Andy Christiansen and Associates, Inc.

HelloI am writing this in response to the above complaint.My company was hired to perform structural repair to this customers home.He recently purchased this home as is from an owner who never lived in itThe house house was built in the late 1800'sThe owner was concerned about the stone foundations integrityI was hired to construct a new wall that was per modern building code on the interior of the foundation in front of the existing stone foundationWe started by tuckpointing and repairing the existing foundation We also applied a layer of foundation coating to prevent condensationWe then installed the new footings and walls per building codeWhile we were installing the new walls it began to rain causing the basement to leakThe basement had no drain tile or subpumpWhen this occurred the owner became concernedHe had no indication when he purchased the home of this issue.The owner asked if I could help with the problemIt was the month of January ,I said we could not due much until springI also told him this would be another project and it would be at an additional costThis is when the owner became irate and told me I needed to help him with this problem because he was going to hold my payment for the structural repairsI believe in keeping my customers happy so I tried to helpI removed a tree that was against the foundation I cleaned out his gutters , fixed his downspouts and installed a temporary plastic membrane to help with issue This work was not in the contract and I did it free to help him as much as I could This seemed to help with the water penetrationHe paid me for the structural repair and held $850.00.I credited back from my contract items that could not be performed on the exterior due to winter conditions He still held the $for the structural repairI stated that I would give him a quote for waterproofing the basement in the springSpring arrived I asked him about the $he told me he was going with someone else and don't bother with the quoteThe customer still owes me $for the structural repair The waterproofing of his basement has nothing to do with the structural repair I did This is like comparing apples to orangesUnless the walls I installed have crumbled and fell down I don't owe him any money , he still owes me I don't see the logic when I performed one scope of work under contract and when suddenly another scope emerges it becomes my responsibility and somehow falls into my original contractI believe the customer is trying to get the basement waterproofed and have me pay for it when he bought a house that was as isI stand behind my workmanshipI don't believe this customer has grounds for demanding a refundI am not willing to arbitrate because we will get no where when the customer simply wants me to pay for his waterproofing when my contract clearly was for structural work.Thank you *** ***

Company states that they have addressed the issues with the consumer

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.Many of the details of the contract were discussed in emails and text messagesSpecifically, I expressed concern about the seepage from the walls and the contractor responded that he would handle it by putting tar on the wallsI also stipulated that he needed to provide a valid certificate of liability insurance which he did not but instead provided me with a fraudulent insurance certificate making me the certificate holder for his own workmsan's compensation insuranceHe erected the wall while water was pouring in the foundation and assured me through email and texts that it would be handled, it was notI am going to seek legal counsel if this cannot be resolvedregarding the waterproofing:***We can apply foundation coating on the stone after we repair it to waterproof it then build the sister wallI am not sure if the trench drain is necessary if we apply the foundation coating. We can start within weeks.Thanks *** *** Sent from my iPhoneOn Jan 5, 2017, at 4:PM, *** *** wrote:OK ***,this looks goodMore questions:Is there some sort of moisture barrier that can be placed between the rock foundation and sister wall? Some sort of plastic? Or some spray on coating?You asked if there was drain tile around the houseWhat do you think of trench drains? I’m thinking that might help with the water seepage in the front (East Side).What sort of timing are we looking at for a start date?regarding the certificate of insurance: ***I will have my agent send a COI for my insurance in the morningI will call you at 7:00amI am sure we can take care of the items of concern in a timely manner. Thanks***Sent from my iPhoneOn Jan 22, 2017, at 9:PM, *** *** wrote:***,here's the agenda for tomorrow morning's phone call:1) PunctualityThis was supposed to be a four day project with four guys workingThat was not the case*** worked one and a half days by himself, and your crew did not work a full day on Thursday and you all left early on FridayOne of the reasons I hired your company was that I expected you to supervise the workFor me to be at the farm, I have to reschedule my own appointmentsThat costs me money, since I bill by the hourThat cannot continueI have tomorrow - whatever doesn't get done tomorrow will have to wait, probably a month or more or likely until the SpringIf you schedule work, you need to be prepared to do a full day's workIf not, I cannot continue the project2) Quality of workI am not completely satisfied with the quality of work and attention to detailMany things I pointed out to *** were simply ignoredFor example he mortared over wooden siding on the side of the house, and didn't replace rocks in places in the wallThe open corner, which had very little stone separating it from the outside when repaired, was simply filled in with dirt when more stone should have been addedCrumbling mortar was mortared over, not chipped out3) Personal safety*** asked me for Gasoline to mix with the tar that is now running all over the basementI am fuming, literally (ha ha)The bucket of tar is sitting there, flammable, with the lid off in the middle of the basement and it's spilled on the floorAll traces of tar will need to be removed from the basementI am not sure if the gasoline smell will dissipate, I sure hope it doesI am not sure that tar was the right choice for an interior wall4) Water and preserving the work so farIt is going to rain on Wednesday and Thursday and then the temperature is supposed to drop below freezingI think you should regrade around the house tomorrow - bring in dirt and build it up next to the house, we can do the windows at a later dateI've cleaned the gutters I can reach, but if you don't want to clean them arrange to have someone to do it and I will pay them directlyThis has to be done tomorrowIf necessary, consider putting corrugated metal or plastic in front of the problem area to keep the rainfall off since the ground is already soaked or maybe something as simple as a tarp elevated on stakes to make the water slide offIn order for the project to proceed, I need the following to happen tomorrow:-I need your certificate of insurance first thing in the morning - an electronic copy is fine, without it, I am calling a halt to the projectI don't intended on making a claim, it's just something I usually ask a contractor for prior to starting work, and I forgot to ask you for itI need to make sure you've got that base coveredI assume you doWe have one and we don't even do construction work, just IT work-Focus on protecting the walls from water damage and freeze / thaw damage by regrading and covering the areas where water is leaking throughHelp me coordinate gutter cleaning or have your guys do itThere's an extension ladder by the door in the garage (same key as house)-Agree, verbally at first, then in writing on rolling the drainage tile / sump work into the sister wall project, agree on a payment schedule, and one that includes punctuality and hitting specific dates - allow for variances in the weather for those datesI am not certain a sump is necessary in fact, but we need to see if this issue continues and with the rain this week we have the perfect opportunity to test that theory if the work above is done tomorrow-Clean up the basementRight now there's so much tar slop and mortar slop that I can't really tell if more water is getting in there - please clean it up completely tomorrow, so we can see if our efforts at keeping the water at bay are successful - give me some options (is there a foam that can go between the walls, can you pump water that collects there out so it won't freeze?)Remove all traces of gasoline-infused tar from the floor and interior walls-Real Estate Angle - the farm was an "as is" purchaseI relied on inspections (yours was one) to ascertain the cost of repairs and condition of the houseYour estimate was the more expensive of the twoYou are an expert in the field, and you saw there were holes in the foundation and places where there was no stone, you asked if there was drain tile, I said no - but sure, I can give you the housing condition report - however I'll say upfront that I will expend no energy or time discussing that, as I consider it a dead endIn Conclusion:I don't have infinite time or energy to closely monitor this project anymore, and having not been confident in the attention to detail or timeliness of the work I am planning on managing the project by setting goals and financial outlays for reaching those goalsI can't do it any other way, unfortunatelyI will put this all in writing for you in the form of a contractThis should have been done from the start, but it's not too late to get this properly managed nowI've attached three photos - one of the tar bucket and the spill, one of a mortared joint spanning dirt on the ground and up the sidingOne of the buildup of tarry gunk (mortar?) between the sister wall and stone wall as well as the housing condition report
Regards,
*** ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]I think Mr*** is lucky I am only asking for a refund. 1) He promised proof of liability insurance on starting the workNo proof was providedInstead, he provided a certificate of workman's compensation insurance2) The walls he patched leakEvery time it rains water is in my basementThe block wall in front of the patched stone walls is blocking the necessary repair3) A twenty year warranty was promised on the workHowever, after the wall was put up I was told it was "structural only" but with wanter leaking in through the patched stone wall in the middle of January freezing and thawing, it would only get rapidly worseHe promised to install a sump pump but after I paid him another $he wouldn't even call me back4) The fact that tar was put on the inside of the walls makes repairing the faulty tuck-pointing very difficult, if not impossible when the block wall is removedA beam can be used for structure at a fraction of the cost5) The malpractice committed by Mr*** on my basement left me with no recourse except an extremely expensive exterior excavation project as a remedy, while an interior drain tile could have been installed at less than half the costIf water keep leaking through the patched stone walls, they will crumble as they were when Mr*** inspected the house prior to my purchase6) The block wall was really only designed to benefit Mr***'s pocketbook - giving him a project in the slowest time of the year for a masonry company - however he was betrayed by a January thaw which exposed the poor quality of his tuck pointing and "waterproofing"8) Photos attached of the seepage, the mortar oozing through the tar on the interior wall, and the poor quality of the masonry work on the windows where the original rotting wood frame was left in placeIn conclusion, this was poor work from start to finish and the only customer service provided has been untruths and excuses.
Regards,
*** ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]I think Mr*** is lucky I am only asking for a refund. 1) He promised proof of liability insurance on starting the workNo proof was providedInstead, he provided a certificate of workman's compensation insurance2) The walls he patched leakEvery time it rains water is in my basementThe block wall in front of the patched stone walls is blocking the necessary repair3) A twenty year warranty was promised on the workHowever, after the wall was put up I was told it was "structural only" but with wanter leaking in through the patched stone wall in the middle of January freezing and thawing, it would only get rapidly worseHe promised to install a sump pump but after I paid him another $he wouldn't even call me back4) The fact that tar was put on the inside of the walls makes repairing the faulty tuck-pointing very difficult, if not impossible when the block wall is removedA beam can be used for structure at a fraction of the cost5) The malpractice committed by Mr*** on my basement left me with no recourse except an extremely expensive exterior excavation project as a remedy, while an interior drain tile could have been installed at less than half the costIf water keep leaking through the patched stone walls, they will crumble as they were when Mr*** inspected the house prior to my purchase6) The block wall was really only designed to benefit Mr***'s pocketbook - giving him a project in the slowest time of the year for a masonry company - however he was betrayed by a January thaw which exposed the poor quality of his tuck pointing and "waterproofing"8) Photos attached of the seepage, the mortar oozing through the tar on the interior wall, and the poor quality of the masonry work on the windows where the original rotting wood frame was left in placeIn conclusion, this was poor work from start to finish and the only customer service provided has been untruths and excuses.
Regards,
*** ***

HelloI am writing this in response to the above complaint.My company was hired to perform structural repair to this customers home.He recently purchased this home as is from an owner who never lived in itThe house house was built in the late 1800'sThe owner was concerned about the stone foundations integrityI was hired to construct a new wall that was per modern building code on the interior of the foundation in front of the existing stone foundationWe started by tuckpointing and repairing the existing foundation We also applied a layer of foundation coating to prevent condensationWe then installed the new footings and walls per building codeWhile we were installing the new walls it began to rain causing the basement to leakThe basement had no drain tile or subpumpWhen this occurred the owner became concernedHe had no indication when he purchased the home of this issue.The owner asked if I could help with the problemIt was the month of January ,I said we could not due much until springI also told him this would be another project and it would be at an additional costThis is when the owner became irate and told me I needed to help him with this problem because he was going to hold my payment for the structural repairsI believe in keeping my customers happy so I tried to helpI removed a tree that was against the foundation I cleaned out his gutters , fixed his downspouts and installed a temporary plastic membrane to help with issue This work was not in the contract and I did it free to help him as much as I could This seemed to help with the water penetrationHe paid me for the structural repair and held $850.00.I credited back from my contract items that could not be performed on the exterior due to winter conditions He still held the $for the structural repairI stated that I would give him a quote for waterproofing the basement in the springSpring arrived I asked him about the $he told me he was going with someone else and don't bother with the quoteThe customer still owes me $for the structural repair The waterproofing of his basement has nothing to do with the structural repair I did This is like comparing apples to orangesUnless the walls I installed have crumbled and fell down I don't owe him any money , he still owes me I don't see the logic when I performed one scope of work under contract and when suddenly another scope emerges it becomes my responsibility and somehow falls into my original contractI believe the customer is trying to get the basement waterproofed and have me pay for it when he bought a house that was as isI stand behind my workmanshipI don't believe this customer has grounds for demanding a refundI am not willing to arbitrate because we will get no where when the customer simply wants me to pay for his waterproofing when my contract clearly was for structural work.Thank you *** ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.Many of the details of the contract were discussed in emails and text messagesSpecifically, I expressed concern about the seepage from the walls and the contractor responded that he would handle it by putting tar on the wallsI also stipulated that he needed to provide a valid certificate of liability insurance which he did not but instead provided me with a fraudulent insurance certificate making me the certificate holder for his own workmsan's compensation insuranceHe erected the wall while water was pouring in the foundation and assured me through email and texts that it would be handled, it was notI am going to seek legal counsel if this cannot be resolvedregarding the waterproofing:***We can apply foundation coating on the stone after we repair it to waterproof it then build the sister wallI am not sure if the trench drain is necessary if we apply the foundation coating. We can start within weeks.Thanks *** *** Sent from my iPhoneOn Jan 5, 2017, at 4:PM, *** *** wrote:OK ***,this looks goodMore questions:Is there some sort of moisture barrier that can be placed between the rock foundation and sister wall? Some sort of plastic? Or some spray on coating?You asked if there was drain tile around the houseWhat do you think of trench drains? I’m thinking that might help with the water seepage in the front (East Side).What sort of timing are we looking at for a start date?regarding the certificate of insurance: ***I will have my agent send a COI for my insurance in the morningI will call you at 7:00amI am sure we can take care of the items of concern in a timely manner. Thanks***Sent from my iPhoneOn Jan 22, 2017, at 9:PM, *** *** wrote:***,here's the agenda for tomorrow morning's phone call:1) PunctualityThis was supposed to be a four day project with four guys workingThat was not the case*** worked one and a half days by himself, and your crew did not work a full day on Thursday and you all left early on FridayOne of the reasons I hired your company was that I expected you to supervise the workFor me to be at the farm, I have to reschedule my own appointmentsThat costs me money, since I bill by the hourThat cannot continueI have tomorrow - whatever doesn't get done tomorrow will have to wait, probably a month or more or likely until the SpringIf you schedule work, you need to be prepared to do a full day's workIf not, I cannot continue the project2) Quality of workI am not completely satisfied with the quality of work and attention to detailMany things I pointed out to *** were simply ignoredFor example he mortared over wooden siding on the side of the house, and didn't replace rocks in places in the wallThe open corner, which had very little stone separating it from the outside when repaired, was simply filled in with dirt when more stone should have been addedCrumbling mortar was mortared over, not chipped out3) Personal safety*** asked me for Gasoline to mix with the tar that is now running all over the basementI am fuming, literally (ha ha)The bucket of tar is sitting there, flammable, with the lid off in the middle of the basement and it's spilled on the floorAll traces of tar will need to be removed from the basementI am not sure if the gasoline smell will dissipate, I sure hope it doesI am not sure that tar was the right choice for an interior wall4) Water and preserving the work so farIt is going to rain on Wednesday and Thursday and then the temperature is supposed to drop below freezingI think you should regrade around the house tomorrow - bring in dirt and build it up next to the house, we can do the windows at a later dateI've cleaned the gutters I can reach, but if you don't want to clean them arrange to have someone to do it and I will pay them directlyThis has to be done tomorrowIf necessary, consider putting corrugated metal or plastic in front of the problem area to keep the rainfall off since the ground is already soaked or maybe something as simple as a tarp elevated on stakes to make the water slide offIn order for the project to proceed, I need the following to happen tomorrow:-I need your certificate of insurance first thing in the morning - an electronic copy is fine, without it, I am calling a halt to the projectI don't intended on making a claim, it's just something I usually ask a contractor for prior to starting work, and I forgot to ask you for itI need to make sure you've got that base coveredI assume you doWe have one and we don't even do construction work, just IT work-Focus on protecting the walls from water damage and freeze / thaw damage by regrading and covering the areas where water is leaking throughHelp me coordinate gutter cleaning or have your guys do itThere's an extension ladder by the door in the garage (same key as house)-Agree, verbally at first, then in writing on rolling the drainage tile / sump work into the sister wall project, agree on a payment schedule, and one that includes punctuality and hitting specific dates - allow for variances in the weather for those datesI am not certain a sump is necessary in fact, but we need to see if this issue continues and with the rain this week we have the perfect opportunity to test that theory if the work above is done tomorrow-Clean up the basementRight now there's so much tar slop and mortar slop that I can't really tell if more water is getting in there - please clean it up completely tomorrow, so we can see if our efforts at keeping the water at bay are successful - give me some options (is there a foam that can go between the walls, can you pump water that collects there out so it won't freeze?)Remove all traces of gasoline-infused tar from the floor and interior walls-Real Estate Angle - the farm was an "as is" purchaseI relied on inspections (yours was one) to ascertain the cost of repairs and condition of the houseYour estimate was the more expensive of the twoYou are an expert in the field, and you saw there were holes in the foundation and places where there was no stone, you asked if there was drain tile, I said no - but sure, I can give you the housing condition report - however I'll say upfront that I will expend no energy or time discussing that, as I consider it a dead endIn Conclusion:I don't have infinite time or energy to closely monitor this project anymore, and having not been confident in the attention to detail or timeliness of the work I am planning on managing the project by setting goals and financial outlays for reaching those goalsI can't do it any other way, unfortunatelyI will put this all in writing for you in the form of a contractThis should have been done from the start, but it's not too late to get this properly managed nowI've attached three photos - one of the tar bucket and the spill, one of a mortared joint spanning dirt on the ground and up the sidingOne of the buildup of tarry gunk (mortar?) between the sister wall and stone wall as well as the housing condition report
Regards,
*** ***

I would like to start with that my customer purchased and closed on this house around? Dec We entered into a contract for tuckpointing the existing stone foundation , and install a new footing with a concrete block wall in areas of the basement where the field stone foundation was in
need of additional supportI also was contracted to install glass block windows in the foundation.? I was contracted to do this work January In my contract there is no mention of waterproofingI was contracted to install structural support walls and repair the mortar joints on the walls that would be left exposed so that they could be painted at a later dateWhile we were working on the contract items the weather became warm with rain and started to thaw out the groundsurrounding the home, at this time water started entering the home at which time the customer grew concerned which was understandable , suddenly my structural project became a waterproofing issue that was beyond my control and my scope of the contractI was told by the customer that this was now my responsibility to remedy without any additional cost I asked my customer to review his real estate contract as this problem was pre existing and should be able to get some kind of compensation but his response was he signed an "as is" clause which left the previous owner with no responsibility At this point I was 90% complete of my contractThe total contract was $I received $downpaymentThe balance of the contract was $3500.00, I credited him $for (2) line items in the contract that were not performed, leaving a balance of $2500.00.He paid $1,of that and was holding the rest ($750.00) until this water issue was resolved.? No where in my contract does it state waterproofing , I will provide my warranty on the structural improvements upon final payment.? I can send a copy of the signed contract upon request.Thank you*** ***

Company said that they are trying to get to it, however, the weather is putting the work hold.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I...

reviewed appear below.
[redacted] and [redacted]..... I am disappointed in the quality of the work. 1. voids in mortar2. crooked brick3. vertical joints not racked out4. nail holes in mortar5. mortar cracked and mortar on face of brick6. joints not raked out7. crack between brick and mortar and mortar on brick face, 8. one brick is very crooked. I paid for this job a year ago and it is still not fixed.This complaint has not been resolved. I would like a refund of my payment so I can hire another contractor to fix their poor work, in the amount of $1200.00
Regards,
[redacted]

I would like to start with that my customer purchased and closed on this house around Dec 15 2017. We entered into a contract for tuckpointing the existing stone foundation , and install a new footing with a concrete block wall in areas of the basement where the field stone foundation was in...

need of additional support. I also was contracted to install glass block windows in the foundation.  I was contracted to do this work January 3 2017. In my contract there is no mention of waterproofing. I was contracted to install structural support walls and repair the mortar joints on the walls that would be left exposed so that they could be painted at a later date. While we were working on the contract items the weather became warm with rain and started to thaw out the groundsurrounding the home, at this time water started entering the home at which time the customer grew concerned which was understandable , suddenly my structural project became a waterproofing issue that was beyond my control and my scope of the contract. I was told by the customer that this was now my responsibility to remedy without any additional cost . I asked my customer to review his real estate contract as this problem was pre existing and should be able to get some kind of compensation but his response was he signed an "as is" clause which left the previous owner with no responsibility . At this point I was 90% complete of my contract. The total contract was $7500.00 . I received $4000.00 downpayment. The balance of the contract was $3500.00, I credited him $1000.00 for (2) line items in the contract that were not performed, leaving a balance of $2500.00.He paid $1,850.00 of that and was holding the rest ($750.00) until this water issue was resolved.  No where in my contract does it state waterproofing , I will provide my warranty on the structural improvements upon final payment.  I can send a copy of the signed contract upon request.Thank you[redacted]