Contracted for totally green project: remodel kitchen, living & dining rooms, stair/landing, including hardwood floors, custom cabinetry, granite counters, new stairs/railings, slate entries, doors, windows.
$14,000 paid for stairs of such low quality (newell not plumb, "seamless" pillars splitting at seams floor to ceiling, balusters inconsistent distance apart, poorly sanded, gouges in railing, balusters rattle due to very poor fit into rail) that we asked that stair work stop and were given $5000 credit. We hired another company to tear out stairs and railings and start again.
Newly installed floor had to be resanded and refinished due to damage that occurred during the project, causing us to have to move out of house a second time. New whole house fan did not work effectively and had to be upgraded at our expense. Did not consistently use green materials as we'd agreed, saying subs could not remember when ordering. Nonrecylables not effectively separated from recyclables.
Problems from the start when our written requirements for window size were disregarded and we were expected to pay 1/2 the cost to replace. Architect drawings ordered by builder were done without consulting our designer. Architect's drawings or other specs were generally not shared with workers & subs. Subcontractors in most cases were unsupervised by the general contractor and frequently unaware of what they were to accomplish or how, meaning we had to be home at all times to supervise subs. Many errors occurred which were caught by the owner, not the contractor.
Contractor did not communicate issues with the draft cabinet design to the cabinet maker until owners insisted on meeting w/him directly. These last minute changes caused 2 month delay in cabinets. Extensive cabinet damage during installation by contractor's carpenter caused further delay. Last straw was when painter dripped varnish across new floor. Calls to contractor about same were not returned and had not been repaired. Job estimated at 2 months, daily penalty starting at 4 months. Contractor did not pay penalty, did not finish, and does not return phone calls.
Contractor consistently has claimed that any other client would be satisfied. We have met other clients of his who feel the same as we do, and consulted others in the field, including one of his subs, who are appalled at the quality and disorganization of the job.
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