Found Xtreme Builders (Tom Blonski) through the Home Improvement Network for a four-unit condo conversion project in Skokie (i.E. Upgrading of electrical, new kitchens, baths, etc.) Unfortunately, I had to manage this project from a distance (I live in California), which is why I hired Xtreme and Tom Blonski as the general contractor. I've had some experience in this type of work before and developed an extremely detailed spreadsheet of the project, room by room, and what was required in each.
Things appeared to start out well and Tom was extremely nice to work with. He seemed to agree to the spreadsheet that I put forth and understand what needed to be done.
Toward the expected end of the project, I scheduled another trip from California to do a final walkthrough, before asking the Village to come out for inspection. During the visit, I found things were far from completion so I developed a punch list of things required. I was judging mostly aesthetically and found the workmanship (tile setting, paint, drywall, cabinet hanging, appliance installation, etc.) to be incredibly sub-par. I would later be told that the items were complete and then schedule another trip. The same thing happened after the second trip.
Finally, I found a fantastic real estate agent and we agreed that she would visit the building regularly. A month after my second "final" walk through, the project was still not near completion. I asked Xtreme to leave and called in another contractor. There was literally two more months worth of work to be done. All the plumbing Xtreme did (in PVC) had to be replaced to meet Village codes. The electrical had not been upgraded as specified, air conditioners were placed on the roof but never wired. Massive drywall repairs were required after the replacement of plumbing and electrical that was supposedly done by Xtreme. The list goes on.
In the end, I spent $50,000 to cover the rework resulting from Xtreme's poor workmanship.
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