J Larson Construction

I want everyone to understand that I like this guy, he does pretty good work, and I trusted him in my house... But I would make sure to get everything in writing with this gentleman. Every time we changed things, he would simply say "No problem", and tell his subs to do it. I would attempt to push for a change order, but he resisted, and insisted that it was no big deal. Sadly, I learned my lesson the hard way! I think this is his way of padding the final bill, because these "no problems" amounted to a very large invoice. What was gray and fuzzy during construction, and what he indicated would probably just be part and parcel of the project, was suddenly sharp and clear to him - and expensive to me. I expect that when I ask for something different than the original plan, unless it is less work, that it would indeed cost more money. I pay what I owe, and I don't want to ever mistreat anyone. But this contractor led me to think that these changes I asked for were so insignificant as to not need a change order, that his subs were out here already and would never notice doing it a bit differently... and thus would essentially be considered part of the original plan. When he came back with the invoice it was not only the case that they did not wash into the original project, but it also seemed to me that these little changes were charged at an amazingly higher rate than any of the other work. It really seemed like underhanded padding of the invoice to me. So if you use this contractor - make sure to get EVERY change order in writing - no matter how insignificant you (or he) makes it seem. Also - I got really upset and argued down one of his invoices, and so he discounted it to what I insisted was reasonable. Later he came back with the same amount once again tagged onto the bottom of the last invoice - just hanging there like a lost puppy. Not very professional!