So I set up an appointment to have my 900 square foot Garage Drywalled. An estimator came out from White Mountain Drywall (WMD) and a day or two later I received the quote. I signed and returned the agreement a day or two after receiving it.
Since I live 500 miles from the project site I asked that I be updated regularly and send me a few photos of the project in process. The garage is not heated and I was told that they would bring heaters to help cure/dry the drywall mud as the work was done in February 2018. I thought that is nice, they are on top of things. Prior to leaving the Lakeside area another employee stopped by (Foreman) so I could provide some detailed instructions as to what I wanted and when the work would be started/completed. Inside the garage there was some leftover R19 insulation batts that were new! I asked the WMD Foreman if he knew anyone who could use the insulation (~$30 Value). He indicated that they could use it as occasionally they have a need on projects. I suggested he put a note on the work order or job folder to notify the crew to take the insulation. He said thanks and indicated it would be taken care of.
The work was supposed to start on a specific day, but did not. This was not an issue. I had to initiate the call to find out they were starting later than originally discussed. I provided the code to the garage door opener so they would have access. Well, they showed up and did a great job. The installation of the drywall and texturing was done well.
Now here is where things go south. According to the agreement I signed; WMD is not going to haul away the "SCRAP" material. Okay I understand. I have done construction and have an idea as to how much "SCRAP" there should be. After they completed the project, (notified by a friend) not WMD I called the WMD Foreman to confirm that their tools, heaters, propane tanks, ladders, scaffolding, insulation etc had been removed. He indicated that "YES the project is complete and all of our equipment has been removed". I did not get any updates, nor did I receive any photos.
I called the painter and he was out sick and said he would stop by after he was better. Five calendar days later he stopped by and much to his surprise....................all of their equipment was in the garage. So the painter tells me this and I call the WMD Foreman at 7:45pm on his cell and expressed my disappointment with WMD. He did not apologize, but indicated he would be over the next morning to remove their equipment. The painter was there when he arrived that morning and asked him why they did not clean up? He stated we never do. The place was a train wreck. There was drywall mud 25 feet outside the garage on the concrete driveway. Mud on the split face block stem wall. Mud all over the floor etc. I would have gladly paid more money to have the crew cover the floor like the painter did so I would not have to put FIVE man hours into cleaning the mess they made.
Scrap. I loaded my truck with the leftover drywall that they placed in the front yard on top of the insulation. The trash was placed in the front yard as well. Funny thing is the trash can that was empty in the garage was STILL EMPTY. My wife and I had to pick up the trash including lunch wrappers and empty paper soda cups from the crew's breakfast/lunches.I am not sure and believe they (the crew) walked past the trash can probably 20-30 times during the project.
So off to the Transfer Station to dispose of the "Scrap" I weighed in and offloaded the "Scrap". When finished I weighed out and paid the attendant. Much to my surprise I had off loaded 500 pounds of drywall. The "Trash" was in my trash can for curbside pickup.
So just what is 500 pounds of drywall??
If they used standard 1/2 inch drywall the weight of one 4x12 sheet (48 square feet) is ~77 pounds (weight can vary by brand). So 500 pounds divided by 77 pounds per sheet equates to 6.5 sheets of 4x12 or 312 square feet of wasted material. This represents about 16% of the project!
If they used light weight 1/2 inch drywall the weight of one 4x12 sheet (48 square feet) is ~51 pounds (weight can vary by brand). So 500 pounds divided by 51 pounds per sheet equates to darn near 10 sheets of 4x12 or 480 square feet of wasted material. This represents about 24% of the project! Either way there was too much sheetrock ordered. 5-10% would be reasonable from what I was told by others.
I guess the biggest surprise is that after expressing my disappointment to the WMD Foreman and the WMD Secretary; I have not yet received a call from anyone from WMD to apologize.
I did receive a final Invoice which they ADDED money to the original contract without a "Change Order" which is necessary AZ (32-1154 (A) (8) and to be signed by both parties. The extra charge was the propane used in their heaters which they indicated they were bringing to the project.
Summary: They did great work. Lack customer service. Left a mess for us to clean up. read more