SM Jones and Son

When hired, this contractor claimed that he would finish renovating a bathroom, powder room, and another bathroom in a rental property in 4-5 days. After 2 weeks, the job was still far from complete. After pointing out the the sub-par work he has been doing, he got upset and quit at the time when I was thinking about firing him and terminating the project. To illustrate my point, here are some of the handiwork he created:
(1) The whole paint job was a mess: unevenness everywhere, crooked lines along the edges where the walls and the ceiling meet. Incompetent painter.
(2) Improper installation of the shower drain in the master bedroom causing water leaked to the dining room's ceiling. This resulted in a huge water stain measuring 3 feet long. When he nailed a sheetrock to cover the hole, he used tapes which caused numerous air bubbles. Incompetence.
(3) Did not caulk the the sliding door track of the shower, resulting in water leak through the gaps of the track to the bathroom floor. When asked to fix, he decided not to and responded with an angry email saying that we were asking too much. The shower was not fully operationally if water leaked through the shower doors. He never returned to fix the error he made.
(4) HUGE gaps between baseboard molding and the walls. Poor finish.
(5) Incorrect installation of the vanity which created a huge gap between the cabinets and the wall which he attempted by applying caulking in a sloppy manner. The cabinet doors could not open all the way because he decided to install the vanity right by the door frame without measuring, hence the drawers could only be opened half-way. Unacceptable installation.
(6) Cabinet doors were improperly hinged, hence, doors could not close entirely. Unacceptable installation.
(7) Toilet seat was still wobbly after re-installation.
(8) Vinyl tiles were unevenly arranged, leaving gaps in between.
Work Ethics:
The contractor did not show up at the time he promised he would. When he showed up, he would work a maximum of 3 hours, and then tell us he was going over to the rental property to work on the other bathroom when in fact, drove home immediately without informing us, and vanished from sight the rest of the day. He consistently lied about his progress with the other bathroom and kept saying he would fix this and that when we pointed out the errors made. He never ended up fixing any of the things he said he would and gave up on returning to work two weeks later.
Even though the contractor claimed to be a licensed contractor and was recommended to us through a friend's friend, he didn't behave in a professional or responsible manner. We would definitely NOT recommend him for anybody.
We ended up having to hire a new contractor, doubling our total expenses. A huge lesson and financial loss for us.

Diverse project requirements demonstrated the range of Sam's professional ability and expertise. Very reliable!

I originally contacted Steve from a referral by a friend for whom he has worked. I had moved to the NJ house and it still needed some finishings. He originally assembled and installed two bookcases and we went from there to painting, installing moldings and fixtures. Then after the storm, he repaired damage and when my New York property was damaged by a roof leak, he made the necessary repairs there. He will complete his work in NJ by installing a patio.