Dan was asked to remove an old l-shaped bulkhead and half of 2 kitchen walls, to be redone for a new kitchen install. He worked the entire day by himself. The first issue came up a few hours in, after spending the first hr on a personal call. He accidentally severed an electrical wire that he was able to see in plain view. He stated he would have had to cut a wire anyways because of 2x4s frames that were getting in the way, frames that were going to be removed, it didn't occur to him that he could just cut wood instead of a wire??!!
Around 5 pm he informed us that he was done. We gave him lots of time and space as not to get in his way, so when we went in to see his final work we were shocked. Even though the walls would be covered with cabinets, everything was rough and uneven. The drywall tape was sparse, and most joints had no tape or mud on them at all. I had to ask him to tape up all the joints and make it actually look 'finished'. He was tired and really didn't want to, but he spent another 1-2 hr taping and mudding. It was late and we were all tired and pretty unhappy with the 2nd effort. The mud was not flattened out, I guess he didn't have a trowel with him or something?? that's the only thing I could think of why someone would leave it looking so bad. It was very amateur looking and not at all like something an experienced professional would do. The tape and mud were once again sparse, like he wanted to save on his material. When we paid him he said he should have charged $900 because of the extra work with the wiring!!!!! We paid him $850 and he left.
Soon after, I texted him back asking him to return to address a corner wall that was chewed up and just plain wrong. A backsplash is going to be a part of the corner and there is no way anything will adhere flat to the surface the way he left it. He came 4 days later, after cancelling once. His first response to the corner was "just ask the tile people to fix it". I explained I was hoping to do the backsplash myself and would appreciate the wall being flat or sanded out, not to mention that he was paid for the work. Unfortunately because of some other reno happening in the kitchen at that very moment, Dan could not get access to the area, nor was he willing to wait. As he walked out of the kitchen he mumbles something about "wow that kitchen looks like 15K, and.... 1K for me" or something I couldn't understand him. I think he was complaining about nickel and diming him. He left us with a corner bead to fix the corner, nails and mud for us to fix ourselves.
We still have more work to do in the kitchen that I thought we would hire Dan for, but not after this experience. He totally did not care about doing anything right.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $850.00
- Company Response
Thankyou for choosing our services. While I try my best, some work is not foreseen and behind walls, or here, laid wires aren't expected in the bulkhead or drywall considerations met. It was brought up frequently beforehand in calls and prices were actually reduced, and you satisfied the extra drywall costs. Even a bat of insulation was spared. If someone works in my schedule and space it should be noted prior to coming too that my small work demands are not frustrated. Your backsplash will turn out well, as your cabinates show well hiding all the needed preparation.