Advance Construction Concepts

Al Honarvar, Director of Advance, came to my home to do an estimate for a hall bath remodel. He was literally in the bath for 3 minutes. He did not even pull out a tape measure. He then said “is this it”. I said “yes this is the bath”. We proceeded to the hallway where he asked for my email address. I asked for what? He said to provide an estimate. How can you provide an estimate when you have no clue what I want in the bath or the demissions of the bath! It was a total waste of time and I asked him to leave my home.

Al came to our house to meet me and my husband. He was courteous, punctual and gave us some good pointers. We received a quote right when he told us he would send. We have not had the work performed as we are still getting bids and our timeline has been pushed back.

We solicited a bid from ACC because of the excellent reviews the company had received on Angie's list. Al Honarvar (ACC's owner) met with us twice in our home to discuss our ideas for the new kitchen, and then came back with a detailed estimate that was about $10,000 less than those received from other contractors. He also provided us with a detailed floor plan and renderings of the envisioned kitchen. Based on all of that up-front work, we retained ACC to do the remodel. The initial budget was $24,950, which covered all work and materials, except for the new appliances, which we purchased ourselves for installation by Al and his team. The work started in early December, and Al had given us an estimate of 2.5 - 3 weeks to complete the work. The same 4 ACC people worked on the project every day: Al the owner, Sam the electrician, and Juan and Celso the craftsmen. The ACC crew arrived promptly each day, and were meticulous in shielding the rest of our small apartment from the dust that is the byproduct of any remodeling work. At all times, Al made sure to keep us involved in the decision-making on the project; we spoke daily, and he consulted us on everything from the color stains for the cabinetry to the location of light switches. He was also very responsive to the suggestions and comments we made during the renovation work. For example, we came home one night early in the project to find new framing installed that we thought extended the kitchen too far into the central hallway of the apartment. We called Al that evening to talk the issue through, and the next day, Al worked with us to shorten the length of the kitchen while keeping the essential elements in place and -- just as important -- keeping us on budget and on track. Likewise, about mid-way through the project we asked Al to convert a portion of the kitchen into a new 6-foot high pantry, which added $2,400 to the budget. Al and his team also worked well with us on the inevitable glitches that arose during the renovation. For example, when we installed the new range, it narrowed the width of the kitchen more than anticipated. Even though we were at the end of the project, ACC promptly removed and retrimmed the granite and the corresponding framing to recess the range deeper into the kitchen, thereby restoring the original width of the kitchen walkway. And when Al found himself a few inches short on one measurement, he easily converted the extra space into a finished area for a wine rack -- turning a glitch into a nice overall addition to the project. Al and his team completed the project on time, and on budget. The granite countertops and cabinets are well-installed and look great. Likewise, ACC installed the backsplash and tile work with care, so everything looks good. Al also included some extra work on the project for free, including some all-around moldings for 2 doors, ceilings moldings for the hanging cabinets, and "soft-close" stoppers for the cabinets, which was a nice and unexpected benefit. We interviewed several contractors for this project, and approached it with some trepidation because of the horror stories we had heard from friends and family about unscrupulous and/or careless contractors. We are pleased to say that ACC (especially Al Honarvar) was highly professional and capable, and absolutely great at client relations. Al and his team are also genuinely nice people who worked hard to deliver a carefully finished product. We highly recommend Al and ACC and will use them again ourselves.

Al of Advanced Construction Concepts came to my house and checked out the attic work that needed to be done, as well as providing quote for bathroom remodeling. Quote he gave me for attic work was lower than what others outside Angie's List had provided. Decided to give his company a try and was not disappointed. Al didn't do the work directly but connected me with Celso Corado who showed up exactly when he said he would, did the work promptly, and did it well. Had me check it over prior to leaving. Seems to be solidly done and dryer is now venting properly. Customer service with this company was excellent--Al answered all phone calls and e-mails promptly. I would go through this company again for future work.

They were excellent as always. They really stand out to me. I have done work with much larger companies and I have not got this kind of an adult professional behavior. They are overall good. I would highly recommend them. They are really conscientious and professional company. They have highly standard qualification, responsiveness and punctuality which I've never really seen with other companies. I think they are kind overall. I would use them again in the future.

We had the same crew every day for this job, John and Celso. They arrived promptly every day and cleaned up before they left in the evening. They were excellent craftsmen, very particular about their work. Al told me this job would take three weeks which is less than half the time our other estimates had projected. Other than a special order french door, they finished in under 3 weeks. Every step of the way, we were involved in decision making and picking out various options. When the cabinets were installed, we were surprised that they included self-closing doors, and several other options we did not expect. The cabinets are beautiful. The floors involved repairing a serious bowing and sub-flooring work and the finished product is stunning, and level, and no creaking floors any more. We decided halfway through the job to install more backspash and Al accomodated us, no problem. We can't say enough about the responsiveness of both Al and the crew. They never dismissed our concerns and requests and always took care of whatever little things we needed. We feel that Al delivered above and beyond what we expected and we wholeheartedly recommend Advance Construction Concepts.

We felt particularly challenged to find a contractor willing to tackle our kitchen updating needs since we didn't need an entire remodel (much easier and more appealing to all contractors) as our moderate sized galley kitchen had been updated piecemeal over several years by us as well as the previous owner. The wall cabinet opening had to be carefully resized to accomodate a modern larger wall oven; cabinet hardware doesn't come in same measurements as the past, requiring more careful adjustments; installing a new dishwasher ended up requiring much extra plumbing, wiring and welding efforts! No step of the process, whether the kitchen work done late March to April, or the master bath complete overhaul mid April to May, was without unforseen issues and problems in need of creative solutions!! Each time, the solution was found. There were glitches; including one that required a change in supplier for the granite. In other words, a fairly typical home remodel/repair tale!! Throughout the process, Al Honovar and his phenomenal crew (particularly Sam the electrician and John the master craftsman) were consumate professionals; thorough, flexible, dedicated and even pickier and more detail-oriented than me!! I've been a very 'hands-on' participant in such home projects from childhood, and consider myself more knowledgeable than many homeowners about what's involved in construction/remodel; it was a pleasure and a relief to have such skilled, competent, and reliable professionals in our home and taking well-deserved pride in the results of their work. The personalities involved were a bonus. Everyone needs a sense of humor when tackling the inherently stressful tasks involved in home projects - especially when it involves one's kitchen and baths; fortunately, everyone in this case had a great one. I also liked that my questions and challenges were answered and his (stubborn?) stances explained. If we truly disagreed, sometimes Al conceded and sometimes I did (after a thorough and satisfactory explanation). It was a process of mutual consideration and true collaboration. In the end, we have a beautiful spa-like master bath, three other greatly improved and updated baths, a much nicer "finished" look in other areas of our home, and a kitchen that everyone thinks was a total re-do!! We look forward to future help from Advanced Construction Concepts (more projects await); it's great to have confidence that we'll be equally satisfied with their work.

I was very pleased with Al and his team. I was a little concerned after my initial meeting with Al when he didn't spend a lot of time in the bathroom measuring and such but, as it turns out, he has the experience to understand what was needed immediately. He listened to what I wanted and submitted a proposal to me in a very timely fashion. He brought his team to start within a week after I OK'd the contract. His team, Jose and Raymond, were very hard workers. They showed up every day, unless they had told me the day before that they wouldn't make it (which rarely happened). They worked from 8:30am until at least 6:00pm. Jose was a true craftsman who took pride in his work. He might have worked a little slower than some but he wanted things to be done right. Al likes to hit the ground running and it was evident that the fact that I didn't have every choice clearly defined slowed him down a little! But, he helped steer me in the right direction without dictating his preferences and was very good in helping me pick out tile and achieving the overall look that I was looking for. Al was on-site at least once every day making sure things were progressing the right way. The price wasn't the lowest or the most expensive that I received but I thought it was a fair price. Especially given the work was completed in 2-1/2 weeks. I was very pleased with Al and his workers and will definitely have them do other projects.

I was given a 1 or 2 hour window for a person to come and give us an estimate. The person arrived after the end of the time window. I understand that traffic in the area is horrendous, but a phone call saying they were going to be a little late would have been nice. When Al arrived he was not very attentive or interested in asking questions about what type of backsplash, sink, etc. we would like. When my husband and I explained that we would like silestone countertops, he demanded to know why we wanted silestone over granite implying that we had not done any research before we made a decision. He basically gave off the impression that he was inconvenienced by being in our home. Maybe he was having a bad day, but he was not friendly and I was not impressed. The estimate was the most expensive we received.

They did a good job. They just put in a new toilet and a sink. It now looks very good.

All aspects of the projects have gone well; Quality of work, punctuality, project management, pricing and communication.

I met with several contractors in addition to Al. When I met with Al, he took his time, asked a lot of questions, and came up with a comprehensive and competitive estimate. One of the reasons I chose him to do the work is because I thought he had a more realistic view than some of the others of what the job would entail. I'm convinced that choosing Advance Construction Concepts was the best decision I could have made. Al's team was friendly, meticulous with their work, and very good about keeping the work area clean. Each member of the team really cares about a doing quality job. Al's standards are very high, and it shows in the end result. He was great about communicating with me and letting me know what to expect during each phase of the work. They did several things that weren't included in the original scope of the job, all of which we really appreciated. The final cost was higher than the original estimate only because the kitchen cabinets and configuration I selected were more expensive than what we used for the estimate. The final cost was still lower than most of the other estimates. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Advanced Construction Concepts to anyone requiring a contractor and I would definitely use them again.

Al (owner) went out of his way to please us. The work was done in a timely fashion and right on budget. We are very pleased with the outcome and highly recommend them.

I had hired a different contractor to remodel master bathroom. The quality of the tile work in the master bath, which included the shower enclosure, bathroom walls, and floor was simply terrible, from this original contractor. The floor began to fail after several days, with grout between tiles crumbling and tiles shifting under pressure. The original Contractor could not come up with acceptable remediation plan. Contacted Advance Construction Concepts and they agreed to replace the tile floor, immediately, over the weekend. Top quality installation job, and excellent service. I only wish I had started out with them. I was so impressed that I got them to remodel my basement. The work they did installing drywall in my basement went very quickly--however the installation crew was not managing the dust effectively. When I complained about this, the contractor replaced the crew and brought in someone exceptionally meticulous. The end quality of the work was very high, but there was one corner by the stairs that did not get painted or trim, I guess because it had been covered with plastic, and they forgot about it. I didn't complain about it because I had carpet installation scheduled and did not want to mess up the logistics of that. I regarded it as a minor quibble since I did not point it out.

Al and his crew did an excellent and professional job, all while finishing the entire remodel in about a week. We appreciated working in advance with his kitchen designer, which resulted in a much more efficient kitchen layout. During the remodel, the crew was prompt, effectively managed the comings and goings of several subcontractors, and was extremely attentive to detail. Al was very responsive to our concerns and preferences, and very conscientious about sticking to our budget.