AceBuilders Co. LLC

Andy Klepacki & his company, Accel Builders, have done a few jobs for me in the past. The work was A+. He was meticulous, careful, thorough, and demonstrated excellent judgment. I wanted no one else to touch my home, ever. He bailed me out big time when the fall 2011 storm came through and put half a tree through my roof and punched several holes in the clapboards on the side of the house. He came out that day to remove the tree & tarp the hole. The roof was fixed in almost no time. The interior took somewhat longer, perhaps a few months. At that time, he used an inferior means to popcorn the ceiling patch, and told me that he wasn?t satisfied with the look (true, it was pretty awful), but repairing it correctly would cost an additional $600. I declined, as my insurance claimed the proper fix was included, and Andy disagreed. The clapboards were never repaired. I blew that off, as I was planning on getting the house sided. That was my first signal all might not be ideal, but I put aside my qualms in favor of the other work he?d done for me. Today, my bathroom pains me every time I walk in and see the sloppy, clumsy work. Work began late in June, and wasn?t ?completed? ?til nearly November. Bottom line, if you?re interested in a remodel that takes forever & looks like you did it yourself (assuming you?re not a very proficient DIYer), hire Accel. When the job started to run over budget, I was told that if he gave accurate quotes, he?d never get a job. He accused me repeatedly of changing my mind. For example, I asked for brushed nickel fixtures (to match the ones I was keeping for the sinks). When installing the tub, he had the plumber use a chrome fixture. When I asked him to change to what I had asked for, he said I hadn?t asked for brushed nickel. So sure, he could change it, but it wasn?t part of the estimate. I was forced to change my mind several times regarding the vanity, as Andy didn't plan for the space the plumbing took, and, lo and behold, there was no budget in the estimate for a vanity, so I had to keep trying to find a solution to work around crappy plumbing. Essentially, every problem was not Andy?s/Accel?s fault, and so could only be resolved by costing me more money. It was a method that worked for him, since his estimate was slippery and I foolishly trusted him. Shame on me. A few more examples. The pocket door he installed is crooked, doesn?t retract into the wall completely or evenly, and the gaps between door & molding are huge (well beyond spec, which I researched). It was the pocket door company?s fault, and if I wanted to pay more to get a new door & the labor to uninstall & install the new one, I could, otherwise I had to accept it. He failed to order sufficient tile. When he ran out, he blamed Home Depot for taking a long time to get tile in. We?re not talking a tile or two ? it was probably 8-10 sq ft. In the meantime, he installed as much as he could, rather than do it all at once, as is appropriate when tiling / grouting. The tiles on the floor are unevenly spaced. Spacers were used, but there was slippage. The space between tiles now varies by up to 1/8?. The corners of the tiles don?t meet at the same heights. That was the fault of the subfloor, and the ?cheap? tiles. The flooring company I hired to come out and advise me showed me how it should have been done to avoid the slippage & tilted tiles, and the actual amount of time it should have been given to cure before walking on it (needless to say, far longer than the amount of time Andy told us to stay off). When the grout was uneven, mottled, and the wrong color, Andy said the tiles or grout he?d been sold was faulty & he couldn?t be held responsible for that. One spot he dug up a couple times, and when it didn?t ?fix?, he shrugged & said he had tried his best to resolve the issue on his own dime. Again, the professional flooring company was able to tell and show me what had gone wrong in the installation. The colored grout wasn't mixed correctly, and too much water was used to rinse. Instead of charcoal gray, I got a light pewter color with darker blotches. He took out the drywall all the way up to the popcorn ceiling, which meant that now I have crown molding. A little hard to explain, but basically if he?d left 6-8? of drywall at the top, the seam could have been mudded, and I wouldn?t have crown molding. I didn?t want crown molding, it isn?t anywhere else in the house, he didn?t ask prior to installing it. Sanding after mudding was incomplete/insufficient. There are chunks in the corners, etc. Two small baseboard radiators are next to each other. Two different covers were put on. I was accused of changing my mind about what I wanted, and charged more. Who knew I needed to specify that radiator covers should match?! After installation, Andy said he ?convinced? the plumber to lay concrete/cement under the tub even though it was against spec, because he felt it would add stability. Maybe so, but again, who knew I would have to tell him I'd prefer he not go against the plumber?s & the manufacturer?s recommendations. Caulking around the tub was sloppy, dripped (& not wiped up), and still left gaps. Something was spilled in the tub that caused the finish to come off in a couple spots. My light fixture, window latches & hinges and toilets were hit with primer. When I asked that this be addressed, I was told it just takes soap & water, but if I wanted to pay him to do it, he would clean it. I can?t advise against hiring Andy / Accel strongly enough. If you still do, get a very explicit estimate that details exactly what is included. Put in writing every detail, and be prepared when he misplaces outlets, botches installations, makes decisions without confirmation, etc. If I can figure out how to include pictures, I will do so.