I hired Doug Worth (D Worth LLC) in November 2016 to renovate my 1-bedroom co-op apartment in…read moreBrooklyn, for a total price of $45,330 (at this time, I have actually paid him over $52,000, as the electrical- which was adjusted- became much more expensive than anticipated). Mr. Worth originally estimated 5-6 weeks to complete the project, and after three (3) months of time had passed from the beginning of the renovation, it was still very far from being completed. In addition, the quality of the work itself was exceedingly poor, and despite my giving Mr. Worth several opportunities to resolve the deficiencies in his work and complete the job, he was either unwilling or unable to do so. Eventually I requested that he stop working in my apartment and return my keys (but he had apparently lost one of the two sets of keys I had entrusted him with), as I could not trust his word and was not confident in his skills and abilities based on the work done thus far. I asked Mr. Worth- after he failed to complete the renovation in the time frame promised (several times, over the course of several weeks), and did not improve the quality of the work- to refund some of the money I paid him for the job. He refused, and insisted he could finish the job and it would only take one more day of "elbow grease". I again requested a partial refund ($30,000, which is approximately what another contractor estimated the apartment would cost to fix) again. He again refused. I still haven't been able to move in to my apartment, due to the status of the renovation (I don't want to live in the unit while there is still work to be done), despite closing on the sale in September 2016.
There is literally no aspect of the renovation that Mr. Worth completed which was done properly the first time around. I tried to head off potential problems by checking in with Mr. Worth prior to purchasing fixtures or having the work proceed, but I was almost always met with some variation of "no problem" or "it will be fine" or "trust me". For example, prior to selecting a toilet, I asked Mr. Worth if I could purchase a model with an elongated bowl, or if the bathroom door would hit it once installed. He essentially said I could get whatever toilet I wanted and it would work. Fast forward a couple months to when the toilet was installed. It was clear to me that the door would not clear the toilet, and when I asked Mr. Worth about it, he replied, "oh, the door... I didn't even think about the door, we've been working with the door off!"
Even something as simple as smoothing and painting the walls was an issue. Mr. Worth first painted the walls the wrong colors, despite my having provided the paint chips, swatches, paint codes, and a painting guide (for location of each color). I had asked Mr. Worth when we were negotiating the contract if I could use Benjamin Moore paints, which I thought might be a bit more expensive than whatever he was had anticipated, and he assured me that he would be able to manage whatever the price difference might be, and it would be fine. When it came time to paint, Mr. Worth purchased paints that had the same color names as the ones I requested (but not the color codes, nor did they visually look to be the same colors), but were by a cheaper brand, Behr. When I pointed out that the walls were the wrong colors, at first Mr. Worth insisted he had painted the walls with the colors I named. I showed him the brand name on the label of the paint can, and explained that colors are not consistent between different brands. So he agreed to repaint the walls with the correct paint. In addition to the issue of color, Mr. Worth painted the walls BEFORE smoothing them. Since he was determined to paint the walls and then patch here and there (and still leave many pock marks, gouges, bubbles, and other irregularities on the walls), the walls are not smooth and the paint job is patchy.
In conclusion, Mr. Worth is not a competent contractor. He is very personable and accommodating, and will promise you just about whatever you want... and then repeatedly not deliver.
TL;DR
Doug Worth (D Worth LLC) is atrociously bad at his job, and if you have any desire for quality results from your renovation, you should look elsewhere.
