[NavyCO]

You are 100% correct Sidney!

Originally Posted by Sidney Lanier

I would not hesitate, then, to print out the thread up to this point and mail it to her. A couple of times we had issues with merchants when we first moved in, and applying pressure by explaining about the existence of community blogs--meaning shared info about many things including problems with merchants--certainly helped.

[lasvegas]

I do not understand what your problem is and why you go on and on about it. I have finished the job and the job has been done. You just keep going on about it and I am sick of it. This site is for I guess nothing but bad mouthing people and I am tired of it. I did a nice job for you at a better price then anyone else would do it for. You did not bother to show the pictures of the back that we did the lanai and everything and redo the curbing that you messed up for free. You failed to mention that. And you only gave me 600.00 not half of the money up front and the job would have been done sooner, but you had to go out of town. Now please leave me alone.

[Sidney Lanier]

Originally Posted by lasvegas

This site is for I guess nothing but bad mouthing people and I am tired of it.

... there is a GREAT DEAL MORE available on this site than just contractor recommendations--and which contractors to avoid!

[NavyCO]

They do good work, at low prices. Besides my wife and I for which they did a job (somewhat late), they did do the work finally and in good order.
We are happy with the work Paradise did, and so are some of our neighbors.

R. Knauer

[backwbowl]

i am happy it only took you a month and a half to have the work completed. however, bottom line is still it took totv for them to finish. but i guess if they would have though it over( in a true business)a month and a half= 45 days 45 customers gone...

[Nana18]

We had to go to Crimes against Seniors at the Sheriff's office about a General Contractor we hired to close in our lanai. By the time he and his sub contractors got done part of our living room ceiling came down we got mold and the patio they poured all cracked - they cut the phone line the DSL line and the sprinkler system in the back of the house - it was a nightmare for us for months - the people he hired disappeared into the "black hole" somewhere and so didn't he for awhile. The Sheriff told us that everyone that has work done should come and check with them to see if they have a complaint filed with them. Crimes against Seniors work with the Attorney General's office. The General Contractor is still in business and I wonder how many other people have been ripped off by this guy. He had references and all the insurance certificates and the contractors license required to no avail. It was costly and caused us much stress. My husband had to finish alot of the work so we could put our 4 year old house back together. If anyone wants to know the name of this guy I will be happy to tell you. Also, what I was told is that these horrible contractors change the name of their business once they get in trouble and they are never found. So beware of these guys they are out there.

[CameraLady]

Has anyone successfully used Mansfield Landscaping? They have a wonderful brochure with glowing Testimonials. However, a beautiful 4-page glossy expressing promises and consumer satisfactions doesn't really prove anything. I'm from The North and have been bred to be very cautious.

[Bryan]

Did you know you know that any Villager can call The Villages Warranty Department (352-753-6222) and they will give you names of contractors for various services which they recommend. They have vetted these contractors, know they are licensed (when required), insured, etc. They are all contractors who are in "good standing" with The Villages Construction Office, according to a recent article in The Daily Sun. Do not expect to get a real "deal" as these are not always the cheapest - but then you get what you pay for.

[redwitch]

I like the people at the Home Warranty Department -- have to deal with them quite a bit and they've never failed me. That being said, I really wouldn't trust any recommendation from any Villages department. An individual who works for TV and has personally used a contractor, yes, but not just because it is a contractor or sub-contractor vetted by TV. Sadly, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the contractors pay a fee for the recommendations.

Some of the contractors are truly awesome and deserve every bit of business they get. Some are just okay or so-so at best. Some are downright awful. Many do a good job for TV because it is where most of their money comes from. Individual work is more a sideline for them and the individual rarely gets the same care and attention that TV does.

You don't always get what you pay for.

[baileysdad]

I have used LANDSCULTURE to do my 2 houses in the Villages..they are prompt, do what they say they are going to do ( and MORE !!!) in fact the owner was driving by my house and noticed one of the plants was not doing so well ( because of the severe winter we had) ...she had her crew over that day to change the plant !!! the price was fair and my house did not look like everybody elses !!!

if you want to see for yourself...send me a note and I'll give you my address to drive by...it's worth more than any picture

they have my vote

[vickimannino]

1

[PennBF]

We had our lani enclosed and used White's Aluminum. Their price was good, they were here when they said they would be and did an excellant job. Very happy with them. We also used Munn's for air conditioning and they were again here on time, made a small error on installation and responded quickly to fix it and even made it better than originally ordered. Again, happy with them and would use them again. Just some good news on contractors.

[vickimannino]

1

[NavyCO]

Recently, it came to our attention that the original builder never bothered to caulk and cover the Styrofoam tops above our windows and door headers on our 2 year old home. Wasn't caught on final inspection, and who in the world would get on a 16 foot ladder to check to see if the builder of the home did what they were supposed to do? Nobody would.

So...weather and rain caused leaks and drywall to bubble and crumbed around the windows, and when I went to the WARRANTY Department to speak to Dennis, the manager, and told him about the "latent" defect in workmanship, he did the RIGHT THING, and send the builder back to caulk and paint it, and to re-dryall the damaged areas inside the house. This proves that Dennis and the Warranty Department can do the right thing when needed, and not required the home owner to end up in unnecessary litigation. THANKS DENNIS and HOME WARRANTY DEPARTMENT! That is what good customer service is all about.

Now into another CS note: for all home owners with stucco homes, do yourself a favor both at closing and later if need be to prevent the kind of water damage I have described....GET UP ON A LADDER 18 FOOTER and check for yourself to ensure that all moldings and styrofoam decrorative fittings on the exterior are properly caulked and sealed and if not contact the WARRANTY department immediately to have the builder to it right.

Even top quality builder workers will NOT do what they are supposed to if they think nobody will ever get up on a ladder to inspect what they should have done. If nobody is going to check for proper caultking up hight--they won't do it--so you need to. If you are a female and don't have an able bodied man, hire somebody to get up their and check it out and take photos of it for you, so you can see the proof.

DO NOT RELY ON THE BUILDER TO DO ALL THE THINGS REQUIRED IF YOU CAN'T SEE BUT ONLY AT EYE LEVEL. TRUST NO ONE--but know that the warrany department and Dennis Stradinger will do what is correct when needed.

[quill]

Navyco
Would you explain what you mean by having caulk above your windows and doors. I assume you mean on the top of the decorative bump outs? If so should that not already be covered by the stucco top coat and and not a problem? Or are you talking about immediately above the windows themselves? If so then the windows were not installed correctly as they are supposed to have a rubber membrane around the opening prior to window placement and stucco and also chaulked. The bump out goes on last and should not allow for water to seep in if the basic stucco job, (ie sealing prior to the stucco coats) is done correctly. Closing in Dec on a stucco home, so I would like to know more. And what kind of house do you have that requires an 18 foot latter to view these things? Or maybe a better question is where are you looking?
Thanks for any more help you can give.