We paid $30k+ for a bathroom remodel and did not receive the design services, project management,…read moreor craftsmanship outlined in our contract.
The contract specifies a clear process: design completion, written client approval, project schedule, parts ordering, then demolition. 4Ever did not follow this process at any stage.
Our designer scheduled demolition before the design was approved. When she arrived for the contractor walkthrough, she claimed to not have received my voicemail or email requesting a design revision (included in the contract). She walked the contractor through the unapproved design and attempted to schedule work to start that Friday. When I objected, she claimed this was to stay on schedule with my contract. I had to quote the contract back to her via email, where it states "an updated start date and schedule will be provided during the design process."
No project schedule was ever provided, despite the contract explicitly stating one would be. The designer then asked me to approve materials in Buildertrend with no final design, and told me NOT to refer to the design in Buildertrend to visualize my final bathroom because that design is "for the contractors" -- and to instead trust the studio samples. So I was supposed to commit $30k based on physical samples and my imagination alone.
On May 1st, we reselected the materials (fortunately we opted to purchase hardware direct from Ferguson, after discovering 4Ever's significant markup) and our designer promised an updated design. By May 15th, my bathroom was fully demolished and unusable -- no design received, no design signed off, and no project schedule. I did not receive a final design until the following week, after email reminders, and it did not reflect what had been selected in the studio. I emailed our designer photos of the tile I had taken in the studio v. the tile in her design and asked her to change it. On May 20th, she said she'd look into it. I heard nothing back until I sent her an email reminder on May 27th.
4Ever had ordered a special-order, non-returnable tile without providing a final design and without my design approval -- disclosing this only on May 28th, after the bathroom had already been demolished. I was then told work could not continue until I approved the design.
I left a voicemail with the manager, was promised a callback, and never received one. The tile issue was resolved and we signed off on the design, but problems persisted.
A project schedule was never provided at any point, despite being promised in the contract's scope of work and requested multiple times. Our sales rep had quoted approximately 3 weeks total. Shower glass was not installed until July 3rd -- almost 2 months after demolition began.
Once we were finally able to use the shower, we discovered a grout crack running from the ceiling down 2/3 of the shower wall. Upper management's response was that this was normal. It is not -- grout failure of this extent within days of installation is a workmanship defect. After I submitted 17 photos documenting cracks and bubbles, a contractor came to repair the work on July 21st.
That same day, our PM tried to get us to sign the project closeout document, which triggers final payment. We declined to sign until we could verify the repair held. Our PM persisted, saying defects would be covered under warranty.
Despite not signing the final document, 4Ever tried to send us an invoice for final payment. We gave it a week and scheduled our PM to collect final payment. On that day, we received a voicemail, email, and multiple app notifications stating we were overdue, would be charged late fees, and that 4Ever had already contacted their attorney and we would be liable for their legal fees. We later learned 4Ever placed a lien on our home over the disputed final payment.
Post final payment and grout fix, we're finding more cracks in the grout.
We did not receive $30k worth of a remodel. We received failure to follow contract process, defective workmanship, terrible communication, and legal threats. Do not recommend.
