Kaphar Construction

My wife and I had been planning a bathroom remodel for quite some time. I met with several contractors and had several estimates. It is the only full bath in our house so it needed to be a quick turnaround from start to finish. Ultimately we chose to go with Kaphar Construction after meeting with Charles and Chase. We discussed our budget and our vision for the project. They were able to help us position the project within our budget but with it being an old house we were a little afraid of what issues we might find. They put our minds at ease and thoroughly went over their process. Mark was our project manager. He was extremely responsive and available when we had questions or wanted to discuss aspects of the project. Mark went above and beyond to make sure we were satisfied with the work being done and worked double time when we had a delay due to shipping. Everyone involved was courteous and respectful which is not something you get with all contractors. We couldn’t be happier with our new bathroom. We will definitely be using Kaphar for our next project and I highly recommend them to anyone looking for quality work to be done at a reasonable price.

Kaphar was very responsive in the beginning. I had a call back within an hour of reaching out to them, and they promptly scheduled a time to come review the projects to provide an estimate. I received a printed estimate of $4715 via email on January 13, 2016.

We initially set a start date of February 2, 2016. On February 1, 2016, I received a call asking if I was expecting them to begin working the next day. I told them that I was but that I wasn't in a hurry if they needed to delay. I told him that I didn't want to wait too long because the porch was starting to be a danger. He explained that the bulk of their crew was working on a project in another city, and he didn't have enough crew to send to begin my projects on February 2. We decided to start on Saturday, February 13, 2016. He believed he could send a large crew and do most of the jobs in one day.

I received a text before 8:00 a.m. on February 13 stating that the crew were not wanting to work a full day since it was Valentine's Day weekend, and there was a chance of rain the next day which could present a problem if they didn't finish. He asked if we could start on Tuesday, February 16. I said that was fine.

On Tuesday, February 16, I was up early to move the car out of the driveway so they would have access to the carport. I waited until 8:20 or so and nobody showed up. Knowing that all the work was outside, and I would be home at lunch, I went to work. At lunch, I was surprised to note that the crew had not been there. I contacted Chase to ask if something happened. I received no response. In fact, I received no response to my emails or texts for over a week.

Once I was able to speak to someone, we set a fourth date to begin of Tuesday, March 8. We were expected to have bad weather that day, and we agreed that trying to work on two outside projects was not feasible. Weather is completely outside our control, so that is no fault of Kaphar. I asked if we could try for the next Tuesday, but I didn't receive a response.

I contacted Chase again on March 21st, two weeks after the most recent fall-through date, to ask if we could please set another date. At this point, I received the estimate 10 weeks ago. He stated that he was going to call me because he believed they could work on everything that week.

On March 23, two crew members arrived and started working. It took them 4 days to do both projects. Per the norm in my 100-year-old home, once the wood from the porch was removed, we realized that some bricks had fallen on the inside corner of a column, and the joists needed to be replaced. I spoke with them to determine the best course of action, and Chase stated that the joists would need to be replaced whether we did concrete or composite decking, so I opted to stay with the decking. I asked for an estimate of the new work. He said he would get that to me.

WITHOUT RECEIVING AN ESTIMATE, the mason was there. I would like to point out here that while replacing the joists, they knocked out several more bricks. I don't know if this was to properly place the joists or what, but more brick repairs needed to be made than just the ones I noted were fallen. I had also asked that we keep the lights in the carport. The wiring was old, and they weren't able to save it. Basically, I was told I should contact a handyman to have it rewired because if they did it, they would need to bring it to code. I understand the old wiring isn't their fault, but really? You tore it out (accidentally or otherwise) but want me to hire someone else? Moving on....

The work was finished on Saturday, March 26, and I contacted Chase on the 28th to get payment to them. I stated that I had a 4:30 piano lesson but would be available after that at 5:00. Guess when they showed up?? Right at 4:30 with my student. Way to value my time. Then he told me that the additional work and supplies were $1100 over the original estimate. I would have appreciated receiving that information in advance. That made these 2 projects cost $5815. This did not include any painting of the wood joists visible around the porch or any painting of the carport wood that is visible.

The completed work truly does look fabulous. Once they started, they kept me in the loop except for providing an estimate for the additional work. I will not contact this company again which is disappointing because I would like to find a construction company that I can call regularly. Even if they told me right away that it could be 6-8 weeks, that would have been fine. Setting multiple dates, having them not show with no explanation, and the frustration of trying to re-schedule are the main reasons I will not use them again. I also think the cost is slightly high.

-Took my call after hours.
-Responded immediately.
-Did the troubleshooting and got an electrician on scene ASAP.
-Worked after hours until they reached a point they needed a plumbing and electrical supply open to buy parts the next morning.
-Called specialized well professionals to remove and a reinstall pressure tank and submersible pump and stayed on sight until they finished.
-Everything was well planned and trouble shot in the correct order to keep the cost to a minimum.
I was 800 miles away and then in route and Kaphar Construction kept me informed during the whole process, great communication and follow thru.

They performed a full walk-through of the damaged roof area and provided me with options and recommendations for making the roof watertight again. We discussed at length what I wanted done and they explained to me how they could do every part of that including the type and grade of all materials to be used. When the day came to sign the contract I asked how soon they could start and how long it would take. The answer: we start tomorrow, and it will be finished tomorrow.

The work crew was professional and thoroughly experienced in roofing removal, repair and re-roofing. They left the job site (my yard) cleaner than it was before they arrived. They also made sure that all roofing shingles were correctly color matched so that the final product was perfect.

The roofing estimators were polite and professional. They didn't try to push or sell anything extra to me that was not required. 
We performed a walk-through of the completed job and they showed and explained to me everything that was done. And asked if I had any additional questions.

I am 100% satisfied.