Topp Remodeling & Construction

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A REPUTABLE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY THEN DO NOT HIRE TOPP CONSTRUCTION. We contacted Topp Construction (aka O'Very Construction) to find out if we could build a smaller home on our property. Brandon & John were pleasant to start with & told us that for a fee of $1500 they would contact the city to see if our idea was even "feasible". We informed them that our budget was at the most $150,000. They said they would work up an estimate as to what the total cost would be & if it worked out the $1500 would apply to the total construction cost. We also sent them some floor plans of a small home that we would like to build. Several weeks later they came back with an estimate of $248,000. They also gave us some plans that were pretty much a duplicate of the plans that we sent them (& which we did not request). They told us the plans were ours to keep (which they led us to believe was included in their initial $1500 fee). We informed them that their price was way over our budget & was pretty much a "non-deal". We were going to leave it at that figuring we were out $1500. They said the would go back & "work some magic" & get back with us (which if they had listened to what our budget was in the first place would not have been necessary). They later came back with another estimate of around $150,000 with them pretty much doing only a 'shell' & leaving the rest for us to finish. We told them we would think about it. Imagine our surprise when several months later we received a bill from them for $6700. As far as we could tell they did nothing other than give us some plans that were duplicates of what we had sent to them (in the bill they charged over $4000 for the plans alone-that we did not ask for--I have since talked w/another contractor who informed me that for those sort of plans he would've charged us around $1200). We repeatedly asked them whether our idea was a go with the city & they did not give us an answer. Several months later we received a letter threatening to sue us if we didn't pay immediately & letting us know that they had already taken 3 others to court & won each time (I felt like they were trying to intimidate us into just paying their bill)....plus why would any reputable company need to keep taking people to court if they were being honest? We looked on Google & found several reviews on them where it appears they did pretty much the same thing to others showing a pattern of behavior. After going to small claims court the judge ruled for them. We then discovered that one of Topp Construction's attorney's just happened to be a substitute judge for the same court where our hearing was held. In fact, the judge hearing our case told some other people in the court what a great substitute judge he was. I got the feeling that our case had been decided before it was even started. The contract plainly stated that IF we agreed to go forward (which we did not), that they would bill us bi-weekly. After the initial $1500 that we gave them we did not receive ANY bill until several months later (& then it was for $6700). Apparently the judge didn't seem to think that was a problem & did not hold Topp Construction accountable to that part of the contract. Can you say coincidence? I think not..... Brandon has no integrity whatsoever...he told the judge that we had hired him to construct a home for us, we never did any such thing. We were simply trying to find out if it was even feasible or not. Beware if you decide to hire this company. They are one of the most dishonest/deceitful companies that I have ever had the misfortune to deal with. You can bet that I will pay very close attention to reviews before I ever decide to hire anyone else. We are not wealthy people & because of the dishonesty of Topp Construction we are now out almost $9000 w/absolutely nothing to show for it. Hopefully others can learn from our experience & not have to experience the stress that we had to go through because of this company. My reason for writing this review is to hopefully prevent this from ever happening to anyone else.

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It went fine. Brandon had good ideas and seemed interested in the work. He said to give him a couple of weeks to get an estimate to us. We did. But 2 rolled into 3. I called to ask for a response. Nothing. I texted him. Nothing. I called or emailed 2 to 3 times, saying please let us know one way or the other about whether they were interested in the work. Apparently no, but it seems that saying no from the get go would have maintained their goodwill to me. Now I have to write a negative review. How hard is it to call or write and say we are too busy?

The job hasn't been done yet. Ron has followed up and been very responsive to date.

Came on time when promised, completed the job quickly, were responsive to changes and requests, cleaned up. Did work for quoted price. Overall, very professional, highly reccommend.

We started out with a fair and reasonable bid so we knew what to expect, but proceeded with an open book contract where we pay Topp for all costs + their profit/overhead. Branden was there on the first day ready to work and work proceeded at a good pace. He is very professional and easy to work with, and was always available when there were questions or issues. We did have a problem with the cabinet company we chose. Half way through the job the owner disappeared. Topp was able to get the cabinet company's suppliers to step up and finish the job, but it was a major headache for us all. I don't fault Topp for this problem. We all knew their was some risk involved with the cabinet company we used. Branden was very good at getting us through this problem and getting the job finished. We are grateful for his experience and diligence in getting the job done. Our finished basement is beautiful and a great addition to our home. I recommend Topp Construction and would use them again for major home improvement projects.

They showed up right on time, were friendly and seemed to understand what I wanted on my project. I was told to look for an emailed bid in 5 days. I called on day 7 and left a message saying I was expecting a bid. I have NOT received a phone call or email since.

We had a wonderful experience. The owner made sure that we were involved every step of the way and included us on all updates on a timely manner. The employees and sub-contractors were all very friendly and respectful. We felt comfortable with them being in our home while we were at work. We would recommend Topp Construction as well as use them for any future projects.

Overall, great job. the final results look great.

I will use this contractor again. I was provided with a detailed estimate for the project. As changes were made during the project, I was provided with a change order. There were no surprises as to the costs. Any cost increases were based solely on my decision to do upgrades from my original plans. We had some delay due to the tile flooring - but I was warned that the choice of tile provider likely would cause a delay, and it did. I made the decision to go forward with the original tiile I had chosen but it was nice that I was aware that the choice would cause a delay in the project. I appreciated the feedback. I had frequent contact with the subcontractors. Each was knowledgable and good to work with. They offered opinions where requested but were always anxious to make sure that I was happy with the end product. Curtis, the project manager, worked very hard to make sure the project was done in time for Thanksgiving, including working himself with Tony (the plumber) until 10:00 in the evening (with my permission, of course) to get the job done and done right. Curtis spotted a problem with the baseboard installed by a subcontractor. He called me about it and assured me that the work would be redone -- I had not noticed the problem and am grateful that he was watching and making sure things were done correctly. He also had some areas repainted because he was concerned about some shadows. During the project, one of the kitchen valves started to leak (an older valve that just went bad). Curtis was at my house quickly to address the problem. The end project exceeded my expectations. I am very pleased with the quality of the work. It actually was fun to work with these guys.

Branden and Curtis were great to work with and took care of all the details. They kept me updated on progress throughout the project, and were always available when I called with questions. The subcontractors were all great, especially the wood, tile, plumbing, electrical and finish work. I am thrilled with what seems like a brand new home. I plan to call Topp Construction for any home related projects in the future.

We were very pleased with Topp construction. They were very professional. The construction was excellent. Subcontractors commented on how square the walls are and the overall quality of the work. Branden's crew are very hard workers who were always there on time and accomplished a lot everyday. The house did not sit idle. They were very accommodating to any requests we had. They were friendly and the job site was cleaned up and swept every night. Branden has strict rules about where subcontractors can park to be friendly with the neighborhood. There was no smoking, drinking or swearing on the job site. The subcontractors he used were also very capable and did excellent work. Branden made excellent recommendations throughout the project. His advice was always helpful and our motto became, " if Branden says do it you do it" We had such a good experience that we have hired Topp Construction to build another home for our other daughter.

Branden O'Very came out to look at the site and submitted a bid for $23,500 to construct a covered concrete walkout from our basement. He suggested we incorporate a patio next to the walkout, and we agreed. The construction contract was not specific enough for us, so we negotiated changes, which included specific language and drawings of the proposed construction. We told Branden how to work with the Davis County permitting office, and he agreed to start the construction shortly after the contract was signed in early October, and we paid him $9,000 deposit. The fixed contract stipulates oral agreements are invalid, and all changes must be in writing and authorized by a Topp Construction officer. Work was to be completed in in two months, baring inclement weather or owner related delays. He assured us that the construction would be completed before Christmas.The construction started in mid-October, and after about three weeks, the contractor was suggesting changes from a straight walk-out to a dog-leg walkout "to make more room for a 12'x12' patio." The dug the hole to accommodate that change, but we did not agree with it, and insisted that they follow the original plan. Due to some subcontracting issues, the steps and walls were not completed in early December, with double doors installed and a partially completed roof over the steps. By that time, rain and snow had started, and Branden said he didn't feel comfortable about pouring slab for the patio over wet dirt. So he billed us for an additional $5,000 and agreed to start work again in the spring, leaving the hole open on both sides of the step. Although Branden assured us that he would place wood over the mud so that we could use the basement exit, we finally bought scrap lumber ourselves to access the basement outlet.On a cold February morning, we heard a loud noise from the side of the house, and I smelled gas! Went outside to discover that part of the hole had collapsed in on itself, ripping out the gas connection to the meter. Called Questar, and then 911 to report the leak and damage. Then called Branden, and after hearing what happened said there wasn't much he could do beyond what Questar told us. Told him he was no help at all, and hung up. The fire department showed up first, and told us to stay outside until the repair was made by Questar, and the fire department confirmed the gas was no longer in the house. Took about two and a half hours for the repair, etc. Branden showed up and talked with the Questar repairmen, and gave them his card. Then he left after commenting that they couldn't have foreseen this or shored up the walls of the hole. Then he left. The Questar repairman said they would be billing Branden for the repairs and that we should not pay for that. The hole should have been shored to prevent erosion over the winter.We saw Branden in March at the Home Show, and sent him an email to ask when he would start since it had been a mild winter. He said it would be in April, and would go very fast once the concrete was poured. We replied that we wanted everything finished by Easter (April). Construction didn't start until April 29th, and then after filling the hole, Branden said it was too wet to compact for the concrete slab, and we would need to pay an additional $1,000 for stone to fill the hole. Stone arrived, was deposited, concrete poured for the slab, and work proceeded to complete the slant roof. The city building inspector came to look at the roof support, but the permanent supports were not in place. Branden came out that afternoon to install the permanent support (using 4"x4" rather than the 6"x6" stipulated in the contract). The city inspector came out again the next afternoon, and approved the supports but advised that rails would be required along the sides of the wall for safety purposes. When I told Branden, he said it made sense but that he was already 'losing his shorts on this small job' and couldn't afford the vinyl rails, so we agreed to split the cost of the rails ($500 each). Then the slow subcontract of stucco, brickwork, started, until finally on May 29, the rain gutter was installed at the end of the slanted roof. Branden wanted to 'go over his books' to increase the final payment from the contracted amount. Included in the additional charges were costs for piping to replace piping damaged by his crew, which we knew nothing about. Original 'last payment' went from $9,111 to over $11,000. Still waiting for stucco repair for severely cracked stucco over concrete walls...one year warranty doesn't cover subcontractors work!!