In June 2018, I purchased a home that had basement prior water ingress listed in the disclosure documents. Brick by Brick (BBB) performed repair work in 2012, and their transferable 15 year warranty was included in the sale of the home as material guaranteeing against water ingress. The previous owner completed a full basement remodel after the basement was sealed.
Within 6 months of taking ownership of the home, water ingress took place at the location of the repair causing a total loss of the laminate flooring in the basement living room, mitigation costs, drywall repair, and a need to reseal the foundation.
BBB did not stand by their guarantee which forced me to take legal action resulting in a settlement that took nearly a year to resolve.
Initially, I tried to resolve the issue through the contracting board; the time frame of the work being done in 2012 unfortunately made this avenue impossible. I believe Steve Otis (of BBB) contacted my attorney at least once around this time, used some choice language over the phone, and hung up quickly. I heard of this second hand, but I believe the language relayed to me was 'you're a P.O.S. lawyer...' or similar.
Prior to filing suit, two other licensed contractors were brought in for evaluation of the prior work and claimed that it was a DIY-level effort, and not even a good one, let alone the quality of work they would expect from a contractor.
Once the suit was filed, BBB's insurer took over handling the case. Initially, arbitration was scheduled. My attorney let me know that BBB's insurer may have been trying to cast doubt on the fact that the repair work was indeed BBB's work. While this next detail was not brought up with the insurer, the previous owner of the home was in contact with me and confirmed that the failed foundation work was indeed BBB's work.
BBB's insurer settled before arbitration after some back and forth (including trying to slip in a confidentiality clause that would have prevented me from writing this review, if it hadn't been removed prior to settlement).
In the end, my legal fees totaled around half of what the total damages to the property will cost me. I will be repairing the foundation and drywall immediately, but in order to replace the flooring, it will take a considerable amount of out of pocket money.
Avoid BBB like the plague - the guarantee is only as good as the person providing it and Mr. Otis made it very clear where he stands on that. read more