I bought a house in Marion County in June of 2023. The insurance company recommended "Southern…read moreConstruction". The original team dispatched spoke no english so we had to communicate using "google translator". It rained overnight of the 2nd day of the roof replacement, and instead of letting it dry; they continued immediately which is not supposed to happen. Then workers went through our garden and ate every single watermelon, leaving the discarded rinds for us to pick up. An entire strip of roofing nails was left on the road which acted as a spike strip for my neighbors. They left a caulk gun, a handheld magnet, and nails all around the house. The roof continued leaking and I called for repair teams to come out twice after the job was finished. I accepted this without posting a negative review until today because I personally got up on the roof to do repairs this morning and needed to share this picture. Southern Construction promised to replace all flashing around the chimney during this process. They did not keep their word, and because I thought it was just the first crew I did not want to post a negative review. I now know it was not just the first team. Each crew ignored the rusting aged flashing that was left in place. The "repair" done, was a caulk gun administered over cracks which promptly shrank and cooked off in the summer heat exposing the same gaps. I am including a picture of the flashing on my house today that they were paid to replace. You can see they took the money, but did not do the work.
When we complained, a member of management asked, "Where do y'all like to eat at? Im sending you a gift card for all this trouble". We thought that was a nice gesture so we were satisfied. Nothing ever showed up.
The insurance company initially recommended Southern Construction for repairs, but it took us months of waiting to hear back from them. When I called and left a voicemail after enough times, someone finally picked up one day. He said "Oh yeah, I got your file on my desk for a couple weeks now". I replied "Then why hasn't anyone called? We are taking water damage and this job was supposed to have already started." His reply was one of arrogance and I could hear his demeanor shift. Instead of answering my question, he said "well you're more than welcome to find someone else to do it, I got plenty of houses need done". Because we had been waiting on this group for 4 months we didn't want to restart the clock. He promised 2 weeks until they started so we stuck with them.
I served with 3rd Battalion 5th Marine regiment in Fallujah, and after 2 purple hearts, carrying supplies up ladders and standing at the sharp angle required on a roof absolutely causes me physical pain. Being a retired Marine, my funds are limited and I have been forced to complete repairs and stop leaks myself instead of calling for another incompetent repair team. I am down from the roof now, and despite my artificial ACL made of cable tugging at the molly screws through my shins, and the limp I will have for a few days, I feel great knowing that a disabled veteran with a 100% rating can outwork multiple teams that this company dispatches. It angers me to think of my fellow citizens that suffer similar treatment. Senior citizens that cant get on a roof will have no idea what corners Southern Construction cuts.
In closing, This company is not deserving of the name they chose. Because most of us associate "Southern" pride with honest hard work that gets done right the first time, our paradigm is misled when we find this company. "Washington DC Construction" would be a more fitting name. Taking money for work you don't perform, and supplies you don't use is called "theft". I have lost all trust and confidence in the ability of these individuals. I cannot count the days I wasted, from begging for help to growing crops that their employees raided. This review will be the last of my time Southern Construction eats. I pray that any citizen reading this will let it serve as a warning. I can proudly say that my Marines considered it an honor to serve our people for $2 an hour. Southern construction took funds equivalent to 6,000 hours of my service overseas crushing Jihads, and provided a service that looks like drunk schoolchildren were used as laborers. They stole our food, gave our neighbors flat tires, and lied about compensation (as if a free dinner in town is worth water dripping on my children's beds). I would rather have a root canal than try to communicate with them again. Insurance rates have went up for us because we used hail damage as a reason for the replacement. Between our increased bills and the water damage on 2 floors from the rain storm that hit after the first day of their mariachi band replacing shingles, the cost of using this company has exceeded all expectations.
