Hired Strassen Construction (owner John Neu) to repair shower leak and the resultant damage. Here's how it was handled:
Paid $1700 (half of initial quote of $3600) for him to begin.
Employees sent out on the first day spilled can of PVC compound on new flooring, destroying it. Asked for a rag, but never mentioned the accident. Found out after they left.
Owner said he would not send same employees again and that he would pay to replace floor.
Reviewed the house and, after some discussion about what all we wanted (including a couple items not discussed previously), a new quote was drawn up with a total price of $5200. Paid additional $900 to meet the 50% up-front requirement to bring our amount paid to $2600.
Owner came with his two daughters to continue work.
He was very unprofessional. Did not work full days. Came late. Left early. Took long lunches. Called off several times. Made numerous trips to hardware store(s) for equipment and/or materials not on-hand that would take a minimum of a half hour, sometimes multiple in one day.
Had to remove walk-in shower floor, surround, and glass door. Once reinstalled the door no longer would stay closed due to frame not being level. Also, drain leaked.
Exhaust fan wiring needed to be moved and sealed from moisture exposure. Fan still not fully reinstalled and we are unable to turn it on.
Several instances where we were told it would be safe to take showers only to find it still leaked.
We asked that the bedroom ceiling on the floor below the shower be left until the end to ensure further leaks wouldn't damage it until all work complete. Request was ignored. He instead sent an employee to do the drywalling. She only tarped the bed in the room, leaving the rest uncovered. (Including the adjacent rooms that were not sealed off.) We bought additional plastic sheeting to at least close the room off for the second day. Ceiling hole was expanded to remove water damage and new drywall was installed haphazardly. Large gaps between panels were taped and mudded over. Overall work was shoddy.
When we spoke to owner about our issues he claimed that we were "micromanaging" him. I asked that he verify that he was licensed, insured, and bonded. He claims he is, but did not provide any specifics and stated that by asking he felt threatened.
He told us that he felt his only recourse was to "part ways". He believes the $2600 we paid up front would cover what he had already done, including the floor that was never replaced. He stated that he felt he could prove that he had earned the $2600, and that we could take him to court if we disagreed.
Currently, our situation is:
Shower plumbing still leaks
Shower drain also leaks
Shower floor not level
The exhaust fan has no switch with which to operate it
The wet-wall is still uncovered
Shower door no longer stays closed and leaks as well
Shower head is protruding at odd angle
Pipes (PEX now) are installed poorly, with improper lengths and no support
Floor still stained by PVC compound
Downstairs ceiling looks bad - uneven panels, not painted or textured
Ceiling fan no longer installed
After a month of his work, we are actually worse off than when he started and out a large amount of money.
Would not recommend. read more
