Seattle Construction Group

Intentions were good, but the project needed to be scrapped. The contractor recommended an architect to help design our new garage and interior remodel details (turns out he's a designer, actually). Designer was sloppy, untruthful, slow/unresponsive to communications and left us strung along for months. SCG was courteous throughout, but stuck in the middle and subsequently complicit to the delays and lack of tangible progress (perhaps further complicated by friendship with recommended designer). SCG and the architect designer got us to sign on saying we'll get the 'whole package' up to permitting and SCG contract noted they were responsible, but it ended up months behind schedule, submitted instead by the designer, and completely unready for actual permitting/review. Plans had ANOTHER HOUSE on them, incorrect engineering, unwanted features, and lots of corrections needed despite a year to do the work. SCG throughout this met with us occasionally, but being stuck in the middle and themselves impacted by delays, were a bit rudderless (e.g. would schedule a meeting with us, but without new information or an agenda to work on). Meetings sometimes didn't happen or didn't include who they said they would (e.g. a meeting with sewer guy turned into a meeting with their handyman and unclear agenda, then the sewer guy came without GC and asked me what I wanted to do...I have no idea since I don't work construction). In the end, we're out about 13,000 with a newborn and a house that has no central heating and the entire basement now stored in our living space. 2,500 of that was their retainer (SCG and us lost on this deal), 7500 was the designer who never provided complete plans that could possibly be in our stated budget, 2500 more was for engineering that was completely inadequate/incorrect, and 3500 for permitting that failed. I know it's hard as a GC when a project takes a turn like this, but it's just as hard as a homeowner with a family and barely-usable house, being out over 10k in cash and wasted time for work that didn't happen. I hope SCG has great success in the future and is a bit more careful and coordinated with the subs and services they recommend and bring into the project. The GC and his assistant were very pleasant. C'est la vie.