Friendly service, frustrating results | Look closely before hiring!
We hired Lost Pond to restore a flooded family room and bathroom in our small home. They were the most expensive quote we received, but most reviews looked good and we were promised a quick turnaround. The 2-week job took 9 weeks, and we're still finding and fixing problems.
The most serious issue was the toilet was installed incorrectly, so waste water flowed under our brand-new flooring and out under our newly installed family room carpet with every flush. The subcontractor sent to fix it misdiagnosed the problem as the vanity drain -- which, it turned out, was ALSO installed improperly (a nipple slid into the cast iron pipe with no fitting or seal). After the floor was replaced, the vanity leaked too and was not fixed. The cheap MDF baseboard was reused rather than replaced to save a few bucks.
Other issues leaving us frustrated and disappointed:
* Our wall outlets were submerged in the flood. We were first told they wouldn't be replaced as they were not called out on the quote only to be billed for their replacement later. When we pulled the cover plates, the terminal screws were heavily rusted, confirming the outlets had not been replaced.
* New wainscoting was installed with panel spacing varying from about 42" to 19", visibly uneven even on the same wall. The subcontractor told us he installed the vertical pieces without accounting for the door molding widths. There are pieces that are not square or level either. None of the chair rail molding was painted on the bottom side. Entire panels still had the horizontal seam from installing new drywall on the lower half and doing a poor mud and sanding job.
* The bathroom light sat uninstalled for ~2 weeks because the subcontractor "doesn't know how to reconnect" it. The owner said he'd install it himself but didn't, we ended up doing it ourselves.
* The quote listed raised wainscoting paneling we never received; we were told it was just "the closest description in the software," though every other line item on the quote was customized.
* Missing and scratched paint throughout, especially from the re-work, but they took the leftover paint so we had to get paint and do the touch-ups ourselves. Numerous other small issues and head scratchers like a locking door handle installed on a closet with the lock on the outside?
After the toilet repairs, we were not even asked if we were satisfied, only when they could pick up the check. The owner suggested canceling our planned larger home addition project, saying if this small job had this many problems, imagine how many problems a bigger one could have. We agreed with his assessment.He refunded a portion of the final bill and design fee.
Others may have had better experiences, but based on ours, we'd urge you to look closely at the details before choosing Lost Pond. read more
