Tombo Construction Inc.

I hired Chris Ellard of Tombo Construction to remodel my kitchen in March of 2017 for what was estimated to be a few months. After 18 months, and having a lien put on my house by an unpaid subcontractor, I hired another company to finish the work. Chris was temperamental, unresponsive to phone calls and emails and unreliable. It was only due to the care of his employees...who left one by one, that any satisfactory work was completed at all. I would never hire this man again!

We used Tombo last year to get our kitchen and basement remodeled before our first child was due. They were very easy to work with, very responsive, and reasonable. They were also good with making changes on the fly when we changed our minds, which we did often - and even did everything they could to stick to their schedule, even when the delay was something additional from us. We don't have a large house, so it wasn't a HUGE project (which many companies seem to require) and we still got treated like our project was one of their most important. So that was a nice surprise.

They did a fantastic job on a quick and simple deck replacement project to ready the house for sale. I got exactly what I wanted.

Tombo Construction provided a remodel of our second floor (2 bedrooms, stairway, landing). The work included significant structural upgrades to vault ceilings, reconfigure windows, add five new skylights, install a new metal roof, and install Hardiplank siding and trim all of the windows on entire house exterior. We also asked them to retile a main floor bath and refinish an original enameled tub. Our home was built in 1927. Professionalism: To a person, the crew, management and support staff were attentive and responsive to our needs. They managed our expectations very well, so that we had just a few changes, and only one true change order, all were handled quickly and reasonably (price). We understood that having the work done was going to be an “intimate” experience as we continued to live in the house during the work. Tombo’s craftsmen arrived at the house punctually five days/week! Bill (lead carpenter) and Wes (carpenter) worked diligently and thoughtfully, solving design issues and keeping us in the loop. They were careful with making sure doors were closed/locked and respected needs for our indoor cat (she was confined to a specific area which occasionally workman needed to move through…they were careful and she never escaped!). To vault the addition ceilings a new 34 foot long central ridge beam was installed even though our house is only 10 feet from our neighbors. This took some serious creativity and skill to accomplish…amazing! All the workers who contributed to the final product were remarkably respectful with each other and with us. We never realized things could work so well when our house was torn up. We actually find ourselves missing Bill and Wes (AND yes we’re glad construction is over!). Costs: Our remodel stayed on budget (~$145k), again with truly masterful skill at clearly managing our expectations. When we met for the first time to discuss the costs we assumed things would be less (too much HGTV!) and the owners, Dave with Chris patiently walked us through material and labor costs, and timing for the work. Tombo is not the cheapest nor the most expensive in terms of estimates AND we found them fair and honest. Our only glitch was in forgetting to add tax to the final number early in the process (they billed monthly), which on a job this big was eye-opening. Thankfully, Dorey at Tombo’s main office, went the extra mile to include the tax in her billing making things easier and helping us plan. Subs: Dave deserves such credit for cultivating strong relationships with a group of amazing, talented, and considerate subcontractors to cover drywall, electrical, paint, roofing, and siding. These subs are superior in every way including communications, tidiness, speed and consummate skill. In choosing a contractor for a job like ours, the quality of the subs can really make or break the experience. Tombo has this nailed! Operations: Outside staging and interior workspaces were tidied up daily, which made the experience far more tolerable, since we were living in the house during the remodel. It’s such a big deal to have one’s home torn up and the fact that every afternoon when they left both work spaces and the access paths were swept and cleared is a testament to the commitment Tombo has for a great customer experience! We recommend Tombo highly, and have to many folks! Should we ever need further construction we will go to them! Who knew that construction could be pleasant…!