This is a long review, so bottom line up front: Modern Remodeling built a patio in our yard in…read moreMay-July of 2020. Less than a year later, it is falling apart due to poor craftsmanship and we are receiving quotes that cost almost 2x what we paid Modern Remodeling (MR) to build our patio in the first place. They also quoted us 1 week to do the work, and it took almost 2 months. More details below.
On the quality of work: Almost immediately after our patio was finished, we noticed the mortar cracking and that the flagstone tiles were loose and wiggling. As we hadn't made our last payment on the project, Javier came out and fixed much of the mortar. But a few months later, we started having the same issue again, and nearly all of the stones are loose at this point and the mortar is crumbling throughout the patio. So this month, we asked four contractors to come out and assess what is going on with our patio and propose solutions to fix it. They all agreed that the issue boils down to MR using a sand base for our patio, and then mortar between the stones, rather than putting down a concrete base. A knowledgeable contractor would have known not to put down a sand base and use mortar between the stones on top. Permanently fixing this will require completely taking up our patio, laying down concrete, and re-doing the mortar, which is estimated to cost us more than $8k. Even band aid fixes to the mortar that will last 1-2 years are estimated to cost us around $5k. Beyond the mortar, there were other issues. During the project, MR broke our fence and our shed. The fence was eventually fixed, but the shed was not. Matthew also stained our fence after the flagstone was laid down, and sprinkled spots of stain all over the newly laid flagstone. He suggested coating the patio in a sealant to hide these stains. That sealant is now peeling off and looks terrible, so we are also having to ask contractors about the cost of getting this removed as well. Lastly, MR cracked one of the flagstones, and rather than replacing it, tried to put it back together with mortar. Pictures of all of this are included.
On the timeline: There were constant delays throughout the project. Some were outside of the control of MR, such as finding extra concrete underneath the gravel in our yard, and issues with our nearby dumpsite and their supply vendors. But at most, this should have added 1 or 2 weeks to the timeline, not 7. There were many other issues were on their end, I think starting with their ability to come up with realistic timelines and communicate honest information to us. Nearly every day that the project was delayed Matthew would say "We'll just get 10 guys out here tomorrow, and we'll have everything done for you in one day." Then the next day, one or two guys would show up, and often times work on our yard for half the day, and at the end of the day Matthew would tell us "Oh, just one more day. Everything will be done tomorrow." Many days they would not come at all because rain was in the forecast, and it would not end up raining, or it wouldn't rain until 3pm or 4pm. There were other days when I would call or text Matthew to confirm that someone was coming that day, and he would respond that yes, someone would be there to do work, and then no one would come. It was like this constantly throughout our project, and in the end, I ended up needing to threaten to write a review like this one, or to contact the Better Business Bureau in order to get the job completed. Matthew also constantly reminded me to use the Buildertrend app to see the project timeline, progress, photos, etc. For more than half the project, I could not access my project in the app and made Matthew aware of this. Once I gained access, there was never any up-to-date information provided about our project or the timeline.
I think many of these issues boil down to this company being inexperienced and overcommitted. When the work was done last summer, I felt that it would be unkind to leave a review like this for a young business just getting its feet off the ground, but now that I am looking at potentially paying double the cost of our patio in the first place, I feel that it is important to warn others before contracting this company for projects.
