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Anonymous
11-09-2004, 01:03 PM
We had a person to remodel our kitchen this year. I will not say his name or business. But after the job was done it was awful.

We put in a new sink, new floors, and counter tops. We bought the items so as to help cut down on cost. Because a contractor buying it is going to charge you more because he had to go get it.

We chose that new inlaid wood flooring for the kitchen because it is so easy to keep clean and has none of the smell and allergies you get from carpet or the glue. And carpet holds all the smells in a house.

We had the counter tops cut at Lowes in Columbia. They cut them right. Our contractor placed the countertop wrong. Our sink is not placed correctly under the windows. He put the countertop farther towards the front than it was suppose to be.
We have to take the drop- in stove out to get our silverware drawer out. Which is a job in itself. Because the floor now is higher than the stove because we had linoleum before. The floor being higher is not his fault. But the placement of the counter was irresponsible.
And if that was not enough the wood floor has dips in it. He was suppose to level out the floor. And around the doors and the corners of the cabinets are awful. It looks as if a child did the cutting. We had to fill in with small wood pieces and cover with wood putty( some call it plastic wood) and then try to stain it the color of the floor. And as most people that has ever stained anything knows it is almost impossible to stain plastic wood so we had to try and find paint to match the wood grain in the floor. This person did an awful job.
But he is not getting back in my kitchen because at the time I did not know he uses men from jail as his help. And what should have taken half the time took him to long and our kitchen was not usable during that time.

Anonymous
02-13-2005, 12:59 PM
next time use a licensed and bonded contractor, not the guy who says,"I can do it for fifty bucks." check out several contractors before deciding.

ask for references and check them out. ask the references if they will let you see the work before YOU let someone tear up YOUR house.

get ALL estimates in writing and get an explanation of overages in writing. do not let someone just tell you the cost was more than anticipated. crooked contractors know what and who they can get away with things on.

unfortunately, if you are elderly or a woman, make sure someone else sits in on the negotiations or your cost will be higher. this is criminal but it does happen.

contact the BBB and see if any complaints have been filed on the contractors work. a professional will have nothing to hide and will gladly let you check his work and work history.

unfortunately you have learned a very costly lesson

Unregistered
06-28-2005, 12:15 PM
Most people get what they pay for. You all want something for nothing. Then when you get the results you are not happy. Keep on buying your cardboard boxes that look good, until it rains!

Rebekahrox
09-28-2005, 10:18 PM
We are planning on doing some minor remodeling. I.E. Carpet out, hardwood floors in, repaneling one wall in one room, Ceiling refacing, and a few etc.'s. Any guidance on who to call for estimate and who to avoid?

swampfox
09-28-2005, 10:44 PM
Try to get some word-of-mouth recommendations. A few things to check for sure: Are they licensed IN SC? Are they bonded (which should appear in your contract). Do they have worker's comp insurance for their workers. They are required to have it if they have more than three employees, but many don't. If they don't and one of the workers is injured, he/she can come after you. There are good and bad people in any profession, but contracting home repairs, or building homes for that matter, is one that definitely attracts crooks. And you don't have much legal protection if they don't meet their end of the contract.

And NO reputable contractor, unless it's a one-man operation that you've learned that you can trust, has to have money for the materials up front. If you pay them for the materials up front, very often it will be that you never see them again, and you'd be amazed how little you can do about it.