
Roark Remodeling LLC
About us
Roark Remodeling is an innovative new approach to remodeling and home improvements. From our website you can directly purchase basic handyman projects in our "Handyman Marketplace", request an online estimate in as fast as one hour, and even "Name Your Own Price" where you list the specifics of your project and then tell us what YOU want to pay! We are changing the way homeowners and contractors come together to accomplish great new designs and function in the home. It's simple; we're just smarter about how we do business.
Business highlights
Services we offer
We specialize in out of the box thinking and new and innovative projects like in-ground trampolines, and recycled-composite countertops. We use any and all manufacturers and materials available to us in this area. Including all available window manufacturers, decking materials and more. No job is too small. No job is too big., siding varieties and manufacturers
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
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"This is a fantastic review, and I am glad to have it. The reason I am so positive about it, is because when an objective person looks at all of our other reviews, and then see's this one clearly there is a contradiction. If the customer were being truly objective in their review here they would have given a "C" in one area, or a "D" in another, maybe an "F" here or there. But when all of our other reviews are so very positive and truly objective and this one is so dramatically absolute in it negativity any discerning person can see for themselves there must be more to it than what is being reported or reviewed. The issue here is that this customer never wanted to accept that what she wanted to achieve was out of her budget. No matter how badly you want a Mercedes, you just can't buy one for the same price as a Honda. From the start she insisted on cutting corners and trimming out essential aspects of the job. As the job progressed and it became apparent that things she didn't want to pay for were an absolute necessity, she demanded that our company foot the bill. Yes, we had a labor only contract as was mentioned. That being said perishable items like caulk, transition strip flooring, grout, grout sealer, and concrete sub-floor cleaner are absolutely not our responsibility given that she insisted on a labor only contract. She was provided receipts for everything, and "hand soap" was never on any one of them. We t Roark Remodeling actually supplied the quarter round trim (valued at $300) from our stock, another item that was never in our "labor only" contract, and wasn't paid for by the customer. The estimated duration was 7-10 days. We finished in 9. We would have finished sooner if the builder had applied a moisture barrier under the carpet, but there was none. And so, in accordance with the manufacturers installation requirements, we needed to apply a liquid barrier on the entire sub floor. This added a day and a half in labor. Which, the customer refused to pay for. When she was originally quoted $3,500 for the job she balked. She wanted to pay $2,500. I told her that that would be possible IF there were no additional unforeseen circumstances (like the need for quarter round, or moisture barrier, etc.). It was made clear from the start that in order to keep within her budget the work scope could not exceed the basic floor parameters. When I priced her job out at $3,500 I was completely accurate. with the additional materials needed (vapor barrier and quarter round trim) $4,500 is right on the money. However, from the start she wanted to cut corners. The lesson in all of this is that there are just some corners that cannot be cut. And no matter how hard you try, you can't get a brand new Mercedes for the same price as an Accord."
swingset. AC was on time and professional, and worked the better part of two
days (outside in the cold and snow!) to assemble the swingset board by board,
literally! It looks fantastic - highly recommend AC and crew!
When it came time to take down the lights he and another employee showed up on a day that there was still snow and ice present on my roof and porch. Instead of delaying the project until the weather was more suitable, a hammer was used to loosen the light bulbs and strands from the surfaces. Wire snips were also used to cut free any stuck cords. When they were finished, they piled everything on my front porch. When I went outside to retrieve the light strands, most of them were in pieces. I took an inventory of what lights still worked. Three strands of the fourteen used would light. The majority of these were purchased new.When the snow melted at the end of January, I found gutter clips, light bulbs and loose strands of wire all over my shrubs, lawn, driveway and sidewalk. I imagine I will find more when I clean up my landscaping in the Spring. I sent an email to Adam regarding my concern after the lights were taken down and I never heard from him. The day he was here, he told my husband he would give us a discount if we used him again to install lights.
Based on this waste of money and poor service, I would never use Adam's company for any type of work again.
"I truly enjoyed meeting (member name removed). They were our first customers in a completely new en devour: hanging Christmas lights. There was a bit of a learning curve with this type of work, and when they contacted me to say that some of the lights were sagging in places it was my pleasure to re-hang the lights using a better quality light hook. The Holmes' were some of the first people to request a light removal after the holiday. We (as a company) had over 100 houses to take down and everyone wanted to be first. The only way to accommodate such a great demand was to work non-stop until all lights were down. Mark each neighborhood and work in it until they were all removed. It was very cold, and very dangerous getting on snowy roofs, but we were committed to appeasing our customers demands. A common problem we had run into was icicle style Christmas lights frozen in gutters. As a company we couldn't afford to keep returning time and time again to take down lights. I had to make the decision to take the lights down and chip away at the ice in the gutters. Knowing that some lights wouldn't make it out undamaged, I volunteered to replace any and all damaged strands in the next holiday season. We had been using Menards to supply us with lights and they had long since stopped selling holiday decorations. In other words: we had no ready supply of Christmas lights to replace the damaged ones with immediately. It is more than fair to replace anything damaged at our cost in the next holiday season. The Holmes paid $100.00 during our early bird special (booking prior to Oct. 31, 2014). We put the lights up, came out again to rehang the lights at their request, removed the lights, and agreed to pay for all damaged strands in the process of removal, all for $100.00. We can do no better than that. Furthermore I challenge any one that would lay claim that they could."
1. They said that they had inspected my house and were confident in their ability to put up lights without problems, but on the installation day, they discovered that I have a slate roof and gutter boxes, not metal gutters, which prevented them from installing lights on my roof and gutters.
2. One of the guys was smoking while putting up and taking down lights.
3. AC kept telling me to call him so he could re-do my landscaping and fix my balcony railing. Great, but I never asked for his opinion, and I had just told him that I had JUST re-done all of my landscaping and that my contractor was working on installing a new deck on the balcony so it was not finished yet. Despite my replies, he kept telling me to call him to work on my house.
4. They did not call or email me before coming to take my lights down. I had out of state company staying with me when they showed up. I told them that I expected notification before they arrived, and they said that was the last day for take-down.
5. They were unable to get the lights off of the balcony railing and recommended cutting them down. I told them not to cut them, and when I went up and looked at the lights a couple of days later, I was able to easily take them down without cutting them.
If you want more details, keep reading:
I received an ad for Christmas light installation by Roark Remodeling in the mail. I went to the website but had some difficulty figuring out if I had submitted everything correctly because I did not receive a confirmation page. I sent an email through the website, and AC White called me back very quickly. He and I settled on a date--Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014, in the morning, for the work to be done. He then explained that I still needed to request an appointment through their website and submit payment that way, and they would email a confirmation to me. I was a little nervous about paying for service that I hadn't received yet, but did it anyway so I could secure the date for installation. It was also an inconvenience to have to go back online after having just set a date via the telephone. But, whatever, I did it.
AC and his assistant arrived on Saturday, around 10 or 11am. They called earlier in the morning to give an estimate of when they would arrive, and they were accurate. Upon walking up to my house, AC told me that they had driven by and already inspected my house, so he was confident that they could put up my lights without any problems. So, when I asked if the slate tiles and gutter boxes were going to be a problem, I was surprised to hear him say, "Oh, you have a slate roof? And your gutters are just extensions of the roof and not metal attached ones?" It turned out that they were not able to put any lights on my roof or on my gutters, as he had initially told me they would. I sort of figured that they wouldn't be able to, but was disappointed that their "inspection" didn't involve looking at the roof or gutters. Also, AC's assistant was smoking when they walked up to my house and continued to smoke while installing my lights. He remained outside the whole time, but I thought it was unprofessional to smoke on my property while working. Any time there was a question (3), I had to breathe the smoky air.
I was having them install my own lights, rather than provide lights. They did not tell me that I also needed to provide at least 5 extension cords. I had always used 2 for previous years but was able to find 2 more outdoor cords, and they wrapped an indoor cord with saran wrap to make it usable outside. (Safe??) In the end, the lights looked nice, but I could have easily done that job myself. Additionally, AC kept telling me all of the ways that he could improve my landscaping and my house...but I never asked for his opinion or assistance. In fact, I had just explained that I had completely redone all of my landscaping this past summer, and that I LOVE it. He told me to call him back to fix my balcony railing because it would not meet OSHA standards and was very unsafe. I reminded him that I was having new deck flooring installed and that my contractor was not finished yet.
In order to schedule the take-down appointment, I had to submit preferred days of the week and times through their website, which I did as soon as I returned from a NYE vacation, and selected Wed or Sat afternoons. I did not receive a confirmation call or email with a date or time. I had out of state company staying with me when AC and his smoking companion showed up to take down my lights-on a Sunday afternoon. They did not call before arriving, and I had to go back inside (had just gotten ready to go to the local park with my goddaughter) to get the box for the lights and cords and to unlock the back yard gate. I explained that I had expected a call or at least an email before they arrived, and AC answered that this was the last day for taking down lights. Apparently it was that day or not at all.
The assistant later knocked on my door, smoking on my back porch, and asked me to come and answer a question. AC told me that he could not get the lights off of the balcony railing because new deck flooring that had been installed after the lights were up was too close to the bottom of the railing, and he couldn't get the plug out from underneath it. He offered to cut the lights off and bring a new set next year, when I called him to install lights again next year. I told him to just leave them up and I would take a look at it later and perhaps have my contractor replace them if needed. When I looked at the lights a couple of days later, I was able to slide the cord down about two feet and take the lights off without any problems. (There was no snow on the roof or ground when they came to remove the lights, and it was still daylight, so his view was not obstructed.)
Overall, the lights looked good and worked all season, but I installed the lights in the same way myself last year. I was annoyed with AC's repeated recommendation that I call him to "fix things up" or to "re-do my landscaping." I was frustrated with the smoking and with the lack of attention to detail--the "inspection" that did not inspect what he needed to see, the inability to remove the lights that I then did without a problem a couple of days later. I would not hire him again, as I could do the job that he did, without the smoking and without the interruption of my visit with friends, and most importantly, without the repeated request to call AC for future business.
"At no time did [members name] express any displeasure with me in person. I was led to believe that she was pleased. Regarding the landscaping, to my recollection it was only a friendly conversation wherein she had asked my opinion on certain aspects and I had volunteered it (my opinion). At no time did I pressure her, or in any way pursue additional work beyond basic offering of my services in the future IF and only if called upon. I do not solicit to do so goes against the very ethic and tenants of what my company stands for. We were supplied with interior extension cords to do the job, which goes against code which is a company liability. At no time were cords "wrapped in saran wrap". We did need more cables than were supplied because [members name] circuit breakers kept popping when we connected everything to her specifications. Her home has Full metal box gutters which makes it impossible to hang anything from unless we drilled holes into them to create hooks for lights to suspend from. [Members Name] stated "I didn't figure you could have hung them up there anyway" and proceeded to direct us to where she wanted the lights. Regarding my comments to her balcony, the structure was unsafe to walk on and the railing was unsecured. She wanted lights on said balcony and while hesitant, I did decorate it as requested. However I (as a general contractor) saw many code violations and felt compelled to inform [members name]. She told me it wasn't finished yet and I dropped it. Finished or not, there were several aspects to the work I witnessed that were in clear violation. Now having had her negative report here, I decided to dig a bit deeper and looked to see if there were any permits pulled, or applications submitted for that balcony. None were ever filed, or granted. No inspections even performed. No communication with the city building department whatsoever. This only adds credence to my observations in that the work performed was not up to code. I only brought this up to her because I felt it was my duty. Now looking back I see that she probably knew there was never a permit for the work and was offended when I recognized it didn't meet code. Hanging Christmas lights was a marketing endevour to promote our company name. We decorated and took down over 100 houses, all for only $199.00. This was a great undertaking for any company, and looking at the end result it was a great success. It's a shame that some people can't recognize the value of our efforts. To say that "I could have done that" when referring to Christmas lights decorating is stating the obvious. Of course the average homeowner can decorate their house with lights. It isn't a skilled trade. What we offered was a convenience service for an incredibly low price. Most all of our customers not only appreciated that, but are planning on having us come out next year too."
This is a former rental property we are trying to sell. AC was great to work with! He finished all projects in a timely manner. All work was done until we were completely satisfied! AC even did a few extra details that he did not charge for. We will call Roark Remodeling again in the future. They can do just about any project that needs done! They can even put up and take down your Christmas Lights! What more can you ask for?
What really impressed me was that two days later I thought I had a leak in the roof. AC and his forema were here within an hour of my call to inspect their work. I have not seen as much pride in workmanship in some time. It turned out that there was no leak. Some rain water had spilled on one of my large leafy potted plans and dripped off the leaves. We were all quite relieved. And he and the foreman But while they were here they identified a problem with one of the downspouts and fixed it.
I would reccommend this company to all my friends for their work. The owner also has very good suggestions and ideas for dealing with issues.
AC was extemely punctual for every appointment, profesional and knowledgeable. The work was done on schedule and exceeded my expectations for quality and price. A couple of days later I thought I had a problem and he was here to check on it within two hours. Turned out to be a false alarm (my bad) but while he and his helper were here they identified and rectified another problem that they noticed.
I plan to have them back to replace and paint the remaining trim and several other projects besides.
"Working with [member name removed] was a really wonderful experience. He was engaged in the inner-workings of the project and was committed to doing things right. With every job the customer must be budget minded and we were able to find a solution to his needs that solved his problems within his budget. I look forward to working for him and his adorable daughter again in the future.-AC White"
Mr. White accomplished all the above in a time and professional manner. My dogs did a lot of "supervising" and he was very good-natured with them (even if they got in the way.) My deck looks brand new and my pets have a larger outside area to enjoy. I would totally recommend him for decks and plan to use him for some interior improvements soon!
Licensing
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