Reviews of Gardner/Fox Associates, Inc (Gardener)

Philip RAKITA

We hired Gardner Fox to add a simple 10' by 14' addition to the back of our 1812 house in Center City which included a powder room and stackable washer/dryer area with doors. In a word, it has been a complete disaster. A contractual 90 day "substantial completion" has turned into a 6 month ordeal, with most subcontractors only "working" two days a week onsite. The company’s work schedules are meaningless. Project supervision has been abysmal with poor attempts of any ongoing communication with the client. Supervisor rarely present when subcontractors initially showed up to start work to explain what needed to be done in presence of client. The subcontractors, with exception, are indeed “sub” par in the work that has been done (work that has had to be been corrected more than once) due to lack of supervision. Issues with insulation install and drywall according to contract, electrical finish needed 2 days to correct initial install issues, initial plumbing install for gas heater had to be re-done, painters never sanded or filled nail holes, issues with measurements for washer/dryer install as well as downdraft range hood install led to drama on a daily basis. The list is almost endless. Company seems unable or unwilling to complete the job to the client's satisfaction and lacks any consideration for the client’s needs (went without a washer/dryer for almost 7 months). Would not recommend using this company unless you are a masochist, can do your own project management and be onsite every day to supervise what is supposed to be taking place. Poor value for the high price paid.

Patricia Wilson

I posted a review of this company on another review website. I wrote that we hired this company to do a sunroom addition. It was and continues to be a disaster for us. We had leaking skylights, the cabinetry ordered was not sized properly, the dry wall is cracking, the wood floor has needed repair and the outside carpentry has been redone is areas. This firm was awful. They left a response asking that I return a call to them which I did. This work was done on my home in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. When Mr. Fox called me, I returned his call. In addition to chastising me for paying my bill after receiving credits for damage done during the project as well as cleaning that they did not complete, Mr. Fox told me I was ridiculous and unfair for posting this review. He then said, "Have a nice life." and hung up on me. I returned both his and Mr. Ingram's call in an effort to hopefully be reassured that they had changed their service model. They had posted their number to call them because they said they wanted to rectify the situation. Clearly, that wasn't the case. Instead, I was treated rudely. Please ask Gardner-Fox to provide you with my name and phone number if you are considering them for a project. I will be happy to speak with you and show you the quality of their work. Mr. Fox seemed to me to be fixated on the fact that I did not call them back during the warranty period. In effect, we fired Gardner-Fox. Who would ask a company to return to their home when they did such a poor job?

Michael Lynde

A home remodeling project is about as stressful as it gets for a homeowner, but our experience with Gardner Fox Associates was about as seamless as one could hope for. My wife and I had done our homework and scoured the internet evaluating numerous contractors, designers, etc. We met Lance at the Philadelphia home show and he explained the advantages of using a design/build firm like GFA. Our project was complicated by the fact that my wife was 3.5 months pregnant and we wanted our project completed prior to the arrival of our baby. The entire GFA team understood our anxiety about completing the project on time, and pushed vendors and subcontractors to remain on schedule and complete the project before the birth of our baby. Lance came out to our home for the initial site visit and was confident and excited about the scope of our project. He took the time to walk us through what to expect and assured us that our project could be completed on time and within our budget. We initially were planning on a master bedroom/bathroom remodel, which like most projects evolved into more as we went along. The professionalism of GFA from beginning to end was unbelievable. A close family member of ours was doing a kitchen remodel with another company, and the discrepancies in our experiences were significant. This family member had envy about the organization and professionalism of GFA. Once we met with Jeff who completed the drawings for the project and signed off on the project we were full steam ahead to get the project completed as quickly as possible without compromising on quality. Within a week they had all the subcontractors to our house to submit bids for the project and construction began the first week in April. We worked very closely with Susan the interior designer throughout the entire project. She initially came to our home and immediately got a sense of our style and what we were trying to accomplish with our project. Our kick off meeting happened at the end of March and we met Bruce and Ellen who would be our project managers. They sent us a detailed schedule of what would be completed and who to expect at our house each day. They kept the site completely clean and we were able to live comfortably throughout the project without feeling like a prisoner in our own home. Bruce and Ellen were easily available and would promptly respond to any issues as they would arrive. They estimated completing the project by June 7th and we were fully moved into to our brand new bedroom, closet, bathroom by the 2nd week in June and could not be more satisfied with our project. I would highly recommend GFA to anyone considering a home remodeling project.