Hampton Pergola Builders

Never showed up.No calls,no text and No email. I finally got a hold of him and he stated that he was just getting out bed three hours late. He cost me time and money. I am a disabled senior and just needed help with this one hour project.

After getting three estimates for this job from companies who has received good reviews on Angie's List, we selected Tony because of his enthusiasm and ideas. He sent a detailed contract and work began in mid-September ( I don't recall the exact date but an initial payment of $3300 was made 9/14/12). During the second week of the project, he discovered that two of the support beams to the carport were rotting, so we added their replacement to the job, as well as new fencing for my yard and those of my two neighbors (for which he was paid upon completion). The patio is about 450 square feet, in a townhouse backyard, not a large job compared to the pictures of his previous commissions. Tony frequently showed up late, or left early, or didn't show up at all. He did not keep me informed as to his schedule unless I asked, and even then it was not accurate. I do not work outside the home and was here most of the time he was to be working; he also has my home and cell phone numbers. We discussed his lack of communication several times. He told me that his truck was in the shop and that he had further transportation difficulties, but always after not showing up as promised. He did not call Miss Utility before digging commenced, as stated in the contract. Final payment was made 10/30/12, a full six weeks after the project was started. He had not yet sealed the wood or affixed one of the bricks that had come loose from a column because it had rained quite a bit that week. He stated that he also wanted to fill in some of the sand between the pavers that had been washed out. He promised that he would be back as soon as the weather cleared. After leaving him several voice mails and texts, my husband called and spoke with him. Tony promised that the job would be completed by the time we got back from Thanksgiving weekend, and we very very disappointed to find that he had not done so. We sent him an email with a deadline of December 9th before we wrote this review and a letter to the Better Business Bureau but, unfortunately he has not responded in any fashion and the work remains unfinished.

We selected Done Right (DR) out of 3 estimates: they seemed reasonable, professional, and competent. The pergola, stamped concrete patio, and electrical outlet were planned for the backyard. The area is tight because it is in a corner outside the sun room and house wall, but DR made measurements and said it was adequate. PERGOLA: Requested 10x10 ft, white vinyl, with simple slanted end caps rather than the usual decorative ends. We were told this was fine. They ordered a pergola and it had the correct end caps, but it was 7x7 ft. We measured it, found the item online and confirmed that it was indeed a 7x7 ft pergola. We called Done Right and told them of the problem. Their initial response was that the different style end caps are not available in 10x10 ft and 'we had emphasized' the importance of the slanted end caps, so they assumed this was a good pick for us (hmmm...49 SF of shade vs 100 SF). A new pergola (10x10 ft) was ordered and DR gave us $400 credit for the error. The new pergola was erected without any problems, but 2 of the 4 posts are crooked! The lean is easy to see and further emphasized next to the sun room (where the windows are vertical). At this point, I can only wait for the climbing vines I planted to grow bushy and thick to hide the ridiculously leaning posts. PATIO: This took almost 3 months from start, with 2 months of frustration. The job was subbed out and DR did not do any oversight during the installation. The sub showed up on the day scheduled, but earlier than expected (on a Saturday morning before 7AM. Around 10 men showed up to do the stamped concrete patio, but only about half of them actually did work (the others came to socialize). The sub worked hard, got it done quickly, and it looked amazing. At the last step, he cut in the expansion joints and ruined the beautiful patio. The joints were crooked and he tried to fix it by widening them in spots (resulting in crooked and wide joints). Other things about the sub: lunch litter left all over the yard, dumped stained soil (from the concrete coloring) at the back of the yard and by our fruit tree, tools and equipment left all over the place, asked us for fuel for his equipment, gravel not cleaned up from driveway and road, and his friends came back to sell other services. We called DR about the awful cuts and the owner came and admitted that this was a problem and he would fix it. A couple of options were discussed of which we were open to a few of them. The sub aggressively tried to convince me to accept his solution of further expanding the joints and installing a brick pattern in the line but this is not what we wanted. DR tried caulking the joints, but it was agreed this didn't look good. Over about 1.5 months, we went back and forth on how to fix it, we called DR often and sometimes they replied immediately and other times not for days. DR had another concrete company come in to see if it could be fixed, but they didn't see a good option. In all this time, the pergola was waiting on our lawn for the patio to be completed so between this and the other supplies, we were not able to mow the grass in this area of the backyard from for most of the summer. Finally, DR owner offered to return all of our patio money (100%-about half of the $5500) because he wanted us to be happy. We had him remove the patio (which he offered to let us keep) and all the rubbish and took our refund. ELECTRICAL OUTLET: An outlet was installed on one of the pergola posts about 1.5 ft off the ground. The wiring (encased in a protective pipe) comes out of the patio ground and runs up the post to the outlet. The pipe was installed more than an inch from the base of the pergola post so it had to be bent so that the outlet box could be attached to the post. Now the piping is not parallel to the post but bent towards it. I guess the outlet works at least.

When we met Mike, the owner of Quality Built Exteriors, we were instantly comfortable about our decision to remove a small patio and replace it with a larger one and have a pergola built. He brought information on pavers and decking to help us decide what we wanted. However, the estimates were more than we our budget allotted so Mike suggested stamped concrete as a possible alternative. He explained that he had a contractor we could work with and brought him to meet with us and discuss what we wanted. At the conclusion of the meeting we decided on colored stamped concrete with a matte finish. The pergola was built on site very much to our satisfaction but we had a lot of concerns with the stamped concrete. The contractor that Mike introduced us to brought in a crew who apparently did not have a lot of experience with stamped concrete. This was evident from the finished project which we were not satisfied with. We contacted Mike and he came out to our home to inspect the work and agreed with our assessment. He immediately took steps to remedy some of our complaints (which were numerous), however not all could be rectified without removing the newly poured patio and sidewalk and starting over. He made it clear that he would take whatever steps we wanted in order to complete the project to our satisfaction at no additional cost to us. We eventually decided for timing sake to accept the project as is. Mike renegotiated our contract with him at a lower price that we were satisfied with. He supplied us with a load of topsoil to help cure one of the problems that the sub-contractor created. Overall, we were very satisfied with Quality Built Exteriors and our interactions with Mike. He was timely, honest, and sincere in his desire to provide us with what we wanted. The work done on the custom pergola was excellent and those workers were skilled, efficient and pleasant. Bottom line is we would use Quality Built Exteriors again and would recommend this company to others for the work that they directly perform. We certainly would not recommend that sub-contractor concrete company to do work for us again.

I went on the advise of my realtor to hire this person. The quoted price was not out of the range for work to be performed (paint internal walls, fix all drywall, remove mirrors, replace kitchen cabinets, stain deck and pergola around hot tub and put up new fence on one side and repair remaining fence. The work that was performed was actually of decent quality. The issue was the responsiveness. Most of the internal work was performed at a decent quality within a reasonable schedule. This is where the train wreck began. The outside work was a joke. He did get the pergola up around the hot tub, but it was unstained, and the deck was unstained after promised. He came back and stained the deck and part of the pergola around the hot tub (the fence was not started 2 weeks after promised). My wife received a call from these persons the day before they were supposed to start on the fence (already 2 weeks late) stating their subcontractor would not show up so the fence could not be started on the next day (I didn't even know they were planning on having a subcontractor do the fence) and demanding payment for services rendered up to that point. We went out to the house on the evening of the day (Wednesday) knowing that the fence did not get started as promised, to check out the progress to determine what payment is owed. Upon arrival I found the painting had been completed (payment owed for that), but they also demanded payment for staining the deck and pergola (as mentioned above). I called them and asked when I could expect the work to begin on the fence (they stated on Saturday),and to inform them that I would pay for the painting, but not the staining because it was not yet completed. The owners' wife answered the phone and told me she was very irate at me for "nitpicking her" for refusing to pay for work not yet performed. She began to argue with me and try to talk over me until I had to basically tell here to stop long enough for me to say something.  The phone conversation with her was one of the worst experiences I have ever had (she was trying to browbeat me into paying for work not completed). She then started screaming to cancel the contract for the fence, which I stated they would finish as per our contract. They did show up the next day and finished the staining of the pergola (I then issued payment for the staining as well). Saturday rolls around (this is when they promised to start on the fence) and they did not show up as promised. Things continued to happen until I did actually cancel the contract for the fence. In closing I would recommend that this contractor not be used under any circumstances. I have never had as bad a taste left in my mouth as after dealing with these people.

Overall, I like the patio and paver pattern, enjoy the sitting wall and the pergola does provide relief from direct sun.  The workers were very courteous and kept me apprised of their schedule and concerns.  What I did not enjoy, however,  was the Customer Service or overall performance of the company.  I truly believe that I overpaid for the quality of the product I received.  Yes, I did "sign off" on the proposed plan/cost, so, much of it is my fault, as well.  Buyer beware. Although I had sought other quotes and plans, this plan seemed exactly what I wanted.     What I did not appreciate was the lack of keeping me informed, what I consider part of Customer Service. I was notified that work would begin the week of July 4th.  By the end of the week, the work had yet to be started.   I understand that the landscaping business is weather dependent, and I'd to think that I am an understanding  and flexible person.  I would have been content had I been informed of schedule changes, but I wasn't.  Instead, I had to call them, repeatedly, to find out when I could expect the work to begin.  On one call, I was told that the owner was out of town for the weekend, and would get back to me when he returned.  It turned out that the work did not begin until almost two weeks later.     Finally, work started and was completed within the planned time frame.  When completed, the yard was very tidy.  Again, another Customer Service issue occurred.  The workers told me that I would receive written instructions on how to care for the newly installed plants and paving material - nothing.  I did get an instruction booklet, though, about the pergola, how to put it together and care for it.  That was dropped off a few days after work was completed.  As for the care of the plants, well, thankfully, there is the internet.    However, in reviewing and researching the pergola online, I discovered that I had been over charged by almost $2,000!  In calling the company, to work on resolving this (either a refund, or change the pergola to what I paid for), once again, Customer Service was lacking.  The receptionist deferred me to the manager (owner), who was currently unavailable, but she would give him the message.  It took several phone calls by me, over two weeks, before I finally was able to speak to the manager.  After discussing options, I agreed that I would receive yard care/maintenance for the remainder of the year (summer, fall and winter) as well as the following spring.  Unfortunately, I failed to get that in writing. ( Let me just say that I got a few handfuls of fertilizer and some (haphazard) pruning in the late summer and nothing the following spring). Later in the summer,  I had a problem with the sitting wall - a few stones had come loose.   A worker did come out quickly, on two different times, to "re-glue" them (though they are still loose).  By this time, I was exasperated with the company and gave up on trying to get satisfaction.  Yes, this definitely was a learning situation.  

 If there is one phrase would catch it all, it would be "On Time, On Track, On Target". Dan and Brenda are the proud owners of Belletto Construction, Inc. I stumbled across them after so many fail attempts of finding the right people for the job. I got many outlandish quotes for the  Deck & Pergola before them but each and every other contractor seemed to pushy or too expensive with their quotes, the combination didn't feel right !!   I don't know if I'm the only one but, it's difficult to find trustworthy craftsman in the area especially for this particular project. I didn't have much time in hand because I was in the middle of changing military duty station in the process of relocating to a new place about 1,000 miles out of state. Any one, especially in the military would agree all that takes time, good logistics and patience. My transition  had to be done within 3 weeks due to time constrains. At Belletto's,  Dan the co-owner made an appointment to meet within a reasonable time, "the next day !!!" We talk about the project,  explained what I was looking for and  how important it need it to be finished before the end of the month. That was answered with a  "Can do". From the moment we set forth with the plan the parts arrived within 4 days and the fence was up before the end of the week. A second crew came down for the Deck; from the moment  the surveyed the land through the completion of the second project was another 8 days  then a third installer work with the Shower's Sliding Door. Let me explain that all but one were installed flawlessly. The house was Custom made therefore things like showers and bathtubs were special ordered but, we found a problem. Door wouldn't fit properly. By then, I had to leave the state trusting the job would get done efficiently and so it was. Dan ordered a custom made tampered glass door and had it installed in no time. From start to finish everything was done expeditiously against arising adversities in a timely manner. Adding to that, Dan and family visited the job site routinely; Belletto Construction, Inc. is now my go to company for any handy work required without feeling worried of being over priced for labor and I will gainfully employ them while I'm in or out of state because their proven ability to deliver any time, any moment, efficiently, expeditiously any day. Good Job and thank you much !

The professionals from Coastal Custom Renovations and Paint (Christopher Parkhurst cspcontracting@gmail.com) were way better than I had expected from the average paint company. They were complete gentlemen. They were all polite and considerate as they did the various items. One thing I was really impressed with was how quick and efficient they were. I was surprised to find they had completed the various rotted pieces on my Victorian facade front porch within the first few hours after they started the job. When they finished, I couldn't tell that the replacement pieces had not always been there. Obviously, they knew what they were doing when they took the rotted corner support column out of our large front porch. We also have a huge pergola that runs the length of the back deck. They did a beautiful job up on the second floor renovating the pergola. We spend a lot of time on our deck which surrounds our large koi pond. They were extremely careful to fully protect our fish and yet did a beautiful job on the deck above the pond. Excellence and efficient execution of the work seemed to be an important work ethic for all those who worked on our job. Looking back, I can't believe they did the whole job in less than two days. I had expected the usual week especially when it really rained one of the days they worked. The deck had been a brick red with white trim. We decided to change the color to what was a similar blue to Williamsburg blue with white trim. When they finished, I could not believe what a beautiful difference it made. When something needed to be done, but had not been in the original estimate, they just did it anyway without extra charge. Upon completion of the job, they took time to walk the entire project and point up and paint any little speck that I could point out.  And they made it clear that they would come back to fix anything that I later was not happy with.  That was not necessary.  And they cleaned up after the job much more thoroughly than I had expected. As I said, they seemed interested in establishing a reputation for excellence in the execution of our work. I would have no trouble recommending them to anyone.

The price was great, their accuracy was excellent, as was their workmanship. Courteous and polite. Meticulous in keeping the area clean. No damages were done. Were able to address every single issue of any problem the inspector had mentioned. Very timely with completion. Very respectful of the customers. I'm comfortable enough with them that they have the home key - very trustworthy.

This exceptional company has been responsible for helping my family renovate my historic 100 year old home into a stunning masterpiece. They went the extra mile in order to help me get my house ready in time for my wedding. I trust them completely and have the highest regard for their integrity, craftsmanship and creativity.