The RockAway Company

Wonderful job, they were checking on how everything was going all of the time. We received advice on what would be best and look better in the area we wanted re done.

Everything was completed within schedule and in budget. Workers were polite, on time, and well coordinated. Working with Rockaway was a delight, we felt our project was a priority and they were on top of all the different workers (plumbers, electrocutions, painters, carpenters). They were not the cheapest company but we were very happy with the results. The reason we gave the quality a 'B' was because the electrician was not so great and years later we had some work redone. But we would definitely use Rockaway again.

If you're looking for someone to slap on a coat of paint and install a new faucet for a bargain price, this is NOT your contractor. Barry and his Rockaway construction crews are artists and craftsmen. If you want a creative solution to your remodeling needs followed by flawless execution from a group of true craftsmen, this IS your contractor. Rockaway completely remodeled our kitchen almost 10-years ago. It completely changed the house. The proof of quality construction lies in the fact that the kitchen looks like new, even after all this time. We liked the kitchen so well, we asked Rockaway to return a couple years ago to completely strip the outside of our second story on a Victorian-style home and replace the worn cedar siding with new insulation, house wrap, and Hardi-plank. The Victorian trim was all removed, taken to a specialist, and re-created in Cypress wood. Again, we were so pleased with the second job, that we're having Rockaway back to remodel three bathrooms..... can't wait to see the results. Rockaway will not be the lowest bidder, but they are worth every dollar. Rockaway returns your calls, are honesty and business-like, are organized, keep appointments, and they show-up to complete the job (which I've heard is an issue with some).

Nothing was done except the bid process on oct 1 and now its nov 1 and we are still waiting. so based on this we will not use them. if we had even a phone call saying we are behind because of blah blah that would be fine with us. but nothing. so just because of not waiting to answer your phone while you are with a customer and lack of communication about the bid not being there in the time frame we were told cost you a job worth 100 thousand give or take. Customer Service is very important.. It is now 11/26/14 we still have not received our home plans we provided the contractor.

It went well. They were very good at explaining in full detail the process. They gave a written estimate. During the process, they checked in and made sure the schedule was followed. They did good job at cleaning up. The workers were good at calling in advance to let us know when they were on their way. I got billed the right amount.

on time cleaned up after job done project finished on time and on budget have used them for total of 3 jobs over past 3 years only con is it took a few days to get a return call after I had left my initial request for an appt

They were excellent and were willing to get out to the house. If I wanted to do anything I would use them again. It was obvious that they guy that cam was very experience and he gave me some good feedback. They were very prompt and will give you feedback quickly.

Completed all repairs as scheduled and within the price quoted. I also had the roof shingles upgraded at an additional cost. Everything went well. The workers were professional and courtesy.

This company was great to work with. We asked them to build an interior wall with French doors. The work was good quality. The reps to scope the work arrived early for each appointment. They accurately scoped the project, and finished the project on time. My project was simple, but Rockaway provided some good ideas to make the wall shape and location look a little different, but it fit the interior great. They also reminded me of things to consider around door hardware and, trim finishing and carpet stretching. I let them advise me on there preferences and then worked our ideas into there expertise. Thank you Rockaway.

The end result was great, but getting there was very frustrating. We were originally told the job would take 14 work days. It ended up taking much longer. At one point, our tile order was lost by either Rockaway or the tile provider, and we had to go back to the tile company a second time to try to remember what we had picked out. Also, Rockaway did not schedule the subcontractors very well. One day, there might be a painter there for a couple hours and no one else the rest of the day. Work rarely started before 9-10 am and was usually finished mid-afternoon -- if everyone showed up. The subcontractors seemed to be very good at what they did, but it was the lack of coordination getting everyone there that was difficult for us. We felt that it could have been better organized. We had several items that needed adjusted after the job was supposed to have been completed. These were done in a timely manner. Again, we are very pleased with the end result, but it was frustrating and stressful getting there.

They were prompt. Did what they said they would do and in the time frame.

Their quote was just more than what we wanted to spend at the time.

Rep came out and walked through residence with us and we explained what we wanted done. Took dimensions and offered several good suggestions. Promised to have quotation in two to three weeks. After four weeks my wife called and was promised bid would be ready in one week - they were very busy and offered apology. She called after two more weeks and finally was able to set up a time to meet and review. We meet with the rep and reviewed bid. Bid had numerous errors, for example - removing 2200 sq ft "popcorn" ceiling texture which we don't have anywhere in the house, and putting up can lights in the kitchen ceiling which already existed. Quote would have had to be completely redone and we did not want to wait another four to six weeks. It was obvious they probably didn't want our business so we went elsewhere.

Overall we were satisfied. The project took a little longer than we thought and there was some issue with communication between the contractors and the electricians and parts of the that slowed them down a little bit. This caused the electrician to have to come out 2 additional times, but overall we were happy with the finished product. They were professional and the work was well done. I also think that they have good follow up with customers because we had just received a mailer from them to see if we wanted them to come back out to make sure that we were still sat with the work.

One MAJOR complication was that my wife was 38 weeks pregnant! Our first contact from Rockaway was with contractor Gary. From the initial handshake my wife and I felt at ease with Gary?s personal, approachable, caring demeanor. He was an incredible advocate and calming force. The next Rockaway team member who then joined in the work was project manager John. Although we did not have too much interaction with him we were NEVER concerned about the work which was completed actually well before we would have dreamed and the quality was spot on! As most would probably agree there is seldom (if EVER) a major reconstruction project where the home owners are not disappointed with at least one aspect but honestly my wife and I are COMPLETELY satisfied with EVERY aspect. Another INCREDIBLY stressful situation for us AND Rockaway was that our mortgage company refused to release the funds our home insurance issued until well after the work on the home was completed! Shortly after working with Gary owner Barry began meeting with us overseeing not only the work on the home but also the fight with our mortgage company. By this time we had a newborn. The team at Rockaway had EVERY right to halt the work due to not getting paid timely due to our mortgage company but they were VERY understanding of our situation and patient beyond belief. The office manager Lori was also very kind, patient and understanding throughout. Words cannot describe the gratitude my wife and I have towards Rockaway. Chase & Katie Torres

Overall the remodel turned out ok, but there was a lack of communication and professionalism through the install part of the process. A lot of the work that was done was not satisfactory when complete so the project manager would have to come and correct the things their workers should have done right in the first place. We were told in the beginning they would get a building permit, but when the work was being done and we asked about the permit, they said they "didn't need it." There were several times when some work that was done caused other problems that I had to correct myself. If I had not been able to correct these things myself, like most customers, it would have cost a bundle to have corrected. For instance, our bedroom phone jack was filled with texture and painted over, which shorted out our pnone AND security system, which we did not know about for some time. And the door frame to the bedroom was cut in order to fit around the pre-installed security pad, rather than moving the pad over a quarter inch. There were several things that were in the original estimate that were not done. We were not reimbursed for these and it was not deducted from the final price. We were told they had "done some extra things" we didn't pay for. The tile work around the shower entrance and the grout lines in several places were not straight or even. We had to ask them to come back and correct them. Before the solar tube was installed they bragged about the amount of light we would get from it so much that when it was completed we were disappointed. As it turns out, the tube could not be installed exactly where the lens was, and instead of asking if we wanted to purchase an extension to it so it could be installed where the maximum light would come through, they just kinked the tube over the next gable causing a light reduction.

The job took way too long, apparently due to Rockaway doing one or more other jobs at the same time. Mostly due to Barry's strong suggestion on cabinet layout and finish, we ended up with cabinets that look unattractive. The cabinets themselves were pretty well made, but the finish was poor. One set of cabinets, containing the built-in cooktop, was not installed properly, resulting in the vent from the hood misaligned to the vent to the roof. Barry refused to install the handles to the cabinets, although we paid for them, because he strongly recommended having any handles. I had to install them myself. We argued at length about the design of the ceiling light box. He insisted that what we wanted was impossible. Eventually, he did install it anyway. The trim and molding workmanship was poor. He failed to reinstall the ceiling air vent after the ceiling was replaced; I had to do that myself. He had a disagreement with the appliance dealer, resulting in the oven and built-in microwave being delivered but not installed. After going round and round with him over who was going to install these appliances, I had to do it myself. When the dishwasher installer arrived with the new dishwasher, he found that there was no electrical outlet to use. Only after I complained strongly did he get an electrician out to get it done. Despite these issues, he didn't offer to reduce his bill to exclude the work he didn't perform. When his wife showed up to settle up the remaining amount owed, I signed off on the job only because I had zero confidence that Rockaway would fix the problems or adjust the bill appropriately. We just wanted them to go away. There were a few acceptable aspects to the job: the window was of good quality and properly installed. The cabinets were pretty good quality. The tile work around the sink and cabinets looks pretty good, even today. However, the tile man failed to properly install the tile over the sink and we made him do it over again. Barry was not around to inspect any of this work. Hopefully, my experience with Rockaway was an abberation. I don't know how they could stay in business if they performed this way on all of their jobs. Our experience with Rockaway was so bad that we refused to consider any other remodeling projects for over 15 years, fearing a similar experience. All in all, we paid way too much for way too little that took too long.

Extremely well. Very pleased with finished work. Very professional and work was completed on time.

Not impressed with this company.

When the carpenters put up the lattice ceiling they did not butt the first piece against the house, leaving a gap of about four inches between the lattice and house. (The previous lattice ceiling had been butted against the house) When I asked if it could be butted up to the house I was told "it will lose it's integrity" (????). The next section was cut to butt against the house. What it amounted to was they didn't want to remove and replace as that would take time and they were in a hurry. The electrician installed the electrical boxes in the counter before the hardi board or stone was installed. I showed him the stone that was going to be used and asked it it would pose a problem. He said no. When he returned to finish the electrical work, after the hardi board and stone had been put up, he said they did it wrong and he couldn't finish installing the electrical work. Lights he installed had to be removed and reinstalled as he did not tighten the light holder to the base. The contract provided to "Apply wire mesh with scratch coat" to the hardi board. They did not. When I asked why they said it was not required. When they came to collect payment I pointed that out and they said the cost was "negligible" and would be off-set by using additional mortar. Their ad in Angies list provided for payment by check or credit card. Two other companies I got bids from also accepted payment by card. When I tried to pay using a card I was told their would be a 3% charge. There was nothing in the contract about an additional charge for payment by card. The other two companies that advertised payment by card had a notation in their bids that there would be an additional charge if payment was by card. Up front you knew what your cost would be. With Rockaway it was like dealing with an airline and baggage. The contract states "Includes 5-year warranty on labor and workmanship" Today (23/7/2011) I received a 'release certificate' stating "as you are aware, we do have a two year labor warranty....." So much for the integrity of Rockaway! I had 5 bids for this job. Part of the considerations for selecting Rockaway was I could pay by credit card and get a return at the end of the year thereby reducing my over-all cost, and they offered a 5 year warranty. The decision to hire Rockaway was mine, the mistake was mine, I paid for it.....a mistake I wont make again.

The supervisor came and did the all the work himself on his own time. That was amazing. Everybody was good and did the work well. I would use them again in the future.

Barry is a good idea man, but that is about it. He sketches things out on little bits of paper, doesn't know his way around a computer, and actually had his on site contractor convinced that it would be prohibitively expensive to have a CAD program to help with design. He is also a wheeler dealer and will tell you what you want to hear, so get it in writing, because he will go back on his word. Prices will change, he will play semantic games (for instance carpet cleaning after the job is done meant "vacuuming" to him, not carpet cleaning.) He knows only two colors when it comes to bathroom design, gray and brown. Heaven help you if you want anything different. He will argue with you for days. The worst was, despite my insistence (Why should I have to insist?) that that he get building permits, he did not, and claimed they were not needed in my community. While I was going back and forth on the phone with him about this, his plumber overheard me, said, "He didn't pull permits? That's it. I'm done for the day," and walked off the job. Barry's response to me? "You're just going to delay the job, you know." My husband and I repeatedly told him that he was to deal with me, yet he and his office kept bothering my husband at work. I have to admit, I kept blowing my stack at him, which is not how I usually handle things like this, but this man just grated me the wrong way. I come from a family of do-it-yourselfers, and I had already been through one home remodeling project in another state that went through as smoothly as glass, so I knew was supposed to happen and what was not. At the time, they had an "A" rating, but I see they have slipped a lot.

I found Rockaway through some research and discovered there was a female owner. I did get to meet with her as we were making our initial decisions whether to use them or not. In the beginning my main contact was the salesman who was also very helpful with my design choices. My struggle with the Rockaway company was not quality. The struggle was communication. I was having to talk with too many people in the process - the sales person, the owners, the assigned contractor for our job - and the individual subs as they were there. There was miscommunication among the Rockaway people so that made it very difficult on me. On at least 3 occasions I came home to work that was done that I had not been consulted on, much less approved, at all - railings from the den to the kitchen, columns on the front porch, stone on the front of the porch - they just moved forward without talking with me which added more days to the project - and much more stress to my life.

I was happy with it. The came and looked at it and made a plan up front. I knew exactly what they would be doing before they started. They did exactly what they said they would do. They did it in a timely manner. Their price tends to be on the high side, but they do premium work.

I would not use them again because the subcontractors inadequate. The painters did a poor job cleaning up. This project took a year and we ended up finishing the project ourselves. Rockaway was not on site supervising so we had lots of problems with the subcontractors.