Gorilla Construction
About us
Gorilla Construction offers full service general contract work. We handle everything from small to large jobs in the areas listed on this profile. Please call or email with any questions regarding any of our services or any problems or questions with your current jobs.
Business highlights
Services we offer
Additions, baths, cement work, decks, fireplaces, foundation work., general home remodeling, kitchens, roofing, windows
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 76% | ||
| 12% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 12% |
We then looked at this house he inspected it we bought it and repaired and modernize the house it's a gorgeous house now we then looked at this house he inspected it we bought it and repaired and modernize the house it's a gorgeous house now All the wood floors are resurfaced new plastering done extremely modern kitchen and bathrooms work generally a very good job.
Our experience was the total opposite of the other reviewers on this site. We waited to write this review until after our lawsuit was settled. We hired Gorilla Construction through an architectural firm utilizing a standard AIA contract. The project commenced June 16, 2011 and was to reach substantial completion no later than September 4, 2011. Unfortunately, that did not occur. Gorilla Construction never did fulfill the terms of the contract to completion. After more than 6 months past the contracted date of completion, Mr. Zawilla requested his final draw. It was not approved by the architect as the project was not deemed substantially complete in accordance with the contract's provisions with regard to final payment. The architect drafted and reviewed with Mr. Zawilla a 38 item punchlist of incompletions/corrections. Many mistakes were made, blueprint plans were not followed, roofing panels were not installed according to mfg. specs., interior wall switches could not be installed as specked, steel columns were not centered within expansion joints, lighting did not work, a handrail was not installed, etc. These mistakes, along with many others, are significant and were not or could not be corrected. Mr. Zawilla provided no discount for this project mismanagement and demanded full payment or he would not finish the remaining work. At this point we had paid 5 of the 6 contracted draws on time and in good faith. With legal counsel, we were advised to not make any further payments until Gorilla Construction completed the project and provided discount compensation for the unsatisfactory work. At this point Mr. Zawilla chose to walk off the project. Stepping outside of the contract, to which he was already in gross violation of, he threatened to lien our property if we didn't comply to his demand for final payment.. Our attorney drafted a letter outlining the contract's provisions and advised him to return and finish/correct the necessary items listed on the punchlist. He chose not to. Mr. Zawilla then proceeded to file a suit against us in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Civil Division for non-payment. Not ones to be bullied and knowing that we were more than compliant with the contract's provisions, we chose to defend ourselves. This turned out to be a very long, arduous, and extremely expensive process. Due to Mr. Zawilla's incomprehensible claim, we had to shift from a contract attorney to a litigation attorney. Fortunately, Judge McCarthy ruled in our favor on both Mr. Zawilla's claim against us and in our counterclaim to receive monetary compensation for the poor workmanship and breach of contract by Gorilla Construction. (Details of Judge McCarthy's ruling against Gorilla Construction can be found in the Allegheny County Court Records docket # AR12-002780 recorded 12/13/2013.) Mr. Zawilla was court ordered to make financial restitution to us. As of July 8, 2015, more than 18 months after Judge McCarthy's ruling, Mr. Zawilla has not complied. The post mortem process of having hired Gorilla Construction has been never ending. We have had to hire other contractors to complete and correct his work to the tune of almost $14,000. (This does not include all the legal fees we incurred defending ourselves against his contract breeches and poor project management.) Unfortunately, the saga continues and our costs continue to mount as we are now in the process of replacing the entire roof because Gorilla Construction did not follow the mfg.'s installation specifications, thus causing numerous leaks and damage to the wooden beams. A representative of Suntuf roofing panels inspected them and deemed the cause of the leaks to improper installation and not the product itself thus leaving us without a manufacturer's warranty either.
Regretfully, and most notably, you must understand that we are not alone. A search of the Allegheny County court records will reveal to you other claims against Gorilla Construction. Some of them for significantly larger and more expensive projects than ours to which the claims and counterclaims are almost identical.
We will be dealing with the fallout of our contract with Gorilla Construction for many years. It's been an unnecessary financial hardship coupled with an unbelievable amount of mental and emotional strain. A most notable aspect of this situation and one most telling of character is that, regardless of the difference of opinion, Mr. Zawilla has been found in a court of law to be in breach of contract and ordered to make restitution to us. He has not. He has even tried to negotiate his court order, through his attorney, to make a partial payment and ask that we accept that as payment in full. We declined. For us to accept a lower amount than what the court deemed rightfully ours and for Mr. Zawilla to have the audacity to, once again, not comply with the ruling of the court speaks volumes of his business practices.
As you can see by the dates, we have waited quite some time to write this review all the while waiting for Mr. Zawilla to right the wrongs and then make restitution. We have given him more than ample time.
"(Removed member name) owed Gorilla a final payment of $12,000 of a $70,000 project. The final punch list was substantially completed to finalize the job when they refused to return phone calls or respond to request for payment. Gorilla had no choice but to enter into a lawsuit for the $12k that was owed for work already performed on their residence. In response, (Removed member name) counter-sued Gorilla for $120 thousand dollars, an indication of what people tend to do when they are looking to receive work on their homes for nothing and hope to receive a windfall on an unsubstantiated lawsuit. It is true that Gorilla Construction lost the lawsuit, but only for a judgement of $3,200 of the $120,000 that (Removed member name) was claiming damages for. Gorilla made numerous attempts through the parties' lawyers to settle but to no avail."
This is the second time George has done work for us. Chuck and Joe (his carpenters) are amazing. Chuck new exactly what I wanted and did an AMAZING job matching my 100yr moldings. They worked quick and cleaned up everyday. I made changes to the job on a daily bases and they had no problems with accommodating my wishes.
We relocated the stove and added a dishwasher. Chuck had to frame that in and add a new counter top.Everything looks and works great.
Ok ok everyone wants to know the dirt. REALLY there isn't any. As with ALL jobs you need to stay in communication with the crew. George does not always do the work himself he has a wonderful crew of guys. Some of them are young and learning so there are expected bumps but whenever I needed something changed or fixed George made sure it was redone and done correctly.
The claims adjuster went through the crawlspace where they insulated my home. He took a lot of pictures and when he came out he said there was a hole in there about 2 feet wide. They should have been 3 planks there, instead, they just laid a board across the hole, put some tar paper down and covered it over with shingles. They were supposed to do my chimney flashing also, which was left undone.
Now I have water damage and mold in my 2nd floor unit, and if anyone had walked on the board they put in to cover up the hole in the roof, they could have fallen through into my 3rd floor unit.
"(Removed member name) claims are unsubstantiated and it was proven so in a City of Pittsburgh civil court hearing. Gorilla Construction was found to be not guilty of any wrong doing whatsoever. This negative remark should not be allowed after review. Thank you very much."
Licensing
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