Redesign & Renovation by Branham

The start of the project went well.  The end has not been completed.  Do not use this contractor!!!!

We were overall very pleased with the experience. We didn't go very far over budget ($400) and the work progressed smoothly. The crew was very professional and friendly, and Tim kept regular contact with us, when he wasn't directly involved with the process. They did almost the entire job from start to finish with almost no additional sub-contractors. I believe electrical was the only service that required sub-contracting, but that didn't cost us any additional money - it was built into the original price. Originally, we were hoping to have it done by the time the kids started school (Sept.), but Tim couldn't start until mid- to late- July, so it wasn't finished until about the first of October. It was still within the approx. 2 months that Tim told us on our first meeting, however.

A disaster! At the beginning, Tim Branham was engaging and flexible. His price was not the highest or lowest bid. The big reason we chose him was he said he would throw in unlimited design assistance from him and his wife. Never did he involve his wife and most design was pushed back to us. I believe several issues could have been avoided had Tim been at the site each day to supervise. He had committed that he or his son would be there each day, which did not always occur. Many times, my husband and I felt like we were the GM on the job. I would communicate to Tim but the communication to his team did not always occur and they would then ask us. In addition, one day, the dry wall truck drove onto our driveway, creating damage to the concrete, sprinkler head and lawn. Tim did not proactively come to us, we had to call him. Tim did repair all but we had to demand and document the situation. Another approach he committed to was that any overage would be discussed, estimated and agreed to in advance so that there were no surprises. He did not stick to this and surprised us a few times. After 97% of job was paid, he and his team walked off the job on 7/12/10. He has never communicated with us again to apologize for the unprofessional behavior or conclude the work. He did not even respond to my email I sent him that day regarding the situation. Needless to say, this issue has cost us much time, stress and costs. We had to update the county permits to remove his name and hire a new contractor to finish the original job and fix many items of which we had already paid Tim to do. To finish and fix was going to cost $5000+. We had to settle for fixing the absolute critical items and living with some poor quality finish work. For instance in the category of fixing, the electrical outlets were not up to local code and the breakers did not meet the 2008/2009 National Standard Code and therefore would not pass inspection, and thus we obviously got that all fixed. In net, he over sold and under delivered and we were completely dissatisfied with this vendor and would never recommend Tim Branham or his company. UPDATED based on Customer Response [Mr. Branham] I had to stop work four different times because lack of payment per contract agreement. FACT: We did hold back payment when his subcontractor while delivering drywall cracked our driveway pad and left ruts in our lawns. We felt that the only remediation was to withhold payment until repairs were made. We also withheld payment when presented invoices for work that we never agreed to in advance. He was paid 97% of the contract?s value. [Mr. Branham] The Inspectors were refused entrance to job site and the company that measured for counter tops were refused entrance because they were 25 minutes early. FACT: I contacted Peggy with Clermont County Permit Central on 10/28/2010 at 4:00pm and she confirmed that there were no ?No-Failed? inspections. This type of inspection status should have indicated any denial of access. I personally picked up and delivered the cabinets. I was present when the vendor delivered the cabinet tops. Based on company policy, he was unable to deliver them to the construction site (based on the installers not being present), but had to place them in our garage. Note: The walls were not plumb and therefore the counter tops did not fit without a lot of adjustment. The under counter refrigerator opening was not adequate even though they had the dimensions for the refrigerator because it was in our garage. [Mr. Branham] I have had to field several inquiries about the reliability of these Clients. FACT: We purchased and paid for the plumbing supplies (toilet, sink and fixtures), the cabinets, the counter top and flooring. He was responsible for all the other subcontractors. [Mr. Branham] All my inspections were passed according to state and local codes. FACT: We required that 'Redesign & Renovation by Branham' obtain all the required permits needed for a basement remodeling. His original submission to the Clermont County Permit Central on 3/10/2010 did not identify that he was moving an I-beam support. After confronting him, he submitted an updated permit on 5/10/2010 showing the I-beam movement. I called the Clermont County Permit Central inspector and inquired if the support movement was inspected. He said that if it was not on the original permit then it would not have been inspected during the original inspection. Since the support had been moved and the hole cemented over, no inspection was possible. He informed me that I should retain copies of the updated inspection with the structural engineer?s stamp for future problems. Based on 2008 National Standard Code, the circuit breakers that were installed would not have met code. They are not arc fault circuit breakers. His circuit breakers cost $6.74 each. The correct ones cost us $39.97 each and there were 6 of them. Based on current county code, the receptacles would not have met code. They are not tamper resistant. Mr. Branham?s work would never have passed our final inspection which based on the contract was required before final payment. We have bowed walls and humps in our ceilings. We had doors that were out of plumb. We had improperly wired fixtures. We had work that would not have met national or local code. One item that we had requested was a doorbell. It was improperly wired and could only have been corrected by major drywall reconstruction. [Mr. Branham] After member refused to give me a time that I could receive the due payment, I then removed my equipment and employees. Her last email to me was that they wanted to way their options, FACT: On 4/29/2010, we amended our contract with Mr. Branham, (which he signed), that NOTHING that was not included in the original bid could be billed without our prior consent. He tried to force us to pay him for services that were not agree upon in advance and without going through the remediation outlined in that amendment. Mr. Branham?s contract is based on the start of a new phase of construction. It is not the completion of the previous phase or phases, but it is his determination that the next phase should start. We were not in agreement on his progress on multiple occasions. We communicated that to him via email and phone.

The project took a little longer than Tim originally estimated (8 weeks versus 4-6 weeks) however the results were worth the extra time. We met with Tim to discuss the project in February and set a start date of April 12th. Tims crew arrived on time an commenced working the removal of the existing materials. The renovation was completed by mid June. Tim had many great ideas of his own to add to the theme as the work progressed such as the faux finish painting, recessed shelving behind the bar and distressed wooden beams. They were professional and respectful at all times. Bobby did an excellent job: floor prep, tiling, cutting and distressing wooden beams, drywall and lighting. We expanded the scope of the job beyond the original estimate and Tim was always supportive of the added scope and was very open and accurate with time and material costs for the extras. Tims crew were very involved at all times and were very attentive to detail and really cared about making us happy and with how the renovation turned out.

He did his usual efficient and excellent job. His workers were on time and easy to work with. They are very friendly and cleaned up everything every day. His price is slightly high but it is worth it. Whenever I have any probelms in my hosue or want to make changes he is the first one I call!

We had lifted the carpet in our home. We had gotten to the front bedroom that has a double hung window. When I took the carpet back, it was obvious that there was rot on the plywood. There was no rot on the drywall or baseboard, but the plywood was all dark. I noticed that the window also had some rot on it. I called Mr. Branham. He came out to our house immediately. He told us that he charged $35/hour, and that he would not give us a complete cost for repairing/replacing the window; he had no idea what the cost would be. He felt that this was an insurance issue, which surprised both me and my husband. We had just had our insurance company out here for storm damage. We had a new roof put on a couple months earlier. We called our insurance company but were delayed by the holiday and the snow. They finally came out. Mr. Branham missed both appointments. The first one, the insurance adjuster called at the last minute to cancel because of the snow; Mr. Branham never showed up. The second appointment, Mr. Branham did not show up to and I had to call him. He showed up 45 minutes late, and the insurance inspector said that this was not an insurance issue; it was a manufacturing or installation issue. This seemed legitimate to me - he explained it to the best of his ability. Just as he was getting ready to leave,e Mr. Branham showed up. I was shocked! He was completely unprofessional. He was trying to get replacement for 13 front windows. After the insurance adjuster told him that this was not an insurance he issue. He slammed our insurance company right in front of me, saying that they were a lousy insurance company and always took advantage of the home owner. After this i told Mr. Branham that our work with him was done. I told him to itemize a bill for the work he had down, he had cut out two holes in the drywall and one in the plywood. My husband made subsequent phone calls to him to get money returned. Mr. Brnaham said there would be no return, they had used the entirety of $1000. We did not sign a contract, and he did not give us an itemization of this work. He uses the cover of his religion for his business. He is nothing short of a thief! I am flabbergasted that this happened!

Keith his carpenter did the work. He was on time every day at 8:00 and would stay until 4. He did not usually take a lunch. Tim constructed the designs and layout. They both did a great job. The only thing I would change would be to make sure that we had a more detailed contract. We were not aware that we had to pay him the balance every other week after we put the $1000 down. He bills material and labor vs. an a project total. We had a ball park figure from him, changed a few things and then went over budget. We were very happy with the work that he did and would use him again though.

Our basement is not that large, and we needed to save some of it for laundry and storage. Our initial plan was to have one straight wall built right through the middle of it, with a door to the utility area. On his first visit to our house, Mr. Branham suggested a slightly different plan that would carve out more space and make for a more interesting room. While we were surprised that he wasn't going to do the work himself (like another contractor that we know), the workers did an excellent job.

He said he was going to come Monday, didn't call, didn't show. I made changes to accommodate them. I call him, I get nothing. My concern is now my home. It is leaking into the insulation in my second floor. I'm pretty sure there is mold. When I had someone here to check out the roof they said that not everything stated in the contract was replaced. I had someone climb up and take pictures and show me what was not done. I just want my house repaired, I paid for the work. I called and asked him which avenue I should take, he told me I was threatening him. I have not heard from him since. I trusted him and this is what I ended up with.

Overall it went well.

During a storm a tree fell on our house and they repaired it. We did our homework before we made a decision on who to have work on the house and they were the best price. So far they've put on a new roof, fixed the support damage, and they redid the walls on the inside of the house. They have done an excellent job. We haven't had any problems with the workers, they're very professional. They're very dependable and they clean up as they go. They have done everything they said they would do. It's hard to see everything you're going to need to do when a tree falls on your house so they're still working with me. We're very pleased with them.

It went so much better than we expected. Tim and Keith had so many great ideas to enhance our Ohio State theme! The carpentry was so professional looking and the display cabinetry looks gorgeous. It is such a fun space now for us to entertain or to just hang out. One of the best OSU themed basements I have ever seen and it's mine!

They came over within a day, on a Saturday and did complete what I needed to have done.

We were very happy with the work they did. They came out and talked to us about what we wanted to have done, and they had some great suggestions. They came out, and it took them about a week, or a week and a half to do the complete lighting job in the basement, and then to paint the ceiling and the walls.

We made the mistake of getting a general quote rather than an itemized estimate, so we paid more than the original estimate. The two main workers, Bob and Keith, are excellent but the other workers are only fair. We had one worker, new on the job, who laid the floor of our shower unsupervised. About a week after completion, it began pouring water through the living room ceiling. They cut holes in our ceiling to replace the flooring. The shower is OK now but the ceiling repair doesn't blend and we don't want them back in our house to do anymore. The job took at least twice as long as we were told and the experience was a nightmare.

Tim's crew was punctual, polite and tidy - very impressive. The work seems to be outstanding - our house looks five times better than before. This was a pretty complicated, massive job involving a lot of detail work. The job came in about twice as expensive as Tim first suggested, even using the time and materials as predictor.

It couldn't have gone better. Working with Tim and Keith on the design process helped me to get the project just the way I wanted it as we went along. All the crew were friendly, prompt, professional and very skilled at just about everything. They were there everyday from 8:00am-4:00pm and if they were delayed for any reason, Tim would let me know. They always cleaned up at the end of the day and put things back in the best order possible for us to function during the remodeling. The finished result is exactly how I wanted it!

We are very happy with our results. Tim has a fantastic group of men working for him - very friendly and trustworthy. They were responsible, timely, and most of all, patient (and nice!) to my kids. We did a simple basement finish of one room plus a half bath, and Tim did a good job of planning the job and figuring out where doors and lighting should be to best utilize the space. The team worked hard to make sure that everything was done correctly, and picked up on imperfections and fixed them before we even had a chance to bring them up. They also did a few extras that we asked for as the job went on, such as switching out a faucet from our first floor bathroom to use in the basement. Tim does not contract his work out - all of the workers are his employees, and they are absolutely terrific. Our basement is wonderful, we've practically lived down there since the completion.

Tim Branham, owner, was very polite and patient, returned calls promptly. Was fair in his pricing and understanding about changes. Keith, Bob, Jason were very professional in their appearance, responds to questions and comments, excellent craftsman. Very detail oriented. Wanted the job done right. They were punctual and were conscientious about the appearance of the work site when they left for the day.

WE WERE VERY PLEASE WITH TIM AND HIS WORKERS. FROM OUR FIRST MEETING, TIM WAS FULL OF CREATIVE IDEAS FOR OUR SPACE - FOR EXAMPLE, OPENING THE WALL ON THE STAIRWAY AND INSTALLING A RAILING, PUTTING AN ARCH IN THE HALLWAY OPENING, USING GLASS BLOCK FOR OUR BAR AND DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR SOUND INSULATION BETWEEN THE EXERCISE ROOM AND BEDROOM. BECAUSE OUR BASEMENT IS A WALKOUT, WE WERE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHOSE WORK WAS ABOVE THAT OF THE STANDARD BASEMENT PEOPLE AND TIM FIT THIS NEED PERFECTLY. ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT WORKING WITH TIM WAS THAT HE IS AN HONEST MAN AND WE FELT WE COULD TRUST HIM TO DO THE WORK AND WERE COMFORTABLE LEAVING THE WORKERS IN THE HOUSE WHEN WE WERE GONE. JUST LIKE ONE OF THE PREVIOUS POSTINGS ON BRANHAM, THE SCOPE OF OUR PROJECT KEPT GROWING BECAUSE WE WERE SO PLEASED WITH THEIR WORK. WE PLAN TO HAVE THEM BACK!

TIM AND CHRIS BRANHAM AND THEIR CREW ARE VERY CUSTOMER ORIENTED. THEY ARE PROMPT, COURTEOUS AND TIDY. THEY REALLY EXCEL AS CARPENTERS AND OUR HOUSE SPARKLES FROM THEIR CREATIVITY. WE KEPT ADDING WORK TO THE PROJECT BECAUSE WE WERE SO PLEASED WITH THEIR RESULTS.