Home Improvements Unlimited

unknown

Contractor totally gutted my old kitchen including soffits and installed a whole new custom kitchen. It was a dusty mess but they made sure the rest of our house was closed off so the dust wouldn't go throughout the house! We just love the new crown modeling that was installed around our cabinets and in the dining room area. They worked very quickly and finished it in the time frame stated.

The carpenter gave me a time frame to have cabinets delivered. I had cabinets delivered as instructed and had them put in dining room due to inclement weather and need to put our vehicles in the garage. He wasn't ready for them, as he was delayed due to two funerals and a gun shoot he attended. He complained (twice), "We were cramping his style." as the kitchen area was now tight to work in due to the cabinets in the dining room. My husband approached him explaining I would like to paint the ceiling and walls prior to cabinets being installed. He complained (three times) saying, "What am I suppose to do while she's painting?" He approached me the following day as the the same question to which I answered, "There are three doors to be installed. You wouldn't paint over new cabinets if it was your home and I can have it done in one day." He continued to badger me about 'what was he suppose to do', until he had me in tears. Because he worked as a general manager, he hired the electrician. I spoke with the electrician and we agreed how many lights I wanted in my kitchen and where. When installing the cabinets, they had to be moved as the electrician miss-read the floor plan when installing two of the lights. Additionally, there was one more light than I asked for. The carpenter told me, "I went over your head and had one more installed." I wanted to choose every aspect of my kitchen remodel and wanted to pick out my outlets and switches. The carpenter seemed exasperated by me and said, "Just let the electrician get them." When I explained they would be black, he said, "Oh the will be blaaack." All cabinets were in boxes except the lazy susan, which had to be unboxed to get it through the exterior door. He used my new corner lazy susan as his work bench, putting his tools inside, until my husband asked that it be protected from drywall dust. One of my cabinets, which is lighted, has a factory flaw. I was not made aware of the flaw until it was installed, making it impossible to return and have remade. This cabinet also had scratches which he doesn't seem to know where they came from. It required me have stain matched to the cabinet to help mask them. He told me, " Just to put something in front of them." He measured for the tile flooring which I custom ordered. When ready to installed, I had purchased a product to add to the grout to help keep it clean. He didn't add it. He also told me he was going to be short on tile (which he measured for), however, when finished he was two full boxes long. Because it was a custom order, I'm unable to return it. He purchased an entire batt of R30 insulation to add in the attic, using about 8 feet of it. The remainder, which I don't need, I paid for. I have known and hired this carpenter for over 20 years. I don't know why this project caused problems in our relationship. I can only venture a guess that he didn't like me asking questions regarding the construction as in the past, we simple hired him to do a job and let him work. He's good, but don't think for a minute you won't have issues if you question him, want answers, or want to pick out products for yourself. He will show up on time and many days early, which can be an issue if you don't expect your carpenter to walk through your door a half hour early in the morning.