I've debated whether to post this, but decided if it spares any of you a similar experience then I…read morereally should share my story.
I found A to Z Upgrades Construction LLC on Nextdoor. They had good reviews, nice pics, were a neighborhood favorite etc. etc.
A to Z contractor J.M. came to look at the job of finishing the interior of a detached studio. He seemed nice and I shared other projects I had in mind for the future. He later sent a quote and I agreed to it. I was so happy that my studio was finally going to get finished.
But after a day of workers installing drywall, I went to see the progress and was absolutely shocked at the workmanship.
The drywall on the ceiling literally had a hole the size of a golf ball. Corners were damaged, seams and cuts were sloppy. One sheet was falling from the ceiling as it wasn't attached properly. And at some of the joints, drywall sheets were on completely different planes. You get the idea. It was definitely not the work of skilled professionals.
I called J.M. immediately. He showed up and stated he wasn't "used to that kind of work from his team" I asked for more skilled workers to complete the job but he said these were the only guys he had to do that kind of work.
He agreed to fix things and I agreed to let them continue but only under supervision.
The two workers showed up a few days later to fix the issues, but again without supervision. By now, I was under high alert. I'm not a contractor, but I've seen how people work and this was far from it. Plus, their idea of fixing a damaged sheet was to cut out a portion and patch it creating yet another sloppy seam with a 1.5" gap and damaging the vapor barrier on the insulation.
When I consulted with a friend who has worked in construction for many decades, he echoed my sentiments.
I made the call to J.M. and asked to stop work immediately. Earlier that day he'd become dismissive of my concerns. He came right over and asked what was wrong. My friend and I told him and pointed out all the problems. J.M didn't like being called out by my friend and so he became combative. Even window sills that were installed were wider on one side than the other (so that the window trim would never have been right)
Then J.M.'s father showed up. I suppose to look at the job and why I was stopping work. He never said a word to me which I thought was rude. I politely ushered them out.
The crew collected their things and J.M. said he would return the unused supplies, calculate the finances, and get back to me. He mumbled something about the price going to an hourly rate. Unfortunately, I had given them a 50% deposit.
A month went by and I didn't hear from them. I finally reached him two weeks ago, and he said that because I canceled the contract, the billing would now go on an hourly rate of $200/hr. (meaning I was not owed a refund)
So not only did they do a horrible job. They worked 30 hours and think they are entitled to 50% of a whole job.
During the last call J.M. said I should have let them finish so I could see what they were capable of. But I saw what they were not "capable" of and there's no way the finished product would've ever been right.
I removed a portion of one of their walls myself and discovered that even more of the panels they installed were broken.
Even IF they had miraculously managed to make things look good in the end. The integrity of the job was just not there.
Now I've also had to pay the new contractors to remove the majority of A to Z's work.
The good news is the new contractors are doing an excellent job.
I've lived in the area about 10 years and have always been blessed by amazing people until now.
Anyway, be careful out there.