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July 22, 2005

General Contractor Reviews

We would like to start assembling a more comprehensive library of service provider references than the ad hoc feedback that happens in the Forum. To that end, over the next several weeks, we will solicit your feedback on a variety of services that go into building, restoring and maintaining brownstones (and apartments for that matter). We want to hear the names of the companies/individuals you have used (you can stay anonymous), any contact info you have, how they performed, how were they priced, were they on time, pleasant to deal with? Finally, if you can rate them on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the best), that would be great too. Hopefully all of this can ultimately result in a comprehensive resource that we can all benefit from.

So we'll kick it off with General Contractors today. Who wants to go first?

Comments

I'll kick it off with a heap of praise for Chris Marcoux, a really fabulous contractor with wonderful design ideas. I can't recommend him highly enough. Unbelievably professional. He did a high-end bathroom renovation for us (which presented more than a few challenges) and I couldn't be happier. I will not even consider another contractor when the time comes to renovate our monster of a kitchen... He's very sensitive to period architecture and really experienced with renovating period homes, including those of frame construction (take note all you Ditmas Park types). 5/5!!!

Posted by: Erin at July 22, 2005 10:19 AM

If anyone ever comes across the contractor Lazslo Baumeister... run!

Posted by: Anonymous at July 22, 2005 10:38 AM

Thanks, Erin. Do you have a telephone number or email for him?

Posted by: Brownstoner at July 22, 2005 10:38 AM

I'd like to put in a good word for Tracy and Arthur Sadura of T&A Carpentry in Red Hook. They like to focus on "restorative" work (please Google their website, which has lots of pictures) but they also did a good job on a non-period kitchen and bathroom in our garden level apartment, requiring a gut renovation. The price was right, and though the work was not A++ quality, the workers and Arthur are straightforward, fair, reasonable and honest. The job was completed on time, and Arthur came back personally and fixed the little things the crew got wrong (like recaulking the tub and redoing a door latch that didn't work). I would use them again.

Posted by: Lois Wingerson at July 22, 2005 10:42 AM

you first, brownstoner.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 22, 2005 10:59 AM

The franklin report can be a great resource for this and other information. check the website: http://franklinreport.com/

If you ever come across Mike Weber, run as fast as you can the other way. I can't begin to detail the issues we had restoring our CH place.

Posted by: archer at July 22, 2005 11:13 AM

Our contractor, JCL Construction, has been great. Not perfect, but for the price we couldn't have asked for a better deal. Unfortunately, this is his last job. He's retiring when we're done.

Posted by: Brownstoner at July 22, 2005 11:13 AM

First, THANK YOU Brownstoner!
Bonus points for finding a way to address all those unanswered repetitious questions in the Forum...

My short list

RONNIE THE PAINTER (plaster and paint are her main thing, but she does GC work now)
Ronnie Barrow Parodi 718-832-6436
She did 2 excellent GC jobs for 2 of my friends in Park Slope. The gut rehab of a duplex across the street from me was incredibly fast (particularly in contrast to the yearlong disaster of my next door neighbors!) I got to see the progress at every stage. Good work, and she's pleasant and funny.

RJB Construction
Great for really big jobs - structural stuff like opening up floors and roofs, with a nice eye for carpentry detail - they just did that new Japanese restaurant on Fifth Ave around 6th St. Good with modern work, don't know him as a restorer so much, but I don't know his whole portfolio.
He's pretty well booked up...and rehabing my interior stairs in a few months. I think he's worth waiting for since he does a great job with honesty and is a sweetheart.
Speak to Richard. 917 804-1886

I can second Chris Marcoux - he (re)did my deck a few years ago. He worked with me to redesign the space, and I remain delighted with the results.

I think it's important for us to be good consumers -- upfront with what we want and discussing the costs. It may be obvious (and if it is, I'm not talking to you!) but I think we get what we put in to these transactions. Not counting the dishonest creeps of course . . .

Posted by: LG at July 22, 2005 12:40 PM

Consider this an enthusiastic referral for Burda Construction. Larry Jr. is doing a full reno of a 3 story/2 family brownstone in Park Slope for me. He is prompt, reliable, easy to work with. He works well with out architect and has even had some great design ideas and practical advice. He has a great team of subs who have worked for him or his father for years. A true class operation. I'll repot later on final cost relative to bid - but 5 weeks into an estimated 20 week job and so far so good.

Posted by: Jamzer at July 22, 2005 1:24 PM

I have never used T&A Carpentry, but if you have an old wood frame house that has been covered in aluminum siding, these guys are the ones to call. Been watching their work for years. Some great work in Windsor terrace and south slope. They remove the entire front facade and restore it to its original charm.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 22, 2005 4:04 PM

Hey fellow contractors, how bout we list clients we will never work with again. Who owes you money?

Posted by: Anonymous at July 22, 2005 4:10 PM

Fred Taverna
New York Interior Construction
66 Reade St
New York, NY 10007

Avoid this contractor. We ended up doing his job for him and telling the subcontractors what to do when they were sitting their on their butts all day long in our yet to be built space with nothing to do because "Fred hasn't called so we don't know what to do". Horrible feedback, and completely unreachable. Didn't even have voice mail on his cell phone. He's actually a nice guy personality wise, but extremely disappointed with the work he did.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 22, 2005 4:35 PM

I wish I knew if you guys were talking about $20k guys or $200k guys.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 22, 2005 9:10 PM

First of all let me warn you all from ever dealing with a con-artist named Van Vollmer. His company name is sometimes called NY Wood. He does custom wood windows, cornices and doors. He robbed us blind and he robbed other people we recommended him to. Which leads me to my next thought....do not just go with somebody's on line recommendation before you hire a contractor. This sounds obvious, but it's not. Make sure the person you got the reference from (on line or in person or whatever) is willing to back it up with personal contact info so you can find out what they mean by their recommendation, how recent they used that person, what type of job, etc. And then call the contractor and get names and numbers of recent references. Also check that they are not in trouble with the BBB. And if they claim to be licenced, go on line and check that they are really licensed. And lastly, this sounds really ridiculous, but get credit references from contractors. They all buy or pay subcontractors right? Well if they are not paying those parties on time guess who suffers? You the customer. It's the first sign that they are not going to complete a job on time because they have no credit to do so. And also before you pay a contractor a dime, get a copy of their driver's license. Okay, so maybe this all sounds nuts to you. Won't sound too crazy when you are broke and the job you wanted to get done isn't even 1/2 way finished.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 22, 2005 10:11 PM

Brownstoner,

In addition to a directory of contractors, perhaps you can also include llinks to the NY BBB http://www.bbbnewyork.org/ as well as to the licensing agency?
I've read the Vollmer complaint on several listservs including Fort Greene Kids, but realize most consumers don;t know where to get some of the info.
Thanks.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 23, 2005 10:42 PM

Avoid Angelo Kalafatis for anything more then painting. We refer to his crew as Mo, Larry, and Curley. They bid less, it cost us more. The work done had the contractor who followed hysterical.

Posted by: anon at July 24, 2005 9:29 AM

100% satisfied with Ambiance Improvement's complete renovation of my Park Slope brownstone. The owner is Greg Kruszewski/tel. 917-907-1100. To begin with, the bid was thorough and they did not try to underbid to get the job and then hit us with upcharges (beware the low bidder!) Greg was very helpful in making design suggestions, including where we could cut back to save money and where we shouldn't. The quality of the work was excellent as was the level of professionalism. Great to work with.

Posted by: Anonymous at July 26, 2005 12:28 PM

Does anybody have more information about con-artist named Van Vollmer, NY Wood Windows. He just runned away with a down payment, which was my wife and I lifetime savings. Please help us if you have any information.

josephmcfield@yahoo.com

With Kind Regards,

Joseph

Posted by: Joseph McField at August 23, 2005 10:20 AM

My wife and I also got rubbed by Van Vollmer, he basically took away our last ten years savings. Please contact me if you would like to receive or have any more information about this guy.

Thanking you in advance

Joseph McField

Posted by: Joseph McField at August 24, 2005 9:19 AM

My wife and I also got rubbed by Van Vollmer, he basically took away our last ten years savings. Please contact me if you would like to receive or have any more information about this guy.

Thanking you in advance

Joseph McField

Posted by: Joseph McField at August 24, 2005 9:22 AM

I totally understand your frustration. My honest
opinion to you Mr. McField, stay away from both Van
and Carl Vollmer, they are bad news. Anyhow here are
some information gathered around the web, hope will help:

Vollmer, Carl - New World Realty Organization
(718) 963-0777
80 Metropolitan Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211

http://www.aegis.com/news/ads/1992/AD921949.html

http://www.easternconsolidated.com/listings/80_metropolitan_ave.html

http://timesnewsweekly.com/Archives2004/Oct.-Dec.2004/102104/NewFiles/Illegal%20Dumpers.html

Good luck, and be careful.

John

Posted by: Anonymous at October 6, 2005 1:07 PM

if anyone has additional information about
Fred Traverna of NY Interiors,
please share it.

We had an awful experience with him and would like to know more about the experience other people have had with him. As the other person mentioned, we were doing his job for him, he did not show up, his subs did not show up, he was unreachable, lying and dishonest. Really incredibly unprofessional.

Posted by: anonymous at November 8, 2005 2:15 PM

DO NOT hire a guy named PAUL KATSAROS or his company MICHAEL MAINTENANCE CORP. Did very shoddy work that was actually not at al what was discussed. Cashed my check in a new york minute and is now unreachable.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 7, 2006 3:30 AM

If anybody has been a victim of Van Vollmer frauds please contact immediately District Attorney Berry Cohen 718 250-2340

Posted by: Anonymous at May 25, 2006 11:18 AM

Hey! Got screwed to by these guys...
New World Realty Organization

Posted by: Anonymous at June 13, 2006 10:51 AM

Carl Vollmer
61 Metropolitan Ave
Brooklyn, NY

1991 grey Oldsmobile Cutlass

2 cubic yards of wood doors, metal doors and broken concrete

Posted by: llegal Dumping Bounty at June 23, 2006 6:37 PM

Sept. 21 at 80 Metropolitan Ave. in Williamsburg, Carl Vollmer of 61 Metropolitan Ave. in Williamsburg lost his 1991 grey Oldsmobile Cutlass for dumping two cubic yards of wood doors, metal doors and broken concrete.

Posted by: Illegal Dumpers Arrested at June 23, 2006 6:42 PM

how to find Chris Marcoux?
Anybody do you have this phone number?

Posted by: jena at February 15, 2007 2:47 PM

to Jena: Chris's number is 718-230-1650. He's just finishing a kitchen reno for me and he's been fabulous. Cannot recommend him highly enough.

Posted by: Anonymous at March 7, 2007 4:22 PM

Stay away from Fred Traverna and NY Interior Construction. He is horrible. He is not reliable and his work is not only shoddy, but dangerous (for example wiring a building with computer wire; huge fire hazard). Stay away.

Posted by: anonymous at May 18, 2007 11:45 PM

"wiring a building with computer wire; huge fire hazard"

Have you folks at Brownstoner lost your minds? You need to have people back it up, otherwise this is libel.

I've used NYIC and Fred Taverna for the past 15 years and NEVER had a problem. And what's with all the "anonymous" posts?

Admin: you might want to start vetting this.

Posted by: Jack Swanstrom at July 27, 2007 11:30 PM

I've used Fred Taverna and New York Interior Construction for over five years. Fred and his incredible team have done three jobs for me. The first two were commercial, relatively small projects ($50-80k) range and the work was done beautifully and on schedule. The coup d'etat was a major renovation Fred did at my brownstone in Brooklyn Heights. An enormous project that would have taken most contractors at least a year, we did the job together in 6 record breaking months. Every phone call was returned, every problem solved together, no hidden costs. I've come to consider Fred a friend and I trust him completely. He's now working on my brother's bathrooms in Cobble Hill... Nina Collins

Posted by: guest at October 1, 2007 10:10 PM

AVOID Nayci Contracting.

40-01 Greenpoint Avenue
L.I.C. NY 11104
718-472-0099
http://www.naycicontracting.com/
http://www.naycicorp.com/

We started a project with this company in April 2007. Sheetrock installation was bad (tape still showing, not sanded smooth, several inside and outside corners are crooked). Trim installation was sub-par (joints not tight, caulk used to hide bad joints). Painting job was horrible (dried drips everywhere, missed spots).

The General Contractor (Ayhan Nayci) priced wood trim (baseboards, door casing, etc.) -- which we paid upfront. He bought MDF for us instead. We are not sure if he took other interesting shortcuts on our project. Much of the project was held up because his electrician wasn't coming in to work. Ayhan Nayci claimed "Because he is at the Immigration Office importing his wife." On November 24, we found out (from the electrician himself) that he had actually quit.

Highly unprofessional. Makes many excuses. Is only interested in doing tasks quickly to get money rather than executing project tasks with good craftsmanship in appropriate order.

Posted by: ack at December 10, 2007 11:30 AM

Great information !!! I'm converting my 2 family home to a three family. My plans have already been approved by the city. I am now looking for a repuable and licensed contractor to pull the permit and perform the work. Your recommendations are appreciated.

Posted by: guest at January 13, 2008 1:27 PM

Used T&A Carpentry bacause somebody recommended the. They were installing windows. Did a very poor job - I had to re-do most of what they did.

Posted by: guest at May 27, 2008 11:12 AM

Hey,
I'm wondering if anyone knows if it is unwise to go with an unlicensed contractor for a fairly large job ($150,000). I'm from California where contractors are required to be licensed, but not sure what the deal is in NY. Is it common to use unlicensed contractors? Thanks. And any recommendations appreciated...

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 12:20 PM

Does anyone know a good and not too expensive person/company who does roof decks and knows building code? Also need a reference to someone to build stairs down to the basement in the front of our house-- any help would be appreciated

Posted by: guest at July 3, 2008 3:28 PM

« Plans for the Strong Place Baptist Church? Today on the Reno Blog »

July 22, 2005

General Contractor Reviews

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