We hired Duffy Construction of Tacoma (WA License DUFFYCL843LS) to put in a kitchenette in our basement and turn a basement laundry room into a second bathroom and laundry room. They had good reviews, and when Brendon Duffy came out to see what we wanted done, he seemed knowledgeable. Brendon talked to us about what we wanted to have done. He came back a week later with a contract for us to sign. Brendon said he expected to have the work done within 8 to 9 weeks.
Work started with some minor demolition, but then stalled while Duffy Construction attempted to get the building permit. They hadn't realized they had to submit a drawing with measurements showing the work they were intending to do. Brendon explained to us that he had not applied for building permits in Tacoma before, and that the process was more difficult than he expected. We began to wonder how much experience Duffy Construction actually had.
The permit was issued, and the work resumed. It quickly became evident that Duffy Construction was not performing quality work. The first wall they built was crooked, and had to be torn down and rebuilt. The closet walls they built were also crooked. They didn't understand the mechanical code, and had to reinstall the dryer vent several times before it could pass inspection. They had trouble installing cabinets correctly, did a substandard job of installing sheetrock and wall texture, and did a poor job of painting the walls. They installed a shower door backwards (the sticker that said "this side out" was put with that side in).
As the homeowners, we did not remain silent. We asked questions about things that didn't look right to us. If we had been provided with satisfactory answers, we would have been happy. Instead, we were simply told not to worry, or that we didn't want to be involved in the "sausage making." As time went on, we became more vocal. It is our house, and we wanted at least average quality. The need to continually correct obvious mistakes kept delaying our project. Duffy Construction did not like to have errors pointed out to them, especially if it was a woman pointing out their errors.
Four months after they began work on this nine-week project, we asked Duffy Construction to stop work when their second attempt to install snap laminate flooring failed. This flooring was being installed by their "best" flooring guy, who supposedly had decades of experience. We ended up correcting and finishing the work, except for the remaining plumbing and electrical work, ourselves with a lot less stress and aggravation. read more