BOBO CUSTOM BUILDERS

The initial conference was good. Much the way a surgeon explains what needs to be done, why it needs to be done and the outcome from the procedure or desired end-state. When or if I ever have a remodeling project done I will hire Bobo or else hire someone who can perform to the standards set by Ken and Mac.

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On October 22, 2014, I called the company and asked for someone to come to my home to discuss a remodeling project. Though the company promised to call back later in the day to schedule the appointment, they instead called back the following day, October 23rd, and we scheduled the appointment for October 24th. On October 24th, the owner, Kenneth Bobo, arrived 10 minutes early. We showed him around the house and described our remodeling project in great detail. Mr. Bobo insisted on first knowing our budget for the project. We told him that we preferred to first know how much it would cost to do what we want to get done at the level we desired. (Frankly, we already have estimates from other remodelers and know that any reasonable bid on his part would be affordable for us.) When I asked for a rough "ballpark" estimate with a wide range, he said that wasn't possible. So I asked if it could be done for under a million dollars. In other words, given his claim to vast experience, I believed it reasonable that he could provide a ballpark estimate with a wide range. I also asked for a rough ballpark estimate of how long it would take to complete the project. Once again, he could not provide any range of time. He said that we would need to pay him $1,500 for a detailed estimate that would include task completion dates. In the course of conversation, it became apparent that all work would be performed by subcontractors. That, of course, can make it more challenging for a general contractor to keep a project on schedule. So, when I asked how often projects take longer than the projected completion date, he insisted that they get their projects done on time. When I asked him how often projects are completed ahead of schedule, he inexplicably became offended, abruptly said, "have a good day," and walked out. Incredibly rude. Incredibly unprofessional. If this is an example of how Mr. Bobo behaves when he's trying to win customers, one can only cringe at the thought of what might await them when trying to deal reasonably with him in addressing the issues that will inevitably arise over the course of a remodeling project. As an aside, nothing on the company's web site mentions charging for an estimate. When the company is asked point blank over the phone whether there's a charge for estimates, they say there's a charge for the detailed estimate, but that they do first provide a "ballpark" estimate so the homeowner can determine whether it's within their budget to proceed with the process. But that was NOT what happened at our home on the morning of October 24th.

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Contacted and discussed with several home remodelers our desire for a new complete kitchen remodel. Our primary purpose was to increase the square footage of our kitchen. We received several proposals. All of the remodelers except Bobo Remodeling simply wanted to redo the kitchen area without increasing the square footage. Bobo employee, Troy (designer) worked diligently and tirelessly with us on a plan to expand the square footage and remodel our kitchen. Troy and Cody (production manager) made several visits to our home to survey the kitchen area. Our project was not an easy one. Troy and Cody developed several ideas. We then went to the Bobo's office (several times) and used a computer model to enable us to decide on an option to implement. The patience and professionalism of Bobo Remodeling, i.e., Troy and Cody was truly outstanding. Work began on the agreed upon date and ideas were set in to motion. Project superintendent was Brock. Throughout the entire process Brock was patient, cooperative and professional. We worked through several challenges together. Brock kept us informed when workers would arrive. Brock was quick to implement any problems we brought to his attention. The workers left the work area clean every day upon their departure. We were extraordinarily pleased and satisfied with the remodeling results. Since the project was finished some minor repairs were timely completed by Bobo.

We were very dissatisfied with Bobo Custom Builders. They took out a little wall and it cost the second floor to drop down a few inches. They added the expensive cracking net to my bill and they took 6 months instead of 2. They had a set of cabinet plans designed by 1 manufacturer, the turned around and used another one because they apparently got a better rice with them. We liked the cabinets, that's good but that's also dishonest. Their design work was pitiful because they had some guys come in and put in a concrete slab addition and they didn't measure it correctly so as a result the contractor did what he was supposed to do but they didn't tell him how wide to make it and he didn't make it wide enough so they had to come back and do some more work there. It was just a disaster from the get go. We would definitely not use them again and we never recommended them. I think their price was good.

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Because we had used Bobo Custom Builders to remodel our kitchen in 2003 with great results, we contracted them to remake our sun room into a media center. Once the demolition was completed and the wall in place, we experienced nothing but frustration until the end. The wiring for the TV/media was a complete disaster, with wires and cables hanging out and exposed. The painter brought his 11 year old son with him on a Saturday and we were left to watch his every move - from our refrigerator to every room in the house. The glass in the french doors was scratched and cracked and had to be reordered and replaced. The replacement window was installed at an angle, leaving a 3/8 inch gap at one corner in the top of the window. No amount of reasoning would convince them that it could have gone in properly and we were left with a covering slip of aluminum which is covered by window shades. The sub-contractors used on our project were definitely not reflective of the kind of product Bobo is capable of providing. In fact, the carpenter they sent out to repair all the mistakes was far superior to any who had worked on the project before. For the price we paid, our expectations were not met except for the installation of the new sink and faucet. I hope that this was just a glitch and not an indication of their quality of work. I should say that once we put an armoire over the plugs in the wall and set the TV/media there, the resulting room is a lovely, comfortable sun room. It's not what we set out to accomplish, but "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" is the result. We won't use Bobo again, but with a little luck, and good subs, they may do a good job for you.

It's a very responsible company. They remodeled our kitchen about 5 years ago. They do a free design. They will come in and look and listen to what you want to do or what you don't like about what you have. They will design something for you and let you look at it, the design is free. We like what they did and we decided to go with them again. The site supervisor we had was absolutely excellent. I gave him a hug when he walked out of the house. He comes every day to check the progress, he would call every morning to let us know what would happen that day, who would be coming and at what time. He would come at the end of the day to see how things were done, make sure we were happy, etc. We wrote a letter to Ken Bobo, the president, because we were so pleased. We would definitely go back to them again.

We had an initial meeting. They went through room by room to get a good idea of what we wanted to do. They have gone back to work up an estimate. We have not gone ahead into the detailed design phase with them because we were leaning a little bit more towards another provider. We would rate them highly. We are still considering whether to go with them or not.

We live in a 25 year old home in Encino Park. We had a couple of estimates from different remodelers. We chose BoBo because we just felt a personal commitment from them to give us the remodel we wanted at a fair price. We had a total kitchen and family room remodel. We tore down walls to open kitchen to family room and opened up family room. We resurfaced fireplace with stone veneer. We tore up carpet and hard wood floors in family room and kitchen and placed travertine tile throughout. All countertops were replaced with granite. The old furdown ceilings in kitchen with florescent lighting were torn out and ceiling lifted; lighting with pot lights thoughout. The entire remodel took approx 2 months. The result was outstanding! We love our new kitchen and family room. It was well done and a great experience!

Ken Bobo showed up and I explained what I was trying to do, which was have a patio cover built. I explained that I had not kept up with the house having used a good portion of my income to pay off credit card bills. Now that this was done, it was time to take care of the house. He took pictures, and measurements. Then Bobo asked me, "How much are planning to put into this project?" I couldn't believe it. That's akin to a used car salesman asking how much I had to spend before telling me the price of a vehicle. I was non-committal and did not give him not even a ballpark figure. It was none of his business how much money I have. He pretty much dismissed me after that and said that his office would be in contact to have me come in and look at some plans. A month later and still nothing. Don't fall for this. I read the response and have to add that neither Mr. Bobo nor anyone else from his office contacted me after the visit to my home. At no time, did he express that he would not risk his reputation or my money. If he had said that, it would have ended there. If he said that, then I am at a loss to explain why he would say that someone from his office would contact me to come in for an appointment. I submitted the entry on Angie's List because of the company's failure to respond to my request for a simple estimate.

Good

I would recommend them. They did a good job.

It has been going well. This is the first time I have used their services and pleased with the work they have been doing. They are explaining things well as they do them.

Was told it was a 30 day project. Start date 07/1/2007. It has not been completed here in 2/2008. The owner was informed of the poor communication from his staff. Several promises made but did not do because I did not get a copy of what was promised and was not in the contract. The Owner replied that his company has (expletive) up the job from the start. The company is charging for poor quality. It is like pulling teeth to get them to complete the work.