It's not often, as a customer, that you get a phone call directly from the business owner AFTER one has elected to go with a competitor... and after one has written a not-so-great review here on Yelp. Yesterday, I felt it necessary to write review that wasn't complimentary about my experience with the sales rep who came to our place in Fairhope. I'll leave where it is. But giving credit where it is due, today I had the opportunity to speak directly with Scott--the owner of 1st Choice Home Improvements, who cared enough to call me and apologize, and wanted to know the details. How often do we see THAT these days? A business owner who is present , cares, and is hands-on enough to make a phone call. Scott McCartney, owner of 1st Choice, came across as compassionate and committed, friendly and professional. He reinforced in my mind that his company is a first class organization, in spite of the experience that I had on a "one call close" sales presentation. I think these guys are definitely "legit", but I also recommend getting other bids and educating yourself about your own project before committing. read more

I made a service regarding my year old sunroom and I must say that the service was great! The young man came out today and handled our problem with lizards sneaking in and told us that if we see another, we need only call and they will be come back and take further steps as needed. read more

Josh & Brian did a fantastic job on the remodel of our 3 bathrooms! The work was completed in just 8 days. They were here on time to get started every AM & did great work. read more

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Replaced my original construction glass with storm rated double hung windows ostensibly under the "Florida My Safe Home" grant program. Nothing but good experiences with their team; Craig (sales writer) was extremely thorough in making sure I had all the information I needed to start the program and the rest of the staff kept me on track. Just got the check today with the full grant amount covering almost 2/3 of the project. Will have no problem recommending them to my friends here in the area. read more

The window installation was done wrong and I have picture to show you I have rotten wood and mold because the water run into my walls and cause alot of damage read more

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I am leaving this for my disabled aunt and uncle who suffered a horrific auto accident (not their fault) in June 2024 and needed to have the master and guest bathrooms redone to accommodate their new physical limitations. When they met with the sales person in February they were told 8-10 weeks to start then the project would be done in 7-10 days. Received a call in mid April. It was time for their remodel to start the following week. Had relatives from out of town come in and help empty all cabinets and extra from the room for the workers. The following Monday expected the crew to appear only to have no one show. In fact no one came for the week. My aunt called and finally was told the work would start the next week as there was a family emergency with the assigned person. I was in town to help them during the renovation. The next week arrived and two workers did show around 9:00 am did the demo of the room and left at 12:30 for the day. Next day workers showed and began to frame out the new shower, install the new vanity and laid the new floor in the one bathroom but left out the transit piece between the carpet and the new floor and left just after noon. No one else showed up for any other work to be completed (countertops etc). Following day (Wednesday) they were suppose to have another person bring the shower pan in his pickup as it was too big for the pickup the installer drove only to have him call in sick and no one else had a truck large enough to bring the pan so no work was done. On Thursday, they were able to have the shower pan delivered and got it installed along with the shower walls. The new flooring was installed in the master bath minus the transit piece between the bedroom carpeting and the start of the new tile. I asked the installer about this as it is a trip issue for my aunt and her walker. Was told he would keep it out until after the vanity was installed so it wouldn't crack/break. No other work was done. My aunt called to inquire when the counter tops/sinks etc would be installed/completed. On Friday of week one, the inspector for the city needed to compete their inspection (it passed but they wanted the shower pan to be filled with water and plugged for the weekend to prove it would hold water. Why? no one understood and he wasn't coming back to check it but the contractor filled and plugged it as requested. Shower not useable for the weekend. Following week, Monday, contractor showed up around 9, drained the water (no further inspection required by the city) and completed the frame out for the new closest. left around 1:00pm. Tuesday contractor came back to lay the new floor in the guest bath (was needed as the ceramic that was there was way too slippery). No work done for the rest of the week. My aunt made multiple unanswered calls. Following Monday she finally received a call back, she explained her frustration on the lack of progress for a supposed 7-10 timeline that was now heading towards 21 days and counting. She was also finally told there was a problem with the new counter tops and the spacing of the mirrors which my aunt told them on day one to remove if they need and if it broke they would get new ones. So here we are week three no work being done, the master bath does not have any working sinks or countertop and the many other items on the punch list are not done. I had to return home to take care of my elderly father and we don't have anybody to help them should this project be completed before her needed surgery in a few weeks. I understand the trades maybe scheduled for multiple jobs at various job sites during the day but why when you tell someone it will only take 7-10 days do you not make sure needed trades scheduled out and lined up so you meet your quoted time line and you don't leave seniors without completed work only to make their getting around that much harder then it already is? When this project gets completed, I'll post a follow-up read more

1st Choice recently did our bathroom remodel, excellent company to work with. Started with Jose in sales and followed through with the following folks: Justin, Billy, John, Allison, Felicia, Tammy, Glenn and Tom. The customer service that was provided was outstanding. Thank you Tom for keeping us in the loop at all times. I will definitely use 1st Choice again and refer them to family and friends. Thank you Shelli B. read more

We contacted 1st Choice about converting a utility closet into a bathroom. They were quick to come out, went through the whole project in detail. We were given a quote and we signed the contract and gave them a deposit check. We were told it would be about 6-8 weeks before they could start. About 2 weeks later, they sent a guy who had "years of construction experience" to do a detailed take-off. He spent about an hour going through and taking measurements and determining how wires and plumbing would be routed. About 8 weeks later we called as we had not heard anything about scheduling and we were told that they would call us back after their Monday scheduling meeting. Next we heard from them, it was a call saying that their guy was at the gate and needed a code to get through. No prior notice that they were going to start work. Their guy, while very professional and skilled, had not been given any information on the job, so I had to walk him through what needed to be done. He started right away demo-ing some sheet rock and figuring out where to run the water/drain lines. Next day, he stubbed in the pipe. That morning I got a call from a contracted electrician saying he was on the way and what did I need him to do? Again, I explained the job to him. (1st choice had not given him any detail, just told him to show up). He came in and looked at the job and determined right away that it would not meet code as we had an electrical panel in that utility room which prevented it being made into a bathroom. The following Monday, 1st Choice sent one of their managers over who informed me that they could not do the project due to code issues. So we wasted 10+ weeks, had purchased fixures and an expensive mirror, had one of the walls torn out and pipe stubbed out only to be told that the project couldn't be done. To say the least, I was shocked that 1st Choice had sent three different people out on the job, none of which knew anything about building codes for bathrooms (this is a national code, not local). They did refund our deposit check within about 10 days of canceling the job. read more

Should call it last choice ...Worst company, greedy charged more than agreed price , and they don't finish the job

1st Choice recently did our bathroom remodel and we could not be happier! Scott and his crew were very helpful and finished in a timely manner. We highly recommend them!! read more

These guys did a complete remodel of my master bedroom. All is well.... a few years later my walk in shower develops a hairline crack in the acrylic floor about 3/4" long.... called them; they sent a representative out to look at it. He took pictures said he would get with the owner and get back with me.... that was nearly two months ago...... crickets!!!! read more

I called for an estimate and a representative from the company came to my home, gave me an estimate for 1439.00. I called him back and said let's do this, I didn't hear from him for a couple of weeks, when I got in touch with him, he told me they stop making that window and he would get back with me, an other two weeks passed and I called the main office. They said they will have him call me. He did and said they just found a replacement for the window yesterday. So the new price is going to be 2500.00. Here's what I think he under bid, told me the window is not made any more and was hoping I wouldn't call back. I will never call them or refer then to anyone I know. And I will contact the BBB. Very bad business ethics. read more

once windows were installed noticed 2 were leaking and 1 was cracked. Been 4 months and still have not come to resolve the issues

I don't know if it's the materials or the craftsmanship or what the problems are but it's taking these guys over 5 days to put in a front door on my neighbor's house It doesn't really bother me that they're over there trying to work just that my dog keeps barking and my neighbor's wife decided she could park her car in front of my driveway because they're big truck was blocking their driveway. read more

My husband and I decided to get new windows. We decided to get the windows a year ago this month we recently had problems with one of our windows that has a leakage and I started calling them in the beginning of October to get this set up I have not had any good responses, nor, did they show up and they were supposed to show up and they wanted us to pay for labor because that's when they scheduled our follow up for the leaky window and wanted to charge us after the fact our one year warranty ran out. They were supposed to show up today to fix the problem No-show no call. The end of October is when my husband called and wanted to speak to the boss, he got a callback but it was from the scheduler and that's when she said he wanted us to schedule us in November so we would have to pay labor. my husband and myself are retired and we really cannot afford to put new windows in at the time, but we did. We paid way too much money for the windows had to wait way too long to get the windows and now this. We do not make a lot of money in retirement to be throwing it out like we did not knowing what we were going to come up against. I do not recommend first choice to anyone who needs anything done. read more

I ordered hurricane shields from First Choice in Nov 2021. They showed up to install in April 2022, which was about the timeframe that I expected. The installers could not determine how to install a large panel across a double set of French doors so they left. Another installer came back in May only to tell us that the panel for the double french doors was not cut properly and would have to be reordered. In July, they attempted a third install. This time I asked that they make sure that all of the panels fit before leaving. It turns out that only one panel was installed properly. They promised to order blank panels and perform a professional install. It's now mid-October and still no progress. I follow up with them every few weeks only to get false promises. I get that it's tough to run a business these days and I have been patient beyond reason with them. I will never use First Choice for any home improvements in the future and neither should you. read more

We engaged the company in April of this year for our home repair resulting from Hurricane Michael. Like many, contractors were difficult to locate. Once a "crew" was dispatched the work went along smoothly for awhile. Very quickly craftsmanship, attention to detail, pride, punctuality began to suffer. There was absolutely no "Quality Control'! Materials purchased in excess....oh what the hey! Miter cuts as well as other cuts, if close, were considered OK and became the standard! Plumbing suffered; holes around pipes not sealed, drywall and flooring showed lack of attention to detail. It became evident that "close was the standard" prior to their "walk-off" in late August. A rating is not warranted nor will a recommendation be given!!!! The review can't be posted without a rating so even though a "single star" is noted.. that's not given with our blessing.. read more

This is a great company to work with! The staff is great! The crews that came out to work were efficient and did a great job!!! I would definitely recommend 1st Choice! read more

These guys have been jerking my 85-year old mother around since April of 2018 and it's now the last week of September. She signed a contract and paid them $9000 to rebuild her deck and replace her windows at her condo in Shalimar, FL and the job is not finished. First of all, the job she asked them to do should have been quoted at under $5000. Any contractors who will take advantage of an elderly lady like that by draining her retirement savings and not providing first-class speedy service should be charged with criminal fraud. read more

Great locally owned & operated company. The staff is very friendly, prompt and courteous. We would highly recommend 1st Choice for any of your home remodeling projects. read more

BEWARE!  Nine Years or so I had First Choice install all high impact windows in my home.  They did a good job selling and installing.  Then 13 months ago I lost the seal on two of the windows.  First Choice jacked me around for 13 months and finally today I got windows replaced.  They make you feel terrible because you can't take off work at a time convenient to them. I work until 2pm and off on Wednesdays. It should not take 13 months to get a warranted window replaced. Then to make it worse, 6 months after they tell me they are under warranty, they claimed one window was not. Had to pay full price for one window.  Go figure?   Both purchased and installed at the same time and all sold to me under one window name and warranty that was included in my purchase package. I sent pictures, they sent installer out 2 times to take more pictures, tried to have me order one of the impact windows, cancelled installation due to an emergency and I had to call after a week to set another time...I hope others have a more pleasant experience when you need an item repaired. Well, they got their money but lost a customer! Buyer Beware! read more

Initially they were very customer oriented, of course. After some time we saw mold growing between the panes. They promptly responded and replaced the windows. Nice. But now with the same issue, apparently, even though we have lifetime warranty, we are on the back burner despite multiple calls over 10 months. To their credit, they did come out after many calls and measured the affected windows, but after, no follow up or replacements. Called again several times and finally I'm tired of it. I guess that was their goal. Ignore and forget. I do not recommend. read more

My husband and I can't thank Craig Stefanik enough! From the very beginning we were nothing short of informed and well educated on our choices for our new home because of him. He listened as we explained our wants and our needs and provided us with the materials to make the right choice of products to suit our new home. Every question was answered in a timely manner (and we had a lot of them). He never attempted to "up sell" us and made sure keeping our wants AND budget needs his main priority. During the installation process Craig made sure things were going as smoothly as possible. Craig followed up and followed through. We look forward to working with Craig and 1st Choice Home Improvements on all of our future needs! read more

as a first time home owner, being in my lower to mid 20s, i didn't have an idea of what to do. so i went to yelp. my wife and i sat through a few estimates with different companies in the area and we chose 1st Choice Home Improvements because we felt Craig was knowledgeable and attentive to our needs, we needed new windows. the original ones were hazy and leaking air. i would definitely use 1st Choice again read more

My home improvement project was the demolition and remodel of a bathroom (15'x6'). I signed the proposal on 9/21/16 and the job was completed on 11/22/16. The 1st Choice personnel were very helpful in providing tips and directing us to vendors to choose materials and fixtures. All the work that was done with the demolition and remodel met or exceeded my expectations. Work done by the carpenters, tilers, plumbing, electrician, painter was done professionally with attention to cleanup afterwards. I did think the job took about a week to ten days longer than it had to. I would definitely recommend Ist Choice to anyone looking to do home improvements. read more

I will NEVER use or recommend this company to anyone! Your director of sales Craig Stefanik is TERRIBLE!! My husband and I are younger and just bought a house and have money to do some remodeling. So we wanted to get a walk in shower. He first came to the door and when i opened it he looked at me like he was at the wrong house. I invited him in and told him I could show him the bathroom.( my husband was on his way home). My husband got home so he was now talking to both of us about all the choices and different designs we could go with. He was pressuring us like crazy . My husband told him that we were planning on getting a few different bids .( which is normal!) Craig informed us that he wouldn't come back for the same price that we would only get the best deal today. He was very rude. When you are doing remodels or spending a lot of money you want to be able to see all you options, and not feel like you have to make a decision that same day someone gives you a estimate . We own our own company and we would never talk or treat a customer the way Craig did us. My husband told Craig that he didn't like him and that he could leave our house, and that he wasn't good and his job. We told him that he lost our buisness. As he was walking out the door he said I never had your business. So apprently all along he thought we were not going to use them .Maybe that why he was so rude. either way I will tell people to NEVER EVER use this company. read more