We are in the process of getting the house ready to sell ASAP. After finding this business through…read moreAngie's List I chose them over a much higher quote. A detailed quote was received, with a payment schedule. A general completion time of 4 weeks was given, as well.
Unfortunately, the new HVAC system was being installed at the same time, and ran into issues that caused extra holes in the drywall ceiling in the lower level to need patching, as well as a door trim, wall, etc. This was not the fault of TBC, and I asked for a quote on how much extra this would cost.
Once TBC began work, I noticed a few things that concerned me. There were only 2 workers. The two workers that were here only came out for a few hours each day, and only worked in the hall bath. I do not understand why that they couldn't/didn't try to work on more than one thing at a time once the HVAC crews were out of the way. Eventually, they were a week behind. As a result, my kitchen cabinets were delivered a full week before the kitchen was started - and that is when the rain started. Since I have no garage, the cabinets were sitting in my open carport.
I sent an email with my concerns. He tried to blame the delay on the "extra" things they had to do: removing the tub, and opening the shower door opening a little in the lower bath. I responded that those things wouldn't take an extra WEEK. I kept asking for a quote to add the painting to the job. After asking several times, he finally replied that his painter was unavailable. I also kept asking for the accessories in the hall bath to get installed - the grab bar/shelves in the bathtub, as well as the towel bars/toilet paper holders, etc. He replied that they typically don't do those things if they aren't the ones painting. I pointed out that the shelves/grab bar in the bathtub area didn't require paint... no reply.
The kitchen went beautifully. The cabinets were installed exactly as I had wanted, and the workers did a nice job of getting it done. The microwave was hung rather high, but when I asked for it to be lowered, it sounded like doing so would cause an additional delay... so I gave up.
Meanwhile, I had exchanged emails about getting the drywall patches done. A quote of $2000 to do all the work was sent, and I acknowledged that it was fine. Mr. Eckert and I set an appointment to talk about that on May 19th in the afternoon, after I would get home from teaching. That day, I was expecting to sign the agreement to complete the drywall repair. Instead, he announced that they had completed the existing contract, and that they would not be doing the drywall at all. I was SHOCKED. There had been NO indication from him that he would not be doing this. He offered me the name and phone number of other contractors. He asked for final payment, and left. Afterwards, I started looking around and found other things that weren't quite done properly. I wrote a long email. An excerpt is below:
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1) There were a couple of SMALL areas in the drywall in the kitchen that could have been patched easily. Instead, they just put the base molding in place, right next to them.
2) the counters were left covered in sawdust. There was also sawdust in the cabinets that I had to vacuum out.
3) The areas of the granite backsplash that extend beyond the tile backsplash didn't even get caulking. There is a gap there on the top and sides.
4) *I* had to ask for the quarter round to be installed in the foyer to finish the floor. Yes, it was hidden from view at that time, but shouldn't there have been a "punchlist" somewhere?
5) I asked at least 3 times about getting the shelving in the shower installed. I sent at least 2 emails about it, one indicating that without the grab bar, my son had fallen in the shower and injured himself. Apparently the safety issue didn't matter. You KNOW it's not something *I* am capable of, SHAME ON YOU.
6) The electrical switch cover in the hall bath never got put on.
7)The "stickers" on the glass shower door downstairs were left for me to peel off.
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After I sent this email to him, I realized two other issues: the dishwasher was not screwed in, so when you open the door, it tilts down. And, in the lower level bathroom, no molding was placed at the baseboard. Granted, that was not SPECIFIED in the contract, but it wasn't specified for the kitchen and other bath, either... those little details aren't things that should have to be specified.
The bottom line is that while Mr. Eckert's crew technically met his "contractual obligations", they certainly fell very short of doing a thorough job. They didn't "go the extra mile", and they didn't care. He was cool, but professional, in speaking to me, but he definitely wasn't "friendly", even when I tried to be. I am left with a house that still needs work before I can sell it. Details mean a lot to me, and it was clearly something they didn't care about.