Blaker Restorations & Remodeling INC

Alex completed a repair and reconstruction of a small balcony at my house that I had researched on Angis. They did a decent job on that project so when he recommended in May 2023 that I replace 2 additional flat TPO roof areas on my house I signed a work agreement with him and he asked for and received a deposit of $8500. I had heard nothing more from him by January 2024 so I cancelled the project and requested that my deposit be returned. I was told that he needed to find out what his supplier would charge for the return of the roof supplies he claimed to have purchased. Between February and July 2024 I have been repeatedly asking for the status of my refund. If I even get a response the response is that they are checking into it. I have even pointed out the clause in the agreement that states a cancellation of the agreement causes a 25% restocking fee and told him to just charge the fee and return the rest to me. I am now wondering if he ever intends to refund any of my deposit.

Alex and his team did great work for a logistically complex project including a small HOA, supply chain delays, and the sale of one property with repairs ongoing. Alex was a total pro. He stayed in constant communication, updating us on work, timelines, estimated delivery, etc. His team rallied to complete the roof replacement in frigid temps to beat another round of bad weather coming through Austin, and he managed to get delivery dates out of vendors reluctant to be specific. Alex does it all, and he’s an absolute pleasure to work with!

Alex and his crew are always professional, kind, timely and they produced excellent results. He's very responsive, doesn't mind when you change your mind, had answers for all my questions, and his bid was much lower than the next option I was considering. I had him build a porch roof and also repair and repaint some drywall in my kitchen and living room ceiling, replace and repaint rotted fascia in the front, and remove, reframe and install a new door to the back yard. The work is of excellent quality and I will definitely hire them again!

We contracted in 2020 to enclose our loft and install a picture window putting down 50% deposit. After about a year and a half the team came out to enclose the loft with the expectation that the window would arrive shortly. I will say the team did do a good job with the wall and paint, and Alex asked for another ~10% to cover some stuff to which I obliged. My home has sat with a giant hole in my wall and the loft rail in my yard for almost 2 yrs now. There is always a reason why they can't get out to complete, notably new project after project. I finally engaged an attorney to terminate our contract. I feel cheated and regret that my family has not been able to host a few of the get togethers they'd like to have due to the unsightly hole that their team left us for almost 2 years. We were told what we wanted to hear, but were obviously not a priority and I wish they had been honest with us about that.

Alex, Ramone and the team fixed a BIG problem - our front driveway which was 40 years old and not installed properly in the first place. Blaker took this job seriously and kept us updated throughout - we received texts and photos as the work progressed showing us each step which was super helpful and very transparent. We have more to do at our house and Alex will be the first person we reach out to!

How I wish we had listened to the one-star reviews like Aurelio C.'s (below). My husband assumed they were just disgruntled clients. Alex Blaker took our money in 2020 for new windows. He never even began to install the windows. Three years of excuses, lies, pretending to order the windows, pretending they had arrived and he was just waiting for the workers to be available to install them, waiting for better weather.... He took our money for windows and has done nothing, and obviously will do nothing. In my view this makes him a thief as surely as if he had broken into our house and taken tens of thousands of dollars from us. We've taken a huge loss. We're not alone. Look around on review sites, it's the same story, he has done this before and will do it again. Don't be the next victim.

Alex was extremely professional and knowledgeable. Maintained constant updates on project and was completed before estimated time frame. Job required additional work than originally expected but total cost remained as quoted. Would highly recommend and will continue to do business with this company. Top notch and honest. David

Alex is a top notch guy covers all the bases and made sure we were completely happy his workers were very polite helpful and respectful of our house time and privacy they cleaned up everyday before leaving so nice to not step on or over projects all I can say is awesome work !!! We had full siding replaced and painted they even washed my windows after painting! No paint spills or splatters and Gave us the leftover paint for future touch ups . Would rehire if I need anything else done to my home love it love it love it

In June 2022 had a damaged roof by hail. Alex said that he could do the job HAHA!!!! now its Aug 2023 and nothing. All that I have gotten from Alex is excuses excuses excuses believe me in a year I have herd a lot so many that even got the same ones twice. Job was paid in full so that Alex could secure the metal for my roof I don't know if that has happened yet or not and frankly I don't give a S**T. All I wanted was a roof at a fair price that Alex gave me on paper but I cant tell you if he does a good Work or not. I feel like I got Taken for the money. This is SAD when you cant trust a business' to do the right thing

DO NOT HIRE THIS GUY!!!!!! Hired Alex for a foundation in November 24K. Job didn't get started until January (should if been started by beginning of December). We walked the project to layout the house as the survey pins were visible. The guy who was doing the work, for some reason moved the form forward a few feet, which at the time I didn't think would be a problem. I got a form survey done and the forms were right at the 25' setback. This caused the porch to be over the setback (forms had to be moved back). Forms were moved in February. Footers were not completed yet and no one was showing up anymore. Alex had a new crew out in March. The had to completely start over as the measurements were off. (4 months after hired started over) This new crew was able to get the forms redone pretty quickly. Foundation was not poured until May 18th. I had to pay for the concrete to get poured because Alex was telling his guy not to pour. I over paid by $4200 and still not received payment.

They did a wonderful job! Very respectful of our home and property. They were prompt and fast. Always put down protection to prevent damage and cleaned up after they were done. Would highly encourage them for any work needed!

Just the facts: On 10/19/21, I signed a contract with Alex and put over half the money down for window replacement with associated trim, drywall, etc work. As of today, 3/20/23, I still don't have new windows.

Alex is great, and very knowledgeable. Once I talked to him about the foundation for my new home, I knew he was the guy to go with. His experience and understanding of structural metal & welding helped as well since we're putting up a steel structure as the shell. His concrete guy Ramone is also the best. Once they're one the job, the work gets done quick, and correct. These guys really care and are very reasonable to work with. Thank you Alex and Ramone!

Although I did not use Blaker Restorations in the end, I am writing this because I know how hard it is to find a good contractor. I requested wood siding repair bids from seven contractors (not all from Angi). I heard back from five. Two came to the house to talk me into paint and products I didn't request. Alex Blaker was the only contractor that showed up on time and ready to quote a price on what I wanted. His sales pitch was short and to the point, yet detailed. His detail led me to ask the other contractors more questions. Which eliminated another contractor that was going to take short cuts to help keep costs lower. I believe Alex Blaker to be a professional that will provide a job done correctly.

Started the process of looking for a contractor which is never fun. I knew I was heading towards problems with finding someone who can get the job done within my time frame and on budget. I am an engineer so I demand exacting work. I live in a mobile home so you should understand the challenges there. I wish I could say the house was square and plumb unfortunately it was not. There was rotted skirting, leaking damaged windows and extensive carpentry required. Mr Baker had his his work cut out for him. Upon meeting with him He listened to all the details which were negotited well. I was immediately sold on Mr Bakers up front, no nonsense, warm personality. And You will be comforted by his attention and knowledge of the work requested. If he was able to keep me from being overly concerned you should have little difficulty. He introduced me to all the people working on the job. They had more than 15 years of carpentry experience. Most with direct siding knoqledge. This was a huge selling point for me. As I reviewed the work each day he would accept my calls anytime and we would work together on any changes and issues which would arise. Who is that prompt any more?? He handled the crew well and I felt confident of those chosen to perform work on the property. I am sure you can imagine working with someone who thinks they know it all when they do not. We can be difficult. Alex explains the process very well. Covering the process thoroughly and explainwd in-depth when required. I am very grateful to have had Alex Baker be apart of my remodeling project which included Hardie products top to bottom and new double pane windows and new doors hung. Painted with 3 colors all around from the skirt to the eaves. Where i live i get very little sun so moisure and water is an extreme problem near the lake. All costs were inline with what I would expect and install knowledge excellent! Since the outcome was perfect I do not believe I could have hired anyone better or as professional as Alex Baker. He is fair without a fault and will continue to have my business. When you are reviewing some of his last projects ask about a mobilehome in Lago Vista. He will know what you are talking about. Great example of work performed.

The work went great. I found a water stain in my ceiling after a recent storm, and I wanted to get the repair done before the next rainstorm in the forecast. I spoke to Alex, and he showed a real interest in getting the job done and asked for any pictures that I had that could help him assess the job. He was able to help me out and get the repair done right away. He even showed me that there were some exposed nailheads (that should have been sealed by a previous contractor but weren't) and took care of that as well. The price was competitive (I quoted with another roofing company), and I am very satisfied.

This was my second time doing business with Blaker Construction. They were again right on time and very professional. The crew installed new wood between the slabs and repaired some areas where the concrete was broken. They also power washed the driveway and applied a sealer. The driveway and surrounding areas was left clean and all trash and work items were removed promptly at the end of the day. Great working with them!

They were outstanding and certainly lived up to their great reviews on Angie’s List. Owner arrived on time to review the area and provide a quote. The price was very reasonable and much to my surprise the job was completed the next day! It looks great and they even agreed to apply some caulking to the joints to keep water from getting under the slab again. I would definitely recommend them to anyone needing work done. I would use them again!

Repair was completed. Minor problems corrected on follow up.

Prompt startup. Minor delay due to availability of quality materials (cedar siding). Project successfully finished to our specification. Good experience all around.

I do not want to take too much time on this, because honestly, I don't want to spend another minute on Alex. DON'T DO IT. He is dishonest, unreliable, and worst of all... completely unapologetic about it. He will take your money, waste your time, and blame his incompetence on other people/circumstances. I have copied and pasted excerpts from only a few of the reviews that have been left about him on Angie's List below, in case he tries to blame me or other circumstances. You might wonder how someone with such poor work ethic could get a decent number rating... I sure did. I can sum it up like this... Alex is primarily a middle-man. People rating him on Angie's list either had very small jobs, or are rating the work he contracts out instead of Alex and his business. There are people who have rated him a "5", but in the same review say he is unreliable and dishonest. He will bid your job and take your money quickly, but after he has your cash you will get months of excuses and broken promises. He takes your money and gives a portion of it to the people who will actually do the work (in our case he didn't even pay them until it was done, and attempted to get more money from us to pay them because "prices on materials went up"). After he took $13,000 us , we got months of excuses, and we had to bring up legal action. Rather than apologize for taking our money and then ignoring us for months, he decided to challenge us to take him to court. He told us he was "lawyered up" (doubtful). So you have to ask yourself, what type of businessman won't return your money for work that hasn't even been started after going months beyond his promised timeline? A shady one. Because of the stress of dealing with Alex and the sudden freeing up of his schedule and his "his boys" when he was faced with litigation, we felt forced to have his contractors finish the job. Keep in mind, these people do not work for Alex, he calls them up and they do the work for a portion of the money you give him. Their work was fine, and I will rate their work accordingly. Alex showed up twice over the course of almost 6 months. The first time was to take our money and make false promises, and the second was to show up at our house, immediately pull out his cellphone and start recording his walk from the front yard to our backyard. He filmed the workers doing the concrete, and then had the nerve and disrespect to pan his phone to ME standing on the back porch without my permission. When I told my husband he had done that, Alex lied to him and showed him a video without me in it. This was BEYOND unacceptable. I will also add that Alex has problems with his contractors and will badmouth them and try to make HIS work problems YOUR problems. We have no interest in all of his work drama and blame games but we sure had to hear about it. I will save you some time by sharing just a few of the things others have said about Alex and his work ethic to demonstrate that I am not just a disgruntled, mean person. Keep in mind the quotes below are from SEPARATE reviews, and there are plenty more if you spend a little time in his review section. “ My understanding was that they should have had a game plan already given they had 3 weeks to do so in December. Weeks and now months have gone by and it’s either excuses about the weather or other jobs on the schedule to prevent him from completing my job. “ “As I told him from the start, I was getting other bids. We ended up with another contractor and are thrilled with the results. I had to constantly ask for the detailed plans that I paid $4k to Alex for. I finally received drawings, but no measurements- no specs at all. It was a horribly disappointing experience. I can't speak to Alex's remodeling work, only his tactics and ethics. I am writing this review to make you aware in the event you ask for an estimate from him. Do not fall for the same scam I did.” “It took him several months to do the work was one thing I did not like. It was an insurance claim so the cost was covered. He is unreliable and was supposed to work with the insurance company but we had to do that. He was good at first but after that it was not the case.” “The whole experience was horrible. We talked with Alex and let him know that we weren't in a hurry to start the job but wanted to make sure his teams were ready to complete the job so if he couldn't get started straight away then that was fine. But let us know when they could start the demo and we would be ready. At that point on a Thursday he said "His boys are ready" and we scheduled the demo for the Monday April 23rd and we were hopeful that the 6-8 wk timeline we discussed was kicking off. Today is 9/8 and I wrote the final check.” “There were multiple times where he would let us know that they would work on a specific day to not show up at all and then text to see what the plan was...so I would just reforward his text. What is most disappointing is that before we started the job, we told him that we had a master bath job and a back porch and garage remodel planned and if this went well then we would love to consider him for any of those projects. I would never work with him again.”

Contacted several pros through the list. Received several quotes and determined Blaker was the best option. The owner came over during a pandemic and respected my safety by wearing a mask and other protective equipment. He provided a quote on the spot and explained in detail what was needed for the job to be done correctly. The quote was mid-range compared to others but I felt he knew what to do and I felt comfortable it would be done correctly and hired him several days later. His concrete specialist came over quickly after we executed an agreement and performed excellent work. There was a small portion of concrete on the wall that was damaged during the demo. The owner noticed it (and me) during his inspection and had the specialist come back out to make it right.

I hired Alex in December of 2019 and paid him 60% of job ($10k). He said he could finish the job before the holidays. It became very clear That he wasn’t going to be able to do that so we agreed to postpone the job until January 2nd. January comes along and his crew is on holiday and won’t be back until later in the month and at that time they will get a game plan. My understanding was that they should have had a game plan already given they had 3 weeks to do so in December. Weeks and now months have gone by and it’s either excuses about the weather or other jobs on the schedule to prevent him from completing my job. My deck is half torn apart and water is leaking into my house and on to the deck subfloor when it rains. Now of course COVID-19 stay at home order is in effect, which is the latest obstacle. this is an update to a previous review. we got off to a very slow start on the project and expectations on when the job was to be completed were not met. However, Alex is a man of his word and him and his crew have done a lot to make things right. job is still in progress, but the concrete looks great. next week they plan on staining the concrete and doing some additional work that went above and beyond of what was originally agreed including painting the stairs to the deck and adding a ribbon of trim.

A couple of weeks ago, we contacted Blaker Restoration to help us with new countertops in our kitchen remodel. Alex found us a great deal and worked with the installers to make sure we were pleased. He was courteous and diligent and the materials and workmanship in the project were beyond our expectations but close to our original budget. We would highly recommend this company and hope to use their services again in the future. One of the most impressive things about this whole experience was how quickly our requirements were met and the whole project completed!

Alex was quick to respond and had someone out to my house the following day. He was willing to make the commute to Burnet. He went above and beyond what was asked of him and stuck to the agreed on price. He was friendly and the roofer who did the work was nice too.