Customer ReviewsforNelson Exteriors

My primary issue with NE is their dastardly exterior paint job that has been done. My house actually looks worse. NE hired subpar painters who did not prime the house except for a small section where new boards were added. "Poor wall preparation, moisture accumulation within walls, incorrect rolling techniques, painting in adverse weather conditions, adhesion failure caused by poor-quality products or incompatibility between primer and paint types are some of the reasons for peeling paint...." is what I have researched online which fits the description of what I am going through. They also used a flat paint which has no reflectivity qualities in the hot Georgia sun. I also paid an extra fee for correct lead paint scraping, but I really do not feel confident that was done properly either. Why did the painters paint in 95% degree humidity? Why did they paint when the forecast was rain and paint was literally running down the walls? Why wasn't I advised to wait for dryer weather? Due to lockdown and acquiring vaccines for a Covid wedding, these issues were not seen on the outside of the house right away. I looked to Nelson Exteriors for their expertise that I read about in the **** County recommendation publication that comes out quarterly. I paid them $25,000.00 for new windows, new gutters, lead paint scraping, some wooden planking added, and the entire exterior to be painted correctly. I have been very patient waiting for Nelson Exterior to resolve my house issues, but it looks like I will have to go to small claims court---Is this the reputation that Nelson Exteriors wants to portray?P.S. star rating would be 1/2 if possible---

Hi ***, It is regrettable that you are not happy with the work on your home. We strive to provide an excellent experience with high quality work for our customers and sometimes we don't live up to that expectation...we always want to make it right and do right by our customers. However, in this situation there is a lot more to the story that what you have outlined here. You first had us out to look at your house to REPLACE the siding, not to just paint the old siding. You had existing vinyl siding that was installed over your 70 year old wood siding. Our estimator priced out removing the vinyl and the wood siding and installing new ****************************** in its place. Then, you ask our estimator if we could just remove the vinyl siding and just paint the old wood siding. He brought this to me and I advised him to talk to you further about the siding and that the old wood siding would likely not be in good shape with lots of nail holes from the vinyl siding being installed over it and paint issues due to age. There is a reason previous owners covered it with vinyl...likely it is failing cause its rotted or too much peeling. Before we agreed to terms, you had another contractor remove just the vinyl siding to see the condition of the old wood siding. It was YOUR determination that you wanted to KEEP the old wood siding and have us repaint it. This was against our professional recommendation. My guess is that you thought we were just trying to upsell you a larger job. While it is nice to sell and build bigger jobs, it is much more important to us that our customers are happy with their project for many years to come and we could see the writing on the wall with this one. So, we refigured the estimate as you directed...to repaint the existing siding. This included following RRP Lead Paint Practices to remove all loose paint by scraping, spot prime any bare wood, then applying 2 top coats. Furthermore, we used all industry standard practices for all prep and painting of your home. You were happy with the end product which was done with quality craftsmanship that our company has built it's reputation with. 2 years later, now you are having peeling problems with your paint. We have made multiple trips to your home to see what is going on. It is peeling in lots of areas, but the paint that is peeling is not the paint we applied, it is peeling down to the wood...meaning the 1 layer of paint, that is 70 years old, is failing, not the paint we applied. You were unwilling to hear the truth and insisted that it was applied wrong, so we put you in touch with a representative from ******************************* who verified it was the original paint failing, not the ** paint. He also verified that the paint we applied was applied correctly and that the paint we used not only can withstand the humidity and weather conditions that you describe in your review, that in fact, it is specifically formulated for them. So, unfortunately we will not be able to warranty the paint that is peeling down to the original wood, where the original paint is failing. We would be more than happy to provide you an estimate to do this work for you should you decide you want us to replace the siding...but I don't think you should spend any more money to try to fix the paint...it will likely keep failing in other areas in the future. However, looking at some of the pictures you sent us, we did notice a couple issues that we would be more than happy to fix for you under our standard warranty. Please reach out to the office at ************** or email us at office@nelson-exteriors and we can schedule time to get out and fix it.

Your e-mail was in my spam folder which I have just seen. Initial quotes did include ****** board siding replacement as I did not know what was underneath the vinyl. However, the original wood had only a thin layer of white paint (not layers of paint) and was in excellent condition, no rot whatsoever, no boards needed replacing. You presumed incorrectly that the wood was in bad condition, rotting, and peeling. **** added to the house was additional planking to the new garage and heavier trim around the front door and window. When the white paint (oil-based) was tested for lead, I paid the extra $1,750.00 for correct *** procedure, paying this and all other change order amounts added to the original quote. My decisions were never based on upselling fears. I have paid Nelson $23,880.00. Some of the *** Lead Paint Practices were followed, but no one from Nelson gave me the *** Renovate Right Pamphlet required by law before starting work. No one from Nelson consulted with me about encapsulation or removing the old lead paint. No one from your company gave their professional opinion that I should instead use ****** board siding. When your subs removed the vinyl from the wooden siding, they did not allow the wood to dry properly. They began paint preparation immediately, working the week when rain was forecast and the humidity was very high. ****** came to the house stating there must have been moisture underneath the vinyl when it was removed. Then latex paint in a flat finish was sprayed over the moist wood where the hot sun dried and stretched the paint. Your subs did not remove the old caulking underneath each plank also causing the paint to stretch. So, the prep work for this exterior paint job by your subs started out on the wrong foot. You state you spot primed the bare wood. Why didnt you prime the entire house with an exterior oil-based wood primer as stated on the paint can? Why can I see the bare wood and patches of white lead paint exposed all over the house? Lead paint should be either encapsulated or removed. You did neither----as you have admitted in your response. Why would any professional painter not prime over oil-based paint before applying latex paint? The one layer of paint is not failing ---it is still there for all to see because the flat latex paint did not stick to the original oil-based lead paint. Why did you paint over failing paint and not prime or remove it first? The failing paint is not the issue---it is the improper preparation. You have negated **s seven-year warranty due to improper prepping of the surface. Your subs did, however, prime the newly added planking to the garage, but did not spray underneath each plank at a 45-degree angle, so the raw wood shows.The many trips that have been made to my house have revolved around window, gutter, added plank issues, taking weeks of my time, before I could even address the paint issues with ongoing e-mails to Nelson, stopping by the office, sending photos, phone calls, texts. You did not put me in touch with an ** Rep; I contacted him myself to review this paint job. By coincidence, he is your account manager and will only attest to the quality of the ** product used. He will not comment on the prep work. I have had three painters review this job in person, and each has said the house was not primed before painting. I was also asked if after vinyl removal the wood had been allowed to dry properly. Gutters: ****** had written in my ************ small section of the gutters not be removed. Instead, all the gutters were removed. ****** came to the house admitting it was Nelsons fault and that section would be replaced by Nelson. I received a quote from your office for $1,270.00. Nelson should replace the gutters with no charge to me. That section covers the side porch, so rain gushes straight down on a persons head with rain running down the surrounding exterior walls. As water was also running into our basement after the gutters were installed, and after many calls, **** addressed this issue with at least two visits. Finally, ****** came out and attached the gutters correctly to the roofline. However, before he fixed the issue, water from the gutter has softened a small section of the eave. Windows: All new windows were installed and old windows removed. The subs threw away part of the exterior sash of original trim; **** had to order a new piece and replace the piece thrown away by accident. Again, this took many call requests and reminders before this issue was fixed. Wood planking added to match the house: The seams are popping because some of the planking was not nailed to the studs. In conclusion: **** told me this paint job would last for 20 years, and I would only need to pressure wash each year. Instead, your sub crew has caused moisture problems worsening the condition of my house in aiding and accelerating peeling paint with lead paint and bare wood exposure to the open air. As the owner, what are you going to do to resolve these issues?