The CF Group

In 2015, I hired Carl Forestieri to replace my roof. There were no online reviews available to read, and I had a limited budget to work with, so I went with his low-ish bid. The job seemed okay at the time, though the copper flashing that we had paid extra for blew off the roof in pieces over the next few months. He came out to take a look and said they were "extra pieces" that he had left up there. However, a year or so later, we started noticing that waterfalls occurred over the gutters at two places on the outside of the house whenever it rained. This year, we called in a gutter company. They told us that the problem was not the gutters but the roof itself; it was bowed in spots, and the water was spouting over the gutters as a result. We then called in three reputable roofing companies for estimates on repairs. Two of them told us the roof could not be repaired; it had to be replaced at a cost of $14,000. This was because Forestieri had not noticed that we had Yankee gutters -- old gutters attached to the original roof, which should have required that the roof built be out over them. In addition, he had used plywood that wasn't nearly strong enough to support the roof between the beams. As a result, the plywood, soffits, and fascia had rotted. Forestieri came out to check the problem, and ended up screaming at me in my driveway as he insisted the roof had been done perfectly. We ended up finding a company to repair the damage. It cost us an additional $6000, a mere 5 years after the roof had been completely redone by Forestieri. Don't use this guy unless you want to have to redo your job and pay twice for it.

Working with Carl Forestieri owner of the CF Group was by far the worst experience I have had as a homeowner. I hired him for a kitchen renovation. I have had several contractors in to look at the disaster he left behind in my kitchen, all of whom described his work as “shameful.” I am now in the position, after having spent my budget paying Carl Forestieri of having to pay other contractors to fix what he has done. I expect to incur many more thousands of dollars before it is repaired. It is difficult to even catalog the myriad problems with the kitchen as he installed it. This is at best a partial list: the wall cabinets are crooked (off level by over ½ inch in one 2 foot span alone); there are sharp nails and holes through the tops of the cabinets; he cracked the bottoms of cabinets (one he tried to cover with an old piece of nicked up plywood); the back splash is unfinished – he left gaping holes through the wallboard above it, and the grout began drying up and falling out (in powder form) just a month after he did it; the floor is unevenly tiled and poorly grouted; the light rail is smeared with dirty caulk (done with dirty fingers and incorrectly installed); few if any of the corners match up; he gave up on installing the crown molding stating it was impossible. My list could go on and on… Carl Forestieri was extremely difficult to deal with and was prone to fits of yelling and then crying. After one particularly fraught outburst, I took my daughter and left the house. When I returned a few hours later his right hand man said, “we thought you would be afraid to come back.” Ultimately, I felt unsafe and uncomfortable having Carl Forestieri in my home and near my family. I actually offered to pay him the amount remaining for the kitchen renovation to stop work and leave. Please see the photos I attached (and I have many more) which clearly attest to the quality of workmanship of Carl Forestieri and his crew in my kitchen.

We did an entire restoration of our family's 1885 victorian home over the course of more than a year. We were unhappy with our original contractor, so we were so thrilled to find Carl and his team. Carl is honest, professional and a real joy to work with. His suggestions and recommendations were always spot on - he let us know where money would be well-spent, and more importantly - where it wasn't. The work done by his team was not only impeccable - but also (and I can't say this loud enough) - beautiful. This team was neat, clean, respectful, detail-oriented and went the extra mile to make sure everything was perfect (everything our 1st contractor was not). In fact, we even hired Carl as a consultant to work with our 1st contractor to fix the mess they left and ensure we weren't being over-charged. We now get so many comments on how wonderful our home looks, and we have more than a dependable contractor we can rely on - we have a real life-long friend in Carl.

I have known Carl Forestieri , founder and chief of The CF Group, for over 15 years. He has done a significant amount of work on our home; both relatively minor, such as: installing bookshelves, a skylight, sliding glass door replacement, closets, handicapped ramp access, and others quite major, such as: an entirely new floor, significant roofing, new siding, a handicapped bathroom and a complete remodeling of a porch space into a charming, comfortable room. Most recently he and his crew did major foundation reconstruction, repairing a defect in the original construction that literally endangered the stability of the entire dwelling. He performed some of the work himself - in a most professional manner - and supervised and directed quite a number of craftsmen, specialists and journeymen. The quality of his work is excellent. Those who worked under his supervision were held by him to his own exacting standards. When it comes to options, methods and alternatives, Carl has consistently looked out for our best interest in both dealing with the task at hand as well as down the road considerations and implications. His work will last and maintenance will be simple. He is that rare contractor who combines both formal training as an engineer with the experienced skill, and pride, of a artisan. My wife and I have found it easy and enjoyable to work with Carl. We never had even the mildest discord in all the time we have worked together. I am pleased to call him a friend. Most importantly, he has integrity. He gives an honest proposal and an honest accounting of time and money. He can be trusted absolutely. I am happy to recommend Carl Forestieri for any construction project that you may be considering, from a simple job to that requiring his supervision and oversight of a large crew.