Very high quality materials and skilled craftsmen were involved in this most recent project.
The work was done professionally and had good results.
This is a mixed review: some things were good; some were not good. First of all, the windows are great. We purchased 7 Marvin Ultimate wood double-hung windows for the back of our house from the Pro Exterior division of APCO. These were full-frame replacement windows. The sales process was painless and pleasant. There was no hard sell and no special “sales”. The price was lower than the quotes we got for fiberglass inserts and for vinyl windows, so it was a great value. It took a couple of months longer to get the windows installed than originally estimated, but that was no surprise since supply chains were backed up everywhere.
We are very pleased with the windows. They are high quality and attractive. The screens are not a high quality and some were slightly warped and did not fit flush with the window sill. We have been promised replacement screens.
On installation day, two men showed up at our door who said they were going to install our windows. Their truck was not an APCO truck, but instead was painted with the name of a different company. APCO did not forewarn us that their installers are subcontractors which caught us by surprise. Not sure why they never mentioned this. There were two installers who installed all seven windows in one day. They did not have masks on when they knocked on the door, but they agreed to wear masks when I asked. Some of our windows had shelves immediately below, and that presented challenges to the installers, but they worked very hard to restore the shelves to the original condition. Not perfect, since their main skills are installing windows, and not finish carpentry or repairing tile grout cracks. The installers were courteous and seemed competent.
After the installers left, we noticed a very strong chemical odor that evening. It was powerful and overwhelming. It smelled like a solvent of some sort. The next morning, my wife and I had headaches, slight nausea, and lung irritation. These symptoms continued off and on for a while. For three days, we kept the windows open during the day and ran the attic fan to ventilate the house. At first, I was concerned that it might be uncured foam insulation, but was convinced by a technical representative of the foam manufacturer that the odor we smelled is not consistent with their product’s characteristics. I asked the subcontractor and the APCO project manager what they may have used to cause this noxious odor, but I was never given a straight answer. They did not seem to be willing to admit to using a solvent to clean residue of foam insulation from the woodwork – something I saw one of the installers do right before they left, although at the time I did not know what substance he was using. We eventually checked into a hotel to minimize our exposure, and returned to the house during the day to keep things ventilated. We discovered a small area of carpet that smelled especially strong, as though solvent had been spilled on it. After one week, the odor final went away. This experience was a nightmare for us. APCO’s project manager was defensive during the several conversations we had about the problem, insisting that the subcontractor only used water-based stain to touch up scratches on the windows. He would not acknowledge that the subcontractor might have used a volatile substance to clean insulation foam residue from wood surfaces on the trim moldings. When I asked him what he expects his subcontractors to use to clean dried foam insulation residue from the trim wood, he said he leaves these issues up to the subcontractors.
Coincidentally, two of my neighbors recently had new windows installed (by other companies) and I asked them if they had any problems with irritating fumes. Neither had experienced any problems of this nature.
The sales process was long, took me about 2 years to make a decision and come up with the money. But the sales rep was patient and always helpful. I shopped a few vendors before choosing Pro Exterior. Overall satisfied with the experience, but not "over the moon" if you will. Love the product.Some quality and communication issues.
I would recommend them to a neighbor or friend, but I would forewarn them about some of the issues we encountered.
I am very satisfied and happy with the work.
The Pro Exterior crew was great. The project was finished a couple days ahead of schedule due to the hard work by the crew. The house looks wonderful - couldn't be more pleased.
Excellent people, excellent workmanship, and a wonderful job!
Great company to work with. Brought in a large, capable crew who got my job done swiftly.
Everyone at Pro Exterior was great to deal with. They were all professional and very helpful. The crew that did the installation were outstanding. I was greatly impressed with the quality of the workmanship. Wish we had done this years ago.
Dan in Sales and Riley in Project Management were great. End product is great. But the process was PAINFUL. Lots of issues with the crews' quality of work and consistency across the job causing a lot of re-work and delays. APCO acknowledged and fixed everything but it took a lot of communication and patience.
My home was very non-descript at the beginning. It's an older home and it didn't stand out. After consulting with the salesperson and agreeing on colors and design, it's one of the cutest homes in the neighborhood. I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome.
It was hard on everyone because we had torrential rains for two weeks that pushed us back.
This was a difficult project, replacing the cedar siging on a fraternity house. It took six months just to get it approved but once they started work, it went fast and they did a really nice job.
APCO installation was done on time, with a high quality product, by experienced and polite installers. They were concerned with the final product and how it looked and my satisfaction. Everyone kept me well informed and always left the job site picked up and orderly. I would recommend them to anyone.
I really appreciated how smoothly the process was, end-to-end. Apco was helpful in walking me through decisions about the job. The construction crew was experienced. I would recommend.
Areas For Improvement - We had a lot of nail pops and issues inside of our home. They sent someone out to make repairs though.
Excellent attention to detail. They dealt with the few mistakes made by us and them very professionally. We are so pleased with their work we are planning to use them again on another project.
APCO is a top-notch company. The quality of their work is superior. They get the work done on time and with an incredible attention to detail. The crews are professional and courteous throughout. APCO really wants the customer to be completely satisfied with their work. I would recommend APCO to anyone who wants to install James Hardie products on their house. The installation of James Hardie siding and trim on our house was done extremely well. It is a very professional job that many of my neighbors have complimented us on. Another house 3 doors down hired a "cheaper" installer for James Hardie siding and trim at the same time we started our project. Their project is still going on 2 months after ours is finished. The difference in workmanship is obvious and dramatic. The worst part for our neighbors is, in addition to their endless delays, they are ultimately spending more money than us because they keep having to fix poor workmanship and buy additional, unplanned materials. I am so glad we chose Apco (and our neighbors wish they had)!
Areas For Improvement - I don't think they fell short; they did it during a snow storm. I think they did a good job.
Areas Of Satisfaction - I can't think of anything where I was dissatisfied.
Current Referrals - Not at this time; I have recommended them to a couple of people.
Likely To Recommend - If someone in my neighborhood is looking for siding, I would recommend them.
Lead Source - The builder of my house has built probably 8-10 houses in my neighborhood and at the original building of my house, we went with all natural with Cedar siding. When it came time to replace it, he said they used Hardie siding on it and the guy has never had a problem, and that it always looked nice. He never had anything remotely as a problem with it.
Areas Of Satisfaction - The experience and the color. It matches everything that we had. If someone else looks at it, they would think that everything matches.
Current Referrals - If there is someone looking for it, I would recommend them. It would be at the top of my list if someone needs to be advised.
Quality: Workmanship/Materials/Crew - I was very satisfied with the materials that were used, they were all of high quality and met my expectations. The guys that did the doors did a nice job, but some of the painting and finish work on the siding took more interaction and comments from me to get it up to standard.
Lead Source - I found them through James Hardie preferred contractors.
Areas Of Satisfaction - I was most satisfied in the doors and the door installation.
Recognized Excellence - I would like to recognize Tod, he worked on the door locks and finishing up the trim, and Dan Gestler for their exceptional service. Dan did a nice job.
Areas Of Satisfaction - I was most satisfied with the materials. I went with them so that I could use a specific product that I have been very happy with.
Recognized Excellence - I was very happy with the salesperson, Dan Gesler.
Lead Source - This is the second house we've had work performed by Apco.
Areas Of Satisfaction - The final product looks fantastic. Your sales team and project manager did a great job during the install. There was an issue with one aspect of the install. I called them and they had it corrected that day, no questions asked and it looked great. That's the kind of customer service that keeps me coming back and the reason why I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Apco.
Recognized Excellence - Dan Gesler and Riley Hodgson for taking care of the issue during the install so professionally and quickly.
Areas Of Satisfaction - I was most satisfied with the finished product.
Recognized Excellence - I would like to recognize my sales representative, Dan, for his exceptional service. He always gives me a reasonable quote.
Lead Source - I researched the James Hardy siding in a local search and they were the only people in my area that were certified to install it.
Areas Of Satisfaction - I was very satisfied because the installation was very quick, it looks great, it's a fantastic product and the site clean up when they were finished was very good.
Additional Comments - I really recommend the siding because it's great!
Additional Comments - We were happy with everything. I would rate them the highest score possible for each question.
Areas Of Satisfaction - I was most satisfied with the installers and how they were punctual, consciences, polite, and I can't say enough about them.
Recognized Excellence - I would like to recognize the head installer Jay for his services.
Areas Of Satisfaction - The product is very good and the final outcome is great.
Recognized Excellence - The last team that fixed the siding was excellent, as well as the young man that put in our doors.
Lead Source - Apco-Pro has been around for a long time. I used them before, on something else.
Areas Of Satisfaction - I'm very satisfied with the work that they did. The whole project went very smooth. The project manager was on top of everything. I'm most satisfied with the project manager and the work crew. The manager was in contact with us, and the crew worked from morning till evening. We're very satisfied. Everything was cleaned up.
Recognized Excellence - The project manager was exceptional. He was very good.