We hired M&W to refinish our hardwood floors, and we could not be happier. They are professional…read morefrom start to finish and a pleasure to work with. They used the dustless system, and it really made a difference in how clean our house stayed. They are personable, kind, and thoughtful. We're so pleased.

I purchased a new home from Southern Development about 2 years ago. Unbeknownst to anyone, when the…read morebaseboards were installed, a high-pressured nail gun used to install the baseboards punctured a bathroom pipe. There was no leak...until the nail rusted and the pipe leaked, which was when I had owned the home for 2 years, outside of the new home warranty period. To be clear, the pipe was punctured at the baseboard level, with a nail from a nail gun; there can be no dispute that this occurred during construction. I was out of town when this happened, and the damage was significant. I contacted Southern Development. Mr. Soles initially expressed "concern" and asked to view the property, which I permitted. Next, he asked for reports from the independent third parties that mitigated and repaired the damage, which clearly detailed the cause and the extent of the damage. I provided him with what he asked for. After much delay and some prompting, I got a response from Mr. Soles indicating that my insurance company was suing Southern Development (which is not surprising given their negligence and clear culpability). He then cut off contact with me. I am left to pursue litigation to recover losses that are not covered by my policy, on what is essentially a "brand-new" home. What I asked for from Southern Development was a dollar per dollar reimbursement for uncovered expenses, never mind the aggravation, inconvenience and time lost because of their negligence. Home builders are all smiles on the front end, when you fork out hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase a home. My experience offered a glimpse at how this builder responded when they produced a substandard product, which was to do nothing. Southern Development will tell you they are a smaller, independent builder, and that they "like it that way" so they can focus on quality and customer service. They will tell you how much the owner Frank Ballif cares about the people that buy his product. My experience was that Southern Development built a lemon, and when they had the opportunity to do the right thing to rectify their poor construction, they quickly abandoned those tenants of quality and customer service. We all must buy a home from someone, but I would strongly encourage you to look to another builder. Southern Development does not stand behind their product, which apparently is not as sound as they would like you to believe. I would also encourage anyone who does have a problem with them to immediately seek legal counsel; do not be fooled by the false care and concern they initially show you because they are only seeking information to protect themselves.

I Regret This Purchase Every Single Day!…read more I don't even know where to begin. Buying a home from Southern Development has been one of the most disappointing, disheartening experiences of my life. What was supposed to be a fresh start in a brand-new home has turned into a constant source of stress, frustration, and regret. I should have known something was wrong when the house wasn't even finished at closing. I was assured that everything would be taken care of quickly, but here I am, a month later, still waiting. And every single day, I find something else wrong. On day five, the water heater failed. Five days in, and I had no hot water. That alone should have been a red flag, but it was only the beginning. The electrical work is faulty throughout the house. The refrigerator trips the breaker constantly. I never know if I'll wake up to spoiled food. If something as basic as the wiring is unreliable, I shudder to think what else is hidden behind the walls. The primary bathroom is unfinished. Not only was it never completed, but now there's water damage from the unfinished shower surround. I worry about what's happening beneath the surface--water damage this early means long-term problems down the road. The craftsmanship is nowhere near the quality expected for the cost of this home. The price I paid does not reflect the poor workmanship--sloppy construction, careless finishing, and corners cut everywhere I look. I paid for a well-built home, and instead, I'm left with a rushed, incomplete mess. Everywhere I look, I find something wrong. Holes in the walls hidden behind cabinets, holes in the cabinets themselves, patchwork that looks rushed and sloppy. It's as if they walked away mid-construction and never looked back. The exterior is just as bad. The landscaping is incomplete, the house hasn't been power washed, and the driveway and walkways are so muddy that anyone coming inside tracks dirt everywhere. Keeping the house clean is impossible--it feels like I'm living in a construction site rather than a finished home. The warranty team is useless. I was told that Southern Development had a team to address post-closing issues, but I have yet to hear from them. The length of time between my service requests and actually getting anything done is unacceptable. I am still waiting for work that is necessary just to make my home fully livable. What makes all of this even more infuriating is that the houses directly next to mine--built by the same company--are being completed, while mine remains unfinished. Their yards are fully landscaped with sod, their homes have been power washed and cleaned, and their driveways and walkways are pristine. Meanwhile, I'm left with mud, mess, and incomplete work. I have even gone out of my way to ask my neighbors how many unfinished items they were forced to close on, and not one of them had "punch list" items left undone. It is beyond frustrating to watch homes around me being wrapped up properly while I am left dealing with daily reminders of Southern Development's failure to complete what they started. And on top of everything, any work that needs to be done requires me to be home. That means I have to continuously take time off work just to let their crews in to fix the mistakes they never should have made in the first place. The financial and emotional burden of this house just keeps growing. To make matters worse, the workers they do send are filthy. Now that I've moved in, they track dirt, mud, and dust all over my house and furniture every time they come in to do work. I feel like I'm constantly cleaning up after them, in a home that should have been move-in ready a month ago. I can't even put into words how disheartening this experience has been. Every time I walk through the door, instead of feeling excited or at peace, I feel nothing but regret. This house was supposed to be my home, but instead, it feels like a mistake I can't undo. If I could go back in time, I would walk away. I would never buy from Southern Development again, and I urge anyone considering it to think twice. Once they have your money, you're on your own. And if my experience is anything to go by, you'll be left with a house that feels unfinished, neglected, and completely overwhelming. I regret this purchase every single day.

Mr. Harris was dependable and efficient. They showed up on time every day and were timely in…read morecompleting the bathroom remodel job. He was easy to communicate with and even had some suggestions on how to make the job better. I highly recommend this company and would not hesitate to use them again or refer to friends.

Mr. Darrick Harris License number: 2705093567…read moreCompany name: Dependable Home Improvements. I hired Mr Harris to install vinyl siding over one exterior wall of my house, install a exterior door, replace a exterior door, install a interior door, install one new and two replacement windows, Sheetrock a room, install a stud retaining wall, install lighting and it's wiring, build a set of exterior steps, install new flooring over the old floor which was to consistent of replacing the rotted plywood around the entrance with new plywood and installing a new layer of plywood on top of the solid old, over that was to be installed vinyl flooring. The work was done poorly, I repeatly tried to talk with him but all he did was blow smoke. Finally I just wanted him out of my house, never to return, so I paid him and went to repair and finish the work he had done so poorly. It was then that I realized just how badly he had done the work. On the advice of a different contractor, I contacted the county building inspector and asked for a inspection of the work. Of the work that required a permit and inspection, little of Mr. Harris's work passed inspection. If I read the inspection form correctly: No permit, no inspection of the exterior door No permit, no inspection of the steps. No permit, no inspection of the interior door. Upon inspection, all three of these areas failed to meet code and safety requirements and will have to be redone. The door was so poorly done, that now that winter is here, the wind blows around the door frame and door has gaps between it and the frame. Until I can get this redone, I've had to cover the area with plastic sheeting to stop the wind. No permit, no inspection of electrical work that included installation of lighting, wiring and switch. Mr Harris also does not have a license for electrical work. It was also found that while Mr. Harris told me he was a Class A contractor, he is in fact only a Class C contractor. Therefor, he wasn't license to do the amount of work he did. He also doesn't appear to have a business license to work in my county. Of the areas that didn't require a permit and inspection: The Siding: The vinyl siding was improperly installed and not completed. And I realized afterwards, it isn't even the same pattern as the rest of the house. Mr. Harris never told me this and the correct pattern is available at Home Depot, a store less then six miles away. The flooring: A section of the old sub-flooring had rotted and Mr Harris was suppose to remove and replace it with new plywood. The rotten flooring was not removed, and instead of plywood for the sub-flooring, the lower quality OSV was used. No underlayment was installed, so the flooring was laid on top of the bare OSV. The flooring itself was not installed per manufacturer's instructions and and is now coming apart. (The county inspector showed me what was suppose to have been done and wasn't) The replacement windows: The interior trim was removed for inspection. There was no flashing and no insulation installed. As a result, the wind blows freely into the house. I could keep going on, but will stop here with this: Nearly every part of Mr. Harris work was so poorly done, that nearly all of it will have to be redone."

I can't say enough good things about my experience with James River builders. An unknown…read morerefrigerator leak ruined my hardwood floors in my kitchen, making Mike and his team were professional and easy to work with and did a great job of answering all my questions and . I would highly recommend James River builders to anyone and I am grateful for the work that they my kitchen. Christine L.

I highly recommend James River Builders! I recently had water damage in my home. They restored my…read morebathroom, kitchen ceiling, and my upstairs carpet. They were very quick to finish these projects and very professional. The contractor and his crew were very easy to work with and they were so kind to me since I was so stressed and overwhelmed from all the damage. I was so pleased with the finish work. I am so grateful for all of their hard work! Again, I highly recommend them!

Gumtree was recommended to me by Tony at Laco Plumbing, who was replacing the Quest piping in my…read morenewly purchased townhouse. I wanted to convert a bathtub to a shower, and Gumtree did a fabulous job. The shower is beautiful and perfectly built. Chris Haney and his team helped with each step, including shower design and tile selection. Chris and his team also helped with other aspects of the new house, including painting, replacement of smoke detectors, and waterproofing of basement rooms. Chris had good ideas about how to increase storage space. The team was always on time and professional, and the work was finished on time and under budget.

This company had been recommended to me. I had an appointment in March with owner Chris Haney…read moreduring which I explained to him the timeline necessary for me to accommodate the fact that I don't live in Charlottesville all year. The job was the renovation of a duplex house nearly 90 years old so that I could live in the lower floor and rent the upper floor. After a meeting with a plumber who sent an estimate for his part of the work in March, I heard nothing further. When I got back to Charlottesville in mid-June, he seemed to have no memory of the work I wanted done. He did meet with me once more bit didn't follow up on that meeting either -- nor of an appointment his partner was to make with me for another aspect of the work. When I called back Friday June 24th to to know why, I was told they had to meet over the weekend and would get back to me. They did, by e-mail on Sunday afternoon, saying "I didn't fit their demographic" and should get in touch with someone else (no name given -- just to call the plumber who'd given me the estimate because he knew other contractors. If I didn't fit their demographic, they could have told me in March as soon as they saw the house and heard what I wanted done so I had time to look elsewhere. I also find that telling a person that, basically, they couldn't spend enough money to make it worth their while to work for them, is extremely rude. It's so easy to say "Sorry we're all booked up for the timeline you mentioned and it would be better for you to find someone else." Don't even call these guys unless you are fabulously wealthy. They don't mess with us "common people".

I've used Stillwater Development & Excavating for 3 jobs: Bathroom renovation, long driveway repair…read moreand grading and very recently a rebuild/upgrade on my side deck. All 3 jobs exceeded my expectations! If an unforeseen challenge arose, they were sure to have a remedy, most of the times the "fix" turned out better than the original plan. I can't say enough about the character of Kenneth & Brian and the quality of their work. You will not be disappointed!

Found Stillwater Development & Excavating on a facebook group when we first got here! They were…read morerecommended on the post I created. I looked them up on google and read great reviews left by happy customers! They did an amazing job on building us a new pergola. They removed the old one that was incorrectly installed. They did a really great job and we are so thankful for their knowledge and expertise! They are professional, respectful, and great price too!!! I highly recommend them for any of your projects!

John painted the entire exterior and interior of our new build. He made helpful suggestions, did…read moremeticulous work, and finished on time. We are grateful our builder connected us to John to complete such a large painting project.

We recently engaged J & A Painting & Home Improvement to repaint the exterior of our home. All work…read morehas been completed in a timely and professional manner and at a reasonable cost. They came promptly, when they said they would come and the cleanup was impeccable. It looks beautiful and just as we had imagined. This is not the first time we have dealt with John Flevarakis and we can vouch for his integrity and honesty, and he has a great deal of experience. We would give J & A Painting & Home Improvement our highest possible recommendation. Working with John is a real pleasure!

The installation team cut some corners during the job and they charged us for a premium grade…read moreinstallation material and then used a cheaper product to save money (probably thinking I wouldn't notice). When I pointed this out they were not willing to adjust their invoice price. I'm not happy with this kind of bait and switch. That said, the installation and the recommended product looks good and the sales staff provided good advice when we were picking the flooring.

We recently used Bruce's Flooring Shop for new carpet in our master bedroom when we moved into our…read morenew home. Brian took excellent care of us, has remarkable customer service skills, and the workers did a great job installing the carpet. We have nothing but wonderful things to say about this company and would recommend them to everyone!