Please do your research. Mr. Ralph Home Improvement is NOT a licensed home improvement/kitchen…read morerenovation contractor. Although, I asked on our initial conversation and he confirmed that he was licensed.
After seeing the pictures of a new kitchen and reading the excellent reviews posted on yelp I contacted Mr. Ralph.
He first gave me a labor cost of to renovate my kitchen for $3,000. After a few days he text me dropping his price to $2,700. He said he understood my situation & was willing to help me out. Few days later he went to my home, measured, sent me a shopping list of the items I needed. I ordered them through Lowes. Had them delivered bc his truck didn't have room/space for all the materials. While waiting on the new cabinets he demoed the old kitchen cabinets, painted the ceiling, walls and trim.
This is where things began to go south: After noticing the old wall were the original cabinets were not painted, I asked him why not paint the old walls? He was resistant bc the new cabinets where going to be installed and no one would see it. He later gave in & began painting the old yellow walls. He charged $500 for the paint job + I purchased the paint.
The quality I was promised was NOT what I or my real estate agent was seeing. The purpose of this project was to renovate my old kitchen so I can list the house for sale.
After telling Mr. Ralph I was not happy on how large the gap between the refrigerator and top cabinet is I asked if perhaps the cabinet can be switched to a bigger/more functional size. At first he told me the gap can be covered if I placed something on top of refrigerator. I said ok. I thought perhaps a sign or basket would do the work. A few days later my realtor goes in, sees the cabinets and was also not pleased. She's sold properties for many yrs and is able to tell something is wrong right away. She called me up- bc I'm out of state- sent me more pics and strongly encouraged me to get the right cabinets for this area.
After reaching out to Mr. Ralph he became belligerent, said I was micromanaging him and should trust the process. Mr. Ralph then texted me to let me know he was packing up & leaving.
He demanded the rest of the $ owed which I had paid 1/2 of what he was charging me up front. Told me the job he was doing cost a lot more than $2,700 yet that was the cost he gave me. He told me if I did not paying him the rest of the $ owed he would not return. I asked him: would you pay for a job you are not happy with? A job that hasn't been completed? No, I didn't pay him & thankfully did not return.
I failed to do my research for project. As a first time home owner who moved out of state & needs to sell the home. I trusted someone who told me on many occasions he was professional, experienced and meticulous at his craft. For this I'm paying the price.
Please do not make the same mistake. Do not take a contractor's word no matter how nice they seem. No matter how many times they tell you they understand and want to help you. Ask to see proof- which I was never provided. All I received was an invoice for the renovation of kitchen cabinets and painting of my kitchen.
I'm glad I listened to my realtor. In less than 24 hours of Mr. Ralph walking out of this project a new certified/experienced/recommended contractor stepped in. He wasn't shocked of the quality/service I received. Unfortunately, he's had to step in to fix jobs like the one I was left with.
The new contractor confirmed: All the cabinets and counter top that were initially ordered were measured incorrectly & ALL the materials which were order needed to be returned w/ the exception of the ones already installed- bc those can't be refunded since they've been drilled in.
I've lost $ & a lot of time. My home was suppose to be listed already. I lost $1,600: $1,350 ($2,700) was given as a deposit + $250 ($500) for kitchen paint job. I now have to pay extra to get the job done correctly- so basically I got what I paid for . Lesson learned. Do YOUR RESEARCH. No proof of licenses, no contract, no drawings, etc no business/$.
