FAQ's

A: Talon Enterprise is located in Seattle and we serve the greater Seattle area. We have a shop in the South Park neighborhood, but we do not have a dedicated showroom. Instead we bring all the samples and design features to you. For larger items, such as plumbing fixtures, lighting, and cabinetry, we can give look over photos of options that meet your needs. After that we will have you visit the showroom of the suppliers we work with to help you finalize the choices of your design.

A:   Yes! Talon Enterprise Inc. is a licensed contractor in the state of Washington. Our License number is TALONEI066KW. We carry a $1 million insurance policy. Sure, that’s generally more than we would ever need, but we want to give our clients the peace of mind when working with us.

A: Yes and No. It’s hard for us to give a single answer to this question because it depends on several factors. While we certainly like to give potential clients an idea of cost on their project free of charge, giving a comprehensive estimate, or even a fixed quote for a job will require a lot of the details to be nailed down already. If for example you are planning a significant remodel and you have your detailed design ready for us to take a look at, and you have picked out all of the materials and finishes you would like to use, it will be much easier for us to give you a quote for the job. 

     If you’re still in the planning phase of your project and are interested in hiring us to help you complete the design, we are happy to meet you on site to give you a brief consultation free of charge. Additionally, smaller jobs such as a bathroom remodel that doesn’t include changing any walls or the location of plumbing and electrical would be an example of something we can quote you a price on at no charge. For clients hiring us as their designers, we charge a small fee based on the overall scope of the job (typically less than 1% of the total project cost). With that design and list of material you can then request competing bids from several contractors much easier than before. If you decide to hire Talon Enterprise to complete the work for you, the cost of the design process is absorbed by us and credited towards your project. 

     We are also available to offer you consultation services on construction that is ongoing, or as a resource for people that are doing a DIY project. For this service, we charge a reasonable rate that simply covers our expenses of time and travel. Our hope is that you will consider using us in the future and referring us to your friends, rather than seeing our paid consultations as a profitable venture. 

     So, while this question is one that we get often, we can give you a much clearer answer on a case by case basis once you contact us and we know more of the specifics of your project

A:  Yes. We provide a warranty on our craftsmanship and labor. We also pass on any manufacturer warranties of the products we use to you. If there’s ever a problem, simply give us a call. We will come out and inspect the issue. When possible we will remedy the situation free of charge or contact the appropriate dealer or subcontractor when necessary. At Talon we stand behind our work, and we would rather just fix any issues immediately and worry about what went wrong and who’s fault it was later. If it’s an issue with a product or subcontractor, 99 times out of 100 we are going to just fix the problem and then resolve the conflict with the 3rd party on your behalf rather than leaving you to deal with it.

A:    Currently all of our projects are managed by Zack Latam, the owner of Talon Enterprise. You will be in regular contact with him, and he will be onsite most likely every day, or even 90% of all working hours depending on the job. We also have some great project leads that communicate directly with Zack and inform him of progress and any issues that arise. We are a small company so there isn’t any issue getting lost in a ‘chain of command’ or getting the run-around from some front end office person.

A:  As a general rule, if you’re moving walls around or adding on to the footprint of your house, then yes, you will most likely need an architect and permits for the project. While we can handle all of your design needs either in-house, or with the assistance of one of our design partners, we work with several architectural and engineering firms to provide certified blue prints when needed. 

     Once the design and plans are completed we can handle the process of applying for the required permits for your project. That will be covered in the cost of your contract, or you are free to apply for the permits with your local building department yourself. You will still need appropriate documentation of the project and all of the necessary details required to obtain the specific permits.

A:     This will depend on the size and scope of the project. It will also depend on how you will deal with the dust and noise that comes with a renovation. In general, it’s not necessary to live off site during a bathroom or kitchen remodel, although you probably won’t have normal use of the facilities being worked on. If you have a second bathroom or we can stage a mini kitchen for you elsewhere it can be little more than an inconvenience.  If a large portion of the house is being renovated all at once, you may be more comfortable making other living arrangements. 

        Regardless of the project, you should be prepared for our workers to be coming and going throughout the day. We do our best to accommodate the schedules of our clients, but we generally get started early in the morning and finish up for the day in the late afternoons. Additionally, you should be prepared for a certain amount of noise and dust. This is especially true during any demolition phase. Dust can also occur anytime drywall is being sanded, or if your wood floors are being refinished. Although we do our best to mask off the area’s where we are working, fine dust particles can get into just about everywhere.

A:      This will also depend on the project, but we will talk it over with you before we plan to start. Generally, removing all personal items from the areas being worked on is a good idea. For example, to prepare for a kitchen remodel we suggest that you box up all the dishes and clear out the cabinets. If you will still need an area to prepare food during the project, we will work with you to locate a suitable place to relocate the fridge and possibly a microwave. It won’t be a fully working kitchen, but at least you can keep food from spoiling and heat things up. 

        We will use different types of plastic sheeting to keep dust from entering into the rest of the house, but you can still expect some dust to find a way out of the work site. For this reason we 

also suggest that you place sensitive items in large rubbermaid containers, or ask us to drape any electronics in additional plastic. Some clients choose to just move items into storage, but that isn’t necessary unless the scope of the job includes many areas of the house. Other than that, we might suggest a nice pair of noise cancelling headphones if you plan to be at home during the working hours, just in case.

A:      Generally no. We will install a lock box with a key in it to let ourselves in, and lock up at the end of the day when we know that nobody will be there to greet us. Most of our clients have regular lives to get on with and we don’t expect you to be on hand unless otherwise agreed to. We have a lot of experience working in peoples homes and we will respect your belongings and make sure that the property is secure. Of course all of that can be addressed during the pre-project phase so that you will know what to expect. 

         You are welcome to be onsite during construction of course, but we tend to work quickly and not be very talkative when it’s time to get down to business. Zack and our lead carpenters will supervise the project, and we can make regular status updates to you as requested.

A:     That is something we will discuss prior to signing the contract. Generally we will ask for a certain percentage down so we can purchase the materials and have them delivered to the job site. After that we will ask you to make payments as we complete different benchmarks of the project. The final payment will be made once the work outlined in the contract is completed to your satisfaction.

A:      It’s no problem! This happens more than you might think and we are happy to accommodate a “design on the fly” approach. If you decide that you want to change some aspect of the project, you will discuss the changes with Zack. He will go over the difference in costs with you and talk through any options that are appropriate. If you are simply wanting to upgrade materials for example, but the labor will be the same, then you will be informed of the difference you need to pay. Sometimes our clients see a project coming together and decide that they want to move a wall or doorway once it’s already framed in. That’s not a problem either, so you shouldn’t hesitate to ask for what you want. At the end of the day we want you to be satisfied with the results. Again, just discuss the options with Zack and he will let you know what, if any, additional charges you will need to pay above the contract price for this “change order”. When you agree to the changes and approve the change order, you will be billed for the price that you agreed to. This way there won’t be any surprises in the final bill.

A:      We do stick to our quotes whenever possible. Unfortunately, we don’t have X-Ray vision and we can encounter unexpected things in the process of a remodel. This is especially true for older homes or for properties that may have differed maintenance over the years. For example, if we remove a bathtub or shower and find evidence of rot in the framing of the walls or floor, we will notify you immediately. While we don’t want to exceed your budget, we also don’t want to cover up a problem that will just need to be addressed down the road either. There’s no point in putting a new bathroom on a rotten frame.
        When things like this occur, we will discuss the options with you and make a plan to correct the issue. You will know the costs associated with the different solutions available to you. Once you are aware of the problem, and agree to a solution, a change order will be written and approved before we move forward.

A:      Absolutely! First off you can read our testimonials and reviews on independent sites like Yelp. Secondly we can put you in touch with several past clients that you can speak so you can ask questions about our craftsmanship, timeliness, or whatever else you might want to verify. We don’t expect you to just take our word for it.  If you’re wanting to take things a step further we can inquire with our previous clients about having you visit their homes or commercial property to see our work for yourself first hand. That being said, we can’t make any guarantees about our past clients wanting to have their homes used as a showroom, but it’s not unheard of.

A:

In theory we can start as soon as you are ready for us. That said, in many cases it doesn’t make sense for us to start until everything is in place for a remodel. The last thing we want to do is start the demo phase, and then have to wait 2 weeks for something to be delivered or cabinets to be made. Besides needing to schedule all of the materials, we will want to lock in any potential subcontractors needed (plumbers, electricians, etc) so that the job goes smoothly.
        For people looking for repairs jobs, or have a ‘punch list’ of items that they need done, the start time can be as soon as today. Of course, that tends to come up if you have a ‘property emergency’ or if you catch us between projects. If you are looking for someone ASAP, hopefully we can spare some of our crew to come out and take care of what you need. It’s really going to depend on what and where. So while we don’t want to make any blanket promises, we suggest that you just get in touch with us and we will do our best to respond to your needs in a manner that makes sense. 

A:      Of course! Not all of the work we do are large remodels, tenant improvements, or construction projects. We also take care of more than a few ‘odd jobs’ for clients. For this kind of work, it may not make sense for us to submit a formal bid for the job. Especially if you have worked with us in the past, and you know that we will just come take care of what you need and charge a fair hourly rate. Even if we have never had the pleasure of working with you before, we are available to hire on a ‘time and materials’ basis.

        Generally speaking the process for that goes something like this. Someone calls Zack and tells him, “I need X, Y, and Z done at my property. Are you free today or tomorrow to take care of that?” Of course you will want to know “How much is it going to cost me?” Zack can tell you something like that sounds like X number of hours, but if you can send me some photos I might be able to give you a better idea. Then he can tell you it sounds like we will need to replace this or that, which should cost about X amount. So before you even agree to have us come out, you have a general ideal of what it’s going to cost.
      Once we arrive, we will get right down to work and take care of the job, you can verify how long we were on site and what materials were used. We will present you with an invoice and accept your payment. It’s pretty straightforward. While we are there if we see anything else that might need to be done, we will let you know and present some possible options for you, should you like us to take care of that for you as well. 

         We strive to give good service in hopes of you referring us or calling us again. So quite often, if there’s something like a loose handle or squeaky door hinge, we don’t mind taking an extra minute out of our day to tighten that up for you. In part, we have been around for all these years because we don’t try to ‘nickel and dime’ our clients. That’s just our idea of good service. 

          In full disclosure though, we do have some minimum charges, which can be affected by how far away your job is. Hopefully, that makes sense because if it takes us longer to drive out to you, than it does to do the job, we have to account for our travel time as well. So, in conclusion it’s best to just give us a call, or send a message, and we can give you a more conclusive answer based on your specific situation.