This was my first reno in my first house. When the contractor that I had lined up for the job pulled out at the last minute, I knew I was in big trouble. A co-worker told me about Homestars, and after a bit of digging, I found a number for Reiner, the Reno Coach. His reviews seemed positive, I figured I had nothing to lose, so I gave him a call. We set up a meeting to meet at the house the next day.
I had just taken possession of the house, and we had set aside 45 days before moving in to complete (or mostly complete) the project. The contractor that gave me the original estimate had just pulled out, so the clock was running. My bank had financing for the renovation conditional on project completion, making my budget planning a bit of a challenge.
Reiner and I had a long talk about the seriousness of my situation, and he talked me through exactly how we could solve the problems and get my family moved into the house on-budget and on-schedule. We formulated a plan, and Reiner got immediately to work interviewing contractors, and getting estimates. What struck me immediately about the Reno Coach is how well he communicates. Emails, SMSes, phone calls were returned promptly, I was kept up to date on the progress of contractor schedules, engineering drawings, the status of all permit applications, etc. Things went smoothly, things went quickly.
We (ie. Reiner) found a contractor that could start the job with only a week notice. The contractor turned out to be excellent. He had a well run crew, he completed jobs on time, he asked the right questions and helped make decisions that kept the project on track. If there were any problems, and there were a lot, I could count on Reiner and the contractor to come up with excellent solutions. I could trust these guys.
Reiner took care of the rocky road that is engineering / drawings / permits / inspectors. Surprises happen in any project and mine was no different. When we got the news back that we had to beef up a beam in the basement, Reiner had already got the costs and schedule by the time I talked to him about it. He laid out all my options clearly and always had my budget in mind. We found reasonable trade-offs, made informed decisions, and got the project quickly back on track.
The job is now complete. We moved in on-time, as planned. The total cost of the project was right on, and we are more than pleased with the work of all the tradesmen and contractors that were involved in the project. I estimate that Reiner saved me at least $10,000 and god knows how much time. I recommend the Reno Coach, without reservation.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $60,000.00