I hired Simple Fix Home Repair and Remodeling for two large projects and unfortunately had a very…read morefrustrating experience from start to finish.
For the first project, they removed and rebuilt a set of egress steps at the rear of a duplex. I provided professional drawings, site plans, and had already requested the permit through the City of Pittsburgh, so expectations were clear from the start.
Communication throughout the project was extremely poor. I consistently had to chase down Brad, the project manager, just to get basic updates. He would often respond saying he needed to check with Tyler (the onsite worker), but then I would have to follow up again to actually get any answers. There was no proactive communication, and workers would often show up without notice, which made managing the project unnecessarily stressful.
Quality of work on the first project was also disappointing. During the final inspection, several items did not pass. One of the required fixes was to apply silicone between the new deck and the house. The result was shockingly sloppy--silicone was smeared across the wood in multiple areas instead of being neatly applied where needed. It honestly looked like it was done with no care or attention to detail.
The second project involved multiple items identified on a borough inspection report, including building a deck, installing handrails with baluster guards, replacing floor jacks with mono columns, and installing a condensate pump to eliminate a PVC drain line that was a tripping hazard.
Unfortunately, the same issues continued--and in some cases were worse.
The scope of work was clearly defined in the inspection report, yet key items were done incorrectly. For example, the existing basement pipe handrails were removed as requested, but instead of installing code-compliant handrails with baluster guards, they installed simple wood handrails without any baluster protection.
Similarly, they were instructed to replace floor jacks with permanent mono columns. Instead, they initially installed new floor jacks again. After I raised the issue, they returned to install mono columns--but even then the work was not done correctly. The posts were installed with undersized screws at the top and were not bolted to the floor at all.
When I questioned this, Brad responded that drilling bolts into the concrete might cause it to "blow apart" and said I would need to sign off on any risk if they proceeded. This was not an acceptable solution. I ultimately had to hire another contractor to properly secure the posts with appropriate fasteners and anchoring.
A few weeks later, another serious issue surfaced: the condensate pump had been wired incorrectly into the furnace circuit board. I had a licensed HVAC company come out, and they confirmed and documented the improper installation.
In addition to the workmanship issues, there are still unfinished items. When the deck was built, piles of dirt were left in the backyard with the promise they would return to clean it up. That has still not been completed.
Between the lack of communication, repeated mistakes, incomplete work, and the need to hire additional professionals to correct their errors, this was a very disappointing experience. I would not recommend Simple Fix Home Repair and Remodeling based on the quality of work and overall project management.
