I've spent roughly 15 years working in construction, specifically countertop fabrication and flooring, so I understand that schedules slip, suppliers get backed up, and projects occasionally hit problems. I'm generally pretty understanding when those things happen.
My experience with Ryan Carlson / Grindhouse Construction went well beyond what I would consider a normal construction delay.
Ryan was highly responsive and persistent when it came time to collect my $1,000 deposit. I paid promptly. Afterward, I dealt with delays, missed callbacks, repeated personal explanations, and no dependable completion date.
I continued trying to make the project work instead of immediately cancelling. Eventually, I contacted the material supplier myself to verify the status of the job and learned that my countertop material had not even been picked up.
That was before I cancelled the project.
At that point, the material had not been picked up, the countertops had not been fabricated, and nothing had been installed. I cancelled the job and requested my deposit back.
What happened next was particularly frustrating. Each time I pressed Ryan about returning the deposit, instead of simply confirming the refund or providing a payment date, he told me he would call to discuss it. I wasn't asking to renegotiate the situation. I was asking for the return of money paid toward work that had never been performed.
After multiple attempts to get a definitive answer, I sent Ryan a formal written demand on August 13 giving him until August 19 to return the funds. As of the time of this review, that deadline has not yet passed.
The contrast in urgency has been difficult to ignore: obtaining my deposit required immediate attention; returning it has required repeated follow-up and another conversation.
Having worked in this industry for years, I know the difference between a contractor having a rough week and a customer having legitimate reason for concern. In my experience, this is the latter.
I would not hire Ryan Carlson / Grindhouse Construction, and I would not recommend this business to friends, family, or anyone looking for countertop work. There are too many qualified contractors available to justify this kind of risk with your project or your money.
The fastest-moving part of my project was the deposit. read more
