I hired French Estates Junk Removal to demolish two sheds in my backyard and to remove some random…read morewood/debris. I found them through a Yelp project request, where I received estimates from three companies, but French Estates called directly and offered same-day service at a competitive price, so I went with them.
Problems started almost immediately. I was told a team was arriving but only one worker showed up. The second worker wouldn't show up for at least one hour more. The worker who arrived told me the job was bigger than expected -- it turned out the company had only received 3 of the 8 photos I originally submitted through Yelp. I spoke to Cynthia, my point of contact for the company, and she told me the price would increase by $250 due to the shed being larger than originally thought. Again, I had submitted multiple photos from several angles both inside and outside. Perhaps there was some truth to a glitch from Yelp, so I agreed to the price increase and work began.
Throughout the job, the worker's conversation was vulgar and unprofessional. Nothing was directed at me personally, but it was not the kind of conduct I expect from a company working at my home. I have two teen girls living at home and I did not feel comfortable with them going outside due to the conversations from the worker
The team left late-afternoon to dump debris and take a lunch break, saying they'd return shortly. When they hadn't come back quite some time later, I contacted Cynthia, who assured me they'd return at 7 PM. I told Cynthia I needed the job finished by 8:30 PM. Work didn't actually wrap up until past 9:15 PM.
Just before the crew left, I discovered they hadn't removed the foundation of the large shed. Very late that evening, Cynthia texted saying she'd follow up the next day about removing a "deck" -- there was no deck; this was the shed foundation she was referring to, which raised concerns about how well the job had actually been tracked internally.
The next morning, I clarified the mistake and let her know I could be reached by text. She made no attempt to contact me that entire day. The following day, I called and texted multiple times with no response. It was only when I called from a different phone number that she picked up immediately.
When I asked about the foundation, Cynthia said foundations aren't included in project estimates -- yet the crew had removed the foundation for a smaller shed on the same job, just not the larger one. When I asked why one foundation had been removed but not the other, she had no real explanation for the inconsistency, other than saying the crew hadn't been authorized to remove foundations at all. She then offered to remove the remaining foundation for an additional fee.
On top of the incomplete work, I found the yard littered with debris the crew left behind -- nails, screws, hinges, and shattered light bulb glass scattered across the area where the large shed had stood. I have a dog who spends time in that yard, and I spent two hours the next morning sifting through the dirt to clear out glass shards and hardware so it would be safe.
Were the sheds removed? Yes. But, given the miscommunication, incomplete and inconsistent work, unprofessional conduct, missed deadlines, and a hazardous mess left behind, I can't recommend this company. I ultimately told them I did not want to continue doing business with them and I will have the foundation removed by another company.