We are extremely satisfied with the work Eric performed finishing our basement. We would recommend him without reservation. His work was excellent, detailed, on schedule and exactly on cost. This was a our first big contractor job and we had heard the horror stories from friends about bad remodels, so I was very careful in picking the right person. I picked 5 contractors from Angieslist. One never called back, another one (he had a regular job and did this on the side) wanted close to $50k for the work. Of the other three, all were similar in price. I picked Eric for the following reasons: The others took several days to contact me and over a week to provide an estimate. They did not return calls for days, I had to call to make sure they were working on it. Eric called back the same day and arranged a visit within two days. He was very meticulous in measuring and discussing what we wanted and spend much more time then others doing so. He emailed a detailed diagram and estimate to us the next day. My wife and daughter wanted to know what the estimates would be for different configurations and feedback on them. He gladly provided several different designs and detailed feedback on them. Eric has been building homes for 20 years and we realized he has extensive design experience and a keen eye to what will or will not work aesthetically. By the time the others provided their initial estimates, Eric had provided several and had spend a considerable amount of time and effort in making sure we were heard and satisfied with the proposal.
During the work, Eric was always on time and respectful of our home. At the end of each day he left his work area clean and all his tools carefully stored, always leaving a neat and safe work area. He provided detailed updates of his progress. A couple of times, he mentioned small changes to the original design that he felt would be better, these were always at no additional cost. At one point, I asked if doing some extra work in the furnace area would increase the value of the home and that I would pay for it if he thought it did. He noted that while if would look nicer it was not something that would increase the price when we sell. I was impressed with his honestly, I expected most contractors would have tried to sell me on getting more work done.
Quality of work: We could not be happier. Eric appears to take great pride on the quality and detail of his work and it really showed. The work was impeccable. On the next to last day, Eric spend close to a day, going over every inch of the basement, doing touchups to the paint and trim. Even though he is finished, he requested to come back after the carpet is in to make sure any nicks or scrapes they make are taken care of at no additional cost.
Interaction: Eric always arrived and left on time. When not there, he either took my calls immediately or called back within the hour. While working, he was always ready to answer questions and provide feedback as requested on fixtures and paint choices we made. In his interactions with us he was always very professional, polite, and work oriented. He was always on task and schedule.
In summary, we could not have been more satisfied with the work and our Interactions with Eric. We are planning some more remodeling and will, without question, have him to the work. We know we will get the highest quality work at a reasonable price.