Tom Wilson was hired for this job on 9/2009. He promised a start date in October pending permit approval. All permits were approved in October, but he said they weren't. I found out he had non-permit jobs he was doing and didn't want to start mine because that would put code enforcement in the area. He also went on a vacation that I didn't know about when I hired him. Ultimately, he didn't start the meat of the job until late december, after I threatened to give it to someone else.
Of course, he continued to do other jobs and neglect mine. I was a large paycheck, but I kept getting excuses. We had a solid date of 2/2/11, which is why he got the job, but he didn't complete it for a final inspection until April. We barely passed and I took a hit with taxes. Tom was paid, but agreed IN WRITING that the remaining $8000 would be absorbed by him as a result of the issues.
The "punch list" turned into a nightmare. The doors were put in wrong, the hardware upside down, the electrical issues were non-stop, the shower tile melted off the walls after a month, gaps were found where the stucco meets foundation, painting not completed, dry wall not screwed in was bulging out, stucco cracked because it was mixed wrong, my air conditioning and water softener didn't go in until late JULY. The water softener turned out to be only a filter with a "water softener" sticker on the outside.
I did not change anything or add anything along the way. I stayed out of the way. Tom made changes and promises he couldn't keep. I would take days off to be there for "punch list" items and Tom would never show. To this day, my house is not finished and Tom now says I owe him money and will not finish the house. From the outside looking in, it's beautiful. I'll have to have everything re-done, but hey - it looks good if you don't look close.
Please do not use this contractor unless your lawyer draws up the paperwork. Thankfully I saved every bit of correspondence and took film and photos during the entire thing.
more