SUNBURST CONSTRUCTION

unknown

.

unknown

unknown

Went smoothly start to finish.

We signed the contract on June 12, 2009. Work was supposed to start on July 13, 2009. Work was expected to take 5 to 7 business day to complete, depending on the weather. After we started calling in mid-late July, our phone calls and e-mails (to "Andy" the foreman/engineer, and Fred the owner) were usually ignored, except for promised start dates that did not materialize. Sunburst began to remove the old deck on 8-4-09, but left piles of wood on our back lawn for about 1 week prior to removal. The real work started on Aug. 8th. The crew (which did not speak English beyond 6 or 8 words) had only a 2-dimentional drawing showing length and width. There was no drawing showing height (elevation). Consequently, we were constantly being asked what we wanted them to build. Phone calls to the foreman went unanswered most of the time. Work would continue for 2 or 3 days, and then the crew would disappear for 3 or 4 days. The crew was not provided restroom facilities by the company, so the crew occasionally relieved themselves at various places in our back yard. Most of the time, the crew chief would leave the other workers and go to another work site. Again, nobody spoke English beyond "hello, yes, and no." Work continued through the end of August. After the patio stone was installed, we realized that the color of the stone was different from the stone that we had ordered and was specified in the contract. After discussing this discrepancy with the owner, we were told that the installed stone was "the same stone" that we ordered. We were told that the difference was that different companies called their stone by different names, and the stone that we saw at the distributor's office was "weathered" and therefore had a different color. After investigating, we were able to determine that the installed stone cost $4 per square foot compared to the stone that we specified in the contract ($8 per square foot.) After the patio was completed in the first week of September, we again questioned the difference in the stone prior to making the last payment. I asked for a $1,600 credit/refund to account for the difference in the cost of the stone (400 square feet x $4 per foot). The owner became hostile and abusive, and threatened to send a crew over to rip out the patio unless he was paid immediately. We made the final payment on 9-17-09, approximately 2 months after original planned start date. Overall, the final quality of the stone work is very good. However, since the "wrong" stone was installed, we can never be totally satisfied with the project. The process was painful. The crew was usually cooperative and eager to please, but the management was not.

Experience went very well. I found Sunburst and several other companies through mail ads and referrals. Jon P, a design consultant, provided an estimate for the deck and fencing. We missed the first appointment, which was a minor annoyance for me. However, Jon's presentation was very professional and well-prepared. He even had Trex samples ready, as well as photos from other Sunburst jobs. Jon provided an itemized estimate with the deck, deck w/Trex, and fence. Estimate was hand-written and then followed by an email. Sunburst's estimate was (surprisingly) the lowest of the handful of estimates I received. I agreed to go with Sunburst wood-only deck proposal and started the HOA process. The HOA design application proved to be the longest lead time item. Meanwhile, Doug S, the project manager for my build, called ahead to line up permits and to get a feel for when the HOA approval might come. Doug was flexible in start date for construction, which we agreed to be at 10:00am on the following Monday. Builders were at my home at 10:00am SHARP. The contractor knocked just to let me know they had arrived and were starting work in the back. Crew was self-sustaining the entire time, as I had to leave soon after to get to work. We came across an engineering change which Doug walked me through in a very polite and informative manner. We agreed on a reasonable price to cover materials since it was an oversight in the initial estimate. Builders completed there work in 1.5 days. Clean up was satisfactory and included removal of scrap lumber and trash, hauling of excess dirt, and also tidying up of the work area. Doug followed up with my phone calls by COB of each day. Overall, experience was excellent. High points to Sunburst for professionalism in the sales, proposal and in project execution. Crew were friendly and answered the questions they were able to. Good staff, excellent follow-through. I will likely go back for fence and hard scaping.