American Home & Hardscape

The following is our company’s response to a complaint filed by this customer We gave this customer an initial proposal for work they requested They said they could not afford to do everything, so we revised the proposal by removing several items and finish allowances, and the customer signed a contract, agreeing to the revisions We gave the customer an approximate 8-week estimate for completion Immediately, the customer began to make changes to the process of installation, informing us that [redacted] , the kitchen installer, wouldn’t be coming for another three weeks, after our company completed the needed demolition and roufor plumbing The installers of the kitchen (***) installed cabinets in the wrong place; they had a cabinet with a microwave under it that was over a gas stove with only inches of space (a code violation) [redacted] came back one week later and changed this cabinet, causing our company to have to reset the electrical plug locationThe also told the customer it was not their responsibility to install cabinet trim on their cabinets, which became another task for our company to do, that we did not charge them forWe were also informed that our company had to install bracing wood for the [redacted] cabinets to support the countertops installation The customer then informed our company that the countertop installer was coming for a template measure, and it would be another to weeks before these tops were installed, resulting in our company calling the countertop installers and arranging for the install date to be moved forward by one week Our initial proposal included the kitchen installation that the customer said they couldn’t afford The only service we were ultimately contracted to do in the kitchen was to roufor an island and to install appliancesThe extras left undone by the cabinet installers were completed by us at no cost, just to help everything run smoothly This next piece is very important: The customer hired outside workers to do several things during the installation of our contracted work They hired plumbers who installed new copper plumbing lines throughout the entire house and then covered it with drywall to hide it from our scheduled inspections The customer also hired drywall workers and painters (some of who walked off the job in dispute with this customer) who repeatedly held up our installation process The customer mentioned asbestos tile removal in their complaintWe wet these tiles down, removed them quickly, double-bagged all of them, our men wore proper respiratory protection, and we opened windows and instructed customer to stay out of the house during the removalFor the next several days, we wet down the floors, industrial vacuumed them while running air mover direction fans and an air-scrubber fan for hours afterCustomer then came in a ramshackle fashion and removed a baseboard heater cover to show us some left over pieces of flooring, which further disturbed the dust within the house Permits & inspections - our company obtained permits for plumbing and gas line relocationWe later obtained a permit for HVAC as customers added a new HVAC system & ductwork to the scope of work contracted by our companyWe also had to obtain a second plumbing permit, as our first plumber retracted his permit due to the customer having new plumbing installed and new bathrooms installed by unlicensed outside workers who did not obtain separate permits for their workThe customers also, on two occasions, called for inspections by Montgomery County, without consulting the tradesmen who obtained the permits and before the work was finished, causing the “passed” inspection stickers in the window to be removed and replaced with “fail” stickers These customers were advised from beginning to end by our company that their interference was not only causing delays but that their expectations from our company were not aligned with the contract they had signed with usWe had several meetings with them, and we could never resolve the disagreements The customer’s house contains many inadequacies that need to be corrected in order to renovateThis was pointed out to the customer several times but was never acknowledged by themThe customer tried to manipulate the system by hiring unlicensed workers to do and then hide plumbing, and painters who sprayed paint all over newly finished floors and damaged new appliancesWe uncovered the floors and the new kitchen while we worked and covered it when we left at night, and when we came back in the morning, we found things uncovered again many times The basement floors mentioned are concrete, approximately square feetOur contract says we were to “install customer-purchased laminate floor or equivalent.” We actually resurfaced these floors and installed ceramic tiles in a herringbone pattern, adding days of labor and causing a ripple effect in our scheduling, as nobody could walk on the floors for a solid weekThis made a cost difference in installation of approximately $5000, that we did in good faith, as a friendly gesture, and DID NOT charge the customer There are also several other parts of the job where we went over and above the requirements of the signed agreement We received a 1/deposit from the customer upon signing the agreement, which is all that Maryland state law will allowThe customer made scheduled payments over a week late, which is not uncommon, and we always try to work with our customers to get payments made In summary, filing a complaint as this customer did, making accusations, and trying to put pre-existing code infractions on our company is a travesty We bent over backwards for them, but when we got to a point in our completion where Montgomery County inspectors were scheduled to meet with the homeowners & our company’s tradesmen and our job manager, the customer cancelled at the last minute They knew our job was close to being completed and payments in excess of $10,would be dueThe customer then fired our company from the job and filed this ridiculous complaintThe history of this job, documented and verifiable in emails and text messages, tell the real story, and any construction-minded individual would understand what happened hereWe are a good and honest company; we stand behind our work, and our record reflects it

We stand by our initial response

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
Again this pattern of behavior is what we have seen from this company in their reluctance to resolve things when we raised concerns to themEven with proof of pictures taken in real time, cleared checks and county permits online that refute their response, they still stand by their responseWe don't believe they have any intention in resolving this issue
Regards,
*** ***

The following is our company’s
response to a complaint filed by this customer.
 We gave this customer an initial proposal
for work they requested.  They said they
could not afford to do everything, so we revised the proposal by removing
several items and finish allowances, and the...

customer signed a contract,
agreeing to the revisions.  We gave the
customer an approximate 8-week estimate for completion.
 Immediately, the customer began to
make changes to the process of installation, informing us that [redacted] , the
kitchen installer, wouldn’t be coming for another three weeks, after our
company completed the needed demolition and rough-in for plumbing. 
 The installers of the kitchen ([redacted])
installed cabinets in the wrong place; they had a cabinet with a microwave
under it that was over a gas stove with only 16 inches of space (a code
violation).  [redacted] came back one week
later and changed this cabinet, causing our company to have to reset the
electrical plug location. The also told the
customer it was not their responsibility to install cabinet trim on their cabinets,
which became another task for our company to do, that we did not charge them
for. We were also informed that our
company had to install bracing wood for the [redacted] cabinets to support the
countertops installation.
 The customer then informed our
company that the countertop installer was coming for a template measure, and it
would be another 2 to 3 weeks before these tops were installed, resulting in
our company calling the countertop installers and arranging for the install
date to be moved forward by one week. 
 Our initial proposal included the
kitchen installation that the customer said they couldn’t afford.  The only service we were ultimately contracted
to do in the kitchen was to rough-in for an island and to install appliances. The extras left undone by the cabinet
installers were completed by us at no cost, just to help everything run
smoothly.
This next piece is very
important:  The customer hired outside workers to do several things
during the installation of our contracted work. 
They hired plumbers who installed new copper plumbing lines throughout
the entire house and then covered it
with drywall to hide it from our scheduled inspections.  The customer also hired drywall workers and
painters (some of who walked off the job in dispute with this customer) who repeatedly
held up our installation process.
 The customer mentioned asbestos tile
removal in their complaint. We wet these
tiles down, removed them quickly, double-bagged all of them, our men wore
proper respiratory protection, and we opened windows and instructed customer to
stay out of the house during the removal. For the next several days, we wet down the
floors, industrial vacuumed them while running air mover direction fans and an
air-scrubber fan for 24 hours after. Customer
then came in a ramshackle fashion and removed a baseboard heater cover to show
us some left over pieces of flooring, which further disturbed the dust within
the house.
Permits
& inspections - our company obtained permits for
plumbing and gas line relocation. We later obtained a permit for HVAC as
customers added a new HVAC system & ductwork to the scope of work
contracted by our company. We also had to obtain a second plumbing permit, as
our first plumber retracted his permit due to the customer having new plumbing installed
and new bathrooms installed by unlicensed outside workers who did not obtain
separate permits for their work. The
customers also, on two occasions, called for inspections by Montgomery County,
without consulting the tradesmen who obtained the permits and before the work
was finished, causing the “passed” inspection stickers in the window to be
removed and replaced with “fail” stickers.
 These customers were advised from
beginning to end by our company that their interference was not only causing
delays but that their expectations from our company were not aligned with the
contract they had signed with us. We had several meetings with them, and we could
never resolve the disagreements.
 The customer’s house contains many
inadequacies that need to be corrected in order to renovate. This was pointed out to the customer several
times but was never acknowledged by them. The customer tried to manipulate the
system by hiring unlicensed workers to do and then hide plumbing, and painters
who sprayed paint all over newly finished floors and damaged new appliances. We uncovered the floors and the new kitchen while
we worked and covered it when we left at night, and when we came back in the
morning, we found things uncovered again many times.
 The basement floors mentioned are
concrete, approximately 1000 square feet. Our contract says we were to “install
customer-purchased laminate floor or equivalent.”  We actually resurfaced these floors and installed
ceramic tiles in a herringbone pattern, adding 5 days of labor and causing a
ripple effect in our scheduling, as nobody could walk on the floors for a solid
week. This made a cost difference in
installation of approximately $5000, that we did in good faith, as a friendly
gesture, and DID NOT charge the customer. 
There are also several other parts of the job where we went over and
above the requirements of the signed agreement. 
 We received a 1/3 deposit from the
customer upon signing the agreement, which is all that Maryland state law will
allow. The customer made scheduled
payments over a week late, which is not uncommon, and we always try to work
with our customers to get payments made.
 In summary, filing a complaint as
this customer did, making false accusations, and trying to put pre-existing code
infractions on our company is a travesty. 
We bent over backwards for them, but when we got to a point in our
completion where Montgomery County inspectors were scheduled to meet with the
homeowners & our company’s tradesmen and our job manager, the customer
cancelled at the last minute.  They knew
our job was close to being completed and payments in excess of $10,000 would be
due. The customer then fired our company from the job and filed this ridiculous
complaint. The history of this job, documented and verifiable in emails
and text messages, tell the real story, and any construction-minded individual would
understand what happened here. We are a good and honest company; we stand
behind our work, and our record reflects it.

Working with Richard & team was a pleasure.
I should first convey why I chose Richard, amongst the other bids that I received for our backyard project. From the beginning, I could tell that Richard was very serious about my project and in ensuring that he delivered EXACTLY what we were looking for. He was the only contractor that went into our backyard, took measurements, and truth-tested our plans (letting us know if things were feasible and also recommending some great ideas that would enhance the project). His bid was competitive, although it was a bit higher than others... but I could tell that Richard really wanted to delivery a quality product (which he absolutely did).
During the project, Richard was great about maintaining communication (asking if we were ok with the work going on, if we had any concerns, etc). If we had any concerns or project add-ons, Richard immediately took action to resolve the situation.
In the end, Richard and team delivered a superb product, and have most definitely earned our highest recommendation.