Jim Acito

Jimmy Acito/ DBA Heritage Builder failed to note the overhead power lines. Procrastinated in cutting the tree to allow the right of way for power line for 3 weeks.  He refused to pay the $866 for the movement although it was required for him to construct the addition he was contracted to do. By the completion date on the contract 15 June nothing was complete.  On 25 May, he started in the kitchen and the bathroom and to accomodate his work everything had been moved out of each room and ever since the contents have been scattered around the house.  Bathroom Remodel- The cabinets, counter and new waterheater for the bathroom sat in the living room for 3 weeks before being installed. The countertop was ordered incorrectly and unwillng to replace it with the correct size Mr Acito recessed it into the wall, eliminatingthe ability to have a recessed medicine cabinet.  He had no experience with wells or air pressure tanks and had no one on call to assist him.  The result of his inability to reconnect the power to the tank was the house beign without water for over 48 hours instead of the 1 day planned.. To make it up to me for not having water a second night he offered to let me spend the night at his house instead of offering a hotel room..On 21 August 2012, Mr Acito was fired for breach of contract.  After 96 days nothing was completed. Mr Acito is not a liciensed electrician but does electrical work anyway.  He disconnected my air conditoner in the breaker box, which was discovered by the service technician.  He hotwired the sub-breaker to 220 which blew out all the light bulbs in that area of the house, my air purifier and my ultraviolet water purifier.  He never replaced the $5000 water purifier.  He claimed to "have fixed" the 220 problem.  The result was my washing machine not working.  It took 2 service calls ($160) and 2 days off work to try to get it fixed.  There was nothing wrong with it Mr Acito had cross wired one of the wires with the ground so the washer wasn't getting enough power to operate and I went to check the breaker for the service technician I  received an electrical shock when I tried to opened the sub-breaker box. No receptical boxes were used in any of the 8  lights he installed  Kitchen Remodel-   No attempt was to made match anything in the kitchen. The cabinets he installed on the lower row in the kitchen were light oak instead of the existing honey oak.  When he installed the upper cabinets at the ceiling in the kitchen they were a different color of oak from the others.  Now the kitchen has 3 colors of cabinets.  The cabinets installed along the ceiling he failed to provide the doors although the hinges were mounted.  When installing the new countertop he damaged the kitchen wall in several places and has failed to complete repairs.   He was to replace a ceiling fan/ light in the kitchen with an antique brass one to match the existing light instead he use shiny brass.  He claimed he couldn't find any antique brass ones.  I went to a lighting shop who had a 3-4 week wait to order them and to Walmart who had them in stock. Mr Acito is not very dependble.  On over 24 occasions, he would call to saying he would be there the next day or later that day, insisting I be present to make decisions and he never showed up.  Often I had to cancel plans previously made to accomidate him only to have no one show up. This including my having to be there both times when the lumber was delivered.The workers seldom pick up after themselves. About once a week they would haul off their trash.  At one point they had 2 large piles of trash outside and on a separate occasion I had a 3ft x 3ft x 2ft high pile of trash next to the front door.  It sat there for over 4 days.  Addition-  The addition was finally started 9 July.  Mr Acito didn't have enough workers on hand to build the addition in the allotted 30 days.  The quality of work is extremely substandard.  He  failed to have waterproof sealant placed on the exterior of walls instead cutting the 2 bottom inches off the drywall and putting it on the interior.  He cut the opening to the main house before the additon was fully enclosed so for over 2 weeks the air conditioning excaping to thru the rafters to the outside.  None of the lights installed have receptical boxes and are mounted directly on to 2x4's.  He failed to use GFI plugs for the exterior plugs.  He failed to place conduit on the wires to the sub-breaker box.  He failed to put the cable TV wire inside the wall and it hangs down the exterior of the house.  The new entry door isn't proper secured to the concrete pad and the base twists when stepped on.  No phone lines were put into the addition.  The ducts are not attached and there is no way to put the grates on.  The exterior motion sensor light doesn't work.  The attic has never been insulated.  No cover for the opening into the attic.   The dry wall mudding hasn't been complete.  Very poor mudding as the little trim they installed has the mudding tape showing around it.  When sanding they failed to put up barrier/ plastic to keep the dust confined to the addition.  The workers also failed to put plastic on the floor and ground drywall dust into the wall to wall rug in the living room.     The trench-  It rained and water ran under the walls due to the lack of waterproof sealant on the exterior and Mr Acito's answer was to begin a french drain.  He had workers dig a 2-3ft deep trench along 2 sides of the addition,, to include across the path to the front door, and across the yard.  He never completed it,  After over a month since digging began, it remains an open unmarked trench over 80ft long.On 2 August I told Mr Acito he had until the 19th to complete everything.  He continued to provide on 2-3 people to get all of the projects done.  On  21 August, after 96 days I fired Mr Acito for breach of contract.On 25 Aug a man, Mark Trout,  showed up who had been there working on 19 Aug.  He told me Mr Acito had not paid him and wasn't answering or returning his phone calls.  And that as the home owner I owed him $1200 for the 48 hours he worked the previous week.  Also on 25 Aug I was advised by Brad Slapnicker of Southern Storms Seamless guttering the same thing.  That Mr Acito had several excuses on why he didn't have any money to pay them for the new gutters and that as the home owner I owed them $800.