I've had to re-post this review a few times now ... somehow my negative reviews of Goldman Home…read moreImprovement keep vanishing from Google, Angi/Home Advisor and Yelp, leaving only 5-star reviews. I don't know how he does that, but I insist on re-posting because I feel you need to hear about my experience before deciding on something as important as a contractor for your home.
For starters, Hussein Hussein of Goldman Home Improvement is NOT LICENSED to conduct home renovations in NY State. The license number he listed on his contract is not only expired; it was never a general contractor's license, it was a SALES license. NYS is cracking down on sales people pretending to be GC's, so his license will never be renewed. I urge you to call 311 and check for yourself if you are considering hiring this company.
After working with him for almost 4 months I can attest: While Hussein clearly has a gift for sales (he could sell ocean water to a fish!), he lacks the basic knowledge of how a home works structurally; he's only capable of doing the surface aesthetic stuff. For example, I asked him to create tray ceilings in my bedrooms, and showed him many pictures of what a tray ceiling looks like. He removed the ceiling beams ... and then he obviously had no clue what to do next!! He kept staring at the ceiling, then looking at me, then back at the ceiling. Finally, he uttered: "There is no way to reinforce the beams. I cannot guarantee the ceiling will not fall in on you." I kid you not, these were his actual words!!! The contractor I hired to finish the job confirmed that, sure enough, had Hussein finalized my apt, the ceiling would have indeed buckled and fallen in!!!
Additionally, Hussein could care less about the efficiency of your home (even though HE was the one who insisted I put in central AC instead of mini-splits, he refused to insulate the whole apartment, despite it being on my dime); he won't even consider doing anything that's out of the norm (I asked him to add soundproofing--again, at my expense--he absolutely refused); he uses the cheapest, unqualified trades (his plumber pitched the plumbing away from the drain, so the water has to travel against gravity!!!); and he uses only cheap materials (he works exclusively with Floor and Decor).
When I hired Hussein to conduct a complete gut of my Brooklyn apt, I made the huge mistake of paying him a substantial portion up front ($50,000). After 3.5 months, he had not put in a new kitchen, new bathrooms, or new laundry room. He never replaced my floors, doors, windows or fireplace. He did not deliver central air conditioning as promised, nor did he upgrade my electric panel. He completed about 8% of the scope of work items outlined in the contract, but retained 45% of the payment, and refuses to refund me. My attorney tells me I have a solid case of breach of contract.
Worse: THE FEW THINGS HUSSEIN COMPLETED WERE EXECUTED SO POORLY, IT ALL HAD TO BE DEMOLISHED AND RE-DONE. The tray ceiling had to be completely reconstructed and reinforced. The skylight he installed leaked heavily at the first rain, and had to be replaced. The hatch ladder he installed makes it impossible to access my roof -- the whole point of the ladder -- without being an olympic gymnast!! The walls he framed were wobbly. And Hussein instructed me to NOT tell the electrician -- the guy who was upgrading my electric panel -- that I'd be adding a washer, dryer, dishwasher, and air conditioning "because he will charge too much money". Seriously?? How does one upgrade the electrical panel without communicating ones electric needs to the electrician?
When I confronted him on these issues, he reacted with mercurial temper--HE QUIT! So I was forced to bring in a qualified contractor mid-project to un-do all the damage Hussein had done and start over -- effectively DOUBLING my renovation budget and timeline! And now I'm mired in a lawsuit.
Spare yourself the nightmare, go elsewhere!!
