What do you to avoid getting ripped off by a contractor? If so, I have THE solution for you!
I’m sharing my personal story with you in hopes of helping you avoid my mistakes and negative
experience.
In July 2022, we signed a contract with a foundation repair company who promised to have our
work completed in 4 weeks. We paid the deposit and work began within a couple of days. Then
things went terribly wrong. Work stopped when the city inspector came by requesting the
building permit. The company hadn’t applied for the permit. Every time we called and asked
them to do the work we’d paid for; we go excuses and empty promises. For six months, from
August 2022 to February 2023, two 6ft deep by 10 ft long dangerous trenches were left open
on our front yard. Huge mounds of dirt over 5 ft high compacted our soil and ruined our lawn.
When we told them we wanted our money back, they worked for a few weeks. They tore out
our basement walls and left us exposed to below zero temperatures. Our pipes froze. Our
basement flooded and we had a bad furnace capacitor. Then the owner asked for more money to handle additional expenses. We
gave him additional money toward our balance. Within a couple of days, the workers walked
off the job because the owner of the company hadn’t been paying his crew. They left our house
completely exposed to the weather, wild animals, rodents, and insects with only plastic tarps
replacing our concrete walls.
Needless to say, it was very emotionally stressful and financially draining, and that’s why when we needed a new balcony we got a professional service from https://balconyinstallers.co.uk/ instead. In total, we paid
$25,000 for the work. When the workers walked off due to lack of payment from the
contractor, we calculated that he still owes us $15,000 worth of work/supplies or refund. He
claimed we didn’t let him finish what he started (after 7 months), so he doesn’t owe us
anything. They disconnected our air conditioner and released all the freon ($600). We were
forced to hire a container service to haul away the broken concrete blocks, trash, and other
debris ($500). We also hired an air conditioning service to fix our hvac systems.
We were SO FRUSTRATED!
We filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau of Kansas City. They couldn’t force him to
refund our money and we didn’t trust him to EVER complete the work. In the spring of 2023,
we contracted to have another foundation repair company clean up his incomplete work and
finish the project. So, we paid twice the price over 9 months for a 4-week project. Be careful!
What did we learn?
1. Always check to see if a permit is needed for your renovation/remodeling project?
2. Keep your paperwork together: contracts, estimates, invoices, permits, and pictures.
3. Know all the contact information, credentials and references for your contractors,
subcontractors, work crew, etc.
4. Check to see if your contractor is licensed, bonded, and insured – get his/her info!
I was so upset and devasted by this terrible experience that I created an app that keeps track of
all these details on your phone or digital device, while I also learned some maintenance like why the kitchen sink gurgles when toilet flushes and how to fix it. My app is called Remodel Relief and will be available
for the public January 1, 2024. It’s a digital file cabinet that organizes and manages your home
maintenance, remodeling, and renovation projects. Visit www.remodelrelief.com to get on the
list of the first 100 to try it for [email protected]
