Forbes Remodeling & Construction

Forbes Can Fix It!
Hurricane Irma had just had her way with Brevard County when we decided to have our lanai enclosed and used as an extension of our living room. What should have taken a few months at most ended up encompassing almost a year, and was quite Shakespearian, a comedy of errors.
We had solicited three estimates from contractors through Buildzoom because neither Home Advisor nor Angie’s List responded to our request. Like in the fairy tale, one was too cheap, one was too expensive, and one, Mr. Forbes, was just right. We interviewed Chester twice and then signed a contract for: raising the floor in the lanai to the same height as the living-room, replacing screening with hurricane strength windows with marble window sills, adding a door from the lanai to the outside, removing sliders in the guest room and replacing them with French doors, removing sliders from the living-room to open the living space, removing carpet in living-dining area and replacing everything with high-quality laminate from the lanai into the living-dining room, adding recessed lighting in the new enclosure, installation of electrical sockets, insulation, dry wall, and painting the new enclosure.
The destination is beautiful, but the “road” leading to it contained many bumps and detours.
1. Time factor. Following the storm damage in the area, the building permits were hopelessly backed up, which we did not discover until the project stopped and could not proceed until it was inspected. This was in March, 2017. We had travel plans booked which could not be cancelled, so the project was discontinued at our request until we returned in late Sept. Still no building inspection! Electricity, air, windows, doors, had all been installed, drywall up (first attempt had to be torn out due to incorrect installation), but the project was still stuck in Limbo. We drove to the building inspector ourselves, who explained the backup and assured us we would have an inspector there the next week. Finally!
2. Quality of work: Chester’s employee, one of the hardest working people we have ever met and a nice guy to boot, was not a “fine carpenter” and was obviously never a journeyman. Chester had him redo what was amiss. For example, the exit door was not secured with the correct screws, so when we exited through it, the wind caught it and blew it off! Chester hurried over and corrected the situation. This helper also did not read instructions regarding the floor installation and had put down pieces that were damaged. Chester and he ended up un-installing half the flooring and replacing the damaged pieces. Likewise the area below the window sills was not finished and painted.
3. Big surprise: One would think that a licensed contractor would be fully aware of building code. Because the guestroom slider was now a door and the outdoor lanai was now indoors, we needed a window installed in our guestroom. $3000+ for material and workmanship (which we had to have redone because of the sloppy job this other worker did. The space between the window sills and the walls was not caulked or painted, so we had our painters repair it—Chester is reimbursing us that expense).
4. Finished product: beautiful. The outside stucco perfectly matches the original; storm windows are excellent and dampen the noise from I-95; ceiling, recessed LCD lighting, electrical installation is almost perfect (one light should be pushed up into the casing); flooring is gorgeous and now correctly laid, the painter was so careful and did not get paint anywhere than were it should be; Chester was right at our door when we called or texted him. He even replaced the outside door I thought I had ordered but didn’t; He is personable and genuinely concerned about the work of his employees and his reputation as a builder.
As former teachers, we are used to evaluating performance (getting work done on time) and end-product. We both agree that Chester has earned a B for performance (we feel he should have known about the delays prior to signing the contract plus some aspects had to be redone. He did stay in touch and corrected what was needed) and an A for the finally completed project.
If you decide to contract with Forbes Can Fix It, discuss this evaluation with him. Also, it helps to have your flooring, paint shades, types of windows already picked out so there are no surprised. Sign the suggested contract listed on the website Buildzoom. They are there to help you solve any issues you might encounter with your contractor. We, by the way, always came to an agreement with Chester Forbes himself, so we never felt we needed their assistance.
We recommend Forbes Can Fix It if you can deal with the disruptions. The end job is beautiful. End price: $33,674
Diane and Gerry Adams