Egress Systems Inc

.

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From start to finish I could not be any happier with choosing Gary and ESI. I was weeks away from selling my house when it was determined that in order for my basement to be up to code an egress window would be needed. I am a DIY'er and finished the basement myself without getting the proper permits. (Long story but unbeknownst to me, codes had changed from the time I started to when I finished the basement.) When it was determined that the window was needed I had several quotes. Some companies said I needed to rip up carpets, and the work would make a compete mess. Gary, the owner, performed my estimate and assured me that he would not need to rip up carpets or make any mess to the interior. There was just something about him that even before the quote was given to me I wanted him to perform the work. He was very knowledgeable and it was obvious he was an expert. Their website was also a good reference point, which detailed how the work was performed. He was understanding of my situation, he even went so far as to email my township zoning officer all of the plans so there would be no hiccups. The work was performed on a Saturday, something that is outside of normal business hours for him, but again he was understanding of my short timetable. He even had family plans later in the day and was still willing to come out. He came early in the morning exactly as he said he would. Gary and his helper were courteous and professional to not only me, but to my wife and 2 daughters. The work was completed in a few hours, and it looked amazing. The window installed was a Jeld-Wen window which carriers a lifetime warranty, and from the research I performed, they seem to be the benchmark to code compliant windows. Like I previously stated, I am a DIY'er and honestly only joined Angie's list to research Egress window companies in my area. Was I surprised when I saw Egress Systems Inc. at the top of that list? Not at all. As far as I am concerned, they set the standard. Not only in the work they do, but the way in which they perform it. Gary was a hard working, and thorough professional in every aspect of the process, and I would definitely recommend him if you need this work performed. I now am in my new home, a 47 year old colonial with an unfinished basement. The basement is on the list and Gary will be my first call!

The owner, Gary, and his crew of one, Bob, showed up right on time....7am. The install was scheduled to last only 1 day, but since the temperature was 100+ that day we all agreed that it was best for them to split it into 2 days. They laid down protection so the heavy equipment would not harm our yard or sink into the ground and they worked quickly to try and beat the heat. They were able to complete the digging for the well and drainage, cutting the hole in the foundation, and placing the window in on day one. Day 2 they picked up right where they left off...securing the window to the foundation, placing the well in, and backfilling the drainage and well. It was such a pleasure to work with ESI and I wish all contractors were this easy to work with.

I can't say enough about the quality of work as well as the professionalism from start to finish. Gary provided a fair estimate and always took the time to answer my questions and concerns (I had many). The work was done in a very timely manner and with great care to my existing landscaping, grass etc. Fantastic job, I would highly recommend!

The project went great! The basement was finished in 6 weeks and right on the projected price. The workmanship was superb and all the township inspections were approved. We are thrilled with the result and we would highly recommend this company without reservation. This is a highly skilled group of workers with great ideas!

When he came out to give me a quote, he inspected and made sure that it would fit correctly. His price was good and actually came lower than anyone else. Everything turned out great and they did a fantastic job! The installation went perfectly smooth with him. Overall, he did a great job and I had a great expereice.

Gary and Bob did a grade A job. They were courteous, professional and clearly take pride in their work which is evident in the finished product. If you're looking for an insured, licensed contractor who specializes in basement window application, there's no reason not to have Gary out to provide you with a quote.

The entire process was conducted at very high professional level. I have no reservations in recommending Egress Systems. The entire job was completed in a single day. Gary explained in detail what he was going to do. There were no surprises as the job was completed at exactly the price of the proposal.

This is the 2nd time I have used this company to install an egress window. I was very impressed the first time when they installed my first window and I was just as impressed the 2nd time. The 2nd time through we had a different premit process than the first time so Gary called me and walked me through everything that I needed to do with the township in order to receive the permit. This is just an example of the excellent customer service and professionalism that Egress Systems consistently provided to me. They showed up on time on the day that we agreed. When they arrived, they began work on digging out the area to install the new window. There was a gas line that was very close to the area where we wanted the window but true to form Egress Systems was very careful and didn't make any mistakes! The finished product is very professional and I am very happy with the work that Gary and his crew did. I had an issue with a difficult inspector that was demanding work to be done that was not according to code and would not have even been able to be done to the the location of the window. Gary talked with the inspector and explained the situation but the inspector wouldn't listen. Gary gave me a detailed description of the issue to take to my township office and, VOILA, problem resolved. I appreciate Gary and his crew going above and beyond each and every time they have come out to accomadate difficult and unforseen circumstances.

They were great. They were very prompt, courteous, and knowledgeable.

Our initial contact with Gary was pleasant and we were very pleased with the work he and his men came out to do. He was quite accommodating and easy to work with. He got all of the permits necessary to do the work, and was patient with us, as we had to gain approval and such from our homeowner's association. The work was performed as promised and the work was excellent. We were very happy. There was no damage to our yard, they cleaned up after themselves, and were pleasant during the course of the installation. Less than 6 months after the install of the egress, the top portion cracked and pulled away from the foundation. I reached out to Gary about this. I provided him with pictures and we went back and forth with Wellcraft, the company who provided the material. I didn't feel I received very good customer service from Wellcraft, and had dialogue with Gary regarding this since, as his customer, I thought he would be an advocate for us. I walked away from that exchange feeling more like a bother to him, and was basically told that I needed to deal one on one with the company and not him since he was simply an installer and not the manufacturer. If they felt he should be brought in to re-install the piece, they would be in touch with him. This disappointed me and really put me off. We ended up having the piece sent to us directly from Wellcraft, so I reached out again to Gary to schedule the re-install. After a couple of unresponsive emails, he forwarded an email to me from Wellcraft that said the warranty covered only the materials, but not the installation. This outraged me. Material (which carried a 10 year warranty) failed from the company that he does business with, in less than 6 months from installation, and I was going to be required to pay AGAIN for installation? I voiced my displeasure with this, and asked why his (2 year) warranty didn't cover this type of thing from happening. He replied that it wasn't due to his installation that the piece failed, which I never said to begin with, but finally agreed to come out and replace the piece at no charge. He did say that it would need to be at a time that was convenient for him and when they were in the area. Fine. Let me also say, that this was not a complete re-install of the egress. It was simply to replace the top piece (it comes in 3 sections that snap together) and re-bolt it into the foundation. I came home from work about a month later to the replaced egress. I was never contacted to say they would be coming out, and there was only a phone call to our house phone THAT DAY (which all prior communication was made through my cell phone since I work days), when my husband and I were already at work. While I was pleased that the egress piece had been replaced, I would have appreciated a call to my cell or an email, so I could have made arrangements to have the piece that Wellcraft had sent us put outside for their use. I emailed Gary afterward to thank him for coming out to replace the piece, however since he'd used a piece from his own inventory, I asked him if he would like to have that piece as a replacement. It's been about 3 weeks, and I still haven't heard from him, and I still have a 5 ft in diameter egress piece in my garage. Overall, I was happy with the work and the price of Egress Systems product, however I do feel Gary's customer service (if there is a problem) leaves a lot to be desired.

I spent a lot of time researching whom to call for this project as I was very nervous about the prospect of someone cutting into the foundation of my house. I decided ESI was the best with the most experience. In a nutshell, that was correct. Gary responded to my inquiry quickly. He came out and showed brochures and gave me a lot of information covering a lot more than this project. He told me I would have to move a section of my fence back for the machinery and window to fit and he showed me the most simple approach to do this. He sent me a proposal via e-mail which I returned with a check deposit. I then decided to upgrade to a top line window well and he was very flexible. He handled the permit application. It took a while for the permit to go through and to schedule the installation, which I expected. On the scheduled day, he arrived with his machinery and crew on time. His website details the amount of work involved. I was impressed by his skill and precision with the machinery. Everything went smoothly and he was ready to pack it up at 4. A crew member had mistakenly packed the wrong top for the well so they left without installing the top. Gary said not to worry as there was a drain in the well, but I told him I was worried anyway. The next morning he made a special trip back to my house, which took him way over an hour, just to install the correct top. I call that going above and beyond expectations. The window is beautiful. Gary is a professional with a lot of experience in many aspects of construction management and inspection. He takes time to explain things and is honest and reliable. I whole heartedly recommend him. As an update, the window adds a tremendous amount of light to my now finished basement. I stand by my original statement that this man is very skilled. His customer service is excellent to me.

Great job by ESI. Did exactly as the explaine at a reasonable price. Any questions or concerns that I had were quickly answered. Went easy on the grass and overall did a great job. Thanks

Gary and his team were easy to work with and did a great job. Simply put, they did what they said they would do, when they said they would do it, for the price as quoted. They pretty much have this process down to a science and the whole project went like clockwork. They put plywood down on my lawn for the truck and equipment to drive over, which I really appreciated. The excavation area was only as big as necessary and when they left, the area only required a little re-seeding. They put up plastic in the basement to minimize dust and dirt in the basement while cutting. The precast stairs and Bilco doors are actually delivered and installed by a third-party (in this case, Bethlehem Precast). They showed up as scheduled, the team had the site prepared and everything fit perfectly. Once in place, Gary's team then does the back fill, site clean-up and the finish carpentry work.

We decided to have Egress Systems install our egress window after reading comments posted on Angies list. We were not disappointed. They were on top of everything from start to finish. The company gave me an estimate which was much more reasonable than others we had gotten, called all appropriate utilites to have the area marked and submitted for the permit. When they showed up, they were friendly and very courteous. They took extra care not to do any damage to the property on the outside and inside. The egress window looks great and when they left everything looked like it did before they got here. The estimate was accurate and there were no surprises in the end. We will defnitely hire them again to do the other window on the other side of the basement when we are ready.

Overall excellent experience. Gary and his team were punctual, completed the job to the agreed specification, and I was very satisfied with the way the job went. Compared to another company that I had reviewed for the same job, not only was the price competitive, but the amount of hassle that the other company described (like having to have the entire bedroom cleared out, including carpets!) was a real put off. Gary's team left the bedroom the way they found it and were very tidy- so minimum hassle involved. Gary also found my front door a bit too squeaky and fixed it during the course of the day! Brownie points for that Gary... The one area that Gary can improve to make this a A ++ experience is to make customers more aware of the vibrations caused by the installation. If I had know beforehand I would have taken off some wall paintings and ornaments in the room above as a couple of these items fell off during the course of the job. Not major, but an improvement item for the future. I would highly recommend him for other jobs.

I didn't go with them because of price. It's an expensive job to put in an egress window. The company itself was very good with the quote process.

The job went great. Gary was on time. He explained what they were going to do and kept me in the loop. He is very professional and I am extremely happy with his work. If I need additional work done since he does all kinds of contractor work I will give him a call!

Without getting into a long novel about my experience, I will try and give the nutshell. Basically he installed the door in my basement but clearly did not finish the job (although he will tell a different tale). He clearly cut too low into my foundation and left a huge hole under the threshold after he left. Unfortunately I had to jump onto a conference call in the afternoon and was not going to be available when he finished the job. So (rookie mistake), I erroneously gave him his check before he finished and then retired back into my office to get onto a conference call which would I would be on for over an hour. When I finished my call, I headed downstairs into the basement to see the door and immediately saw that he left a VERY large hold under the threshold. I wish I could attach pictures here to share with others. I couldn't believe it. I called him and he said that it was normal and that I would need to fill it with concrete. He said "it will take less than one bag of concrete. Just go get a bag and do it." Really? This guy expects his clients to do masonry and concrete work after he leaves? I was under the impression that I was getting a finished door. I am very thankful that it didn't rain that night because it would have flooded my basement and washed right in under the threshold. Incredible. Basically, if you do choose to use this contractor, please be sure to ask him if you are getting a finished door... or if you will be expected to do any concrete work after he leaves. He made it very clear to me that leaving a hole under the door was very normal and was exactly as described in his contract. So, please be sure you ask him if you should have concrete nearby for after he leaves. There were some other minor issues that irritated me, but nothing nearly as bad as leaving a hole in my house. He tore up my lawn pretty badly. I did expect that though. I got 3 quotes and all contractors said that there would be damage to my lawn. So I can't blame him for that. He chipped up my driveway with his excavator and I will have to get it repaired before the winter freeze. He also banged a piece of the foundation up against my aluminum siding when taking the plug out. It scraped up and broke a few pieces of my aluminum siding. It also scraped up and skimmed my cable wires which I had to tape up and repair. He showed me the damage and I was OK with it at the time. But after the hole under the threshold, everything got magnified. I would have been fine with all of the minor damages, but the hole in the foundation made everything worse. I'm sure that he will refute a lot of the facts in this review, but the fact remains that he left a hole in my house. And no excuse that he gives will ever convince me (nor should it convince you) that it was intentional and was "supposed to be there." I would definitely NOT recommend this contractor to anyone. And if you do choose to use him, please heed my advice from above... ASK HIM IF YOU WILL HAVE TO DO ANY CONCRETE WORK AFTER HE LEAVES. Like I said, he made it clear that leaving a hole under the threshold is his normal practice. **EDIT** I won't get into a back and forth with the contractor, but wanted to just make a couple quick notes about his response. Firstly, I have been a homeowner for much longer than 3 months. Yes, this is a new house, but he shouldn't assume that this is my first house. Secondly, he was never told from the beginning that someone else was going to dig and pour the concrete. The "young man" that came out to do my quote never knew that my intention was to put a patio out back, so I am not sure why he would have quoted a proposal thinking that. In fact, the gentleman that came to do the quote told me that he wouldn't have to cut all the way to floor because I originally wanted a step up to the inside of the door, so that you could walk out to grade. The fact is that he quoted the job thinking that he wouldn't need to excavate, because he sent someone else out to evaluate the job. Then, upon arrival, the first time seeing the job, he saw that he was going to have to excavate. Not my issue that the proposal was not done correctly. Yes, he did explain to me how foundations were poured, but I didn't realize that meant that he was leaving mine exposed. And I did, in fact, did take some action as I contacted my homeowners insurance (which I told him I was doing) and even consulted an attorney. At the end of the day, however, it wasn't worth my time or effort to pursue anything (which is what these contractors rely on), so I moved on. I also contacted some other contractors who perform this type of work and all said that they would leave a full finished door without any gaps, cracks or openings. He is absolutely correct that the proposal was to cut the concrete and install the door - and nothing more. But I guess I just assumed that he was going to cut the hole to fit the size of the door. I didn't realize that he was going to cut a hole bigger than the door and leave a large gap. And that is exactly what happened. The contractor cut a hole larger than the door... and then left it exposed. Nobody's venting here... just letting others know that they might need to have some concrete around for after the job. Be prepared and be sure to ask what the door will look like when he leaves. The gentleman was perfectly friendly and showed up on time. Just left a hole under my door. I

Gary and his assistant, Gunther, completed the work themselves. It took two days to complete the digging and installation. Gary also framed the window so it looks great within the finished basement. Gunther came back a few days later to place the cover over the window because it hadn't come in yet. The window has been there for about a year now and I have not had any problems. I would absolutely use this company again!

The estimate was lower than everybody else. Gary was the guy who I dealt with and he was good. I used his services because he seemed to be doing well. He offered the lowest rate and the other people were 100% more. There was one company which estimated $5000, but Gary estimated $4400. It?s been a month now since I called all the companies. The basement system was 9000. Gary respects me and he knows what he is doing. The work involved some difficult activities like a lot of digging. I would have done the work if I had the tool and I had never done it before. He told me that he was an insurance agent once upon a time. If he is all that I have anticipated, then he is really good, but I will find that out once the work is done. However, this is relatively simple. He has to remove the concrete wall and have the door fixed. He had the best price by 50%. If I try to do any of the improvements in the house, then the first thing they would force me to do is put in a basement door. However, they are the best. I hope that the job would be done in three weeks. His price was the cheapest price compared to the others. He was quick in giving me the quote. His professionalism was good too. I will use his services in the future.

Gary was very helpful in planning for the basement layout and was amenable to changes during the construction phase (we added the bathroom during construction, so it ended up costing more). He was very thorough with making sure that all the fire block and vapor barrier was done correctly. The egress work was completed by Gary and two other people, most of the basement work by one other person, with subcontractors for plumbing, electrical, ceiling and painting. The electrician and ceiling installers (who also installed the drywall) did a great job; we were not as happy with the plumbing and painting contractors. The excavation for the window well was difficult due to proximity of electrical and gas lines, and these issues extended the schedule a bit, but Gary found ways to get the work done so the basement could be completed. We paid for and had the carpet installed separately after the basement was completed. We love our finished basement -the space is highly functional, well-insulated and quiet.

Job went very well. Gary and his team did an excellent job installing the window in a tight space. Would highly recommend Egress Systems with no reservations.

Contractor supplied a detailed competitively-priced bid, clearly explained the work to be performed, arranged for necessary permits, and completed a professional clean install in one day. Took great care to minimize lawn/landscape distubance during excavation and cleaned all debris inside and out. Installed more attractive, better quality egress system components than other bidders had proposed. Timely response to pre-sale questions; arrived/finished on schedule. We are very happy with the end result and the entire experience.