I hired Larry to fix some plaster around a window that I had enlarged and to cover an opening where an air conditioner used to be after I had the masonry repaired on the outside. Total charge for the work was $600. Larry promised that the plaster would be paint ready and smooth, corner beads used on the exposed edges of the window opening and a generally professional job. Instead of this, I got this uneven mess with cracks all over that had to be redone.
Two inexperienced kids show up at my house to do the work. They used common nails to attach the plaster board. No tape was used on any of the joints. After the plaster was applied to the plaster board, there were high and low spots all over with the plaster sloping into the window opening instead of the plaster being square and flush. The air conditioning opening was the same thing - cracks on both sides with a large bulge in the center.
I complained to Larry about this and his solution was to come out three additional times and continue to apply additional coats of plaster to try to even things out. Instead of trying to cover up what was already a bad job, it should have been removed and Larry should have started over. What I got instead was a wall with a section that stuck out from the rest that is completely visible from any angle and was still uneven. The cracks formed almost immediately along the joints where no tape was used.
I was also surprised that Larry sent his crew out without proper equipment. They had no work lights - instead they were using mine that I already had by the new opening. When Larry came back to ""fix"" the initial job, he was using my six foot straight edge to make sure things were straight. He didn't bother to clean the plaster off it when he was done.
I should also mention that I got Larry's name from Angie's List. He was rated very well there but I have to believe that, after my experience with him, that the reviews were not genuine.
Don't bother with this guy. He is certainly not a professional. The job was so bad, anyone could do a better job themselves - even if you are all thumbs and have no home improvement experience. Save yourself the time, money and frustration.
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