recommended contractor for 203K reno?

Dear all, About to embark on a reno supported by a 203K acquisition/construction loan. I understand there’s a fair amount of paperwork required of the contractors and that they have to be initially approved by HUD/FHA. It seems Bullfrog Builders are the specialists in this, and they’re coming out tomorrow for a consult, but would like to meet with others as well. Anyone out there have any recommendations? Thanks v. much in advance! e

empathie00

in General Contractors 13 years and 11 months ago

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ferney1c | 11 years and 1 month ago

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I would like to hear more about how Keith Arthur did a terrible job as your 203k inspector. It’s now March 2014\. Have things gotten better for you and your renovation? What advice can you give that will prevent someone from having your problems? Let us hear the entire story to it’s conclusion. Are 203K consultants work having? Is the 203K loan program a good way to renovate a property?

ddunbar1d | 11 years and 3 months ago

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I want to clarify my review, above. Keith Arthur is a very nice guy, and if you have contractors who are honest and doing a good job, then he is easy-going. However, if contractors were all honest and did their jobs correctly, a HUD inspector would not be needed to supervise them. He is there to protect us from the small percentage of contractors who are not honest, and in my case he not only failed miserably, but it has cost me a small fortune to repair, and has consumed my life now for 18 months trying to finish this job within the constraints of HUD in order to not lose access to the escrow funds. To add insult to injury, the lack of integrity I’m finding with HUD to not admit there was a failure in the system to protect the consumer, to acknowledge the damages that resulted by its agent, or to impose any sanctions or offer any restitution really surprises me. I was led to believe HUD was there to protect the job and ensure it was done correctly, and instead the contractors were allowed to abuse the system at my expense.

ddunbar1d | 11 years and 3 months ago

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Keith Arthur authorized payment of $17,000 to my contractors for plumbing and heating at a time when the work was not done. Four months after the contractors were fired we started the heating system, and had waterfalls coming through the ceilings. Multiple leaks were found, no pumps to regulate zones were installed, none of the safety systems were installed correctly, even the exhaust from the boilers and hot water tanks were left hanging open in the walls, spilling carbon monoxide into the walls! When I saw he had paid the contractors 100% for this (lack of) work, back when there were no fixtures installed and no water in the pipes, his excuse was “they told me the work was done.” Did he even look at the job? Why was I paying him if he wasn’t going to inspect the work? Not only has this cost me tens of thousands of dollars to repair, it put my family at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning! When I complained to HUD, they washed their hands of it saying he’s “independent.”

team_mmc | 12 years and 3 months ago

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Hi E! — My wife and I are considering doing a 203k renovation, and I was curious: What general contractor did you end up going with?  Do you recommend them?  Did you meet any other general contractors that you would recommend reaching out to?  Thanks in advance!

LorEnz14 | 13 years and 10 months ago

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If you haven’t hired a contractor yet you should definitely give Robert of All Renovation a call (718)351-4099\. I don’t know if they are HUD/FHA approved, but they do such amazing work.  They are listed here on Brownstoner so you can take a look at their work.  Good Luck!

empathie00 | 13 years and 10 months ago

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We’re using Keith as well – sounds like we made a good choice on that! Still making up mind on contractors, but was impressed with Bullfrog so far (still waiting on estimate…so we’ll see…) Thanks, all!

Real-Estate | 13 years and 10 months ago

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If you do not already have your financing in place we can arrange and GC for as well. check us out at www.capitalrealestatemarkets.com of give me a call in the office @ 917-829-8382 “D”

pierredetaille | 13 years and 10 months ago

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Agree with above recommendations for Keith Arthur…he is the best. As far as contractors we highly recommend Meng Chew who does really high end stuff and does fantastic gut renos. He just finished a 6000 square feet gut job in Fort Greene for us and is now doing another 203K job on Adelphi in Fort Greene. Good luck and tell him doc sent you 🙂 Meng Chew 718 496 7262

jockdeboeraia | 13 years and 10 months ago

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Bullfrog and Keith are great. They both are doing most of my 203k projects. Keith went the extra mile recently when the bank did not want to release $$$ for a portion of the project that it covered. The bank had no idea how construction in NYC works. It was like talking to a brick wall.

shahnandersen

in General Contractors 13 years and 11 months ago

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I am just wrapping up a pretty sizable and complicated 203K reno with Bullfrog. You;re correct; they have emerged as the goto contractor for 203Ks. People talk ALOT about how complicated the 203K process is but the reality is that the handful of inconveniences don’t come close to outweighing the benefits. I’m sorry I don’t have any other GC recommendations for you but you can’t go wrong with Bullfrog. I’d also highly recommend Keith Arthur as your HUD consultant – great guy who is really on top of things and helped to make the 203K process a painless one for us.