We hired Todd Grehl to do remodeling work at our house and barn. He and his wife had been close friends for several years. At his suggestion we agreed that payment would be based on time and material. We were told that every invoice would include all related receipts - so that we would know "exactly where every dollar went".
The project started out well with Todd paying attention to details - however he gradually spent less and less time on the job - leaving the work to his 3 workers who had no construction experience. We never did get any receipts - he always said that Julie, his wife was getting them together. Everytime we questioned (obvious) mistakes, Todd had an answer. Most of the time it didn't make much sense - but he was a very close friend, so we gave him the benefit of the doubt.
They were away on vacation for at least 4 weeks from September to December. When he was away, there was no work done. Time was critical because we were replacing a roof and siding. He promised that by the time he went on vacation after Xmas, our barn would be ready for the horses to return and the windows that were to be installed in August, would be in. Neither occured. While they were away, we realized that there were major structural issues with their work. We found structural beams that were not connected to anything, drains that were not connected to anything. Gaps in the sheeting and windows that weren't even nailed into place. There were crooked doorways, walls that weren't straight and shims in just about everything. They even used nails as shims! It was almost as though they were trying to build it as poorly as they possibly could.
To add insult to injury, I discovered that the billing was about as legitimate as the building. I was charged for very expensive tools including tools that Todd told my husband were Christmas gifts for his guys. There were charges for items that that were returned for credit - however my account was not. There were debit charges with cash back - lunches - materials that were clearly not used on our job. And lots and lots of "charges" that didn't have receipts.
We've told them that until we are able to see the receipts (as originally promised) we would like all work to stop. Although they are still supposed to be getting those receipts together, Todd has recently picked up all of his equipment from the job site. I was told that everything would be ready for review today - however my attempts to contact them have gone unanswered.
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