First American Landscape & Masonry

Though his company’s name might suggest his craftsmanship is limited to landscaping & masonry, Vinny Alvarez is licensed as a Home Improvement Contractor by the state of CT and had all the skills and experience needed to rebuild my 1920 house’s front porch in compliance with current standards and using the wider variety of building materials available in 2020. He seems to be a man who both enjoys his work and respects it, which means he uses both sound materials and sound practices in his work. He worked with a small crew (no more than 2 for my project) and Vinny was the person who did the work which required the highest level of expertise. When he himself wasn’t on the job site (rare and only for short intervals) whoever was working with him that day worked diligently so he sets and communicates his high standards and work ethic to the people who work for him. Vinny kept me informed of the project’s progress and even of his own arrivals and departures if they were non-routine (that was a 1st for me!)
I found him honest not just on the business side of his work but also regarding his trade. I know that when a contractor is trying to get hired for a project there is considerable incentive to tell a client what she wants to hear. Vinny is absolutely agreeable to do what a client or town building inspector wants (as long as it’s not contrary to what he thinks is sound practice) but he also offers his own viewpoint in a polite & friendly way. I hire a contractor for his professional expertise so if there’s something I need to know I need a contractor who’s willing to tell me even before he’s gotten the job so I appreciated that. He is also honest about what he is willing to take on as a project and I like that too. I wouldn’t want a contractor who allowed himself to be pressured to take on a project: I don’t think that pays off for either the contractor or the client.
The problems encountered with this project were minor. I started looking for contractors just as the Covid19 pandemic began to spread in CT. This caused some delays in getting building supplies due to quarantines, restrictions and fewer people working. This resulted in Vinny moving on to another project when the project was almost done which I would not begrudge to any contractor in the circumstances. If I can’t pay a contractor and his crew to sit idle while my project is delayed by 3rd parties or other circumstances I think it’s unreasonable to prevent that contractor from earning $$ (and future recommendations) elsewhere. Of course once engaged in another project the contractor has obligations to it and the new client. That said, the last piece of my porch- a trellis for two climbing vines that attaches to the porch roof- arrived only 2.5 weeks after the rest was completed and Vinny delivered it late on a Saturday afternoon (and that wasn’t even his last task of the day.)
Because First American also handles masonry I decided to add two paved paths to the porch rebuild. These replaced two concrete paths from the town sidewalk to the front steps of the porch and to the paved patio in back. BuildZoom had encouraged us to get certain provisos into the porch contract but we received little active guidance. We would submit a contract for vetting by BZ and would be told what was missing but not how to correct it. I have proficiency in written English but cannot write a technical description when I don’t know the techniques involved; Vinny, who did, did not have the writing skills. We both got very frustrated with this part of the project: it took close to 3 weeks. So with this supplementary project Vinny and I were both eager to avoid any further delays so we just had a conversation about it. We walked down the path to the back patio and I just waved my hand at it and said “Like this.” Vinny gave me a price and I agreed to it. I had assumed (with no written proposal) that this Project B would be discussed in detail before work began and did not realize that Vinny would just incorporate it into the larger Project A. The pavers for the 2 paths were laid before I received and signed the contract for Project B. My first impression upon seeing the new paths was how stunningly good they looked; my 2nd impression was surprise at the color of the pavers which were pure gray vs. the gray-tan mix of the patio pavers and the foundation stone. This goes back to me waving my hand and saying “Like this”- I realized then that left a lot of room for interpretation. (I have learned a few lessons myself with this project on how to be a better client.). They were (and are) beautiful paths and I could see that but I couldn’t _not_ see the color discrepancy. I said nothing about it to Vinny but took photos after he left and sent them to people who’d been following this project to see what their reaction was. They oohed and aahed and if my sister had lived in this state she would’ve hired him at once to redo her front path. I mentioned the color mismatch and my dismay. My sister told me my sense of it would wear off once I got accustomed to it. Which turned out to be exactly what happened. In less than 48 hours I went from being resigned to the colors not matching to seeing some creative possibilities using different colors with future projects. Furthermore once the new paths got a few rain showers and dirt from the garden blew on them what had seemed like an eye-popping contrast in color became muted to the point of being barely noticeable. So I am glad I did not become Path-zilla over it. I don’t think Vinny ever realized he hadn’t showed me the pavers or given me a choice of colors; he told me once how he could picture a project in his head before he started and I think this was just an oversight. In general I thought Vinny’s aesthetic judgement was very good (or maybe it just matched mine.)
Since Vinny is both agreeable and extremely capable I would simply advise future clients to let him know what’s important to them and get those items in a written contract before work begins. If I had done that, I would have avoided this minor mishap which turned out to be minor indeed.
I would certainly hire Vinny Alvarez for another project if he wanted to take it on. I have a beautiful new porch and paths (a neighbor recently asked me who had done the paths as she was thinking of redoing hers) and he was as easy to work with as colleagues in my office whom I’ve worked with for years.