I hired Louis and his team on February 28, 2025 for a $70,000 basement renovation. The agreement…read morewas that work would begin by early May and finish by early June. Instead, work did not start until mid-June and the project was not completed until mid-September.
During the project, there were several significant issues:
1. Thermostat buried - At one point, the team plastered over the thermostat and forgot it was there. This required corrective work that should not have been necessary.
2. Plastering problems - The plaster work was uneven and needed to be reskimmed, which their GC, Matt, acknowledged. When Louis came to inspect, he became visibly frustrated, blamed the painters who were not responsible, and attempted to sand the walls by hand to demonstrate a prep issue. He also made negative remarks about the other workers present. I later apologized to the painters to smooth things over. Ultimately, I had to negotiate a compromise to have the walls corrected properly.
3. HVAC access - Instead of installing the contracted access door, a low-cost plastic cover was installed. This did not meet standard practices for a project of this scope. I requested that this work be completed properly, but no action has been taken to date.
4. Flooding - The crew overloaded the electrical outlet connected to the HVAC condensate pump, which tripped the breaker. Since the breaker was not reset, the pump remained off over the weekend and the basement flooded. Louis attempted to make us pay for a plumber to diagnose the issue, even though it was clearly caused by how the work was left.
5. Pest infestation - After the project concluded, a cockroach problem appeared in the basement storage areas. These areas had not previously had issues. After consulting an exterminator, it was determined that the likely source was construction materials brought in during the project. When I raised the issue, Louis stated "Good luck proving it was my fault" and hung up on me.
Some of the team members -- Matt, Dave, and Junior -- did solid work and were professional to deal with. However, Louis frequently did not take accountability, did not resolve issues professionally, and shifted responsibility to others.
Bottom line: If you are considering this company, I recommend reviewing other options. While the project was eventually completed, the delays, extra costs, and handling of issues made this a stressful experience.
