ConstructADream LLC

I decided to install a new shower in my townhouse, so I contacted Tom Haley of Constructadream, LLC. He had previously done some work for me during the sale of my home in April, 2011. He came recommended and seemed competent and pleasant, so I decided to see if he was interested in doing the work. He told me he was licensed, bonded and insured, so I felt confident in my decision. During the renovation of the shower I decided that there were a number of additional upgrades that needed to be made to the rest of the townhome and asked him if he would be interested in doing them. He agreed. We made several trips to different locations to pick out new kitchen cupboard door fronts, floor tile, kitchen back splash, granite counter tops, appliances and baseboard. I was so excited that I stopped by almost daily to see what progress had been done and to start painting. I suppose the first tip-off that things weren't going so well was after they demolished the old stairway and put in the new one. It took them quite a few days to figure it out and build them. I found out later that they had never built stairs before even though Tom had told me they had. The top riser was substantially shorter than all the rest and threw off your balance when you stepped on it. I brought that to his attention and asked that it be fixed so that all the risers be the same height. I was told that, in that case, the staircase would have to be torn out and everything would have to be redone...at my expense, of course. I wanted things to be done correctly, so I went ahead and paid to have it done again. I told him many times right from the start that I really wanted things done right. From there things went downhill fast. I ended up paying for three nights stay for my daughter and her three kids in a hotel ($100/night) in order for Tom and his crew to be able to work all night in order to seal the wood stairs and to lay the travertine tile floor and seal it. They ended up not working any nights. So I spent $300 for nothing. Also, when they built the stairs, they had to tear down some drywall. After they replaced the drywall, they couldn't match the wall texture with the other walls. After many attempts on their part, I eventually had to hire another company to come in and texture the wall correctly, which cost me another $850.00. Then things went from bad to worse. When the "sheets" of glass kitchen back splash were installed I don't think they used a level because the grout lines were wavy and uneven. I asked that some of the more offensive, crooked rectangular glass pieces please be replaced and done right, which they did, but begrudgingly. At this point, the backsplash still waves at me every time I see it. It just makes me sick because it cost so much and could have been so beautiful. Lighting. Where do I begin? I spent an enormous amount of money on beautiful, expensive lighting fixtures. I bought high-end track lighting for the kitchen ceiling. According to the directions, the main track was supposed to be bent to the desired "S" position and then be installed. When I first saw it after installation, the braces that held the main track in place were grotesquely contorted and obviously not installed correctly. I asked if they had bent the main track before putting it up and was told that the lighting company didn't include the "correct braces" and that they were going to have to go to the hardware store and find something else to use. I showed Tom the directions where it explained bending the track before installing. Obviously, he had not read the directions. He ended up taking down the fixture, bending it and then re-hanging it. It was fine after that. I could tell he was not happy with me, but it seemed like I knew more about construction than he did. The dining room chandelier was another story. When I first saw it I was a gasp. They had woven the electrical wiring through every single chain link making it kink down the entire chain causing the light to hang unevenly. When I protested, I was told that if I wanted it re-hung, then I would have to pay for it...again. I refused. So now I have this beautiful, expensive chandelier hanging crookedly from my dining room cathedral ceiling. Unbelievable. Appliances. Tom and I went to Sear's to pick out a dishwasher, stove and hood vent. He told me that he had installed many dishwasher's and stoves and that he would take care of everything for me...that I didn't need Sear's to deliver them or do the installation. Big mistake. I can't even tell you how bad things got. I ended up picking up the appliances myself when they arrived because he was busy running another job in on me. Good thing I had a truck. After eventually installing the dishwasher, and several months without the use of the kitchen, we turned it on. At the time I noticed the unit seemed to wobble a bit and didn't seem attached very securely to the frame, but it seemed to be running ok, so we stopped it. That evening, I turned on the dishwasher again and it didn't work. What? I tried several more times. Nothing. The next day they looked at it again and redid something which seemed to work. Again, later that evening, it stopped working. Forget this. I called Sear's and made an appointment for them to come out and install the dishwasher correctly. They were booked up and couldn't come out until the next week. So another week went by without a dishwasher. When the appliance tech looked at the lousy job they did, he couldn't believe his eyes. Instead of using the correct water hose that came with the new dishwasher, they used the hose from the old dishwasher to hook up the new dishwasher and when the appliance was turned on, it blew the incorrect hose off and was allowing water to flood out onto the sub-floor down into the crawl space. What a mess! He eventually fixed it and even attached the dishwasher to the frame correctly so that it didn't teeter anymore. After the tech left, at least it was usable, but it cost me another $200. The tech also advised me to get someone out there to check on water damage in the crawl space and to make sure there wasn't going to be any mold problem. I did and thank goodness there wasn't any. So many things eventually went wrong that Tom called me in a tirade yelling at me and calling me all kinds of profane words and telling me I was the worst customer he'd ever worked for. Too demanding, too particular. He went on and on. I couldn't get a word in edgewise. I just let him go on. Later on I learned he was standing outside my townhouse when he called me using all kinds of profanity. The neighbors could hear everything. So embarrassing for me, but especially for him. When he eventually calmed down, I told him that if he was so unhappy with the job that he should stop, that I would find somebody else to finish it. That's how we left it. He left me high and dry. But, what was I going to do? I didn't even have the fronts to my kitchen cabinets. He had taken them to his place to refinish them and then was going to bring them out later to install them. Well, about a week later, he called and apologized. By this time, I just wanted my cabinet fronts returned and wanted everything finished. A few days later he did return and installed the cabinet fronts, however, during the sanding process, one front was damaged beyond repair. So, I still have a cabinet without a door. There are other things that were done incorrectly, too. He installed a new door from the garage to the house, but special ordered the incorrect size. Because the door he ordered was too small, the door jam itself wasn't the right fit, so he left rough-cut edges of dry wall hanging on the garage side. We have to be careful when we step out to the garage in order not to trip on the gaping dry wall. All in all, it took him about three and a half months to do the work. Half the time his truck was broken down so he couldn't make it to the job site. He finally purchased a new truck and in the middle of the job, he took a two and a half week vacation. That is a long time for one's home to be torn up and for not having any use of the kitchen and bathroom. The original estimate came to around $18,000, but I knew these things always end up over budget, so I was prepared for that. What I wasn't prepared for, after looking at some of his receipts, was paying for some materials for another person's job AND for tools that he bought, charged me for, and then took with him. There is still caulking, grouting and other "punch list" items that need to be done. I have called him three times and left messages each time. He won't return any of my calls. Finally, I joined Angie's List and found a reliable contracting company. I contacted them and am waiting for them to give me an estimate on what it would cost to finish his mess. They were amazed at his lack of professionalism and workmanship. They said instead of his company being called Constructadream, LLC, it should be renamed Constructanightmare, LLC. Don't ever use Tom Haley or his company, Constructadream, LLC. You'll be sorry if you do.