Legacy Construction

The owner of the construction company came to the house and provided me with a quote for a few renovations in the houseHe stated that he would calendar our project for the 5th of May but never heard from him againWhile I understand that my projects were limited in scope, a quick message stating he had a bigger project or needed more revenue to make my projects worth his time would have been appreciatedDon't tell people you will be there on the 5th and then not show up or contact themI wanted this company to do a couple of projects spread out across a couple of months instead of all at onceI was happy and willing to give this contractor the job

this company had great workers, everyone was nice, polite, all the work was done quickly and came with guarantees and warrantiesThey fixed a problem that several other constructions companies had failed to fixI highly recommend them!

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/11/12) */
The customer contacted me to remodel her bathrooms. She told me time was of the essence since she had family coming into town at the end of the month. We agreed upon a three week schedule so the project could be done by the time her...

family arrived and as not to interfere with my other previously scheduled projects. The customer requested that she purchase all finishes to avoid me adding my mark up so, I informed her of her responsibility to have everything on site on time to finish on schedule. I reminded her every day that she needed to choose the paint color and chose the tile and grout and vanities and plumbing fixtures, but she seemed very overwhelmed and always had an excuse as to why she hadn't purchased the items yet. At the end of the first week, she had not yet chosen any finishes and I was at a stand still. I began helping her chose and purchase finishes on my time to move the project along. The customer was extremely indecisive, but I worked with her as much as possible. She took three weeks to choose her base board and trim and when I finally ordered it, she decided she was unhappy with the style and wanted it returned. I urged her that I couldn't return it with a refund so she decided to have me modify and cut down all of the trim to work for her taste. She requested custom doors as a change order. These took three and a half weeks to procure, and when they finally arrived, the customer told me she was unhappy with the quality of the doors and absolutely would not let me install them because they sounded cheap when she knocked on them. I spent the next week and a half on the phone and in meetings with the door supplier requesting that they remake the doors ($800 value) My supplier agreed to remake the doors, but urged me to paint one of the doors first to see if it made a difference in the sound. I painted the door and the customer decided she liked them again after two weeks were lost.
After about the sixth week into the project when I had pushed my other projects off for as long as possible without breeching contracts or upsetting other clients, I told the customer that I needed to pull off until she had all materials picked out and onsite. She still had yet to purchase the toilets (which I ended up purchasing for her as a favor), the vanities, the vanity tops, the sinks, the faucets, the vanity lights, etc. She reluctantly complied. After a day or so off of the project, she began calling me requesting that I come back and finish small items that were "driving her crazy" I returned for an hour one day, and two hours the next day completing little items to keep her happy. This pattern continued and the three week project pushed into the ninth week and beyond.
The customer, who was initially extremely happy with all of the work, began getting upset that the project was taking so long to finish and started picking apart all of the work. She started taking the stance that the issue was no longer the delay in schedule but the poor quality of work. I urged her to be patient and wait until the end of the project before she evaluated all of the little items which would ultimately be addressed before final payment. I told her that I have never had a complaint on quality of work and her project would reflect that same workmanship. Her response was "then impress me with your quality and, if I'm satisfied, I will pay you." After this comment, I began to worry about her intentions for the completion of the project. Her complaints became more and more exaggerated. She told me that she had contacted another contractor and he consulted her that she should make me redo certain items. The customers new complaint list included things like: reinstalling all of the door hardware because the striker, which sits in the factor machined niche in the door was 1/64 of an inch out of level and I needed to shim them all, removing the shower tile and reinstalling (which she originally loved) because she no longer approved of the quality, retexturing both bathrooms because she did not like the imperfectly smooth finish we had agreed on (and she told me that since I was retexturing the bathrooms, I could repaint them a different color for free since she did not like the original color she decided on,) sanding and repainting all of the nail holes in the new trim which had not yet been touched up with paint so they stood out against the rest of the new trim.
Her list became longer and longer until finally I rearranged my schedule and told her I would come address all of her issues even though she had not yet purchased the vanity tops, vanity lights, sinks etc. She also added items like installing all new towel holders and toilet paper holders, hanging new mirrors etc. which weren't in the contract. I agreed however and told her I could pull away and be at her house Thursday, Friday and Monday to complete work as far as I could without her owner supplied items onsite. I told her that after those three days, I would have a hard time pulling away again until everything was ready for me. She informed me that Thursday did not work for her but I could start Friday, losing a full day. I showed up Friday morning with my father as an extra hand to complete the list. I also wanted to have one extra eye on the project to advise me since he has been a contractor for 40 years. The customer walked us through the project going over her complaints and I had to request at multiple times that she lower her voice because she was yelling at me. She would also do threatening gestures like poking her finger at me while yelling and I had to request that she not poke her finger at me. After I agreed to complete all of her requests, including removing the tile from the shower walls and reinstalling and grinding down all of the pebble stone she chose for the shower floor because it was uncomfortable on her feet, she told me that she also wanted me to remove the bathroom floor tile and reinstall it because she realized she decided that she did not like the quality of this either.
My dad and I began working. We worked all day Friday and part of the day Monday ( I informed the customer that we would be a little late getting there Monday) and Tuesday I returned to clean up and remove large tools from her garage. Within the coming week, instead of hearing communication from the customer telling me that her finishes had finally been delivered to the house for me to install, I received calls from outsiders who were very concerned. She had tracked down my glass installer, who did an exceptional job on her shower, and told them she was unhappy with the work and wanted them to come out and redo parts of the shower door because the new contractor she was talking with advised her to have me redo this work as well. She also inquired as to whether or not I had paid them for their services and whether or not I (Legacy Construction) was planning on liening her property. They informed her that she needed to discuss this issue with Legacy Construction because they were Legacy's clients. I asked them to return four different times to address the customers concerns about her glass door before I informed them that I was no longer working with the customer on this project. She continued to harass my glass supplier. I also received a call from an old respected contractor in the area who I have done business with. He inquired about the project, telling me that he knew Legacy wouldn't treat a customer like this but he was contacted by the customer who asked him to finish her bathroom project because Legacy Construction did poor quality work and disappeared halfway through her project. At this point I knew the customer and I were done. The customer still owed me $2,000 per the contract at this point, but I minimized my losses and walked away. The customer is trying everything she can to harm me now including bad mouthing my reputation with other contractors and now trying to ruin my record with the Revdex.com. I have a very good reputation in the area and especially in the customer's neighborhood. If there was anything I could have done to appease her or make this go away reasonably, I would have done so.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/12/01) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This is a response to GC's response to my complaint. I will try to address some of the inaccuracies in his response.
GC is correct in stating that he agreed to try to have as much of the job completed before I had family visiting. He knew when we signed the contract that I had not yet picked out any finishes. We agree that he would let me know when certain decisions had to be made (tile, baseboards etc.). I did not request that I purchase all finishes, it was simply part of his contract and I agreed to do so.
We signed the contract on 8/1. Demolition started the following Tuesday, 8/5, and was scheduled to take all week. I ordered vanities on 8/3 and all plumbing fixtures on 8/6. I have invoices that will substantiate these dates. Some of the fixtures, including the tub spout were on back order.
1. Tile: GC told me that tile needed to be picked out for the following week (after demolition). I ordered tile on 8/11 (I made sure to order tile that was in stock). GC was to pick it up the following morning and tiling was to start that day. I received a call from GC that the tile company had gotten my order wrong and tile was not ready. This would eventually cause a few days delay. GC negotiated a small refund for me since the tile company had gotten my order wrong and caused a delay in the project.
2. Baseboards: GC wrote "...she decided she was unhappy with the style and wanted it returned...' This is not true. I choose a modern style of baseboard (R.E.Base) from the Kelleher catalog GC provided. The baseboards that were delivered to my house were Coronado Base. GC informed me that his plan was to fabricate the modern style by "ripping" these boards. One of my criteria for baseboards was that they be 4-41/2 inches high. Ripping these boards would have resulted in a much smaller baseboard. I told GC that I was not ok with his plan. I decided to have GC install the baseboards that he had delivered as they were (this style WAS actually my 2nd choice). I did this in an effort to keep the job moving along. I was truly OK with the style of baseboard even though it was not my first choice. I was not OK with the fact that I could see virtually all of the nail holes. These first few baseboards were presented as a finished product. I spent a few hours refilling, sanding and painting the nail holes.
3. Doors: I choose a door made by Jeldwyn. GC had given me a Jeldwyn catalog. I upgraded to solid core doors. I was happy with the style but was unhappy with the "tinny" sound made when I knocked on the doors. GC researched this with the manufacturer who told him that the doors were fine and did not need to be remade. They needed to have the inner panel caulked. Once that was done and they were painted, the tinny sound would go away. GC tried this on one door. I was happy with the result. The delay was a few days. Perhaps GC should have known to caulk and paint the doors to alleviate the sound problem.
4. Showers: GC is correct in that I was initially pleased with the showers. When looked at (without an eye to workmanship), they do look good. The tile and style are attractive. However, there are numerous tile in both showers that were installed unevenly (i.e. the walls are not smooth). There were chipped tiles used in both showers. I have photos that show this. Since GC walked off the job I have had 3 contractors look at the job in order to provide a bid for finishing. All 3 contractors (I can provide names if requested) said the same thing - the workmanship in the showers is poor. All 3 said that at this point it is too difficult to replace numerous tiles (risk chipping surrounding tiles and interfering with water barrier). They suggested that I either replace the 2 showers completely or learn to live with them. Regarding the pebble stone shower floor-I did not request that he grind down all of the pebble stone on the shower floor as he maintained. I requested that he grind down the corners of 4 stones that were not installed flat. These corners stick up quite a bit and are very uncomfortable to stand on. This is a very small shower and these corners cannot be avoided.
5. Strike plates: GC has claimed that the strike plates are 1/64 of an inch off. The plates are actually 1/8 of an inch off. When I mentioned this and asked that they be shimmed to make them even, GC suggested that I look at the plates in the doors in the rest of my home - I would find that they were also uneven.
6. Vanities and tops: I ordered the vanities on 8/3, 2 days after signing the contact. I told GC that they would take 6 weeks. It was agreed that the bathrooms would be completed except for the vanities and tops. It is true that I did not decide on vanity tops. Pre-made vanities tops are immediately available. If I went with custom, the fabrication could not start until after the vanities were installed. The company must come out and measure -they do not accept GC's or homeowner's measurements. I ultimately decided upon custom tops and agreed that not only would I be responsible for installation of the vanity tops but also for the installation of the sink fixtures. At no point after I told GC that vanities were ordered did he ask to see the specs for the vanities to make certain that they would accommodate the drain pipe for the sink. On 10/6, GC installed both vanities. The one in the master does not fit with the drain pipe in the wall. It is directly behind a drawer. Either the drawer will need to be shortened or the wall will need to be opened and the pipe moved. I hired a GC to anticipate issues such as this and plan for them.
7. GC and his father met with me Monday morning, 10/6, at 8 am (not Friday as he claims). We walked the job. I did lose my cool with him at one point and raised my voice and did point my finger. I was not yelling at him as he claims nor did he have to ask me multiple times to lower my voice. He and his father stepped outside for about 10 minutes. When they came back in he said that they were going to start work on my list. I did not get a confirmation that they were going to address each item on the punch list. At no time did he tell me that he was going to remove tile from the showers and reinstall it. When I left for work, GC had left. His father was working on the bathrooms. Upon returning from work, all of the tools and supplies were gone from my garage.
The following day (10/7), the glass company was returning to finish installation of water proof stripping. When I returned home from work I saw no additional work had been completed by GC since the previous day. That week I contacted the GC twice via email, questioning when he would be returning to finish the job. He did not respond to these emails. I eventually sent a certified letter, which he did not pick up.
Regarding the glass provider: The 1st time they came out, GC sent back the enclosure before I saw it saying that it did not fit properly. The 2nd time out they installed the enclosure. Every screw in the large chrome hinges was stripped. Per GC, the glass company acknowledged this and would be back out after they ordered new screws. On the 3rd time out the replaced the screws but did not have the water proofing strips yet. On the 4th time out (10/7), they installed the water proofing strips. One of these strips was not staying in place properly. I contacted the company and they came out and replaced that strip. I also made sure that they had been paid since GC did not provide me with Waivers that he was contractually obligated to provide. I do not believe that this constitutes "harassment" as GC claims.
As previously stated, I have contacted 3 general contractors to obtain bids for completing the job. One declined (the "old respected contractor") saying that I should speak with a lawyer before proceeding as this was going to end in a lawsuit. He gave me the name of an attorney to call. I have received one bid so far (approx $6900). All 3 contractors had the same reaction: poor quality workmanship on the showers, trim around doors should have been sanded prior to installation, strike plates should have been shimmed, toilet should not be almost 4 inches from the wall, GC should have made sure master vanity accommodated sink drain and GC's "fix" for tub spout is unacceptable.
I would like to address a quote from GC's response. "Her response was, then impress me with your quality and, if I'm satisfied, I will pay you." That quote is wrong. What I wrote was, "Then I will wait until the project is complete and you can impress me with your quality product. I look forward to that." The part about "if I'm satisfied, I will pay you" is pure fabrication. I can provide a copy of this email if needed.
Clearly this project and the relationship and trust between GC and myself went horribly wrong.
I realize we have very different opinions as to why this happened. My issue has always been the quality of his work, not the length of the project.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2014/12/17) */
I don't know what else I can say to this argument. Its all hear say. Her bid of 6,900 from other contractors is completely exaggerated. Theres no way of knowing the extent of work she requested "redone." There was 2,000 left on the contract and there wasn't anywhere close to that amount of work left to be completed. We both had contractual obligations to this project and she didn't follow through on her end. She knew this. Her explanation of dates she ordered the materials doesn't make sense either. She knew the accelerated schedule yet waited a week and a half before even ordering the tile. The tile she picked took at least another 5 days to arrive. This was typical of all finishes she supplied. She was judging quality on an unfinished project yet wouldn't take the measures necessary for me to complete the project. I have never had a complaint on quality before and am upset that she is taking this stance. I have two other customers from her neighborhood who were a part of this extreme delay and were very appropriate in allowing me to extend the schedule. They were in constant communication with me throughout the project and allowed me to split my days between their projects and hers.