[BETHPAGE BLACK]

Just a reminder for anyone thinking of expanding their lanai..to NOT USE..Advanced Construction...My lanai is now one year old and leaks in many places (not a dribble mind you but huge puddles)..This builder has not properly repaired it, is blaiming TV builders, the window supplier etc.. He has been contacted by Seniors against Crime and they have informed me he will not cooperate with them..I must take him to court..I still live in NY so that is not an option for me..When I get to TV permanently, I will have it repaired by someone else.."lesson well learned" for me...I DO NOT WANT ANYONE ELSE TO MAKE MY MISTAKE..When someone post that a company is good and reliable on this site..use that company dont go find someone from the newspaper..I know of many people who have used Genisis and Whites who are extremely happy.I made a big mistake...

[k2at]

Laura, I am sorry you had this bad experience with Advanced Construction, but your comment about if a contractor gets good reviews on this board he should be the one u use, does not hold up either.

I used Sunscape Landscaping to landscape my property and he got great reviews on this site. I paid him $5000 and got taken to the cleaners. Once the money was in his hands, he was gone. Would not return phone calls nor email.

I guess we must use other means to find honest contractors as some of the current native contractors think The Villages is a "pot of Gold" to be tapped as often as possible.

If I sound bitter, I guess I am.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by k2at

Laura, I am sorry you had this bad experience with Advanced Construction, but your comment about if a contractor gets good reviews on this board he should be the one u use, does not hold up either.

I used Sunscape Landscaping to landscape my property and he got great reviews on this site. I paid him $5000 and got taken to the cleaners. Once the money was in his hands, he was gone. Would not return phone calls nor email.

I guess we must use other means to find honest contractors as some of the current native contractors think The Villages is a "pot of Gold" to be tapped as often as possible.

If I sound bitter, I guess I am.

The home warranty department has a list of recommended contractors.

[K9-Lovers]

Thank you, Bethpage, for the warning. Sometimes these contractors will do a good job for some, who then recommend them on this board. But, that's not a guarantee of good workmanship as I found out the hard way with James of Alexander tile. From now on, I'll bet both you and I will do more homework before contracting with another company.

[BETHPAGE BLACK]

Originally Posted by re-tire

Boy, and Advanced Const advertises all the time on WVLG and say they are "Villagers"

He states he is avillager bt is a very young man. When I first hired him, there was an issue where I called him and he didnt respond for a long time, His office manager told me that he had just bought a home with a large piece of property. I asked "in the villages" she stated "NO"..I assumed he was living with Mom in TV then finally got a place of his own..This is my supposition only..but he does advertise that he is a Villager.....and yes he advertises all the time...I know of a few people that stopped construction mid-way because they had a problem with him..
We all learn by our mistakes...I may make a little Koi Pond in my lanai...

[BETHPAGE BLACK]

By the way I just checked the address of the company Advanced Construction LLC and found I am absolutely correct his address is listed as 4075 County Road 106
Oxford, FL 34484
So...his first lie is in the newspaper ads; he claims to be "a villager".....

[bike42]

Originally Posted by BETHPAGE BLACK

By the way I just checked the address of the company Advanced Construction LLC and found I am absolutely correct his address is listed as 4075 County Road 106
Oxford, FL 34484
So...his first lie is in the newspaper ads; he claims to be "a villager".....

I'm not defending Advanced Construction or anyone else, but this is unfair -- you cannot conduct a business from your home in TV. TOTV's administrators have told us about their experience with this.

[golf2140]

My only question would be, why give a contractor an advance payment. If they are responsible business people you should pay when the project is complete. Just a thought and that's how I do business

[BETHPAGE BLACK]

My older posts explain what happened. I was down in Fl for 2 weeks before returning home to NY..The lanai was done the day before I left for home. It started raining and they couldnt complete it entirely as the caulking wouldnt hold. It was almost done and they wanted payment. which I did from NY when I was advised it was completed and that the inspectors had been out to inspect it.. a few weeks later my home watch guy told me abou the leaks which they kept coming out to fix. All they did was add more caulking until it looked like a child had gone to town with play dough.. This has been ongoing for a year..and I am not down there to take them to court...

[saratogaman]

I, too, have contacted the warranty office for recommendations for a variety of jobs. Each one has been excellent -- prompt and reasonable.
They certainly know who are the good guys and who are not.

[Skip2MySue]

Originally Posted by saratogaman

I, too, have contacted the warranty office for recommendations for a variety of jobs. Each one has been excellent -- prompt and reasonable.
They certainly know who are the good guys and who are not.

Thanks for the heads up. Sounds like a great place to go for a referral and eliminate the guess work.
Skip

[784caroline]

Originally Posted by golf2140

My only question would be, why give a General contractor an advance payment. If they are responsible business people you should pay when the project is complete. Just a thought and that's how I do business

If you are doing a $20-30,000 lanai enclosure, it is not unresonable for the contractor to set up "draws" or progress payments as the work progresses. This would be 10 % at contract signing,then a certain amount at preparation of site work (concrete laid, block up etc), then a % at delivery of material (this could be windows, roofing material etc), and finally 10-15% for final payment.

If you are dealing with a reputable contractor, thats the way its going to work, for these jobs often take months....whereas landscapers can complete most of their jobs with in one week so its payment upon completion.

[tommy steam]

Originally Posted by bike42

I'm not defending Advanced Construction or anyone else, but this is unfair -- you cannot conduct a business from your home in TV. TOTV's administrators have told us about their experience with this.

I don't know anything about this company. Today there was a flyer in the sun from this company. He was listing prices for various things that they build. This is a full page color flyer. It looked impressive and he was listing prices. This is probably the first time since I moved here that I saw an add that listed some sort of prices for projects . His address is now listed as 505 sunbelt rd. suite 5 the villages fl. 32159 . Just putting this info out there. Anyone who is getting work done should get at least three bid from contractors that you have checked out with the BBB.

[mrf6969]

I used Advanced Contruction for a major over $70,000 add on to my home. We found their work to be very good. We had a couple of snags due to delay in custom windows or they would have finished on time. Rich the owner gave us a quote and it came out right on the money. They seem to hire good subs. I will tell you this and that is we have had a couple of issues after this project but the mark of a good company is their response and how they handle the issue. I would grade them an A. From what I can tell they have been in business alot of yrs here in TV area so they must be doing something right. My project has been completed now for about 3 yrs.
30 days ago I had a window issue. I am sure we are way out of the normal warranty. Danny the original project manager sent crew out to fix the problem NO CHARGE. To me this is great customer service and I will recommend Advanced Construction to anyone.

[Madelaine Amee]

Originally Posted by mrf6969

I used Advanced Contruction for a major over $70,000 add on to my home. We found their work to be very good. We had a couple of snags due to delay in custom windows or they would have finished on time. Rich the owner gave us a quote and it came out right on the money. They seem to hire good subs. I will tell you this and that is we have had a couple of issues after this project but the mark of a good company is their response and how they handle the issue. I would grade them an A. From what I can tell they have been in business alot of yrs here in TV area so they must be doing something right. My project has been completed now for about 3 yrs.
30 days ago I had a window issue. I am sure we are way out of the normal warranty. Danny the original project manager sent crew out to fix the problem NO CHARGE. To me this is great customer service and I will recommend Advanced Construction to anyone.

Richard Ortengren (spelling?) owns this company. His Father and brothers are all in business in Oxford and are highly thought of locally. His company did a major rebuild for me some four or five years ago, we are extremely pleased with their work and have NEVER had any problems with them. No money upfront and excellent subs. After seeing our job, my next door neighbor used them for a massive rebuild and they are more than pleased with their work and they are now doing what appears to be almost a rebuild about four houses down from me.

Would highly recommend this excellent builder, I hardly think he would still be in business if his work was inferior.