Best contractor I have ever dealt with. Dave is a great guy and really knows how to help a homeowner realize their goals. I highly recommend his company. read more

We Hired Dave Pavolony as GC to do an add-a-level to out home, which included a 10-12 ft extension of our stone chimney The project began in November of 2007 and was basically completed in February 2008. . The mason hired by Dave started the extension mid November, this included removing the top of the existing chimney, extending the flue stacks and finishing the chimney with cultured stone. With the winter approaching and the colder weather Dave advised us that the chimney could not be completed until the spring as cement can not be mixed properly if it is below 42 degrees. Our unfinished chimney was basically exposed for the entire winter, the mason Mike Togna came back to finish the chimney towards the end of May and completed it in June 2008. If this was the end of the story I would say that my experience with Dave Pavolony was a positive one, however it is not. On the morning of November 10 , 2009 we we awaken by a huge rumble, we actually thought it was an earth quake. My husband and I went outside to see that our chimney had collapsed,, into a pile of rubble in our yard. The fist thing we did as soon as the sun came up was to call Dave Pavolony, he promptly came to our house, along with mason Mike Togna and the architect Jason Nicholas,all three parties were stunned at what has happened, and as to how it could have happened. Initially the 10 foot extension of the chimney stood intact as it was bolted to our house. We then contacted our home owners insurance company, who sent out an adjuster. The insurance adjuster stated that an engineer would have to come out to inspect and determine the cause of the collapse. the next day we received a call from Dave, who assured us not to worry, that if our homeowners insurance doesn't cover the damage, his insurance would. The engineer from our insurance company spent several hours at out house, and took hundreds of pictures. Her determination was that the chimney collapsed due to a sealant that was improperly applied and left areas where water could seep in,,, over time causing corrosion and eventually the collapse of the chimney. The chimney began to collapse in the exact spot that the sealant was improperly applied. She also stated that the original chimney was not bought up to code, before it was extended. Thus our home owners insurance denied the claim. We then had a visit from an engineer from Pavolonys Insurance company , who spent less than 1/2 hour at our house, Daves insurance company denied the claim ,stating that the chimney collapsed due to corrosion over a "long period of time".Next we had an engineer from the Masons' insurance company who stated the same thing...both insurance companies denied the claim. Dave assured us that original chimney was in excellent shape as he had the best view from all sides as he tore off our original roof. He also stated he would never send guys up there to do the work if the chimney were not structurally sound, nor would he have went ahead and extended the chimney. In the following months my husband and I reached out to all insurance companies, and Dave, as to what we should do, no one would give us any advice, nor would they even touch our chimney. In March the remainder of the chimney collapsed into the yard, as well as the stone fireplace, into my living room. Dave Pavolony was hired by as as a General contractor, he was responsible for all his subcontractors and their work. My husband and I paid Dave close to $135,000 cash to do a job, what we are left with is tens of thousands of dollars of damage, a home that has lost considerably amount of value due to the damage, and a huge hole in the side of my house. I will say that Dave was disappointed that the claim was denied by all 3 insurance companies, and that he felt badly about what had happened, however he has made no attempt to fix this huge problem, nor has he accepted any responsibility. The fact is that stone chimneys just don't collapse, and if the chimney was not structurally sound then it should not have been extended until it was sound. Some may ask why we have waited so long to voice our opinion on this, and the truth is we really believed that Dave would do the right thing, and he has not. After spending $135,000 to add on to and improve our home my husband and I can't afford to fix it, and we can't take get any equity out of our home to to its current condition. Dave Pavolony did not do the chimney extension, however we hired him as the GC, and thought he would hire experienced , competent subcontractors. We paid Dave and no one else. WE have since learned that while yes Dave is insured, the will not cover any loss due to faulty construction , Dave feels strongly that his insurance company should have covered the loss, which is fine, then he should fix this huge mess, and then take it up with his insurance company read more