Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  08/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We hired ****** Renovations (RR) to replace a concrete patio and roof that was sagging. The patio consisted of a slab that led to the front door and separate slab running the rest of the length of the house. The second slab had sunken about 1 inch. Demo started 10/5/22. During demo, the concrete sub damaged the siding and brick; only the siding was repaired. The concrete was delayed several times due to the sub not being able to procure concrete. Freezing conditions were reported the next 3 nights.Before concrete was poured, it was discussed that the forms and lines looked low. We were ensured the concrete sub was capable. The new slab was poured several inches low creating a gap between the brick faade and the slab. Our front door now requires a 3' landing on top of the slab because the elevation change is out of code. Without discussing, the concrete sub filled in the gap with mortar which cracked and looked bad. There is a gap in the siding because the slab is so much lower. The footings were poured with the slab, and no separation was provided. The footings were capped over to make the slab look continuous; this cracked immediately. This is also a code violation. We asked RR to be present for sub work. ** said he would have to charge more for a job he committed to and expressed remorse for taking the job. RR cut corners installing flashing on the roof. Siding was not removed and flashing was cut and shoved under it. This leaked and required proper installation to be done. One support beam is cracked top to bottom.We reached out several times between 11/2022 and 7/2023 to discuss solutions and were put off or ignored. RR reviewed the inspection report and code 8 months later. The only correction is to redo the pad and footings. Our house is out of code and incomplete because of poor project management. No warranty information has been provided after many requests. We should not be subject to more poor service by RR continuing to work on this project.

  

  Business response

  10/12/2023

  To whom it may concern,

  The project for **** has not gone well to say the least! I have been in business for 15+ years and I have never had anything like this happen before. Last summer (2022) **** reached out for an estimate to redo his front porch. He was very eager to get it done before winter and I was booked out till the following summer.(I pushed existing clients to help ****, but he apparently doesn't think that was a big deal) I ended up getting him quote and he had concerns about the costs, as most clients do, so I tried to come up with ways to save money. One of the ways was to not replace the roof flashing and reuse the existing, it looked like c*** so I ended up removing the metal siding and replacing the flashing with new and reinstalling the metal siding which is a real pain. ($750.00 job) and did not charge him for it. As for the pressure treated wood 6x6 post being cracked, it's wood that is infused with liquid chemical via pressure, when it dries it will warp, twist and crack, some pieces of lumber more than others, there is no way of telling which pieces of wood will crack, twist or warp more than the other. The wood is still structurally sound, it's just not aesthetically appealing, hence why people wrap the posts. As for the concrete slab I am in agreement that it was poured to low, ******* Services, LLC out of Mt. ***** removed and reinstalled the concrete, this is something they have done hundreds of times and I am not sure what went wrong on their end. As for the footings, I was attempting to make it as aesthetically appealing as possible by skimming the top of the footing with the slab. I knew it would crack and my plan was to grind away at the crack to expose the sonotube(clear separation) and then fill that void with a grey silicone to make it as appealing as possible. The best way to have done these footings would be to install a frost wall the length of the house and pour the slab on top of that. That is about triple the cost so it was not in the budget to do it that way. Financially I am at $14,752.36 paid out of my pocket. The original quote with 1 change order is $17,592.81. **** has paid me $8,000.00. With the new posts, beam, roof framing, roof sheathing, shingling, fascia, gutter reinstalled, roof flashing and the soffit we are well over $8,000.00. There is $9,592.81 left to be paid from our contracts to be paid. This is double what it will cost him to hire someone else to redo the slab and footings. I am willing to sign off on this deal and call it even, with no refund,(loss of $6,752.36) or I will replace the slab and footings for the remainder of the contracts($9,592.81).  Attached is the last page of my contract, we installed a new software last year and had to work out the bugs, I thought it was on all of ****'s proposals and invoices but I see now that it wasn't, sorry about that. 

  Customer response

  10/22/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  There was no mention of moving other customers' schedules, and even if true, this is on **** for improperly managing projects and expectations.  When the final contract was sent and signed by myself, the earliest start date given was 10/3 (see text from 9/21/22).  The siding was always meant to be removed to flash the shingles (see email from 4/12/22).  The roof leaked and required rework, aesthetics were not the concern.  There was no mention of increased cost to replace flashing. Complaining about the difficulty of installation is neither relevant or professional.  We are ok with not using the frost wall.  The slab is free floating which is acceptable by code, from my understanding.  Per the city code, the footing require a clear separation the entire thickness of the slab.  The sonotube does not count as a separation.  The total cost is unclear as no invoice has been sent.  The original cost was $15,792.81, permit was $190 (text 10/4/22), and the change order for additional concrete removal was never submitted, only estimated at $700 (see text from 10/18/22). We asked multiple times for any warranty information and were never given anything. We did not even receive a signed copy of the contract from ****, despite several requests.

  We reject the proposed solutions and defer to our original request.  This complaint was submitted 8/27/22, and the response took 6 weeks. This is in keeping with delayed correspondence and poor communication on this project.  I believe this should have been closed weeks ago.  

  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************************

  

  Business response

  11/29/2023

  My original offer stands. It is far more in ***************************************** favor financially than mine and I am not willing to lose anymore money on this project. 

  Customer response

  12/11/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  We have reviewed the latest correspondence from **** on 11/30.  I was under the impression we had 10 business days to respond, not calendar days.  We do accept ****** offer to close the contract with no additional work done or funds owed.  I have copied **** to simplify this.  If you would like to update the status of the complaint to "Customer accepted offer", that is fine.  Per our request for closure, we do expect a written statement from ****** Renovations releasing us from any liens, contracts, etc., and otherwise absolve us from any other clause in the contract. Once received, we will consider this closed.

  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************************

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