury you’re using the opportunity to respond to my complaint to flaunt your own positive feedback and super service awards which have absolutely nothing to do with this complaint.

We sent an email Sunday night to request an estimate, received a call at 8:30 the next morning. Dave came by and gave us a quote on Tuesday for four windows to be replaced. Brian the installer showed up around 12:45 on Wednesday. He completed the installation by 4:30. While probably not the cheapest option in town, we are quite satisfied with the results and would certainly recommend 1st Choice to others.

They used the wrong color mortar, it was supposed to match the walls. Whoever applied it used the wrong color. It took a few weeks before I could talk with someone about repairing the look of the windows. When I finally got a company representative on the phone, he understood the problem and took full responsibility for the company on repairing the problem. We discussed the options, from tearing out the new windows and replacing them to painting the mortar white with a masonry paint. I opted for the later because it would be less work and mess. Dave, himself, came out and repainted the gray mortar and part of the window opening so that it is now all white and looks very good. We are quiet pleased with our new basement windows.

Overall, they did a very good job. I would suggest checking up on them as they do the work, to be safe. We had a vent installed so that the window opened from the outside. There was a plastic cover that needed to be removed before installing (or it would have had to been removed from inside the crawl space). I noticed it hadn't been removed just before he was installing the vent. Not a major thing, but it is helpful to watch as they do it.

They quickly responded to my online request for an estimate. They called to say they were running a few minutes late when coming for the estimate.which I appreciate. I was not told the install time was approximate so after waiting close to an hour I called the office and was told they should be here soon. The installers left and returned several times to get tools. They left and returned the next day because they didn't have and could not get the window well that day which I did not anticipate. We were told not to open the pop out window for 24 hours. By the time we tried it, the latch did not operate properly. I called the problem in to the shop and the owner came out to replace the screws which had been erroneously sent to them by the manufacturer. Easy fix. The quality of the pop out window does not justify the price but overall we are happy with their work. Also, as seen on another Angie's list post, when I told Matt I had seen them on Angie's list and asked for the discount he said it was already included.

7 calendar days from inquiry to installation-it was a great experience for an impatient person like me. It actually could have been done quicker than that but I wasn't available for a few days. Matt came out and quoted the job and I was impressed with his professionalism and approach-this was the main reason that I went with 1st Choice(especially considering they weren t the cheapest option). The installer was nice, timely and effective but I do wish that he would have respected my house a bit more and not tracked dirt and mud around. That's not the end of the world, I ll use them again in the future.

When I called for measurements/an estimate they offered to come out that day. This wasn't good for me so they came the next morning to measure. He was very prompt and friendly. It only took about 15 minutes to order. I made an appointment for them to come out 6 days later to install the windows. They were on time and friendly. It only took 45 minutes to install.