Dream Builders of VA

For those who don't want to read this whole thing: We don't recommend dream builders and suggest you use a different company. We hired dream builders to replace the back porch on our house. We wanted to move from wood to the more permanent and long lasting Trex building materials. We also wanted stairs to the ground which we did not have on our porch. We were thrilled with the initial presentation. We hired them for, what was for us, a pretty large project. We were very disappointed and wish we had gone with a different company. - dream builders does not employ the workers. Our project was sub-contracted to a carpenter who sub-contracted to the workers he brought every day. On any given day, we had no idea who was coming to our house. We rarely saw an employee of dream builders. - In the demolition stage of our project, the crew ripped through both our underground downspouts and our sprinkler system requiring both to be repairs. I was informed that the contract requires me to put flags were all of those are located throughout the yard. Since I didn't, they are not responsible for the damage. I have no earthly idea where all of the sprinkler lines are laid throughout the yard. I find it hard to believe the workers couldn't stop when they felt a little resistance so they could determine if the item was important and fragile. It seemed lazy and unprofessional. It also seemed like a fine print scam. - We made an adjustment to our plan as the project got started (moving where the stairs reach the ground). We were provided a picture of what that adjustment would look like. When the stairs were about 1/2 way done, it looked nothing like what we expected. The stairs now were going to terminate right in the middle of our patio opening. We protested and we were told that the picture couldn't look exactly like the finished project; it was just an estimate. ??!!?? Are you serious? Even if that is the case, which I don't believe, we were never informed that such a result was a possibility. We were then charged more for them to correct what I fully believe was their error. Though they came down some in the cost they intended to charge us, from this point on we felt uneasy about the project and again scammed. - Included in our project were lights for the stairs to illuminate the steps. The finished project looked ridiculously amateurish. The wires were strung up under the wood panels with simple nails and remained totally visible. The power box was simply placed on a couple of nails driven into our siding. Nothing was wired into the house or stored in such a way as to look nice. It looked like I could have done it myself on a weekend project. Again, we protested and were told that the job they did was standard procedure. They don't employ an electrician and what we were asking for was both unrealistic and expensive. For the size (and cost) of our project, it deserved to look better. - Speaking of the electric box, the lights were merely plugged into our outdoor outlet. I asked of the safety of such an arrangement and was surprised it could even pass code. I was again told it was standard procedure. I was later told (by a contractor I trust a whole lot more than these guys) that the arrangement was neither safe nor up to code. He fixed it for us while doing another project (free of charge, BTW). - We had the wood posts under our deck wrapped to look nicer. Some of the posts were a bit taller than the wraps however and the wraps were not secured; they could slide up and down. This was also fixed by the same subsequent contractor (still free of charge). - the project did not actually meet code initially. The carpenter did not install 2 x 8 beams under the bottom of the porch for extra stabilization. This was corrected but it makes me wonder where else they cut corners. Speaking of which, while building the upper landing for our stairs, we saw a small chunk of wood fly off as a result of being hit with a nail gun. Rather than replacing the board that now had a piece missing, the worker just kept on nailing. Agin, we were assured the piece was not structurally required and nothing was wrong with the board. In the end, the porch and stairs are completed and look adequate structurally. I have little doubt that they will last and I have no concern with my family being out there from a safety standpoint. That's the end of the good news. The process cost far more than we thought it should have for the work they did. The communication and interaction with the company was substandard. I did not appreciate having our project subbed to someone who then subbed it out again. We felt cheated out of money for their design flaw. The accessories look no better than doing it myself (we hire other people for a reason). We paid them a significant amount of money (at least for us) and it constantly seemed like they were trying to cut corners and maximize their profit instead of focusing on a great finished project. I wish we had gone with someone else.

Beautifully finished the sidewalk. I will be using them again if needed and recommend to others.

The finished product is of high quality and is a lovely addition and improvement to our home. The Dream Builders construction crews are the rock stars of fast and efficient work. They had the deck installed in just a few days. The pergola took a bit longer but was worth the wait! Nick provided a good professional estimate with a rendering of the finished deck. The quality of materials used in the deck looked to be top of the line. Our thanks for a job well done!

The quality of the work was excellent. I couldn’t be happier. The contractor did a fantastic job. Rico was my assigned builder/project manager and you can tell he takes pride in the work he does.

Dreambuilders did a fantastic job for me. I am incredibly pleased, and I recommend their company for all of your deck needs. 1. Dreambuilders came out to give me an estimate. Unlike other companies that came out, he took the time to ask questions, have questions answered, offers choices, and make sure all requirements were recorded. Most companies should do this anyway, but I felt there was more personal contact with the estimate process. 2. The craftsmanship is excellent. I cannot begin to express the satisfaction I am finding. Most projects have a bucket list of items that need to be touched up, repaired, or redone, but I am unable to find any items that were not done correctly. 3. They stick by you during the entire process, from estimate to HOA, to building, to county inspection. Words alone cannot express my satisfaction. All I can say is, you will be satisfied with the results.

We had several companies come out to give us an estimate. Dream Builders was the only company that was able to draw up a design that met our exact specifications. The other companies said it couldn’t be done! Dream Builders removed our existing deck and discovered that we had years of water damage. They provided us with an updated estimate and quickly finished the extensive repair. The new deck is beautiful, exactly what we wanted and we will enjoy it for years to come! We got a trex deck and vinyl railing. We chose not to have the posts covered in vinyl and once the deck was finished, we immediately regretted that decision. We discussed what could be done with Dream Builders. They were able to cover the posts after the deck was finished and we couldn’t be more happier with how it looks! We recommend having it done when the deck it being built though! It is worth the cost to have maintemce free deck and posts and it looks so much better!! From start to finish, Dream Builders is an amazing company! They were very professional, prompt and polite! All of our questions and concerns were answered and handled appropriately. When the project was finished, everything was cleaned and power washed!! All around an excellent job! We are so happy with our new deck! We recommend dream builders to all of our friends!

Great. Our porch project is everything we hoped it would be. We love it.

A++++ Could not be happier with a job well done. They know their business! Professional, attentive, polite, clean, responsive, available, communicative, educated and hard-working. Quick and correct.

They were recommended by our realtor and a few neighbors. DreamBuilders is very popular here in our Del Web community called Celebrate. And, we had them building at the busiest time of the year. So, we did have to wait a few weeks to get our work done. But, the wait was well worth it. Their quality of work is outstanding. We are enjoying both our deck and patio very much. Their bid was the cheapest of the 3 bids we got. They got the work done very quickly once the project began and they cleaned up after themselves very well. Nick is very pleasant to work with and very professional.

Nick was incredibly easy to work with. The crew came in and completed the job within about 2 days, as promised. They did a fantastic job, I couldn't be happier.

The old deck was removed, carted away and the new deck installed far more quickly than I imagined possible. The new deck is impressive in both workmanship and quality. I really like the "low" maintenance Trex product.

The installation was perfect, the crew doing the work were excellent & they made sure before leaving that everything was to my satisfaction. Great group of people to work with from the beginning to end. I would not hesitate to hire them again nor would I hesitate to recommend Dream Builders.

I am very pleased with the finished project. The work crew was pleasant and very efficient. They worked very well together. Each evening before they left they cleaned up the site. I would definitely recommend them to anyone without hesitation.

Communication is key to any business transaction and that was lacking in every aspect of our experience with DB of VA. After the initial meeting and review and approval of plans, we heard nothing. We had to reach out to find out what was happening and when. We had to reach out to find out when construction would begin. We had to call to find out what would be done about certain things we had questions about once construction got started (like placement of gutters). When construction stopped, we had to call to find out why. Inspection failed. This happened on the day the concrete crew came to start pouring. The quick fix to the deck resulted in some damage to the wood. The bottom step is buried in the cement due to it being easier to meet code. None of this was mentioned to us. The foreman of the cement crew informed us that it was better not to have a gap (as the plans represented) in front of the retaining wall) as that would collect water, so we followed his advice. Later, the guy from DB of VA we had been dealing with accused us of going around the contract or trying to scam him. We told him what his foreman had said and he said we should have called him. Nothing about these kinds of changes was ever mentioned and we thought we were doing the right thing by following his employees advice. The concrete crew buried plants and landscaping with sod and covered the retaining wall, patio furniture and fence and gate with concrete chunks. When I addressed my concern with DB of VA, I was basically told I should have expected it as this work was "major construction." I was told they would come back and power wash and I told him I would rather they didn't. He had them do it anyway while I was at work and they power washed the paint off my fence, gate, and retaining wall. All in all, for a $10,000 job I would have expected communication and clarity, not silence and leaving us guessing and then accusations about wrongdoing on our part. We are not professional builders - that is why we hired them. One area of the patio concrete has already cracked. It is truly a huge disappointment, in addition to being treated badly by this company. There are many companies out there that do good work and will treat their customers with respect. We recommend doing business with them and not Dream Builders of VA.

Excellent...would highly recommend. Professional from start to finish.

We have been looking to purchase a deck for 2 yrs upon the purchase of this house. Pricing varied from different companies we called out for estimates. Finally, this past year we saw Dream builders of VA advertisement on the internet and wanted to see what they offered. After the initial visit by Mr. Covert, the drawings were amazing and pretty much to the details we wanted without modifications to the drawings. Since we priced wood deck and composite decks from various companies; this company offered quality material (ALL TREX MATERIAL), Two year warranty on craftsmanship and had the lowest price among the 7-10 estimates we had with previous companies in the area when we were leaning to composite materials. Reason why I rated the Good Vice Excellent was if the price for a deck and patio combo was our limit for the estimate by a few hundred, If it would have came under our threshold, then it would have been a go for the entire project and higher rating. Mr. Covert responded to all our concerns, questions and details concerning the whole entire process from beginning to end. This company exceeded my expectations of quality thus earning TREX award for platinum pro builder status. If you are like us, shopping around for a while to complete a deck of the highest caliber and you have not called this company, you are doing yourself a injustice. I would recommend this company to anyone. Thanks Nick for the quality work and will call you back soon to complete my patio!!

Nick Covert's awesome team replaced my deck in 2007, then in 2009 added the screened porch and a stamped concrete patio and added a portico to my house in 2011. The pricing was always very competitive (not cheap....always fair!), the work was performed with high quality materials, in a professional manner and always on time and on budget. The quality of the work is top notch and I have received many compliments over the years. The job site is always left clean and neat. This newest job I had the team added a wide landing and steps out the back of the porch and the results are beautiful. I actually quickly called Nick back to have him replace my ugly sliding door with double french doors (with mini-blinds in the glass) and I know it will be the perfect finish to my kitchen/screen porch area. I often recommend and will continue to recommend Dream Builders. Thanks Nick and team!

We got about 5 different estimates from other contractors in the area. For the features we wanted, the prices ranged from $11000-$16000. Dream Builders came in a touch more than one of the other contractors, but they were very responsive and they had excellent references. Everything went flawlessly with the build. They finished about a day early and we couldn't be happier with the results.

This is one of the truly great contractors in the area. We have had a lot of work done at our home but this company is the best we've every worked with. They were on time, provide excellent workmanship and were right on with the estimate.

I cannot say enough good things about Dream Builders and the deck they built for us. From start to finish they were a pleasure to deal with and we are completely satisfied with their superior craftmanship and professionalism. I could tell right away that they take an immense amount of pride in their work and this commitment to excellence is evident in the final product. They literally built the deck of our dreams! I would use them again in a snap and I highly recommend them to anyone. Thanks again to Nick, Rob, Harvey and Kenny.

This was a long process but worth the wait. My wife and I are very happy with our deck and patio. The owner, Nick Covert, came to the house in March to discuss our plans for a deck and patio in the back yard. He survyed the house/yard, we exchanged ideas and in a few days he emailed me a proposal which included diagrams for the deck and patio. Construction was delayed until I could submit and get approval from the Stafford Lakes Community HOA. Approval came in May but by then construction season was well under way and Nick's crew couldn't start until mid June. The deck was completed July 3rd and patio a week later. Nick contracts the work but I couldn't have been happier with guys that built the deck. They took their time and built it right. The deck was built with pressure treated lumber, and includes stairs and landing. We added black aluminum balusters in the handrails and illuminated the stairs with LED low voltage black riser lights. The patio covers all the area below the deck and is stamped concrete. Nick's foreman inspected the work and fixed/replaced anything we were unhappy with. The shape of the concrete step that was poured looks odd. Nick offered to replace it next time his crew has a job in the neighborhood. All workmanship is under a two year warranty. There are many builders available but you won't go wrong with Dream Builders.

If you have no expectations whatsoever of this provider, you will not be disappointed. I, however, had substantial expectations of this provider based on other AL reviews of them, but I can say with full certainty I am left VERY shocked and disappointed, and I will never again do business with them, or recommend to others. I would have to call them "dream killers", not dream builders. I first contacted Nick Covert in August 2014 about my project, and signed a contract with him on 08/31/2014 to tear down an existing wood deck on the rear of my home, and build a Trex composite deck. Nick was punctual and personable when we met at my home, and I specifically told him in August 2014 that I wanted to start near the end of March/early April 2015, once winter had ended and the weather more favorable. The contract was written to show "March 2015" as the project begin date, and on Friday, 02/27/2015 I received a call from Mr. Covert, who stated in his message that "We have a signed contract for March 2015, and my crew would like to begin on Monday (03/02/2015)." Thinking back to my conversation with him in August 2014, I returned his call on 02/27 and indicated my preference to wait until the end of March. Once we connected, Nick said this would not work for his crew due to other projects later in the month, and he left me feeling bullied and without much choice. This initial contact left quite a bad taste in my mouth, particularly since he was all "ahem, ahem, we have a signed contract", and this proved to be his mindset until final completion. This in no way conveys a "customer first" sentiment or a willingness to be flexible, and it demonstrates to me Nick Covert is all about Nick Covert, period. On Monday, 03/02 his crew was a no-show, which I later learned was due to school closures for weather-related reasons. I was told by Nick that some of his workers had to stay home with their children, but on this date his colleague Rob did make time to come to my home and stick a "Dream Builders of VA" sign in my front yard, without my knowledge or consent ahead of time. Clearly they felt quite comfortable advertising on my property before any work had been done, a HUGE mistake when you haven't done the courtesy of getting permission from me, the HOMEOWNER, beforehand; and also when my HOA does not allow signs other than those advertising the home for sale. Without haste, I removed this sign from my property. On Tuesday, 03/03/15 my wood deck was torn down, after which I had no access to either a functional deck or my back yard until project completion (main level of home above ground level). The contract I signed with Dream Builders indicated a project duration of 5 business days (total cockamamie), when the real project took 1 4 business days over the course of FOUR WEEKS (19 business days when inclement weather days added to actual days worked). This represents a nearly 200% increase in the actual project completion time, and the real time I was deprived of a functional deck, and deprived of the use of my back yard. Additionally, while construction was ongoing, I had to reschedule with a lawn care company I utilize because my back yard was such a wreck while Nick's employees were on site. I am also now in the process of hiring a contractor to repair damage caused to my back yard by Nick's employees. Another kink in this project occurred when the original crew assigned was pulled off the project at the end of Week 1, after only 2 actual days of work (inclement weather at weeks end prevented work on Thursday-Friday, 03/05-03/06). Keep in mind this was estimated as a 5 business day project (total cockamamie), and two separate crews had to see it to completion. I was told there were attendance issues with the first crew, and I observed firsthand delays with the second crew during the course of the NEXT 3 WEEKS. To a reasonable person this would suggest very poor project management, employee management, and bad faith from the contractor; and Nick's indifference to these performance issues were telling. During Week 2, on Thursday, 03/12/2015 (10 days post-demolition), I arrived home early and had the chance to talk F2F with Rob, as the crew had not left for the day. I asked how much additional time construction would take, and Rob said one more week, until Friday 03/20/2015. On Friday, 03/13/2015 I was home from work, and had the opportunity to observe firsthand the level of effort (LOE) from Nick's crew. On this date, I observed the following..... ________________________ 9:52AM: Two workers arrived at my home to start work for the day 11:45AM: Both workers got into their work truck, and drove out of my neighborhood for lunch 1:00PM: The workers returned to my home from lunch and resumed working 3:20PM: Both workers got into their work truck a second time, and drove out of my neighborhood (NOTE: While talking with the workers in my back yard earlier this day, one worker said he was tired from little sleep the prior evening, and needed an energy drink. I will assume this was the reason for their second one-hour departure) 4:30PM: The workers returned to my home from their absence 5:10PM: The workers left for the day Total LOE: ~300 minutes (5 hours of work) ________________________ On this date, even when the workers first arrived at my home shortly before 10AM, they did not begin working immediately. Their initial time in my back yard was spent drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, and chit chatting. Thus, five hours at my home did not even translate into 5 hours of work. This, all while Rob had been apprised the day prior that I (the customer) would be home, and also after I conversed directly with the workers during the day on Friday. Clearly, they had no qualms about conducting themselves in this fashion, in front of the customer. But wait, there's more! Also during Week 2, delays were encountered when the work completed by Nick's employees failed a footer inspection not by the county, but by an inspector selected by Nick Covert himself. Let me repeat, Nick's employees performed work that did not pass inspection by someone Nick specifically hired. Because of this, a reinspection took place on Friday, 03/13/2015, which I was present to observe. With the footer inspection incomplete before 03/13/2015, no actual work installing the Trex materials had yet been completed on the main deck floor, deck steps, railing, etc; leading to further delays. Near the end of Week 3, on Thursday 03/19/2015, it was obvious that Nick's employees were not going to completely finish my deck by week's end (as Rob told me one week prior), and no work was even performed on Friday, 03/20/2015 due to inclement weather (5th inclement weather day since Tuesday, 03/03/2015). In fact, after seeing the snail's pace of this project up to Friday, 03/13/2015, it was quite evident that Dream Builders of VA just did not care about completing this project in any timely fashion. On Thursday, 03/26/2015 (17 business days after wood deck torn down), the deck was completed, but I am now left with a deck where the final state of completion differs from the 3D drawing contained in the signed contract of August 2014. Specifically, the drawing in the contract shows contiguous deck railing across the deck, from the side, around the front, and down the other side. My completed deck, however, has breaks in the railing, and there are two specific locations (on either side of a curved deck front) where there are clear breaks and gaps in the deck posts, and no railing in between the posts. This is not consistent with the drawing in my contract, so I brought this issue to Nick's attention upon making my final payment. Among other things, he responded that The 3D drawing in the agreement is for illustrative purposes. It is not an actual picture yet a computer drawing that has limitations. WOW, to the tune of over $16K I was sold on a lie, because never once prior to signing a contract, or prior to starting construction, or during construction was this mentioned by Nick or his employees. Moreover, he has not offered to correct this issue, even stating he was quite pleased with the final deck status. Funny, last time I checked, I paid for this project, not you Nick Covert. Now that construction has finished on my deck, I can also state the following RE my experience with Dream Builders of VA: 1. On days where I was not present at my home to monitor construction, I had more than one neighbor tell me they had seen the workers leave around 2:30pm. 2. In over 15 years of my being a homeowner, this is the first time my project has been held hostage because of the contractor's child care issues. I have never worked with another contractor who has not shown up for work because of his or her own childcare issues, and when I am paying you over $16K, I expect you to be present at my home, working on my project, not at home babysitting. 3. As a homeowner, I would be highly suspect of hiring this company to do ANYTHING larger than a deck project. After the way they bungled my deck, they appear to be out of their league. 4. I can only characterize my experience with Dream Builders of VA as hellish. The customer should NOT have to babysit the contractor or their workers; should NOT be so disrespected where workers show up late, mismanage their time, etc; and should NOT be regarded so indifferently that such extreme project delays and clear misrepresentations are dismissed as the cost of doing business. 5. Despite project delays and inconve

They did a great job. It was a little expensive though. Before the crack showed up, I'd give them "A" for quality but now that there is a crack, I give them "B". They did all the work in one day.

Needed to add a deck/patio to my new house. Got estimates from three firms. Nick from Dreambuilders clearly knew what was allowed by the HOA and required by the county/state. Since I'm not yet living in the area, I needed a firm that I could trust to do what's right without my continual oversight and involvement. They met my expectations. It's worth noting that my villa building (four units) all selected Dreambuilders to construct their deck/patios.

Dream Builders did an excellent job in building my covered deck and patio back in June 2014. The quality of the work and the materials was great. The project took longer to complete that the estimate, but that is something that happens with large construction projects. The length of time it took to complete the project was not excessive, but towards the end of the project things dragged on some because the work crew was not dedicated to our project like it was in the beginning. The crew was being used on other projects towards the end that were competing with our project. Before the project was started Nick was great to work with. He did an exhaustive job laying out what the project was going to encompass. I received a thorough inventory of what the project included along with architectural drawings and diagrams of what the project was going to look like. Communication was excellent. Towards the end of the project communication suffered. Emails and phone calls were not as promptly responded too. A few times work was not done on the day or time it was promised that messed with our schedules. In November, I contacted Nick again to do a small project to add railings on the front porch of my house. Nick gave me a price quote and some very good recommendations on how to do the job. Again however communication was an issue. I believe the root cause of my communications problem with Nick was the small size to the project. Getting Nick to respond to emails and calls to get the initial quote was an issue--as well as follow-up while trying to negotiate the project price. In the end, I decided to go with another Angie's' List Deck company to do the project. Their price was a little less (not much) than Nick's bid and they were a lot more responsive to emails and phone calls. I would definitely recommend Dream Builders to other friends--especially if the project is of sufficient size to make it attractive to Dream Builders to do it. I would also let them know about my experience with Dream Builders so they know what to expect. Great project quality, but they may have some communication issues. If I have any future projects, I will definitely consider using Dream Builders along with the company that did my porch railings. At least now I know of two companies in the Fredericksburg area that do great work for projects like decks and patios.