UneedaContractor.com

Our Mission is to match consumers with qualified contractors in their area

But until then I will use it to get bids on My projects:

Here's what I started with :

Wood burning stove piped into an blocked in fireplace / chimney

  

So I took out the sledgehammer and made some changes :

   

And then I got a direct vent gas insert installed...

  

I did a ton of research and visited several different fireplace stores but in the end I chose the Mendota D-40 Deep Timber insert and I had East Coast Energy Products install it - I would recommend them highly, and for those who know me and what I do for a living, that says a lot. I feel that they offered the best combination of price, service, and integrity of the places I visited - here's why: 

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The price I was quoted was the price I ended up paying - there were no "change orders".

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They installed the unit on the date they were scheduled and finished it ahead of schedule.

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They took the time to answer my many questions - most via email - and there was no pressure to buy today like there was at some of the places I visited. 

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I reviewed their status with the Better Business Bureau and their one complaint was resolved - something I couldn't say for some of their competitors.

Overall I'm glad I went with the Mendota D-40 Deep Timber insert and East Coast Energy Products.

As far as the other competitors I visited and/or solicited bids from I have the following comments:

Fireplaces Unlimited (Bayville) - all you had to do was have your installer call me as promised to resolve the one question you couldn't answer in the store and the job was yours. I gave him a week and got no response so I went to visit East Coast Energy Products. In the end I'm happier because there is no comparison between the Mendota and the Monessen units.

East Coast Fireplace (Manalapan) - all I can say is answer your emails and resolve your complaints... I had a few questions after visiting the showroom and I never got a response. I got a read receipt for the email so I know they got it. Their record from the Better Business Bureau was similarly unimpressive.

Fireplaces Plus (Manahawkin) - I liked the unit they had, and the sales staff was fine, but the biggest problem was location - just a little bit too far out of the way to drag the wife to for the final round. I couldn't find any info from the Better Business Bureau.

Please email me if you have any questions, comment, or concerns.
Jim Howard

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Last modified: December 01, 2007