Complete Handyman Services

We had our master bathroom completely gutted and remodeled. We replaced the jet tub with a walk-in tile shower. We replaced the tile floor with a new tile floor. We added white bead board and a chair rail to give it a cottage-style look. We replaced the vanity, which included two sinks. We replaced the mirror with two white mirrors and two new light fixtures. We had the stained molding painted white. We also replaced the closet doors with folding doors. In the master bedroom, we replaced all molding with larger, more modern molding. We replaced the ceiling fan and had the entire suite painted a different color. When we signed the contract, Loy Roper told us that we would have to pay 2/3 down. He also informed us that we would have to pay for all materials up front, with the exception of paint, molding, and the closet doors. We bought all of the materials, paid Loy the deposit, and then waited for the start date to arrive. When Loy arrived, he told us that he couldn't obtain our new vanity, and that I would have to go to Home Depot to buy one. The new vanity top that we ordered, according to Loy, would take another 9 weeks to arrive. He recommended that we purchase a cultured pearl countertop, which would look beautiful. I had to take a day off from work in order to purchase the vanity so that he could begin the work. On the start date, Loy showed up with one additional laborer. As the project progressed, we really didn't notice anything wrong. For the most part, we stayed out of the way. Since our entire master suite was being remodeled we elected to stay in a different area of the house. When the job neared completion, nearly ten days later, we found several major problems with the job. Instead of correcting all seams in the drywall, as it was stated in the contract, Loy simply removed the old wallpaper and skimmed it with drywall mud. There were several imperfections in his work. We were charged an additional $300 for this work. When Loy arrived to bid on the project, we told him that we wanted the drywall completely removed so it would look like new. Loy talked us out of it, stating that he could make it look new by skimming it with mud and repainting. When we looked at the moldings, we found that it was cracked in several areas because he used a nail gun. The paint job was also horrible. There were paint droplets all over the floor and other areas of the wall. Several of the moldings had nails sticking out. I even cut my leg on a nail sticking out of the molding around the door. Underneath the vanity, the tile does not even match up to the base. There is approximately two-three inches of unfinished space. To our horror, we found that the window in the bathroom had been painted completely shut. We found later that all windows in the master bedroom were painted shut, as well. These are very expensive Pella windows! When I called Loy a few weeks after the completion of the job, he acted like he didn't know who we were. He then told me to take a razor blade to the window in order to cut the seal. He was very agitated that I called him on his poor work. In the master shower, everything looked fine at first, except for the ceiling. Loy repaired a damaged area in the ceiling with drywall mud and then didn't paint it. It is a glaring and obvious imperfection. It just looks bad! The base of the shower is a pre-fab fiberglass insert. Loy and his one-man crew left it full of stains. In sealing the shower door, Loy used GROUT! Over time, the grout has cracked and fallen both onto the floor and into the shower basin. Three times I have had to call a plumber out to look at the shower valve he installed. Instead of moving the shower valve up like he was supposed to, he left it where it was. Now I have to bend my head in order to take a shower. The plumber found that the valve had been installed wrong, which allows it to leak through the drop ceiling in my basement. Several tiles in the shower were not grouted properly. Grout falls out into the shower all the time. All of the electrical outlets and switches in the bathroom were supposed to have been replaced with white outlets and switches. Loy did not replace any of these. He left the old yellow ones. He didn't even put the protective covers back on. We have a small child! Regarding the towel bar, toilet paper holder, and mirrors, Loy stated that these items were never part of the bid and then charged us per item to install. Imagine our surprise. Remember, we asked for a complete bathroom remodel. The paint job on the bathroom vanity cabinet was something like what a child would paint. Loy did not install backboard around the sinks. He just pushed the vanity top right into the drywall and then painted the drywall. In the master bedroom, Loy replaced our ceiling fan. About two weeks after he installed it, the fan started wobbling and almost fell on top of us while we were in bed. He FORGOT to install the cotter pin! This is much like forgetting to install lug nuts after replacing your tire. There are several spots on the ceiling where Loy's painter, who came to our house under the influence of alcohol on two occasions, accidentally got paint on the ceiling. Like I said before, all of our once-beautiful Pella windows are now painted shut. The moldings in all areas of the job are uneven and cracked. All four bifold doors were installed improperly. I had to call Loy out on two occasions to fix the doors. One door was rubbing on the carpet and leaving a mark. Loy was very upset that he had to adjust the doors. One week after he left, one door FELL off completely and now resides under my bed. Going back to the bathroom, the towel bar, toilet paper holder, and both towel bars above the sinks were installed UPSIDE down. Remember, we paid an additional fee to have these items replaced. When the job was "finished," Loy left. We heard nothing from him for ten days. When he finally called us, he was as mad as a hornet. He demanded his pay for completing the job. We told him that the job was not complete, and there were some things that he needed to finish. None of the moldings were caulked. You could see holes where the moldings were supposed to meet up to the wall. The bathroom vanity wasn't caulked. Loy was very, very angry at having to return to do this. He brought back his painter to caulk. The job, as the pictures will show, was as if Loy had hired a caveman whose only experience was cave painting. When we told Loy that we didn't want to pay until the work was to our satisfaction, he threatened to place a lien on our property. His personality was far different from what it was when he was putting on a good show in order to get the bid. We did check references. We found out later that the main reference was from one of Loy's childhood friends, who owned a tree service. These people truly scratch each other's backs. We are now in the process of having the bathroom remodeled again. We have obtained five bids. ALL of the contractor's who have placed bids on the project have reacted WITH ABSOLUTE HORROR at the job Loy did on our bathroom. Some even recommended that we sue him. Some recommended that we report Loy to the home builder's association. Instead of allowing this unscrupulous "contractor" to place a lien on our house, we decided to give him his final pay. I spent countless sleepless nights tossing and turning over the reprehensible job Loy did for us. I should also add that prior to beginning the work, Loy showed us five inch thick photo albums full of work he had done for others. The pictures I saw were amazing. I don't know where he obtained those pictures, but I can tell you that the work he did for us did not even come close to what he showed us. In the end, we were taken to the cleaners by a dishonest contractor who resorted to making threats in order to get his money. On his business card, it states "Quality Workmanship Without Franchise Prices." On the contract, it states "Where the Customer is Always #1." None of this is true. The work Loy did for us is worse than what you might find in a third world country. The paint job was worse than what I could have done. In our garage and driveway, Loy left nails and other scraps. In my opinion, Loy was in way over his head. His work showed this. Remember, we had our bathroom AND master bedroom remodeled. Both areas are completely different, requiring different levels of talent. We had lost many hour of sleep over how badly we were taken advantage of. And that is why we have joined Angie's List. Before you pay a contractor, remember that you should NEVER have to pay up front. You pay when the work in done to your satisfaction. If the contractor puts a lien on your house, you have the RIGHT to dispute it. We did not know this at first. I even made a call to the courthouse to find out if we had any rights. The secretary only confirmed that he could place a contractor's lien on our house. When we spoke with a lawyer, he told us to pay the money and to learn a valuable lesson. The lien would have showed up on our credit report and caused us problems later. Do not hire Loy Roper and Complete Handyman Services. He is unfair, dishonest, and not very talented. The pictures we will be posting will confirm everything we have stated in our report. Pay extra money to get someone who knows what they are doing. Check no less than three references.