Contracted with Randy Markel of R. Markel Construction in 2008 to build an addition and handicapped ramp that was to connect with the garage. It should have been completed the summer before last when I was out of school and had the time to have my best friend, who had developed MS, over to my home.
He told me that zoning would not allow the addition to be attached to the garage because he did not think the garage had a foundation - but that he had a way to work around that issue after the addition was done.
He had $25,300 of my money when he suddenly moved the large truck and all the heavy equipment that he had parked for months on my property - and I was left with damages to the driveway where he accidentally poured concrete, a damaged garage roof where he hit it with a piece of equipment, misaligned doors, leaky gutters, missing window issues, drywall-dust filled ducts, the pipe from the sump pump - he said he would trench and run it out to the back yard under the addition - he instead has it poking through the side of the addition in a ragged hole and laying just under the weeds; he piled up debris and through dirt and then set a 5x7 foot slab of concrete on top of it, etc. - the biggest being that I had no ramp and no covered access to the garage. My house was less handicapped accessible than before I hired him!
I withheld $2000 - and he took ME to small claims court. The Magistrate asked if was able to read his own contract... I asked for and was granted time to seek legal council and Mr. Markel was advised that he would be wise to be cooperative in resolving these matters. I have a CD recording of the hearing.
I hired an attorney who set up a meeting at my home with him and his attorney - and we thought we had an agreement... Only to find out that after the extended delay and hassles, he still expected me to give him the remaining $2,000.By this time, my friend's condition had deteriorated severely and I was back to 12-14 hour days between work and school.
I called my attorney again on December 30 - he said he would make one more call to his attorney to see if he would either finish the work or credit me for it. Since I have not heard back, I am assuming he told his lawyer not to bother responding.
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