After reviewing Angie's List, I hired Tony for a complete kitchen remodel. The contract stated $2k down, the rest due upon completion, but a week into the project, he asked for another $2k. This pattern continued, always with excuses about how something cost more than he estimated; another thing was more work than he expected; he needed to pay his guys so they could keep working; and threats that he would have to take on other jobs to keep his cash flow going so he could finish my kitchen. I also caught him installing new wiring that wasn't to code (he tried to use cheaper 14-gauge wire for appliances/countertops). He offered to quit when I confronted him on this, but we settled by me having to tell him exactly which wiring to use where. (I hired a professional to do this expecting that I wouldn't have to look up the code myself.) He also carelessly damaged the thermostat and left me with the expense of hiring an HVAC expert and replacing parts and wiring Tony broke. Another big problem occured when he was unable/unwilling to level new cabinets to 1/8", as required by the granite installer. He blamed it on a beam in the basement causing the kitchen floor to drop 1" in 5 weeks. Although I found this difficult to believe, I immediately had an inspector out to investigate the beam. This expert found no evidence that the floors had moved, nor any unusual sloping in the floors, beams, walls, or ceilings. He said the beam had probably been like that for years, was not a structual deficiency, and was an easy fix. Because Tony said he wouldn't finish the cabinetry nor guarantee his work because of the beam, I immediately had the problem fixed that day so he would be more comfortable and finish his work. Instead, he quit. Leaving my kitchen without any plumbing, patches of unfinished drywall, missing electrical outlets and fixture boxes, a missing window, no trimwork, etc. And he pressured me into paying him percentages of the work as it was "completed", so he made a profit and didn't even finish. When another company came out to finish the cabinetry & install the granite countertops, they found that he had used nails instead of screws in some of the cabinets, that some cabinets didn't have any shims supporting them, and that a floor-to-ceiling pantry didn't have ANY SUPPORT under it at all--if I had loaded this with shelving and food, they said it would have fallen off the wall! I shudder to think of what could have happened due to Tony's shoddy workmanship. I'm also wondering what else will be uncovered as other people come in to finish the work.