S & A Construction

We had to fire our first contractor for a project that involved converting an attached 1 car garage to become heated living space and put a second floor addition over that garage. We brought S and A in and they got to work pretty quickly. In addition to the work noted above, we also had a covered front porch along the front of the house added along with a new (pavers) sidewalk to replaced the busted up 50 year old concrete with a parking pad adjacent to the street. The HVAC was replaced and upgraded, an outdoor kitchen was added off the back with a new roof and stone work. The old "dutch" roof that came down over the second floor exterior wall was straightened and covered in Hardiplank. There were modifications made, there were some delays with the timing/arrival of materials, but nothing significant. We transformed a 50 year old house by adding 800+ feet of heated living space, a massive covered front porch with lights and fans, and an extremely large (14' x 25") covered outdoor kitchen with lights, fans, a sink, and a gas grill. It looks like a completely different home. Our one massive project was actually 6 big projects rolled up into one. We are quite happy with the results. The complexity and scale of it meant it would not be quick and easy as it involved having to deal with all the 'behind the drywall' infrastructure, electrical, HVAC, gas, and plumbing. All has been completed and we are quite pleased with Ed and his team.

S&A went beyond all of my expectations! They are very professional. I am so happy with the results! I highly recommend this company!

S&A has renovated both my master bath and kitchen. I cannot say enough about the professionalism and attention to detail! Ed is an amazing designer and helped us in selecting everything from granite and tile to cabinets and light fixtures. The office staff is amazing and the work crews were always here in a timely manner and cleaned up the job site every evening before leaving. The entire process from start to finish was painless. We definitely will not hesitate to use them in the future! We were amazed at the transformation.

S&A recently completed a kitchen renovation for my husband and I. From the very beginning we were extremely pleased with Ed, his office S&A recently completed a kitchen renovation for my husband and I. From the very beginning we were extremely pleased with Ed, his office staff and work crew. We have been in our home for about ten years and our kitchen just needed a fresh modern look. I must say that my husband and I were completely amazed at the transformation. We told Ed what we were looking for and left everything else completely up to him. He chose a modern approach and selected stark white cabinets with a contrasting grey center island for the cooktop. The granite and the ceramic tile flooring was absolutely beautiful. We absolutely love our stunning new kitchen! We will probably renovate our master bath in the coming months and we definitely will not hesitate to use S&A again!eft everything else completely up to him. He chose a modern approach and selected stark white cabinets with a contrasting grey center island for the cooktop. The granite and the ceramic tile flooring was absolutely beautiful. We absolutely love our stunning new kitchen! We will probably renovate our master bath in the coming months and we definitely will not hesitate to use S&A again!

We had S&A Construction remodel our kitchen. It was a wonderful process. Their field team was so talented. Ed has an amazing eye for detail. I was nervous about having such a large renovation done but they walked me thru the whole process. It went much quicker than I expected. I just had an estimate done for my master bathroom. I hope to start that project soon!

Turned out well, but process was very painful. Reactive project management causes many “emergencies”: About 10 requests for our time with less than 24h notice, e.g. "I'm stopping by in 30 minutes to go over the colors". Even if you were clear that you are working and can't go home, he calls again to tell you how he drove all the way and will wait for you to get home. Over-Budget: When I wrote the estimate, I didn't know our electricians would screw up so much (+$500). "Allowances" are great in theory, but then he just buys junk without asking and charges you $300 more than the same thing at Lowes, FROM Lowes (plus labor)! Manipulative: We selected tile in the office and AFTER starting demolition two weeks later, they told us that it had a 2 month back-order (or 4 month, depending on who you ask). We were pressured to use a totally unrelated substitute (on sale?), but eventually convinced him to use our second choice. Update: called to ask for this review to be taken down without justification. The crew is very friendly and efficient, but seem pressured to do hasty work (they often work late hours). Mess: Tire ruts in the lawn. Majority of a broken window still in grass (don't go barefoot here!). Many screws and razor blades in the driveway. Ridiculous dust throughout house and garage, even though work was confined to one bathroom, accessed by the newly stained bedroom carpet to the point that we spent $3k to replace it. On first day, Ed told his crew they were "stupid" for hanging plastic to block dust because it would slow them coming in and out. NOT a "custom builder" (adversarial about design): e.g. "don't worry, we can merge the fan ducts, it meets code" (luckily the HVAC guy new better). "The shower drain you like will never work". "Lights should always face down" (later commented how facing up looked "much better"). Redo Redo Redo White paint all over stained door frames, door handles, door hinges, outlets, switches, floor, counter, etc. After complaining, 85% of the "oops" were scraped off. I sealed the tile myself because the “waterproof” grout absorbed water like a sponge. Schedule The bulk of the work was only a few weeks over schedule, but some of the finishing touches dragged on. Finished product If you have time and experience to babysit, it should turn out nice.

S&A Construction did kitchen remodel, 1/2 bath remodel, hardwood floor install and refinish. The workers were polite, but seemed to have little understanding of how to install various materials and products properly. For example, kitchen cabinets were installed shortly after demo, then much electrical work and other drywall work were done around the cabinets over several days. The kitchen cabinets were initially installed without any shims that I could see. When I pointed this out, the foreman said this is a "learning experience" and I got to instruct the worker on why shims should be used when installing cabinets. Even though I had asked about them being responsible for getting all necessary permits and for being insured, I had to insist after the project started that they obtain any permits. They tried to brush this off as permits are not necessary and add unnecessary cost. They finally pulled an electrical permit and provided a document showing they were insured. They initially cut the granite and installed the wrong sink in it. They then re-cut and patched the granite for a sink closer to the one we wanted (but not the exact sink we wanted). So now the sink is not quite centered on the cabinet and there is a visible patch where they had to glue in a chunk of granite to replace where granite had been cut away for the initial, wrong sink. I had to argue to get a reduction in cost for this error on their end - they wanted me to pay full price for granite with patch in it and a sink that is not the one we originally chose. At the end of the project, I had to replace/redo the plumbing under the kitchen sink and bathroom sink. The plumbing they installed under the bathroom sink used accordion-like flexible pipe for connection from sink to p-trap but did not have a 1 1/2" - 1 1/4" reducer washer, so the connection was not solid/stationary. In figuring out how to fix the moving pipe connection, I learned that the plumbing under the bathroom sink was likely supposed to be 1 1/4" and not 1 1/2". Things were worse under the kitchen sink - two different pipes behind the p-traps ran uphill and compression washers were used at the end of tailpipe for connections to p-traps. Another "learning experience" was had when the disposal flange was installed with the text facing about 110% from where it should be facing so the user standing at the sink can read it. Other issues include installation of a double oven with the strain-relief bracket removed from the 220 volt flexible metal conduit. When a repair person pulled the oven from the cabinet, the 220 volt wires were laying directly on the sharp sheet metal cutout where the conduit was supposed to enter the case. Another issue was differences between the cabinets. One cabinet had slightly different color inside (outside matched all others) and came with shelves that were thinner than other cabinets (which they finally agreed to replace with shelves matching other cabinets). In addition, there were two different kinds of hinges in the different cabinets. Some hinges had slow-close mechanism built into the hinge, while others required clip-on slow-close mechanisms. The hinges with built-in mechanism didn't work so well, but they didn't have enough of the other type of hinge to replace them all. So I found an acceptable alternative hinge and have spent over $100 to buy enough to replace all the hinges myself to make all cabinets consistent.

We hired S & A construction to remodel are kitchen. They were on time, professional and very clean. Prices are great.

We know Ed, the owner of the company since when we bought our house in 2006. He did couple interior remodeling and painting jobs at that time and we recommend him to our friends since then. This year we had a big project in our mind and we directly called him but no one else. During the renovation we added and changed many things to our project but he was always helpful about in details and understands exactly what we want. His crew is very good too, they are professional and trustful. We can't say only we remodeled our house, but feels like we bought a new home, thanks to S&A Construction. We highly recommend them. Description Of Work: addition to kitchen area and master bedroom closet area, addition to home entrance area, remodeling 2 bathrooms, painting all interior, renewing roof top, plumbing, installation kitchen cabinets and bathroom cabinets,bath tubs, lighting fixtures; insulation, install new hardwood floor, remodeling stairs, remodeling interior and exterior doors, built a new screen and porch.

I hired S&A to remodel my kitchen a few weeks ago. I have been so happy with the results! I have had so many compliments on my new kitchen. I have been living in my home for a few years and I've never really cared for the lichen cabinets, countertop or flooring. First of all, I would like to say that Ed was a pleasure to work with. He was very knowledgeable and so helpful in all aspects of the project. I had no idea what color scheme to go with. I was just tired of my drab kitchen and I just wanted a change. Ed helped in selecting the cabinets, granite, ceramic tile, backsplash, lighting etc. He just made the whole process so much easier. He worked within my budget to create a beautiful kitchen that I just love spending time in! The crew always conducted themselves in a professional manner. Everyday they were on time. There was one day, I believe that they couldn't make it, but Amanda in the office called me to let me know. Ed, his office staff and work crews made my remodeling job painless. I will definitely be using them in the future when I remodel my master bath.

We hired S&A Construction to remodel the fireplace wall of our family room, smooth out the popcorn on the ceiling and install recessed lights and install an island in the kitchen back in July. Ed, the owner, is a very likeable guy and brought great design ideas to our project. The process of getting a quote and picking out materials was by far the best of any of the four companies we contacted. Unfortunately, the rest of the process didn’t go as smoothly. He has a real good grasp for selling up front, but lacks the ability to manage the project effectively to the finish. Here are examples: -Originally said project would take a week. Actually took five weeks. I believe he takes on so many projects he has to spread his employees thin to make it look like they are dedicated to working on your project. Nothing gets done quickly, and few things were done right the first time. -After many mistakes by electrician, I asked Ed if the electrician’s were certified. He assured me they were. Towards the end of the project, after more mistakes, he admitted he hadn’t had time to get them certified. A few of the examples of mistakes by the “electricians”: o6 of 13 recessed lights had to be moved due to measuring errors. This was blamed on everything to having a small tape measure and eyesight isn’t good, to “there was already a hole there” (where a light had been before, but obviously not where the new one should be). oOne box with 3 light dimmers had been installed with 3 different styles of dimmers, and one of those was a dimmer for a ceiling fan, which obviously didn’t work for the pendant lights above the kitchen island. And none of them were grounded. I went to Lowes, bought matching dimmers, installed them correctly, gave the extra 2 dimmers back to Ed’s guy and took the price of the new dimmers off the last check to Ed. He called and said multiple times he was very upset that I shorted him on the check (even though it was an even deal, as he got his dimmers back. I should have charged him labor like he did me for every switch, outlet and light). oI could tell by eyesight that one of the pendant lights above the kitchen island was off. The guy measured on the island countertop, then held a broom up from there to mark the ceiling. No level or anything, really. He said if it was off by more than an inch he would come back the next day to fix it. The next day when he had his level (not sure why he wouldn’t have it to begin with), he admitted it was off and had to fix it. -No care was taken to block the mess of dust from the popcorn removal from taking over the rest of the house. We had thick drywall dust covering the rooms we had planned to live in during the remodel, even making its way upstairs through the vents and ducts. Everything in our kitchen cabinets was covered in drywall dust as well. -He claims his crew cleans at the end of each day. That’s tough to do when none of them carry any type of cleaning equipment with them. Some days they would take wet rags or our mop and clean up the construction debris from the floor (yes, our mop), but the majority of the time the kitchen countertops and floors were left dirty. -They used my car washing bucket to mix concrete in, then took it with them. -A ceiling fan was taken down to smooth the ceiling under the mount (after I had to request they did it right), and I found the custom screws on the floor of the garage and out on the driveway after they lost them. -A set of blinds were taken down from above the kitchen window. I found part of the decorative top outside in the mud two days later, the other part had been thrown away. I had to go to Lowes to get a replacement. -A custom bracket for a motion sensor on the wall was thrown out. You can’t get another mount without buying a whole new sensor. -Our wood floors were never protected throughout the process, and had scratches and marks throughout. One time I found a guy hammering away at the brick, causing the brick pieces to go all over the floor, then he was stepping on the pieces as he continued to hammer away. Yes, that will damage the floor just a little. Ed’s fix, after multiple requests, was leaving a can of polyurethane spray behind (which makes them look worse). There were other examples but I think I’ve made my point. I usually take on projects myself, but figured this one time I’d pay the money to let a professional do it right, without me having to take the time and effort to do it myself. I feel like I paid the money, but still had to work as the foreman to make sure things were done right, were fixed and to limit the amount of damage caused by his crew. I will say he had a couple of talented guys working for him, but unfortunately Ed doesn’t have more guys like them, and doesn’t have the time to oversee his crews properly. To summarize, I wish I could give him a better review, but due to the hassle of the mistakes and having to live in a dirty construction zone for 5 weeks (with a 1 and 2 year old) after being told 1 week, I cannot recommend S & A Construction for future projects.