Long Post
I want to share my personal experience with Home…read moreMasters. I hired them to remove carpet and stain my concrete floors. Their presentation was impressive, and Saad, in particular, was professional and won my confidence. From the start, I believed they would deliver a fantastic job. I already own another home with stained concrete floors, and those are absolutely stunning -- so my expectations were high.
Unfortunately, over the next week and a half, Home Masters destroyed my dream of having beautiful stained concrete floors. What should have been an exciting transformation turned into one of the most stressful experiences I've had as a homeowner. Instead of joy, I was left agonizing over what to do next. Could I live with the floors as they were? My heart cried inside every time I looked at them. I was unable to sleep and anxiety and depression pressed in. I had just paid over $7,000, and the results were nowhere near what I had envisioned.
Major issues with the project
1) The finish of the floors was not smooth. The floors felt like sandpaper.
2) The color was inconsistent throughout the house. Each room was entirely different. There were large areas in which it looked like someone accidentally "poured out" too much paint and just left it there. As a result, there were random isolated patches of dark brown/black.
3) Home Masters did not have adequate resources (human capital) to get the job done. They made a commitment that they could not fulfill. Home Masters was not able to identify subcontractors who were experts in the field to stain concrete floors. For example, one contractor showed up and started painting the floor with a paint brush.
3) The project was poorly managed and there was little to no communication with me or with the subcontractors. Crews were sometimes late, left early, and left without letting me know they were gone or what time they would return. They just walked off!
4) The project manager, George, frequently said that he was coming to look at the work but did not show up until the end of the project.
However, I found the greatest offense was how the project manager talked very negatively about other employees and subcontractors. And, the crew reciprocated with their frustration with George's lack of communication with them.
George spoke negatively about Saad and his lack of knowledge regarding how to sale. That was one of the first statements that came out of his mouth-I was shocked! George stated that Saad's father, the owner, was rarely pleased with Saad and considered him a common "problem."George inferred that he and Saad's father did not trust Saad's ability to properly create a quote. He was not shy about expressing how he felt about Saad's proposal (bid) for the job. However from my viewpoint, Saad was committed, authentic, and the only positive exchange I experienced.
So, to me George came in as the "handler." George's intent to get more money was obvious as he tried to up-sale the contract with unrealistic costs.
All of this was unsettling and totally unprofessional. Now with more context, it is no surprise that Home Masters failed to deliver a high quality product. Unfortunately, I had trusted their polished presentation and believed their promises.
The lack of communication from the project manager and the lack of skill and knowledge of the subcontractors left me with high levels of stress and anxiety. I lost sleep and anguished over what to do. The work was so bad. How could I live with this? Crying, praying, and looking for a course to take. I had to hire another contractor to redo the job!
I called George after sending him multiple photos of the finished product. I expressed how deeply I felt about the quality of the work. I asked for a refund. His response was, "That is not something I can offer you." I asked for a partial refund. His response was, "That is not something he could offer."
George did offer to come to my home and "assess the work" and talk with me about solutions. However, at this point, I no longer had confidence in the company and its ability to properly stain concrete floors. Consequently, it would be impossible to trust another crew from Home Masters to do any more damage.
Bottom Line:
If you are considering stained concrete floors, please do your research carefully. I can never recommend Home Masters! Don't let a smooth presentation blind you to the importance of proven results, accountability, and transparency. My experience with Home Masters was a costly lesson, and I hope others can avoid the same disappointment.
