I wish i did not rely on a mutual friend to introduce us to this criminal. He designed a beautiful backyard with pool/hot tub, pergola, cooking island and paver placement with accent lighting and plantings. He befriended us like a true sociopath, inviting us to his daughter's christening, multiple meals shared together, plans to go to shows... We paid him half up front because he said he needed the money to buy the pool mechanicals before the competition which was heightened due to covid. He was very convincing and reassuring all the while in the beginning, even promising completion by memorial day (This was february 2021). Then the lies started. And they never stopped. To this day (late November), the job is maybe 20%-30% done and he is still lying about just about everything. He never even started anything until almost june besides dumping pavers in our yard (most of which remain an eyesore for our neighborhood). Even his workers early on recommended "keeping on" him. Then workers drive a huge truck down and park it. Then leave. that was the week's worth of work. Next week, they finally show up, work for maybe 2 or 3 hours and disappear for the week. Next week, same thing, if we are LUCKY! most weeks zero accomplished. All along the way, promises. Broken ones. "Guys were on the way down and got stuck at a gas station where a filling nozzle broke and got gas on the truck, had to wait for police". "Guys on way, got stuck in traffic and turned back." "Entire crew sidelined by covid shot side effects." (shot given on Sunday? To whole crew?). "Pipes loaded onto truck, on way, turned back due to pipes being wrong size." (No pipes delivered to date). "Got pulled over on way." Many other days when workers supposed to work and no show with no excuse, not even these BS ones we had become used to. One day, he promised a full work day with him present with his men. He shows up around 3pm, alone, walks the site with us and leaves to get a drill bit at home depot, never to return. He has been on site perhaps an hour or 2 in the past 8 months. His men show up without direction and waste what little time they are there. I had to be the one to explain to them the kitchen island was a foot and a half too short to include the items we wanted, which we had to buy ourselves. He promised to help with the price on these items with his contractor discount which turned out to be ZERO. We got a substantially better price on our own. We have been trying to get him to order some gas torches he was supposed to install for months, he keeps pushing that responsibility to his wife, who has done nothing to get that part going. We had renters scheduled to take the house for 2 weeks in july and he promised multiple times the job would be complete by then, obviously another lie. we are currently left with trenches and holes all over the yard, the pool/hot tub combo is a tangle of rebar which is dangerous and ugly (and untouched since july). He says he cant find an electrician for the next step, (his got covid, believe that?) so we found one. We were putting in a boat lift at the same time which he said he would run the electric and a hose out to it, then completely denied any knowledge of it, so we hired an electrician to perform that work. We had to pay him seperately to at least get the boat lift done. he promised to use him for his work to get the project going and immediately stopped taking his calls.
Basically, the little work he has done is what his own unskilled workers can do for the most part, it is clear his subcontractors are nonexistant. I began inquiring about him to others in the business. To say the least, he has a horrible reputation among them. My pool guy at our other house said he got involved with him in the past and it was a disaster, he would never work with him again. Another contractor was surprised he was still working and left it at that.
i am sure we are screwed out of an embarrassingly large sum of money, but we have initiated legal action to get back what we can. Even today, after getting the lawyer letter, he is promising to complete the work. If, by the grace of God he were to do that, I would retract this review but given his record of lies, dont count on that.
Take my advise, do not give this man a dollar if you expect to see anything of it again. He is the epitome of the nightmare contractor and should be in jail. Sometimes the devil smiles the brightest. DO NOT TRUST THIS MAN OR ANYONE ASSOCIATED WITH HIM!!!! read more