DESIGN INSTALLATIONS

Initially I found Charlton to be on time and responsive. His estimate was on the high end, but I was willing to pay up for what I thought would be good service. As the project evolved, his efficiency flagged, though that is not unusual for contractors. The first red flag was when we received a letter from his insurance agency informing us that his insurance had been revoked for non-payment. Living in a co-op, we were not allowed to have him continue the job without insurance. When we contacted him about this he said he couldn't afford to pay it right now, but if we wanted to pay his insurance bill for him, he would be able to finish the job. Rather than fall prey to what seemed like extortion, we had to hire another contractor to finish the job. Unfortunately we only had 10% left to pay him, though he still had about 35% of the work left to do. In addition to the work he left unfinished, we had to pay the new guy to CORRECT things that Charlton Girard did that were obviously wrong, such as: 1) remove the light switch that he installed in the shower stall (I kid you not) 2) tear down and replace a wall of marble he put up, because the "plumber" he used created a leak that subsequently needed repair 3) level a sink that he installed crookedly 4) break up and replace floor tile inside a shower stall which had not been installed property. 5) installing tile - without the grout Also he took our radiator - without our permission or knowledge. It was the antique iron scroll kind that is probably worth a lot to collectors these days. He claimed he took it to his shop to re-paint it for us. After multiple requests over a couple of months, and finally after we threatened police action, he brought it back. We were not surprised to see that it had not been re-painted, as he had claimed. The clincher was when I returned from vacation only to find my bathroom sink in the bedroom and a pile of broken tiles in a pile. It turned out that the building had to do an emergency repair in my absence after a slow leak (a different one than the aforementioned leak) had accumulated in the wall, and the wall and sink had to be ripped out. The source of the leak? He had put a nail right through a pipe. Of course, I couldn't have him come back to repair any of his errors. Why? Lack of insurance. Well, that, and the fact that he seemed to have left town for awhile.

Charlton was quick to return the message I left on his answering machine and we set up an appointment for an estimate for the following week. Unfortunately, he forgot the appointment! When I called, he apologized and came over immediately. He righted the wrong in a professional manner, but I was concerned that he forgot in the first place! His evaluation of the bathroom was not as comprehensive as those of other people, but his assessment of the job was the same. His price was a bit lower than others but in the end, I chose someone else.

The floor is beautiful. Several other companies that I called said I had to have the floor dug up, that another layer of tiles on top was not possible. Charlton said it was possible and he and his crew did a careful, professional job. He is a craftsman with very high standards and honest in his dealings. I am very, very pleased.