They had come out gave me a price which i had agreed to and then after the agreement they came back out and then added $6000 to $9000 more to the quote which is very unprofessional and wasted a lot of time. They showed up late multiple times to appointments as well.
Description of Work: Bathroom Remodel
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
value
1.0
professionalism
1.0
responsiveness
1.0
punctuality
1.0
Allison B.
07/2016
3.0
decks
+ -1 more
(approximate cost $42)
Description of Work: They provided an estimate for a bathroom remodel that was extremely high in comparison to the company that was recommended to me. When I told the woman that I believed it was high, she suggested I remove a barn door from the quote - which would have lowered the cost by $250. Not al that helpful.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
professionalism
3.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
5.0
Michael N.
03/2016
1.0
home remodeling
+ -1 more
Review I really wanted to give Owens Construction an A. They were accommodating with scheduling meetings, were accessible, and issues were addressed. The actual cost was in-line with the estimate. They also dropped by after the project was completed with a box of cookies. The people there are nice, and Pam S. (Cruise Director) was always pleasant to work with. We really liked the folks at Owens Construction. Unfortunately, what we felt was most important - project execution - was appalling. The quality of workmanship was unsatisfactory, and attention to detail was unbelievably poor. This was extremely disappointing given the solid reputation that Owens Construction has (one of the main reasons we selected them) for doing high quality work. If we were to do a renovation again, we would sign on with Sullivan Builders (with whom we worked before and were happy with the work quality) or with Ross Builders who all the neighbors seem to be happy with. In reflecting back on our experience, it perhaps comes down to a mismatch between our expectations and what Owens expected to provide in the quality of service. Mike S., General Manager, responded to my negative feedback afterwards that I was "buying a used car and expecting it to perform like a new one"....which is very odd. If you are paying someone to replace your car door, it is reasonable to expect the door will open/close and perform to a certain standard - but it does illustrate there was a mismatch in expectations and one that should cause any homeowner to pause before engaging Owens. Also, their overall attitude was "we were quick to fix problems", when the problems should not have arisen in the first place. Some issues (can only list a few because of the word limit): Failure to take responsibility / Lack of project ownership As noted above, our kitchen flooded 5 months after renovation. Owens still claims they are not responsible even though we provided a picture showing they saw where the pipes lay (a section of the subfloor was removed in the floor), and therefore were negligent in not having informed us they needed to do further exploratory work. They quote the plumber that the pipes are ?a couple inches below the flooring? ? this is with no actual measurements taken! Using CAD software and taking actual measurements, we calculated from the picture that the pipes are located about 1/2 inch from the floor. Because of this failure to take responsibility, their suggestion is to have US pay for inspection and finish work at an estimated cost of $871. This does not even include the cost to repair any potentially damaged pipes (due to their negligence). Needless to say, we are appalled that they are not stepping up to properly acknowledge their responsibility to address this issue. Another example of their lack of project ownership - we reused a ventilation fan which was stored in the garage. When it was reinstalled, the ceiling cover had disappeared. Rather than taking responsibility and ordering a replacement, Owens gave us the runaround about whose responsibility it was. After a lot of prodding, they finally agreed to pay for it (but of course WE had to place the order). Lack of oversight of subcontractors' work In a nutshell, it felt like Owens only scheduled the subcontractors, but did not check the subcontractors' work at all....which begs the question of what we were paying them to do if they were not overseeing work quality. For example, we came home to find the electrical switches wired incorrectly (TWICE!), wall measurement by pantry was off a couple inches despite a detailed cabinetry blueprint, electrical outlet placement was incorrect and did not allow enough clearance in two locations (despite an electrical walk through), three floor tiles were jutting out noticeably about 1/2", six black tiles were missing and were grouted filled in (noticeable sloppy work that would have been caught had someone actually bothered to check the work), silicone caulk around bathtub was missing, a couple of 5" nails rolling around on the floor, plumbers putty stuck all around the drains, two electrical outlet covers missing.... Lack of respect for our home - We reused the existing bathtub. Before the project commenced, I checked there would be a covering to protect the tub's surface. I was told it would be properly covered....and it was not. There were footprints imprinted and no covering to speak of. When I inquired about it, I was told the foreman covered it while he was working in the bathroom....but why would it not be covered throughout the duration of the project? - We provided the use of our downstairs toilet for the contractor and subcontractors For some reason, one of the subcontractors felt he should use our upstairs master bathroom toilet instead. Not only did he use an unauthorized toilet, but he did not clean up after himself (which is how we knew someone used the toilet). At least he could have had the courtesy to wipe up. I realize this is not necessarily Owens' fault, but it does indicate a lack of control/oversight over the subcontractors, and at the end of the day, the general contractor is responsible for the subcontractors' work and actions. - The foreman neglected to lock up one day. We realize this is just an "accident", but the fact that our house was unlocked for a good six+ hours is unacceptable. Project delay We had made it clear that it was important to us that the project be completed in a timely fashion. We understand there are certain things outside of the contractors' control, eg, countertops taking three weeks instead of the planned two weeks. However, what was not acceptable is when we had to waste three days because the contractor insisted that I be present for the countertop measurement when I really did not have to be. I was told the countertop subcontractor would come with pattern layouts, which was not true because white Caesarstone does not require any pattern planning.... The countertop subcontractor came in with his device, took measurements and then was done. He asked me about the type of edge I wanted, but he also indicated that this could have been selected at a later date....which basically meant that I did not need to be present and the measurements could have been taken three days sooner....which meant that we could have probably had the countertops installed in two weeks. We were also told that the project was delayed a week because our cabinets were delayed. We had contracted with an Amish cabinet maker and had him scheduled for when the contractor said they would have the spaces ready for cabinet installation. Although it may have been true that our cabinet guy requested more time, the floors which were supposed to be laid down before the cabinet guy came in were not ready....so it makes us wonder how the cabinets could have been installed anyway when they were supposed to. The estimated 8 week project ended up taking 12 weeks. This may not sound too bad but it is a 50% delay. Sloppy work Related to the detail about the lack of oversight of the subcontractors' work, it felt that the foreman just did not care or bother about the details. Perhaps he had too many projects to manage. Whatever the cause, it was extremely frustrating to know that things were done so visibly poorly. For example, after the tile guys installed the backsplash tile and grouted, he did not bother to apply silicone beading. Consequently, the grout between the countertop and tile cracked along the edges, and also got discolored behind the faucet where there is inevitable water splashing. When we raised this point to Owens asking whether the tiler forgot to seal it, we were told that the tiler does not do sealing....but that we (the homeowners) should do it. Perhaps I am ignorant and it really is the homeowner who should seal the grout....but it seems perfectly reasonable to expect a kitchen to be completed if you are paying a contractor to oversee a renovation. Another example was the floor trim. It was great that the floor trim was adjusted so the door would open wider. The issue is that it was just cut to a narrower trim and there was a very noticeable mismatch between the old and new so much so that it was ugly and looked like a child did it. After our request to have it redone was ignored, we took the time to fix it ourselves. A third example was the window drywall. He patched a huge hole on the right side of the window but there was a 2in hole on the left side that was overlooked. I guess if you don't care about quality work and taking ownership of a project, then a 2in hole in the wall is not a big deal. Miscommunication Although Owens was always very responsive, it was frustrating that we had to schedule numerous meetings and reconfirm details which had already been discussed. The electrical wiring was one big headache, as noted already. The wall tiling detail was another item that seemed to require reconfirmation three times. I understand it is important to confirm details and I am fine confirming once, but three times just makes me wonder whether anyone was listening at all. It felt like we could have avoided scheduling all these meetings if Owens had been listening the first time around. We did not expect a daily rundown but it would have been nice to know what was scheduled for the week. After asking a few times, we did receive a task calendar which was helpful...but there were consecutive days when nobody showed up and nothing was getting done. If work was actually done daily, the project would have been completed in the initially planned eight weeks.
Description of Work: Description of Work A straightforward kitchen / bathroom renovation in summer 2015….which has now become a nightmare with our kitchen flooding on Feb 21, 2016, about five months after the project wrapped up. The plumber found it was caused by a nail driven through a water pipe. Owens' response? They are not responsible because the water pipes are not where they "should be". We paid for "exploratory work" at the beginning of the project so they could assess where pipes and wires lay and now they claim they are not responsible for damaging these pipes as the exploratory work did not cover identifying where the pipes actually lay. Additionally, they initially claimed that had they seen where the pipes lay so close to the flooring, they would have been able to avoid this situation but because they did not open the subflooring, had no means of doing so. Thankfully we had taken photos of the workspace and have a photo of the flooring opened, with the pipes in question clearly visible. After being shown the photo, they now claim that they still could not have known where the pipes lay because it does not show the floor joists where the pipe was struck by the nail. How can they claim this with a straight face? The picture shows the location of the pipe within the flooring!! We have a hole in our ceiling now, and warped hardwood flooring. I live in daily fear of another torrent of water pouring through the kitchen and just pray that if water starts pouring through again due to another nail their subcontractor hit through a pipe, someone will at least be home to shut off the water main valve.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
1.0
value
2.0
professionalism
1.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
2.0
Matt W.
11/2015
5.0
remodeling, home remodeling
+ 0 more
We've been so impressed with Owens and have loved working with them. Chris is amazing - so skilled, and truly a positive person to have around. He's more than happy to answer any questions you have, and gives honest advice. Owens stayed on or under budget with every project they've done for us, and have given us options to keep the price within our budget during the planning stages. We would definitely use them again, and have already referred them to friends and family!
Description of Work: We've used Owens for several home projects, including a master bed/bath remodel and kitchen remodel.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$12,000
Suzanne L.
12/2013
5.0
decks
+ -1 more
The crew members were timely, professional and cleaned up after themselves. They had to jack up the house in order to install a new sill plate. They did an excellent job and we were very satisfied.
Description of Work: Our deck had separated from our house and sunk approximately 6 inches. We had at least one potential contractor who did not even want to bid the job - I think he was intimidated. Upon further investigation, we learned that the sill plate had degenerated and in places was just dust. It was now more than a deck repair - it effected the stability of our home.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,000
KENNETH P.
07/2009
2.0
home remodeling
+ -1 more
Started our very positive. They did a good job on the insulation and the back porch ceiling. The banister was a disaster. They used poplur wood instead of oak which is what we wanted. The spindles didn't match, they told us that the ones we were matching elsewhere in the house were discontinued so when we called the manufacturer to inquire we were told that they were not discontinued and in fact they had them in stock. The communication was terrible. Weeks would go by and we would never here from them. The job was finally done after they had to rip out what they had put in and restart from scratch on the banister. A six week job turned into a full year. This was such an easy job and should have been done in a timely manner if only they had communicated with us. We felt as if they hurried though just so they could get paid. They ended up putting a lot of the blame on their sub contractors which was not the case.
Description of Work: Insulation, new porch ceiling, new stairway banister.
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Service Categories
Kitchen and Bath Remodeling,
Decks and Porches,
General Remodeling,
Lighting,
Fencing
FAQ
OWENS CONSTRUCTION is currently rated 3.1 overall out of 5.
Sunday: Closed
Monday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday: Closed
OWENS CONSTRUCTION accepts the following forms of payment: Check
No, OWENS CONSTRUCTION does not offer free project estimates.
No, OWENS CONSTRUCTION does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, OWENS CONSTRUCTION does not offer a senior discount.
No, OWENS CONSTRUCTION does not offer emergency services.
No, OWENS CONSTRUCTION does not offer warranties.
OWENS CONSTRUCTION offers the following services: GENERAL REMODELING SERVICES INCLUDING DESIGNING & BUILDING PROJECTS.