SFW Construction LLC

Not well. It finally got done, but I don't even want to take the time to elaborate.

My first review was done before I had the opportunity to speak to the owner. After clarifying a few things, I wish to change my review. I found SFW to be very understanding and willing to work with their client. I would hire them again for another job.

The work was completed and follow-up for materials defect was quickly addressed. Because I was away when the project was completed, SFW performed the work with a minimum of supervision. They accommodated my schedule and completed the work as promised. They may not be the least-cost contractor, but the quality of the work and transparency of charges are well worth any incremental cost.

Purchased and installed incorrect boards. Came back out and replaced with correct boards at no charge.

Looked minimal but once the affected wood was removed, it was clear that it was a bigger job than we had hoped. The 3 workers were very pleasant and professional, showing us what they discovered as they worked, making it clear that the job was larger in scope than what we had hoped. Would definitely hire again & recommend highly.

Overall I am happy with the quality of the work. The actual team was professional and cordial and I don't have any complaints. about them at all. My issues with this company are: 1. It took a long time to get the work scheduled 2. When the work was finally scheduled, they didn't show up. I stayed home from work at did finally get a call at about 8:30 saying they had stayed at another job 3. No idea up-front how much $$ the repair was going to cost. This is a business decision on their part that isn't going to get support from me. It is important to have a good estimate of the cost of a specific project before committing to getting the work done. 4. No itemized list of products. Just a line item from Home Depot and Parr Lumber, with a dollar amount, and a 20% markup. Would have liked to see specific costs for material. Price for a 10' cedar seemed high.

The company sent three workers to do the job, and together they took 6.5 hours each--which seems inordinately slow. At the conclusion of the repairs, the foreman announced that there was no time to repaint the repaired areas, but that the "painting manager" would be in touch soon to get it completed. The following week, the company billed me $1837.00 for the repairs (not including the not yet completed painting). (The total billed was, in fact, consistent with the "expedited" hourly rate of $80--for which they scheduled the work within 2 weeks of the request, rather than the usual 2 months; the questionable part is why it took 3 people 7 hours to do these two small repairs.) The company rep also informed me that the painting work would not be scheduled until payment of the $1837 for the previous work had been received and cleared, but that the "painting manager" would then be in touch to schedule. Unfortunately, after leaving phone messages and sending e-mails, and after waiting three weeks, the "painting manager" never deigned to get in touch with me. I therefore arranged for a painter from Absolute Painting to come and do the repainting on an hourly basis. He was prompt, courteous, professional--and he put on two coats in just over one hour--and all by himself, unlike the SWF team. The experience has left me highly disappointed and irritated with SWF Construction. Suffice to say that, when my house needs a full siding replacement, I will be contracting with someone other than SWF.

Let me say first that their customer service and workmanship were both very good. If I were to make a decision for hiring someone based solely on that, I would choose them again. However, I purchased a promotional coupon through Angie's list and did not get a bid ahead of time. My mistake. They started the project and would give me updates each day how much the day had cost, rather than giving me an upfront bid ahead of time. I asked them mid-way in about this process and it was explained to me that they did not give bids on their promotions ahead of time. The cost ended up being a lot more than I had budgeted for and I ended up only being able to afford one of the two dormers. At the end, as much as I would have loved for them to do the second one, I simply couldn't pay for anymore.

The work was done competently and professionally. The windows were installed well and were properly wrapped to guard against water intrusion. The work itself was absolutely top-notch. However... The crew worked extremely slowly. It took two grown men two days to install two windows. This is not normal. SFW also requires their crews to setup this whole fandangled safety system around your home, which they bill you for, and takes them approximately 3 hours to setup. If you have a crew of 2 men setting this up, this means they will charge you 6 hours of labor @ $74 each just to setup their safety equipment, and then they'll take their time breaking it down (another 2 hours per worker) when they're done. They will also charge you for their lunch breaks. The work they perform is of excellent quality, but they presumably work/walk/move slowly in order to artificially inflate the job costs. If you hire SFW you will receive fantastic work, but make sure to watch these guys like a hawk and tell them to get their rear-ends in gear and hustle. It does not take 8 whole hours for 2 men to install a window... unless they work for SFW. I was billed an insane amount of money for an insane amount of labor hours... after I told them not to clean up inside my house AND I told them not to replace the millwork around my windows... AND I told them not to paint the new trimboard around the windows. Had I had them completely install the windows, complete with millwork, painting and cleanup, this job likely would have cost me another $2,000 (not including materials). Wow. Due to the absurdity of their labor billing, I cannot recommend SFW and will not use them for any other work in the future.

SFW was one of the few companies even willing to offer a bid on the job. Most companies wanted either to replace all the siding or not bother with the job. I felt like SFW cared about the job, communicated very well between emails and calls and I felt confident the job would be done well. I am very impressed and would highly recommend them to anyone.

It didn't - they took the money apparently per the email from Amazon and haven't don't the work.

The entire project staff, from estimator, project leader and work crew were very professional, highly skilled and did an excellent job. Their scheduling, coordination with us every day, attention to detail and outcome for looks exceeded our expectations. We would highly recommend this company for cabinet refinishing.

Not great. When I set up the appointment I told them the loose piece was above a car port and very hard to get to, I was not sure they could access it. She assured me they had specialized equipment to reach it. When they showed up for the work they did not bring the specialized equipment and were surprised at the situation. The waited on site for a few hours waiting to get the equipment there.(They are charging me by the hour). It was not available and they would have to come back. When they came back the second time they still did not have the proper equipment and this crew was again surprised they were supposed to bring it.. We agreed the loose piece had to be replaced with new because it was warped and I paid for extra new ribs to complete the job.. When I returned from running an errand the crew was gone and the OLD piece was in place. I doubt it will stay in place over the winter. I was not at all happy with the way my small project was handled and there seems to be a communication shortage within the organization. Also, I had to remind them three times that I should have a credit from the Angies list purchase, they could not find it in their records and I had to provide the number of the certificate. When my bill arrived they failed to give me the credit and I had to call and follow up with them again, they did finally credit me

took longer because of extent of damage. I paid as a repair, which took longer, and more expensive, than if it was just replace the siding, have material ready, and not have to continue running for material. they did an excellent job!

As soon as I purchased the Angie's List deal, the following day, I received a very nice form email from SFW, telling me the policies of the company, and that they were about 4 to 6 weeks out on scheduling us. It turned out that they had an opening earlier, which was perfect! Jesse, our contractor came out the following day, did a visual assessment and estimate on what we wanted done; I accepted the bid, it was reasonable and within my budget. Jesse started work that afternoon. It took about 16 hours to complete the job. Jesse is a perfectionist, and doesn't compromise quality or workmanship; this can be seen throughout the construction process and the finished product. A sidebar bonus: Jesse has a fabulous sense of humor and he kept me laughing anytime I checked in on him while he was working! The job was completed timely, and I am very pleased with the results. I would definitely use this company again! Great job, Jesse tell your boss you should get a raise. You do beautiful work!

The crew worked long days in miserable weather. I was impressed with the care with which the work was done. I was also very impressed with the way all the paperwork was handled; we received emails detailing the investment in labor and materials so there were no surprises, we received a final billing marked 'paid' so we have evidence on our end that the project closed out.

They checked for the source of the leak and found the flashing around our chimney was not done correctly. They recommended a mason who can do the work (not yet completed). They were very thorough, checking inside the attic and outside on the roof. Took photos and communicated what they found. We have used SFW for several other home repairs, and we recommend them without hesitation. Very professional.

They were responsive, punctual, knowledgeable and friendly. Upon a thorough professional inspection, it was determined that extensive chimney repairs were needed to fix the leak. The person who did the inspection was knowledgeable, capable (safely getting up on top of a very steep old victorian house roof with limited access typical of a city location!), provided pictures, and described the issues in terms I could understand immediately. In the end I preferred to use a chimney specialist for the work, and they refunded the deal (which was for actual service done, not just for inspection) immediately with no problem. I think part of the measure of a good company is the way they deal with changes of plans, and this company rates an A plus in my book! I would certainly use them again and recommend them to others.

They were very friendly, very nice guys. They were easy to get along with and very polite. They were here at the time they said they would be here and they seemed pretty quick. They had to come back the second day because the paint had to dry overnight. There are still a couple of nail holes they missed and didn't fill in.

I purchased a coupon through Angie's List to repair a section of siding on one side of my home which had dry rot. I called the owner of the company, told him what the project scope was and requested an onsite inspection and a quote of how much the entire project would cost. He stated that providing a quote on a small job of this type was not the way they normally conducted their business, that normally the work would be done and then a bill would be generated. A lengthy debate ensued. He finally stated that he would have to have someone else contact me the next day. I wasn't contacted back until over a week later. I did finally receive a call and I made arrangements with a fellow who actually ended up doing the project to stop by, provide an onsite inspection, and write up what the work would cost. He came, reviewed the damage and provided an estimate which totaled over $1000.00. Contractors have gladly provided me bids for proposed work at my location for costs well under this amount and I never have been told that they don't normally provide project bids since the project is small or there may be unforeseen costs to the original bid as work progresses. That's what change orders are for. I frankly felt extremely pressured to not request an upfront bid. I did not feel good about being told a timely phone call would occur and then it did not. It frankly made me wonder if this was standard procedure for Angie’s List purchasers. It was all the more confusing to me as the work performed was excellent, the time to perform the job was fast, and the clean-up afterwards exemplary. I was provided with an extensive, written description of all work to be done with a breakdown of costs. I was provided with options in regards to work to be done and agreements made were followed to the letter. I elected to paint the pre-primed materials used as I wish to paint the entire south side of the house come summer. Costs included materials, materials delivery, time utilized to complete project, and cleanup/debris removal. Care was made to protect my shrubs, work was completed in advance of what originally had been quoted, and care was taken to clean up the site completely upon work completion. I paid the bill by check. There is an option for payments made via credit card which carry a 4% convenience fee to be added to an invoice should one choose to use this method of payment. Emails were well used by this company and included a Daily Update, a completed Job Completion Checklist, and an electronic Invoice. A postcard arrived by mail requesting a follow-up Customer Satisfaction Survey, which I took. I was very impressed with the final product and would use this company again.

It went really well. They were really prompt, very courteous and did a good job. I haven't had any problems. The bill was appropriate as well. So, no worries anywhere along the job. I had to pay more. There was quite a bit more work that they needed to do. They had to demo a little area and then reconstruct the area. It turned out to be probably around $1200 or so, but it definitely saved me a good chunk of money to get the four hours for $149. So it was definitely worth it to do that for sure. I'm glad I did it. I would for sure use them again and I would recommend them as well. It was well done, done when they said they would do it. They were there early in the morning and did a great job. There were two people, one that was the main guy and then there was somebody that worked with him. It sounds like it was a pretty solid team that they knew what the plan was and they got it done efficiently. It took eight hours for the work to be completed. They left the area very clean.

Though there was a delay in the schedule the repair was done well and the result was excellent.

The workmen were very punctual getting here and helpful. They were able to give me a estimated timeframe for the work and kept pretty close to it. I would hire again.

SFW responded to my Angie's list inquiry right away wanting to find out what my issue was. They had me send an image of the needed repair and then gave me an overview of how the process works. We set up an expedited service. The crew members explained what was to be done and how long they thought the job would take. They walked me through the paperwork and explained everything clearly. When the job was complete, Steve the owner called to make sure that I was happy with the work. I felt that the service was thorough, personal and professional.

They worked hard and finished the same day. My only concern is that it took longer than I expected and therefore cost more. But the work was done well. I would hire them again.