If I could give a negative star review, I would.
This has…read morebeen one of the worst experiences I have ever had with a contractor--not only because of the quality and management of the project, but because of how Jacob treated my family. He was uncommunicative, rude, aggressive, condescending, and dishonest. We hired him expecting a professional who would manage our renovation and communicate with us. Instead, we ended up having to closely supervise the project ourselves while constantly dealing with his attitude.
My parents are older Asian immigrants who have always placed a high value on honesty, respect, and quality craftsmanship. They spent years renovating their home themselves, but are now too old to continue, which is why we finally decided to hire a contractor. Jacob was working on our neighbor's house and approached us about our home. He initially seemed eager and trustworthy, even saying things like, "I want to build your dream."
We hired him for a complete kitchen remodel, bathroom remodel, exterior painting, new vinyl windows, and a garage remodel--approximately an $80,000 project.
One of our biggest issues was that Jacob simply did not manage the project well. We had to be extremely involved because we repeatedly noticed workers cutting corners, leaving things unfinished, or not knowing how something was supposed to be done. We had to point out time-sensitive issues and ask questions because Jacob was frequently not present. Jacob would tell us workers were coming, only for nobody to show up. We repeatedly asked him for a schedule and basic communication about when work would be happening.
Without notifying us, Jacob overcharged our credit card--even though the project was nowhere near complete.
He came to our house AFTER with a contract for us to sign acknowledging that we were aware of the charges. We weren't.
Instead of understanding why we were upset, Jacob became angry, started yelling at my parents, called his workers to stop working, and threatened to stop the entire job because we wouldn't sign. He made a huge scene and mocked my parents for being upset.
Our kitchen had already been demolished, leaving us in an extremely difficult position. We ultimately agreed to sign after he promised to return the overcharge and improve communication.
The most serious incident involved the structural support of our home.
We had specifically asked Jacob and his workers to notify us before removing a supporting beam so that we could plan how to safely work around it. Instead, Jacob showed up at our house unannounced, without notifying me or my father, and attempted to remove the support beams himself.
When I woke up, I noticed that the ceiling had dropped several inches and that some of the support beams were missing. I asked the workers nearby what had happened, and they told us Jacob had done it early that morning and that the ceiling had shaken when he removed the beams.
There was obvious damage to the ceiling, and the worst part was that Jacob had not done anything to properly re-support it. My dad and I had to address the immediate structural issue ourselves.
Jacob had not contacted us at all about what happened.
The next day, instead of apologizing, Jacob told us that sometimes houses have "unplanned issues" that can cost more money. I was extremely angry and confronted him because we knew he had been the one to remove the support. He became upset that I was angry with him rather than apologizing for what had happened.
It was only after my dad spoke up and told him that what he had done was unforgivable that Jacob made a very big deal about promising to pay for rebuilding the structural support.
Jacob originally promised that the renovation would take approximately 4-5 weeks. It took 7 weeks.
Even after the project supposedly ended, there were still several unfinished items and issues that we had been told would be addressed. Jacob repeatedly reassured us that he would come back and fix things "until satisfaction" and told us he was "not like others" who simply leave once they get paid.
It has now been a month since we have seen Jacob or had him come back to check the house.
We still have not received the certificate of completion or the warranty documents he promised us. When we contact him about remaining issues, we are now being told that he won't fix things for free or that it's "too late."
For an approximately $80,000 renovation, we expected professionalism, communication, accountability, and respect. Instead, my family had to become deeply involved in managing the project, identifying problems, communicating with workers, and even finishing things ourselves.
We trusted Jacob with our home and our parents' hard-earned money, and we feel that trust was not respected.
I hope Jacob and his company see this review, but more importantly, I hope other homeowners do their research and think very carefully before trusting him with their home.
