Minguell-Mcquary Llc

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I engaged Minguell-Mcquary as an independent individual. I do not represent my business in this partnership.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Minguell-Mcquary Llc?

I contracted Minguell-Mcquary to develop the structural plans for our new house.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After entering a contract with Minguell-Mcquary, we provided them with all of the information required to develop the plans for our house, including the last survey for the property. We then went into the different developing different schematic designs and structural drawings, which they finished and submitted to me via email. 

A couple of months later, however, we were informed of a survey error that Minguell-Mcquary had not considered. In particular, it was around the issue of our lot’s setbacks. We had to make modifications to be able to build the house, and it created additional costs to have Minguell-Mcquary revise the drawings. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with Jose (Principal) and Laura (Principal).

How did you come to work with Minguell-Mcquary Llc?

In the neighborhood where our lot is located, we found a house that we liked. We inquired after who designed it and were introduced to Minguell-Mcquary. We liked their design samples and ideas for our future home, so we decided to hire them. 

How much have you invested with them?

The contract was over $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed a contract in October 2020 and they submitted the final structural drawings in May 2021. The revised plans were delivered last August 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

When they presented their preliminary drawings, we did not like what they had submitted. We felt that the direction they took with the design was not what we wanted for our house. We started providing them with specific guiding points. However, we found that they were not very collaborative and kind of stuck to their original ideas. 

They're also instances where they were a bit rude. For example, we would express that we wanted a door on a certain part of the house, and the architect would mockingly draw a childish version of it on the plans. Never very close to any idea so we started to disengage. We didn’t like that they were doing exactly what we asked but without providing professional recommendations to supplement it.

Additionally, the original contract outlined that we had the option to build off of their designs with them. When we called in January 2021 to say that we would not be exercising this option, they were very unhappy. They started giving us very minimal services after that and even insisted that we did not have that option, even though it’s clearly stated in the contract.

What did Minguell-Mcquary Llc do to address those challenges?

They did very little. Towards the end, they would simply come in to finish the project so that we would no longer have to deal with them. 

How was the project management handled?

There wasn't much of a project involved; it was simply a matter of getting the deliverables, which were the designs. At first, they submitted everything on time, but the team started delaying everything when they found out we planned to disengage. What should have taken a short amount of time ended up running for 3–4 months. We felt like we were being punished for our decision to cut the partnership. 

Is there anything about their services that you would consider a strength?

There’s nothing that stood out to me, unfortunately. Their design was quite far from what we asked them to draw.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do not engage with this firm.