Request for Recommendations

Shaowei Li is asking for a contractor recommendation to work on her kitchen and bathrooms remodeling.  So many people have helped residents with their recommendations in the past. I hope that this will continue.  Shaowei would also like to have some recommendations on contractors who do roof replacement/repairs.

Here is Shaowei's email:

Dear Harvey, We want to have our kitchen and bathrooms remodeling. Do you know any good company? 

Thanks! Shaowei Li 

301-299-8877

Harvey

Recommendations Wanted for Window Replacement in Inverness

I received the following email from Inverness resident Judy Chen:

The windows in my Inverness village house are not working too well. I wonder if anyone in the community  has repaired/replaced the windows and would like to share their experience with me I will be much appreciated.  Thanks. Judy Chen from Inverness village

If you have any recommendations or suggestions for Judy, please leave a comment on this post or send me an email.  Also, if you have had a good or bad experience with window replacement, please fill out the Contractor Recommendation Form by clicking on this link or the link in the sidebar to the right.  This will help other people who might have a similar question in the future.

Harvey iftblog@gmail.com

Recommendation Needed for Deck Contractor

Inverness resident Maria Sarria would like a recommendation from the readers of the Inverness Forest Today blog for a contractor that can rebuild her deck.  She has checked the Contractor List but no one has provided a recommendation for a company that works on decks.  Here is Maria's email:

Hi Harvey,

We want to rebuild our deck but don't have any clue of what contractor would be good for the job. We already check the Inverness contractors list but didn't find one. Do you have any names of contractors that have worked in our neighborhood?

Thanks a lot,

Maria Sarria

If you have had your deck worked on and have a recommendation for Maria, good or bad, please let me know.  As usual, you can leave a comment on this blog post or send me an email at: iftblog@gmail.com

Thanks,

Harvey

Harvey Levine

iftblog@gmail.com

Another Warning About Hiring Itinerant Workmen

Someone knocked on my door this evening and told me that "they" were doing some window installation work in the neighborhood and would like to give everyone who signed up a group discount.

I remembered the horror stories that we heard two years ago concerning residents being scammed in our community.  I wrote a blog post on the subject here on Inverness Forest Today (April 19, 2009 -- see link below)

I was particularly suspicious because the "sales rep" didn't have any business cards, or glossy brochures with pictures of satisfied customers admiring their work.  I asked the "rep" the name of the company a few times without getting an answer.  Instead he told me that their company was on the "Approved List of the Homeowners Association".

I imagine most readers of Inverness Forest Today know that I've been on the board of directors of our homeowners association (Inverness Forest Association) for many years -- in fact almost seven years.  I can assure you that there is no such thing as an Approved List of the Homeowners Association.  Your board of directors does not endorse any company or contractor.

I again asked the "rep" the name of his company and this time he said, "Home Fix It".  I told him he was lying through his teeth, that I'm on the board of directors, and that we do not endorse any company.  He quickly turned and left.

I don't know if this "rep" is a scam artist or not, but I do know he's a liar.

Please be very careful about giving money and signing contracts with itinerant workman who knock on your door and give you a sales pitch.  It you decide to consider hiring the contractor, at least take a few common sense precautions:

• Ask for the name and address of people in our community for whom they did work.  Go to those references and ask about the quality of the work performed by the contractor -- and did they, if fact, do any work.
• Ask for a written estimate, on company letterhead. If you decide to go ahead, make sure you have a written contract (again on company letterhead) with the nature of the work spelled out and the complete cost specified.
• Make sure the contract specifies a small deposit up front and not all or most of the agreed cost up front.  The remainder should be due upon the satisfactory completion of the work, or, for a big job, in increments as the work progresses.
• Make sure the workmen are "bonded" by getting a copy of the insurance company's certificate for that contractor.  This is very important!  If you hire someone who is not bonded and they get injured while working on your property, you could be sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more).  

---

Please read the IFT blog post of April 19, 2009 at the link below.  I covered many of these issues at that time and there were some excellent comments and stories about scam artists and shoddy workers in our community.

Here is a link to the Inverness Forest Today Post of April 19, 2009:


http://invernessforest.blogspot.com/2009/04/warning-on-itinerant-roof-repair.html


One more thought: the Contractor List (link in the sidebar) provides information from residents who have hired contractors and rated their performance.  Read the Contractor List to see if there are recommendations for the kind of work you need performed.  Fill out the Contractor Form (also in the sidebar) telling about your experience with your contractor -- good or bad.


Harvey

Help with Front Door Replacement

Inverness resident Nicole Fleisher has a question that perhaps can be answered by someone in our community. Here is the email she sent me:

I'm writing with an Inverness conundrum.  We're trying to replace the front door, door frame, and sidelights on our Carnation model, but have been having trouble finding a contractor to do the work.  Since the doorframe has a slight curve at the top, this essentially means that a new frame has to be custom built, and there don't seem to be many companies/people to do this.  

Do you know of anyone in the neighborhood who has had this done?  (i.e a full door frame replacement in addition to the door).  Any thoughts from you or the blog audience would be appreciated!

-Nicole Fleisher

 If anyone has used a contractor to do the work that Nicole wants done, please let me know in any of these ways:

• Send me an email at iftblog@gmail.com
• Leave a comment to this post
• Fill out the Contractor Form (link in the sidebar) so that your response will be available to the entire community on the Contractor List (link also in the sidebar)

Thanks for any help you can provide Nicole and perhaps others who might be thinking of doing the same thing.

Harvey

ftblog@gmail.com

Contractor List Revisited

I received the following email from Inverness resident Valen Brown:

Do you know if anyone in Inverness Village has had a good experience with oak floor refinishers? I'm considering doing the kitchen floor--

Thanks Valen

This reminded me that we have a "Contractor Recommendation Form" that lets Inverness residents enter information on specific contractors and describe their experience. The contractor information is automatically entered on the "Contract List" for everyone to see.

The sidebar (on the right) contains links to both the Contractor Recommendation Form and the Contractor List. There are currently 13 entries on the list. Although all the contractors listed by residents are highly praised, it would be equally helpful to learn about contractors that have not met your expectations or have been downright terrible. Even if a contractor you've used is already on the list, it would still be helpful to have additional opinions on that contractor

Thanks to those of you who have previously provided information on contractors that they have used. If you would like to share information about a contractor with the Inverness community, please fill out the Contractor Form by clicking on the link in the sidebar.

If you have a recommendation for Valen, please fill out the Contractor Recommendation Form.

Thanks

Harvey,

Harvey Levine
iftblog@gmail.com

Survey of Contractors Used by Homeowners

I received the following email from Arthur Green, an Inverness Forest resident:

Am looking specifically for a structural engineer ..have a room in my model (similar to your end unit) where a floor is beginning to sag

Appreciated
arthur
Arthur E. Green

Arthur's email reminded me that our website used to have a list of contractors recommended by IFA homeowners. The list has not been maintained for many years and was removed because it was obsolete. I would like to create a new online list of contractor recommendations and make it available on the Inverness Forest Association website and here on Inverness Forest Today.

I would like to hear about your experiences, both good and bad, with contractors you've hired to do work inside your house and outside (roofers, landscaping, tree work, etc.). To make it easier for you, I've created a simple online form to fill out. I will compile your responses into an online database so that we can all benefit from your experiences.

You may fill out the form anonymously if you wish, although it would be helpful to homeowners if they knew who provided the information in case they have a question.

This is an ongoing project, so please fill out a copy of the form anytime you hire a contractor and wish to share your experience with the community. I have added a link to the Contractor Recommendation Form in the sidebar column on the right (under Inverness Links) so it will be easy to access the form anytime you visit Inverness Forest Today. I've also added a link to the list of your recommendations just below and called it "Contractor List." If someone else has provided information on a contractor you've used, you can still fill out the form to describe your experience with this contractor, which might be different.

Here is the link to the form:
Contractor Recommendation Form

If you can answer Arthur's question, please fill out the form and I'll pass on your information. In addition, I have received many questions about who to hire to do roof work. So if you had a roof installed/repaired on your house in the past several years, please click on the Contractor Recommendation Form link above and tell us about your experience.


Harvey
ifatreasurer@mac.com

Request for Help with a Leaky Basement

I've received the following eamil from Inverness resident Yasaman Shirazi about a problem with a leaky basement.

Dear Harvey,
Do you know of anyone who can fix my leak problem in the basement. The water is coming from the top of the sliding door through the dry wall. I had someone work on it before, but it doesn't seem to have worked. Maybe someone who understands construction a bit more be helpful. Thanks

If you have a suggestion for Yasaman, please leave a comment on this post (so others can see it too) or you may email Yasaman at
y_shir@yahoo.com

(if you don't leave a comment, please copy me on your email so I can add your advise to the message board -- thanks)


Harvey
ifatreasurer@mac.com