The first thing any consumer needs to do is ask one single question: Have I done enough research and due diligence to make the best decision I can with the most information possible? Well? Have you?



These days, there are a lot of contractors who have worked for other bosses, and in the last couple of years started their own businesses. Their work quality is often quite acceptable, but their longevity and administrative business practices are often less stable.

- Are they insured?
- Do they know how to accurately price a project?
- Are they adequately trained and knowledgeable to deal with the odd little things that can ruin a project?
- Will they be in business next year if/when needed for warranty work?
- Do they pay their bills?
- Are they in business to make a fast buck and run?
- Will I have their suppliers and subcontractors knocking on my door looking for money I already paid out?

We receive too many calls every year asking the same questions, or sharing the same story. Ultimately, you are trusting one person or one group of people to oversee and complete an expensive and important purchase in your life. Do you like talking to him? Do you feel comfortable sharing your home and property with him? Have you talked to past customers and seen examples of past work? Would you have him over for lunch? If you answer ‘No’ to any of these questions, then consider if you are making the right hiring decision, and keep looking for answers.

The Honest Truth:

No contractor is 100% perfect, no matter what you hear… even us. Sometimes, despite best efforts, a job may not go according to plan. There is a big difference between our company, who will always do our best to resolve any complaint, big or small, no matter what the issue, or how it came to be, and some other company that just walks away or disappears, or worse. You trust us to do the work properly, and we will. You should feel confident and secure that the company you hire will respect your property, your money, and your peace of mind.

The All-too-often Reality:

It is regrettable that we have a page like this one, but we regularly hear the same tales of broken trust and there is some information you need to know. Several times a year we are called by stressed, sometimes distraught homeowners who need help. The stories all have a common thread – “I Was Ripped Off”: “We thought his price was good”, “He was a nice man, we gave him a big deposit and then was asking for more money almost right away”, “He wanted to be paid in cash”, “He said we didn’t need a contract”, “He said we didn’t need a permit”, “his trades didn’t show up”, “his crews didn’t show up”, “we never saw him again”, “He took our deposit and we haven’t been able to get hold of him since”, “He started, stopped, and we’ve been waiting for him to come back for months”, “He had personal issues and couldn’t finish and has no money”… an on it goes. We’ve heard it all.

If you find yourself thinking, worrying, wondering about your contractor, then YOU NEED TO STOP for a moment. Intuition is not fictitious. If a deal sounds ‘too good’ then it likely is. If you are pressured into a fast decision, don’t be bullied. Ask more questions, get more references, do your own research into pricing. It may end up being nothing at all, or maybe everything you fear coming to fruition.

This is no joke. We’ve been called in to correct work started and abandoned by other contractors many times over the years. We’ve seen a lot of good people emotionally hurt and financially battered by legal battles, physical threats and intimidation, inferior workmanship, and worse: Cheap jobs with huge extras for work or materials that should have been included, and unrealistic prices just to get a deposit and run. A cheap job will never work in your best interest. We’re not the cheapest, but price can become the main selling point. The following call-backs all started with “We have had a problem with the other company we hired. Can you see us?”

A few years ago, we reviewed a job originally quoted at $38,000 with a real value of $130,000, another quoted at $85,000 with a real value of $435,000, and one where cost-plus machine charges exceeded an entire installation contract by over 130% extra because the contractor charged for clocked hours, not hours used. The workers started the machines in the morning, turned them off at night, and didn’t use them at all during the day. Not too fair to be given a low price, and handed bill after bill after bill for things that you ‘thought’ were included, is it?

Most recently, we were witness to one of the most outrageous scams I’ve ever heard of. A large project was tendered to our company and one other. Our price was $475,000. So was theirs. The difference was they also included electric heat for a 4000 sq.ft driveway, PLUS a sport court. These items have a combined value of over $100,000. Needless to say, we didn’t get the job with a deal that good, but I’ll bet the Owner wishes we did. A $300,000 deposit was paid in September 2009 to have the installation finished within 4 months. In time for Christmas 2009. I don’t know anyone who could have done the job in that time frame. Logistically it was impossible. By Christmas, the house had liens in place by several suppliers and subcontractors (I heard for a combined value in excess of $50,000 in claims), the employees had not been paid for a month, and the Owner of the company was missing. By Mid-2011, the project remains unfinished and the future is uncertain. No charges have been laid to my knowledge, and the Owner remains in business under a new company name, plus the old one.

We want you to hire the right company for the work. If not us, then please someone known to be reliable and proven. We want your experience and your finished project to be memorable and enjoyable for the right reasons.