Casaletto Construction

The project began in October 2011 and went well for about 6-8 weeks.  In mid-December the builder's behavior began to change for the worse.  He began to spend less and less time on site.  The builder also began to ask for additional funds to cover "overruns" and to ask for scheduled payments early.  We paid $19,000 in mid-December for the start of plumbing and electrical work.  No plumbing or electrical work was ever completed.  In early April, the builder told us that movre than $16,000 was still required in order to pay the plumbing and electrical contractors.  The builder averaged less than 20 hours per week on the building site during the months of January-March 2012, regardless of weather conditions.  The builder failed to show up for numerous appointments/meetings and was always late when he did show up.  We faced numerous complaints from our neighbors asto the amount of trash on and around the building site.  We had to make mention of the volume of coffee cups and food wrappers strewn around the property several times.  During March and April, the builder would drop off an unskilled laborer at the site (whom would proceed to do nothing but smoke, talk on his cell phone or sweep the floor) and disappear for hours.  The builder would then claim that he was purchasing building materials (despite arriving back at the site with no materials) and demand payment for his time.  Despite having been paid well over $100,000 by mid-March, the builder claimed that "money was tight" and that he needed additional funds in order to purchase materials and keep working.  When questioned about the progress of the job, where/when/how project funds had been spent or given feedback on any subject, the builder would become argumentative and belligerent.
The builder's erratic hours, unreliability, unprofessional attitude and apparent insolvency led us to terminate our contract with him in April 2012.  We were forced to retain a lawyer in order to compel the builder to stay away from the property and refrain from making belligerent/borderline threatening phone calls to us.  We paid Casaletto Construction over $129,000 between June 2011 and April 2012.  Examination of the property by a third-party indicates that approximately $70,000 worth of work has been completed.  The structural framing that was completed is of good quality.  The installation of siding, roofing and on-site drainage is fair to poor and will likely require repair and or corrective measures.  The builder disclosed upon termination of the contract that he had been working without general liability insurance for a majority of the project.