O’Brien Design And Build

We would never recommend Eoin O?Brien from O?Brien Design and Build for the following reasons: 1) Low quality work from small things (recessed cans cut 1 inch too big so the trim kit doesn?t fit) to large things (wall constructed 10 inches too long and not according to agreed upon drawings, exterior walls not meeting and huge spaces left in exterior spaces?). He never corrected his mistakes, he just tried to cover them. 2) He was extremely irregular on work schedule (frequently did not show up to our meetings or 2-3 hours late) and on numerous occasions showed up smelling of alcohol. He did not meet timelines. 3) He threatened homeowners and subcontractors numerous times. He didn?t pay subcontractors and treated them disrespectfully. (His subs told us they will no longer work with him.) 4) He frequently tried to extract money from us with no itemized costs. (Naively, we always paid him within one week of ?bill.?) He was well over budget ($45,000 original bid, final amount we paid was $61,000 and work was not complete). 5) The appliances were not installed according to manufacturer?s instruction and therefore voided warranties (e.g. range hood install 7 inches above highest recommendation, used inferior install products?). 6) There were numerous empty promises (?designer? will assist, lighting and plumbing fixtures never purchased or installed). 7) Last but not least, he illegally entered our home (we had our locks changed one week prior to his entry and told him not to return) and admitted to the police to taking over $8,000 worth of our property, which he is now selling on Craigslist. We were burned by this contractor and we have not yet recovered. There are so many competent contractors out there. We really regret having hired this one. Do your homework and find someone trustworthy and well recommended with many references. Take a look at the Master Builder?s Association for what to look for in a licensed contractor and how you should proceed with a good contract. Unfortunately for us, we did this much too late.