Get matched with top plumbing handymen in Columbus, PA

"I found him through Angis and called twice to verify that he had good ratings. I should have be leery from the start when he could not look me in the eye and gave me an undated piece of notebook paper when I gave him 500$ to start the job. About a week later they framed in the porch and steps. Then he texted me Easter morning that he would pour the cement that week but needed the 500$ to pay for the cement. And he wanted me to leave a check in my mailbox. (I will send screen shots of texts. (I only spoke with him once on the phone when I asked him to come here so I could meet him and give him the deposit. The rest were all texts except the 3-4 times we spoke at the house. I reminded him of our agreement - 1/3 of payment to start, 1/3 of payment at halfway point and the rest at completion. Then i heard from him again the Tuesday after Easter saying they would pour the cement Wednesday or Thursday but needed the $ for the cement. I again said no money until more work was done as per agreement. Then he texted at 7:21 am at work again saying he needed money to pour cement. I immediately called him & it went straight to voicemail and I left him a message saying no more money until he did more work . (At this point, they had only framed in the area with 2x4 lumber and some mounting screws. I also told him to call me back because I was at work and I didn’t have time to go and forth back-and-forth via text all day. Then he proceeded to text me more about how much the cement cost and how he needed the money to buy the cement and that he had spent the deposit money of $500 on bills. The initial 500$ payment on notebook paper said it was for supplies. I indicated that it was not my concern how much the cement costs nor was it my concern what he did with the deposit or anything else & that we had an agreement in writing. I also said it didn’t make a sense. How if I gave him a check in the morning how he was gonna turn that into buying cement since it would take two days for the check to clear. He also had changed his mind from mixing the cement themselves with metal so it held up longer to having it delivered. He also was allegedly making the handrails at their shop during this period as well. He said they would be solid and better and cheaper than that “ Chinese crap” that would have cost me 2k. He also give me a long list of accomplishments & credentials etc and how they were an all American business and I was gonna get my moneys worth.. So they finally did pour the cement and I then gave him 500$ more. He said it had to set a few days then they would be back to put up the railings. During this period they had left a wheelbarrow with a flat tire and 1/2 full of cement that we could t even move. We also threw out the carpet that had been sitting in front yard since the first day of work and now covered with some cement . We disposed of that ourselves. I was tired of waiting and did not know why they left it. So almost a week after they poured the cement, they were back putting up tailing when I arrived home from work. The railings that were up looked older and rusty and certainly not recently handmade?! Then they welded them together and spray-painted them getting spray paint on the cement on our front door, etc . I don’t know why they wouldn’t have been painted at the shop before they were put up. I was gonna address some of these concerns with them cause I saw they were starting to clean up went up to use the restroom and I was gonna take my son to work and I came down and they were gone. And part of the base of railing base was absent. Mind you they have been out here several times to take all the measurements for this stuff in our professionals all allegedly. And then texted saying they would be out to finish railings. They needed another piece. So then they came out, finished it and disappeared again. Then they returned for the final payment and I expressed many of these concerns to him. He said the that’s the railings naturally just turn rusty color. And didn’t have much to say about the other concerns that I wrote here and that I told to him. So who is like so you don’t wanna pay for all of this and I was like no not the full price. So yes what I would give them and I said how about 400 and he seemed to jump at that. Then I asked him for an invoice please what you gave me which wasn’t very detailed or anything but just verified I gave him $400. I didn’t even thank him. I just said Sia as he and his partner was sitting in their truck out front. Well, the main reason is higher than was because they were on Angis and because I was told by two different people from Angis that they got great reviews. I find it hard to believe based on my entire experience how we got more than two stars on any other job. I’m not satisfied with how the job was completed how it looks now and I’m not very optimistic about how long the railings are gonna last or what they’re gonna look like in a few months or next summer. I’m not sure what could be done in regards to railings unless he came back and put up new good railings but then I’d have to take it out of cement and everything else… I also feel that I overpaid for the project although I know the cement was a high part of the cost cost of the project. I also thought it was strong arm tactics, which I told him and unprofessional how he was blowing up my phone asking for a $500 before we could or would pour the cement. I think it would be fair to ask for $400 back and some kind of assurance that these railings were gonna last based on what I saw ( I sent you pictures- I did not get a picture of the railings before they painted them). I also would like to prevent any other customers from going through an ordeal like this. I don’t know how legitimate or good this business really is. It did get done, but like I said, I’m not too pleased, but the outcome or their entire process. I’ve dealt with many contractors and never had one like this before."

"Successfully completed the job! Basement is dry. A warning about the amount of mess and leftover dust would have been nice, but overall, a job well done."

"Great! Professional! They were on time and a hard working group. I will be hiring them again."

"Great job. Friendly and completed in z timely manner"

"We did the demo on our old two-tiered decking. Betterliving built a new upper deck from composite with aluminum railing. The lower deck was replaced with as 12X15 sunroom. The process from start to finish was a pleasure. All employees were friendly, knowledgeable, skilled, and prompt. Price was better than anticipated, so we went with a 4-season sunroom instead of a 3-season. The worksite was safe, clean and orderly, and the quality of the build was excellent. They worked through some miserable cold weather too. Deck – Betterliving’s construction quality was a major improvement to what we previously had. Their suggestion to use two colors on the railing worked out great too - spindles are a different color that the rest of the railing. Sunroom - also very solid construction. It is insulated well, and also helps even out the temps in the family room it is attached to. The gable style not only looks nice, but makes the sun room look bigger. They built a small landing off of the sunroom entryway too. It is important to note that they installed the flooring and contracted the electrical. Flooring and electrical work were included as part of our quote with them. Not all of our quotes from other businesses included flooring and electrical work, and would have been an additional cost. Having everything included in the quote also meant we had one project, not several projects. Deck/sunroom/landing materials – decking and landing materials were the same composite materials. The sunroom skirting was also the same composite. This ties everything together visually, and improves the overall look. Electrical work – Knorr Electric completed all the electrical in the sunroom (interior and exterior outlets, exterior floodlight, and hung a ceiling fan). They also replaced all of our outside lighting on the entire house while they were here, and moved a bathroom light inside. They were also friendly, knowledgeable, skilled, and prompt. And quality work from them too. We will definitely contact Betterliving and Knorr again for any additional work we want done. They are highly recommended! Note that Betterliving in the Erie, PA area is connected to DBC Remodeling and Construction (same employees). DBC came highly recommended to us from a friend."