Empire State Designs

What should have been a straightforward bathroom renovation turned into a frustrating experience and ultimately a project abandonment by Eric. Eric promised a good experience. He claimed that he only did one job at a time which allowed him to work quickly. He claimed that he and his assistant did all the work themselves as subcontractors were unreliable. He quoted a reasonable price and a duration of 2-3 weeks. He had some good recommendations from earlier jobs in the neighborhood. He has certainly gone downhill from when he earned those recommendations. The project started on 2/15, is still not finished (6/18 as of this review). There was minimal attention to detail. There seemed to be a number of issues that had to be brought to his attention. On top of this, there was no consistency for when Eric would show up to work. Despite a promise to appear he frequently did not show up - usually without notice. I had to text and ask where he was before being told he was working on another project (Didn't he say one project at a time??) Some of the issues encountered: - The sheetrock subcontractor(no subs?) did not do a good job of spackling and Eric and his assistant, Tommy, had to fix a number of spots. - Both of the vanity sinks leaked after the faucets were installed. One quite extensively overnight - luckily we had placed drip trays under the sinks. - The toilet was not properly bolted to the floor mount and moved and rocked. - Some switches and outlets did not work and it was necessary to pull the outlets out and correct some wiring. - The 'custom' cabinets were improperly measured and had to be modified. The 'custom' drawers that were dropped off (but not installed) did not fit their spaces. They were too wide and too high. Sides and tops of the drawers had to be cut in order to fit into the location. If pictures can be attached to this review, I will include one of all the cabinet cuttings done to make them fit. - One cabinet was installed upside down. This occurred after I told them they were missing the base for the same cabinet which moved the vanity to the wrong spot by a foot. Unfortunately, the upside down cabinet was not noticed until it was not possible to correct the error. In the middle of this, Eric abruptly abandoned the project. For a few weeks he made excuses on why he did not show. He then dropped off the wrong-sized drawers and shelves and told me that as soon as we painted them he would come to install. He asked that we give him a day or two notice and he would drop whatever he was doing and come over to finish our bathroom. After treating the wood, I told him on a Thursday that we were ready for him to come on Monday. His response (quoted from his text) 'I have to start a new job on Monday'. That was his last communication. He did not respond to subsequent texts or phone calls. I have since read in another review that he has done this before. This has become a nightmare. We have a partially completed bathroom and have to arrange for someone else to complete the work. We are left with vanities and cabinets that have no drawers or shelves. I feel he has taken money under false pretenses. If you do hire him, do not pay anything until every aspect has been completed (and corrected) for that phase (electrical, plumb, cabinets). I could never recommend Eric Nunez for any project. He has proven that at this point in his life he is not dependable. I feel that he cannot be trusted. His work is slipshod and not professional. I did check afterwards and Eric and Empire State Designs are not listed as licensed contractors in NC. I should have taken that step before hiring him.

I would definitely have to say that this job went well. With all the confusion that I had going on at the time, they did manage to get it all done correctly and in a timely manner. They were a little late showing up, but, that is to be expected. I believe that the man was very nice; he answered questions and was fully into what I thought about everything.

ERIC DID A GREAT JOB IN HELPING US SCOPE OUT THE PROJECT FROM LAYOUT TO APPLIANCE AND COUNTERTOP SELECTION. HE WAS RELIABLE, HELPFUL, PROMPT AND DID QUALITY WORK. WE WOULD NOT HESITATE TO RECOMMEND HIM TO OTHERS. HE HAS ALSO DONE SEVERAL SMALLER PROJECTS FOR US AROUND THE HOUSE.

ORIGINALLY, OTHER WORK WAS PERFORMED IN A TIMELY MANNER AND DONE VERY WELL, UNTIL IT CAME TIME FOR THE INSTALLATION OF THE BATHTUB AND DELIVERY OF THE BOOK CASES. MULTIPLE CALLS RECEIVED NO REPLY, AND THEN HE CHANGED HIS PHONE NUMBER SO WE COULDN'T CALL HIM AT ALL.