Jesse Keys Residential Construction

We hired Jesse Keys on October 8, 2009 by paying a $3,000 down payment. We agreed that work would begin the following Monday and would be completed in approximately 4 weeks. After failing to show up several times as promised he began work on November 11, 2009 (after I threatened to void our contract) he spent three days removing the existing porch structure and placing temporary support columns under the roof structure above.

 He was then provided with a second draw of $3,000 to begin the foundation work and framing of the replacement structure. The day before Thanksgiving he wrapped the entire front of our home in plastic wrap allowing him to work inside with propane heaters. No work was completed for a 4 week period around the holidays and he would not answer his phone or respond to e-mail or phone messages. We sent a registered letter to his home saying that he needed to contact us and that job must be completed by the first of February. A few days later he showed up and began minimal work and stated that he was upset that we'd sent him a registered letter and gave us a long story about how he would have to miss his vacation in order to finish our porch.

One day he showed up with his helper and asked for $1,000 on the spot which I refused. A few days later he admitted he had no money to buy the final supplies. We ended up buying the materials ourselves and paid him for his labor upon completion (6 months after he started). The finished work looks great and so was the price. However, we lost a lot of sleep wondering if this guy had skipped town with the deposit. Turns out he does not even have a valid builder's license. He refused to show up when promised and was not at all responsive. It's a shame this guy can't figure out how to run a business since the quality of the work and the price are excellent.