FINISHING TOUCH CONSTRUCTION

Not sure what happened here. Esteban and Jaime came highly recommended, and presented themselves well. In fact, I don't like having to write this report because they're nice guys, but I told them at our initial meeting that I was a member of Angie's list and would be reporting on the result. The bulk of the project was finished in mid-June, but certain details (installing a faulty window replacement, fixing warped cabinet doors and loose sink stoppers, apparatus for screen doors) remain unaddressed as of mid-September, so I guess they're not coming back. Initially, they said that they themselves would do the work, sub-contracting as necessary. The project started well and promptly, with all due care taken to protect floors and interior from dust and debris. Gradually, however, things started to slide (I suspect they took on another project in the interim) and frequently work was performed by a single seemingly untrained non-English speaking worker (Claudio). The cabinetry was complete - wanting only staining and finishing - when they made a mistake in the stain (much darker than the sample I had given them and applied with a roller) and had to be completely redone. We gave them an extra 1000$ to buy new wood. They used subcontractors for plumbing and electric, both of whom were quite competent. On the positive side, the shower,wall tile, shower door, and molding are nicely done and look good. The whole job might have been much more successful had they used a subcontractor specializing in paint and wood finishing. The new wood flooring is dull and smeary looking. Wood filler doesn't match the color of the wood. The refinished dressing room floor already bears scratch marks from the ladder. Polyurethane was applied right over finger marks, without protective tape or floor covering. We now keep a razor in the bathroom to scrape off stray polyurethane from the floor and window glass. When shown the new shed door and window covered unevenly with polyurethane, clearly unprepped (the assistant went right over the spackle!) Esteban expressed disbelief that any of his people could have done such a job. Well, they did, and there it sits, awaiting someone else to fix it. The tile floor was improperly installed and had to be pulled up and redone (their expense). Windows were set without checking on the exterior framing style - they had to be pulled out and redone (our expense). Jaime wasted an entire day inappropriately patching a closet ceiling - that too had to be removed and redone. Jaime brought his dog to the site, which frequently came inside & had to be shooed out. He (and the dog, at our insistence) disappeared after a while and Esteban took over. The job lasted far longer than initially estimated; in the end, it was completed by the final deadline (a home wedding), but quality suffered. At first glance the job looks pretty good, but close inspection reveals careless finish work - rather ironic given the name "Finishing Touch." I feel that we were far more tolerant than most people would have been in a similar situation - our mistake lay in not letting them go when the mistakes started to pile up.