We paid Brutsky Builds more than $800,000 for a whole-home remodel, including ~$23,000 for…read morepreconstruction and $39,000 for project management. Six months after paying in full, we were still dealing with corrective work--and owner Erik called us "too demanding" and accused us, in substance, of seeking "free stuff."
For those fees, I expected competent planning and meaningful quality control. Instead, I repeatedly found defects I believe the PM should have caught. Based on my experience, Filip did not demonstrate the construction knowledge, experience, organization or attention to detail I expected from the PM of a project this size. Two Brutsky handymen sent for repairs even commented that issues they saw should have been addressed earlier and we shouldn't have had to deal with them at that stage. Too often, I felt like I was performing the QA/QC function we paid Brutsky to perform.
Preconstruction also missed significant issues. Structural/joist conditions weren't adequately identified. A decommissioned oil tank was missed and later removed despite being outside the planned construction path, resulting in an ~$5,000 charge; work began before we signed the change order. Drainage/waterproofing requirements resulted in ~$25,000 of additional work.
Before construction, we had a relatively new professionally installed ~$23,000 fence with a 10-year warranty. About half was affected during construction. Brutsky rebuilt the affected portion using the wrong type of nails, causing widespread dark staining/bleeding. When I complained, Brutsky argued about the cause. Their solution was wood cleaner, which made it worse. With no reasonable way to conceal/blend the discoloration, I paid $7,192.38 to have the entire perimeter fence painted black.
The gates also had problems. I installed additional hardware myself as a temporary fix; a post remains cracked and another gate misaligned. Our original fence contractor quoted $2,020.30 to correct them.
Bathroom problems repeatedly affected our ability to use our home. An incorrectly sloped guest shower left that bathroom unusable for weeks, causing visiting family to reschedule trips. Multiple tile/grout return trips made either our primary or guest shower unusable at different times. Some corrective work itself needed correction. Water escaping from another shower continued long enough to damage the baseboard after months of complaints. I eventually bought and installed a shower-door seal myself. Shower glass was also missing when we initially moved home.
Our deck was turned over with rough/unfinished wood, protruding screws/nails, visible lumber markings, staining and cracked wood. Its unfinished condition caused us to move a large family Easter gathering. I bought a sander and sanded portions myself and cut protruding screw tips. Brutsky returned three separate times for protruding nails. During the deck build, the exterior dryer vent was also covered, preventing normal washer/dryer use until corrected.
We also dealt with incorrectly wired switches/outlets, EV-charger issues, window-tint/privacy problems I ultimately solved by finding another contractor, overspray/finish issues, scheduling problems and other punch-list items.
About four months after move-in, a water-main problem required completed work to be reopened. We were without normal water for nearly three days and dealt with roughly four weeks of repairs. Even resulting tile work required another correction.
To be fair, Brutsky eventually corrected many issues. The problem was what it took to get there: I found a defect, reported it, waited for someone to return, and sometimes the correction itself needed correction.
The final-payment situation makes this especially frustrating. The expectation was that the final 5% would remain until outstanding work/punch-list items were completed and we were satisfied. Instead, Erik invoiced us for the full remaining balance. We paid it March 9, 2026 while work remained. Six months later, corrections continued.
During our latest attempt to resolve the gates, Erik called us "too demanding," characterized previous fence work as a "courtesy," disputed responsibility for the fence and accused us, in substance, of seeking "free stuff." My wife reminded Erik that Filip had told us Brutsky would fix the fence and restore it to its original condition. Erik responded, in substance, that Filip says things that aren't necessarily true.
Filip was Brutsky's project manager. Erik owns Brutsky Builds. For the owner to essentially say his own PM says things that aren't true only reinforced our concerns about management and accountability.
In my experience, Erik takes zero accountability.
I expected a punch list on a project this large. I did not expect months of repeated corrections, unusable areas of our home, family plans disrupted, defects I had to identify myself, repairs I performed myself and additional expenses after paying $800,000+.
I cannot recommend Brutsky Builds.
