HUGHES GENERAL CONTRACTING

My experience had project delays and poor quality and was over budget. The addition to our house took twice as long as it was supposed to. What's even worse is the criminal over charging and the horrible quality of workmanship. One of my biggest regrets in life is paying that final invoice because at the time I was so fed up with Hughes and just wanted to be done with him and his crew. There are two things in particular that need to be shared. One week, Jay went to the beach and had his crew pour the cement for our new car port. The cement didn't show up until midweek but there were 7 workers lazing about for the entire week. He billed me for $2,000 in labor for a simple concrete pad, stating that they worked on it for days when it was really only 1 day (and it did not require 7 workers, either). Thankfully, I work from home and was able to witness firsthand the lack of actual work. And when I contested this with Jay, he didn't deny it and then adjusted the invoice. This is just one example. But the worst offense by far was when the new bamboo flooring was installed. He completely scammed me on it and left me with a horrible floor that had massive gaps on the day they left. I'm talking about many gaps that you can put a credit card through, and some that were even nearing 1/4". He then charged me $8,000 for the flooring even though the material was $2.50/ft and the new room was less than 500 square feet. I should never have paid him for this and I frankly should have taken him to court over it. I tried for years to get him to make it right and he always deflected those attempts. Every time I clean that floor I am haunted by this. Avoid Jay Hughes at all costs.

We hired Hughes Contracting (HC) for a kitchen/screened porch renovation project based on recommendations from our neighbors and our kitchen designer at The Kitchen Specialist (Durham NC). But for us, working with HC was a horrible experience and we had to terminate the project before it was complete. Here’s why: Scheduling The whole project seemed disorganized and unplanned. After the first day of the project, when our old kitchen was demolished, nothing happened according to a logical plan. Cabinets were installed before sheetrock and floors were finished. Days and weeks would pass with no activity. We asked for an explanation of the delays but HC’s response was unsatisfactory. We asked HC for a schedule but it was out-of-date by the time we received it and it was never followed or updated. Our target deadline was missed. Project Oversight We asked for daily communication on project activities but we rarely received it, and when we did, it was often at the last minute. Subcontractors would show up unannounced or would not show up when expected. HC did not show up to receive two major shipments of appliances and building supplies, forcing us to step in to receive the shipments and causing us to miss personal appointments. We requested additional electrical work (multiple times) but it never happened. We asked for a specific brand of mini-split to be installed but HC changed it to another brand without telling us. We asked for but never received warranty information on the mini-split. We asked for but never received the names and contact information for all the subcontractors working on our project. Quality Quality seemed like an afterthought: issues were to be dealt with at the end of the project rather than performing quality workmanship throughout. We’ve had problems with hardwood floors, sheetrock & paint, and electrical wiring (failed inspections) that will require additional costs to resolve. The job site was always sloppy and disorganized. Our brand new cabinets and countertops were treated like a workbench, always covered in dust, paint cans, and tools. Estimates & Billing HC’s estimates for certain allowance items were as much as 100% off target, forcing us to incur costs that we had not budgeted. By billing a percentage of each contract line item with each invoice, we would often get charged for work that had not yet been performed. Subcontractors warned us that HC was slow to pay their bills; in fact, it took HC three months to pay the HVAC subcontractor even though we paid HC’s invoices on time. We requested but never received an explanation for miscellaneous expenses. Additional charges were not communicated to us before they appeared on invoices. Summary When we reflect on this project - how it was managed, the cost, the result, and how it could have turned out differently if only our concerns had been addressed adequately - we are moved to tears. We paid all HC’s invoices within two weeks of receipt, yet we never received the same responsiveness from HC in return and our money was mismanaged. Our project seemed unimportant, as though HC was more interested in getting paid than in providing good customer service. What’s unfortunate is that HC will go on to do other projects, but we will be stuck with this disaster forever.

Overall, we are extremely happy with Jay's management of the project. He handled all affairs, from initial permitting to final walk through, and pays very close attention to detail. The remodel included leveling a sloped floor, adding plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and of course completely renovating an old garage into an beautiful theater. Jay worked with plans that we provided. He is very detail-oriented and noticed a few issues and resolved them with the designer before he bid on the project. Also, he has been very responsive to all our concerns and has kept a close eye on his subs. We had only a few minor complaints with his subs and he resolved them right away. Jay was more than willing to work with a home theater vendor that I picked, rather than insisting on his own vendor. When they proved to be difficult with some scheduling and installation issues, he worked through it instead of throwing it in my lap. Of course, all was not perfect. Due to several obstacles, the project completion was delayed by several months. Hughes does ambitious scheduling and when one thing falls out of line, then others start to back up. A lot of the delay was out of his hands, including some weather issues, county permits, and choosing certain types of difficult to find fixtures were not his fault. Overall, I have found Jay Hughes to be an honorable general contractor who's word I can trust. I would use him again in a moment, and would recommend him to anyone, with the caveat(as is probably true with all remodels)to add a few weeks to the estimate completion date. I am checking-"Higher than estimate" below because we ran over budget on several items. I take responsibility for the overages partly due to the high price of some fixtures we picked. I would recommend going over individual allowances very carefully with a designer or architect rather than assuming standard allowances will suffice, especially when working in a mid-high price range.