Hancock Building Assoc Inc

We had Hancock replace nearly all our windows and replace the house’s shingle siding with vinyl.
The siding work was outstanding: a father and son team knew what they were doing, worked straight through the job and took no shortcuts.
The windows were a mixed bag. Apart from one defective window that had to be replaced later (that stuff happens), the job went reasonably well. But I had two complaints worth noting:
1. On the interior trim, the corner blocks were misaligned with respect to the other casing pieces. That’s because this is an older house where the walls are not perfectly flat. The corner blocks are installed last, so errors «accumulate» there. The blocks should have been shimmed (or otherwise coped) to meet the other trim pieces properly. I don’t require perfection, but this was just sloppiness.
2. The interior stools were not installed securely. This was partly poor design by Andersen, IMO: the stool stock is ¾″ soft pine (in contrast to the thicker hard pine of the older windows we replaced). I’m sorry, but a window stool needs to be solid as a rock, not a flimsy plank that you can move up and down and feels like it’ll come out the first time somebody leans on it
The installer’s fault was that they didn’t fasten the stool securely enough: they just shot 6d finish nails into the corners and one in the middle. It seemed inevitable that the finish nails (which have no heads) were going to work their way out of the thin, soft pine stools.
In the end, I didn’t feel like haggling with Hancock to fix the problem the way I wanted it done, so I did it myself: before painting each window, I worked some glue between the stool and apron and clamped it. Then I countersunk some screws and covered them with wood plugs.
Hancock knocked a few bucks off the bill for the corner blocks, but I think they were genuinely surprised by my complaint about the windows stools. I guess planned obsolescence is the norm even in brand-​name windows nowadays.
On balance, Hancock lived up to their side of the bargain and did a pretty good job. But as always, caveat emptor.

This review is for all the work on replacement windows and their recent follow up visit. We had 24 windows and doors (including 3 bay windows and a french door) installed 2 – 3 years ago by Hancock. The results are beautiful and the work was done very professionally by the most pleasant set of guys. We noticed recently a draft coming through the frame of one of the bathroom windows and thought to call Hancock to see if they could come out to recheck all of the windows. So the very next week they send out one of their guys and he went around and checked and recaulk every single window. It took nearly 4 hours for him to do that. I commend their professionalism and backing up their work. Just great customer experience.

After living in our house for almost 26 years, we had a decision to make: Would we add on or move out? The girls have left the nest, and I suppose most people would have chosen to relocate, but we decided to stay put. No moving to the sunny south (I get severe sun-​poisoning/​blisters if I’m in the sun for more than ½ hr) and no moving near a golf course. What’s in it for ME? I don’t golf, I don’t beach. I’m boring.
We have a nice slice of land and live in a quiet neighborhood on a cul-​de-​sac, so we decided we’d rather make the house into what we have wanted for a long time but never made the commitment to do… and a big commitment it was. We had two estimates, the first one being a joke. The guy almost literally drew on a napkin a picture of the intended addition and then threw a couple of numbers down on paper. Yes. He came in low. Then we spoke to Hancock, which provided an in-​depth series of drawings with insurance numbers, price, what’s included and what isn’t, what kind of wood, etc. The decision was easy: We contracted with Hancock, which is very well-​known and respected in the area, and which is also more costly than most of the other local builders. They had already replaced our roof, doors, and windows, and put siding on the house, and we were very pleased with their professionalism and quality of work. Tried-​and-​true is worth a lot of money. They also have a binder’s worth of recommendations.
As expected, we are extremely pleased with the result. The workmanship, promptness and ability of subcontractors, and the willingness to fix and adjust and address issues were incredible. The project manager, Bob K, was extremely helpful and walked us through each step. He showed us exactly what was to be done and when, where he’d suggest outlets be placed, what type of lighting and fans we should get, and where we should make our purchases, etc. He suggested some great vendors, and for the most part, we were happy with the choices. He’s a detail man who is very organized and an all-​around great guy.
Tip: I believe that knowing that a builder will be prompt, courteous, clean, talented, and professional is more important than the money. We weren’t left holding the bag or being satisfied with a mediocre job. Friends of ours actually contracted with Hancock when their previous builder made a mess.