Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  12/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I hired him Sept 2024 for a 300 sq foot addition to my house. He subbed out the work to ******* construction. ******* did the footing and stem wall for the addition. The problems with the stem wall were numerous. First it was only 6 inches wide for an exterior 6 inch wall, which could work, but on top of that it was 3 1/2 inches out of square. They put no horizontal rebar in the wall to tie into vertical rebar, per the men that actually poured the concrete. They pulled the forms off the wall withing 4 hours! They lacked about 6 inches of getting the forms all the way to they existing house where it was tying in, so they used 2, 2" *** pipes as forms tie it into the house. So where they used the *** pipes as forms, the wall was only 4" thick tying into existing house. With so many issues with the foundation I told the general, **** ****, that I wanted the foundation inspected before they built on it, because it had so many issues. When I told him that, he pulled out of my job, claiming hostility on my part and delays. After he pulled out and I had other contractors inspect the foundation, I asked Mr **** to honor his warranty for the work that had been done. So he sent his sub out and the sub cosmetically fixed the area that was only 4" wide where it tied into my house with a bucket of some sort of cement mixture. I had given him 33% down for the entire project which was $13,860. When he pulled out, he gave me an itemized statement of the work that had been done and issued a refund of $165. He significantly inflated the price of the horrendous, substandard work that had been completed to keep most of my 33% down. His sub at one point when I was questioning him about the concrete work, actually lied straight to my face in front of the general. This general and the sub he used are dishonest and unethical and I would absolutely not recommend them.

  

  Business response

  12/16/2024

  1. First it was only 6 inches wide for an exterior 6 inch wall, which could work, but on top of that it was 3 1/2 inches out of square.
  This structure was as in square as possible with the way the house sat and was completely unsquared itself. Had we been able to proceed with the build we could have made it to where everything lined up and was properly built. This house was built in the 1930s and not only was falling apart but was also built onto in a horrendous way and once we demoed the existing laundry room we discovered this and attempted to repair it to the best of our ability but were unable to continue due to the disputes from the homeowner.
  2. They put no horizontal rebar in the wall to tie into vertical rebar, per the men that actually poured the concrete.
  This is not true. I personally spoke to both ******* construction and his concrete crew and was told that horizontal rebar was used. Unfortunately I could not be on site that day due to personal reasons and was unable to confirm this with my own eyes however, these subcontractors have not lied to me before and I have no reason to believe they did this time. When ****** asked for and inspection I told her that was fine but rather than hire a structural engineer she called other contractors who I do not know the credentials of and continues to claim there is no horizontal rebar with zero evidence to back it up.
  3. They pulled the forms off the wall withing 4 hours
  This is true. The concrete crew took the forms off after the stem wall was hardened. Even though this time frame is earlier then normal I do not feel that it caused any structural defects as the stem wall was a small one and was already hardened to the point of not needing forms. The practice of leaving forms on for 24 hours on larger projects is to ensure that the concrete has hardened not necessarily cured all the way through to where when the wall forms are removed the structure will not collapse and in this case the structure is still standing and in good shape.
  4. They lacked about 6 inches of getting the forms all the way to the existing house where it was tying in, so they used 2, 2" *** pipes as forms tie it into the house. So where they used the *** pipes as forms, the wall was only 4" thick tying into existing house.
  This is partially true. The concrete crew did use pvc pipes as wall forms against the house due to the lack of length of their wall forms. However after further examination and upon being called to fix this issue myself and ******* construction used mechanical fasteners and concrete to repair this portion of the wall.
  5. With so many issues with the foundation I told the general, **** ****, that I wanted the foundation inspected before they built on it, because it had so many issues
  I told ****** that this was fine and we would await a proper inspection. However, a proper inspection was never completed. ****** had other contractors who I do not know the credentials of come and look at the work.
  6. When I told him that, he pulled out of my job, claiming hostility on my part and delays
  This is not true. I initially tried to work with ****** through this issue and keep the project moving but due to her friend yelling and cussing at my subcontractor he did not want to move forward with the job and I felt uncomfortable due to the altercation and after some consideration decided to not move forward with the project.
  7. After he pulled out and I had other contractors inspect the foundation, I asked Mr **** to honor his warranty for the work that had been done. So he sent his sub out and the sub cosmetically fixed the area that was only 4" wide where it tied into my house with a bucket of some sort of cement mixture.
  This was answered in number 4. This was not just a cosmetic fix, we used a mechanical connection to the existing wall and concrete to form the stem wall out to the proper 6.

  8. When he pulled out, he gave me an itemized statement of the work that had been done and issued a refund of $165. He significantly inflated the price of the horrendous, substandard work that had been completed to keep most of my 33% down
  I do not feel that I inflated the price. I paid almost the entirety of the deposit out to ******* construction for labor and materials which included demo of the existing laundry room, partial demolition of existing pool deck to make room for new addition, haul off and disposal of waste, excavation of the footers, concrete poured into the footers, rebar installed into the footers, wall forms used for stem wall, concrete installed for stem wall, rebar installed into stem wall for horizontal support, as well as the framing materials which had already been delivered to the site. The only thing we lacked to cover the deposit was the final 2 piers in the center of the structure and the actual erection of the framing materials which costs was taken up by the additional repairs of the plumbing that were found to be necessary. These repairs were a broken wye that was found under the house that had to be repaired for the main sewer line and tying the sink back into the main sewer line due to the improper installation of it from whomever installed it before.
  9. His sub at one point when I was questioning him about the concrete work, actually lied straight to my face in front of the general
  I do not recall any subcontractor of mine lying to anyone in front of me or to ****** while I was there.
  10. This general and the sub he used are dishonest and unethical and I would absolutely not recommend them.
  I disagree with this based on the many projects I have completed where the customer was completely satisfied with the project to include projects that I worked on with ******* construction as a sub-contractor.  

  Customer response

  12/24/2024

  Response to ****:

  1: This structure was as in square as possible with the way the house sat and was completely unsquared itself. Had we been able to proceed with the build we could have made it to where everything lined up and was properly built. This house was built in the 1930s and not only was falling apart but was also built onto in a horrendous way and once we demoed the existing laundry room we discovered this and attempted to repair it to the best of our ability but were unable to continue due to the disputes from the homeowner.

  So they were framing off one wall. How can one wall be out of square? I believe it takes a corner to be out of square. My house is not falling apart, but there is a crack in the original foundation. They did not attempt to repair anything on my existing structure. See pictures attached.  

  
  

  2. This is not true. I personally spoke to both ******* construction and his concrete crew and was told that horizontal rebar was used. Unfortunately I could not be on site that day due to personal reasons and was unable to confirm this with my own eyes however, these subcontractors have not lied to me before and I have no reason to believe they did this time.

  His concrete crew told my friend, that was there the day they poured it before the crew left, that they did not put in horizontal rebar. I purchased a tool like a stud finder that would detect rebar in up to 6 of concrete, due to the discrepancy in opinions. It detected the vertical rebar, but not the horizontal.  

  3. They pulled the forms off the wall withing 4 hours

  This is true. The concrete crew took the forms off after the stem wall was hardened. Even though this time frame is earlier then normal I do not feel that it caused any structural defects as the stem wall was a small one and was already hardened to the point of not needing forms.

  There is no standard that supports taking forms off of any concrete within 4 hours. It was still wet when they pulled them off. This will make it susceptible to cracking which may come at a later date

  4. This is partially true. The concrete crew did use pvc pipes as wall forms against the house due to the lack of length of their wall forms. However after further examination and upon being called to fix this issue myself and ******* construction used mechanical fasteners and concrete to repair this portion of the wall.  

  They did not use any mechanical fasteners, but only a bucket of concrete compound to fill in the thinned area and smooth that area out. I was there when this was done. There were no mechanical fasteners used.  

  5. With so many issues with the foundation I told the general, **** ****, that I wanted the foundation inspected before they built on it, because it had so many issues

  I told ****** that this was fine and we would await a proper inspection. However, a proper inspection was never completed. ****** had other contractors who I do not know the credentials of come and look at the work.

  He pulled out of the project the night I told him I wanted to wait for the wall to be inspected, before he ever knew who I had come look at the foundation. And I had 3 other local, very reputable and highly recommended contractors look at the foundation. I trust them way more than the sub who completed the foundation at my house.  

  6. With so many issues with the foundation I told the general, **** ****, that I wanted the foundation inspected before they built on it, because it had so many issues

  I told ****** that this was fine and we would await a proper inspection. However, a proper inspection was never completed. ****** had other contractors who I do not know the credentials of come and look at the work.

  He pulled out before I ever contacted anyone about inspecting the wall. He pulled out the night I told him that. See attached documents

  7. This was answered in number 4. This was not just a cosmetic fix, we used a mechanical connection to the existing wall and concrete to form the stem wall out to the proper 6.

  I was there, there was no mechanical fasteners used, only a bucket of cement compound

  8. I paid almost the entirety of the deposit out to ******* construction for labor and materials which included demo of the existing laundry room, partial demolition of existing pool deck to make room for new addition, haul off and disposal of waste, excavation of the footers, concrete poured into the footers, rebar installed into the footers, wall forms used for stem wall, concrete installed for stem wall, rebar installed into stem wall for horizontal support, as well as the framing materials which had already been delivered to the site. The only thing we lacked to cover the deposit was the final 2 piers in the center of the structure and the actual erection of the framing materials which costs was taken up by the additional repairs of the plumbing that were found to be necessary. These repairs were a broken wye that was found under the house that had to be repaired for the main sewer line and tying the sink back into the main sewer line due to the improper installation of it from whomever installed it before.

  
  

  Attaching an email that shows their inflated prices that the sub charged for them to keep most of my 33% down. One example was the excavation, footing and stem wall price of $6k. I talked to a friend in this area that does this for a living and the rate for doing that in our area is $90 per linear foot of stem wall/footing, which would have been a total of $4700. This was just one example of the inflated cost. ****, as the general contractor charged me $1k for his fees for 1 weeks of work, with him hiring a sub for the work and not once showing up during any of his subs work. They just inflated every aspect of the job a little to keep most of the down payment. The framing material was for a 4 exterior wall, not a 6 exterior wall as discovered when the next contractor I hired went thru the materials and we had to order the 2x6s for the exterior wall, which makes sense why they only poured a 6 stem wall, rather than an 8-10 wall which was recommended by other contractors that looked at my project after they pulled out. I had no plumbing issues prior to them starting their work. They cut the main sink drain coming out of my existing house and left it cut for 4 days, draining into my construction area. It took the plumber all of 40 min from start to finish to reattach the cut drain into the septic drain. The broken y was not an issue because I had no plumbing issues prior to them working on my house.  

  9. His sub at one point when I was questioning him about the concrete work, actually lied straight to my face in front of the general

  I do not recall any subcontractor of mine lying to anyone in front of me or to ****** while I was there.

  So in a meeting with **** and his sub, *******, on Monday October 28th, I specifically asked ******* if he was present during the pour of the stem wall. He straight up lied and said he was there before and after the pour. Well, my friend and I were there while they were finishing and ******* was never there. Just shows their dishonesty. 

  10. This general and the sub he used are dishonest and unethical and I would absolutely not recommend them.

  I disagree with this based on the many projects I have completed where the customer was completely satisfied with the project to include projects that I worked on with ******* construction as a sub-contractor.  

  ******* lied straight to my face in the presence of **** ****. They were unethical in the inflation of the work that was done to keep most of the 33% down.  

  Email to ****:

  November 6, 2024

  Guth Handyman Service LLC

  ************

  *****************

  Branson, MO 65616

  *****************************************

  Dear Mr. ************* am writing to formally request a partial refund related to the invoice I received for the construction work completed by *************************** on my property (Invoice #****, issued October 30, 2024). After careful review, I find that the charges are not reflective of the quality and scope of work that was actually performed. Additionally, there were several issues that have raised concerns not only about the cost but also the adequacy and safety of the work completed.

  Here are the primary points of dispute:

  1. Inflated and Unjustified Charges

  The total amount of the invoice, $13,695, is significantly higher than what is reasonable for the work completed. The breakdown of charges, as listed in the invoice, is as follows:

  $3,000 for demolition, including two days of demo and hauling waste. This charge is far too high given the scope of the demolition and the quality of the work completed, leaving the work site in an unsafe and messy condition.

  $6,000 for machine work (footers, stem wall, excavation, etc.), which is exorbitantly priced, particularly considering the lack of proper workmanship and significant issues with the stem wall (e.g., inadequate width, missing horizontal rebar, premature removal of forms).

  $3,000 for materials, delivery, and grading. I was never provided with an actual breakdown of material costs.

  $1,045 for general contracting costs, which is an inflated charge considering the work that was not completed and the lack of active management on-site.

  2. Inadequate and Sloppy Workmanship

  The demolition work left exposed sheetrock and electrical outlets, creating safety hazards. After recent rainfall, these areas were exposed to water, and the outlets are now causing electrical issues inside my house.

  The stem wall was improperly poured, with a width of only 6 inches instead of the industry-standard 8-10 inches for exterior walls. Additionally, there was no horizontal rebar tying in the vertical rebar, which could compromise the stability of the structure. Moreover, one section of the stem wall, where it ties into the existing house, was only 4 inches wide due to the use of makeshift PVC pipe forms.

  The plumbing work was also inflated in price and inaccurately documented. The plumbing drain line was incorrectly labeled as having two broken Y's, when in fact only one Y was broken and it wasnt even connected to any plumbing coming from the house. The plumber spent a total of 40 minutes fixing the issue, which should not justify the $650 charge.

  3. Delays and Unjustified Withdrawal from the Project

  The project has been delayed due to issues caused by the contractor's failure to properly complete the tasks in a timely manner. Additionally, the contractors decision to withdraw from the project is not justified, as the delays were exacerbated by poor planning and a lack of communication on their part. I find it particularly troubling that I was blamed for project delays despite being proactive about wanting to ensure the foundation was properly inspected before proceeding with framing.

  Request for Refund

  Based on the issues outlined above, I am requesting a refund for $4,900, which I believe more accurately reflects the fair cost of the work completed. This includes the following adjustments:

  $1,000 reduction in the demolition charge.

  $3,000 reduction in the stem wall and machine work charge, considering the inadequate workmanship and the safety issues created by improperly executed work.

  $600 reduction in general contracting costs, as the general contractor was never on-site to manage any of the contracted work.

  Additionally, the $650 for plumbing repairs seems excessively high for the minimal work required, and I am requesting a reduction of $300 for that charge.

  In total, I am requesting a refund of $4,900, to be issued within 15 business days from the date of this letter. Should you wish to discuss this request further or come to a resolution, please contact me directly at ************ or *********************************.

  Warranty Clause Regarding Foundation

  Furthermore, I would like to address concerns regarding the foundation. If it is determined by an independent inspection that the foundation is unfit for construction due to the substandard workmanship, I request that Guth Handyman Service LLC and *************************** provide a full warranty of the foundation and issue a full refund for the demolition and re-doing of the foundation. This would cover all costs associated with removing and rebuilding the foundation, as it is critical for the integrity and safety of the overall project.

  I trust we can reach an amicable solution to this matter. However, please be aware that if we cannot come to a resolution, I will be compelled to pursue other avenues, including filing complaints with local consumer protection agencies and, if necessary, pursuing legal action.

  Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response.

  Sincerely,

  ****** *****

  **********************

  Shell ****, MO 65747

  ************

  *********************************

   

   

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Business response

  12/28/2024

  1. The house is in disrepair and difficult to make a perfect addition added on to however we were going to do the best we possibly could and couldnt continue.

  2. It takes a structural engineer to determine the safety and security of the structure and we will accept nothing else to determine this matter

  3. Again, the forms were pulled early but I dont feel it affected the structures integrity 

  4. I watched ******* use structural connections at the corner with my own eyes

  5. other contractors are not qualified to determine if work me or my subs did is correct or not only a structural engineer can determine this 

  6. We pulled out after attempting to be amicable with the customer and after determining that it was not in our best interest to be in the environment where hostility had occurred 

  7. I saw the fasteners myself before they were covered with concrete

  8. Everything the customer is claiming is coming from other contractors and friends who I personally do not know the credentials of and who are her friends who are completely unbiased and could be saying anything they want in her favor. The prices are what I was quoted and paid my subs for the work done and were not inflated.

  9. The broken plumbing may not have been noticed by customer but she was told we discovered it to be broken and was told we would be fixing it. My sub contractors said they were on site and I have no reason to not believe them or trust them at this time

  Customer response

  12/30/2024

  Complaint: 22683949
  
  I have reviewed the business' response and am rejecting it because:
  I feel like i was taken advantage of with extreme inflated costs to keep almost all of my 33% down for the substandard work that was done. 
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****

  

  Business response

  12/30/2024

  I disagree with having inflated costs to keep the deposit.

  Customer response

  12/30/2024

  Besides inflating price for their work to take advantage of me,  their responses are unethically dishonest. 

  Customer response

  01/07/2025

  I will never be satisfied with their response, unless they refund a larger portion of my 33% down.  I was taken advantage of and significantly overcharged for substandard work. Their responses are **** with untruths.  I gave them 33% down for my entire project and when they pulled out of the job after I requested the foundation to be inspected, they kept all but $165 of my 33% down, which was close to $14k for a little demo work (2-3 days work) and an extremely substandard small stem wall foundation (47 linear feet). There was not much I could do, since he already had my money.  Thier work was all of a week and a half, the general was never there to supervise the work, even when I sent multiple messages with concerns over the week and a half that they were working on my project.  My responses included the breakdown of what they charged and what I requested back, which is standard costs in our area for the work that was done.  I will never be satisfied with their response, unless they provide a more appropriate refund of my down payment.  They easily took advantage of me since they had a large sum of money up front from me and there was no way for me to get it back after they pulled out of the project with minimal, substandard work that they completed.  

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