Farmer's Construction Services

To Whom it May Concern, 
I received a letter last evening regarding a project that I started but never got the privilege to finish. I have attached some documents for review that will assist in seeing the light within the situation.If you look at the [redacted] write up...

(attached) that my customer did they valued the project at $15,000.00. That is the amount that has been paid to me. I have a contract and a few change orders all that are signed by all three parties that value the project at $19,500.00. (as indicated in the write up my previous customers did on Revdex.com) There is no proof what so ever to show that I have received all of the payment that is due to me. Case in point is that the customer owes me $4500.00. They wouldn't allow me to finish the project/allow me to fix any issues that were there. I they did in fact pay someone $2100.00 to fix issues within the bathroom then it would appear to me that they paid $2100.00 too much as I offered in my final email - which is attached- to fix anything wrong at my expense as long as they paid me in full upon completion. That email went unanswered. Final payment of $4500.00 is due. I will be seeking the full payment in the nearest future.I can honestly say that there is no justification/proof of me quoting private emails on my personal [redacted] page because it is a false accusation. I never once entered the home as an unwelcome visitor. The customer can claim whatever they wish. I have the proof that I was supposed to be in the house every time X was there. I will not share that proof with the Revdex.com as the BB is not a court of law. That proof along with a great deal more will be brought to the table soon enough.This is all the information I will turn over as of now. If there is a section in the Revdex.com paperwork for "desired settlement for the contractor" it would read- Payment: in full of $4500.00 within ten days or further legal action will be rendered.This project was flowing smoothly until one documented date when I refused to do anymore extras on the project without charge. I went from "a true gentleman and craftsman" (documented in an email and text message close to the same date) to a lousy contractor. Kind of Ironic one would think.Andrew F[redacted]Farmer's Construction Services

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:Mr. Farmer continues to be creative with the truth.   Mr. Farmer blames his non-compliance with the Virginia Housing Code on a mythical employee who did work while he was not on the job (allegedly out buying materials), however no such employee existed!   All of the work was done by Mr. Farmer.   There was never ever a time in which Mr. Farmer allowed another employee to work in his absence and certainly, we the homeowner would never have allowed this to occur.
For the record and for public posting :
1. Mr. Farmer lacks the skills and ability to do the work he contracted to undertake.   Proof:  leaky shower stall and in general, poor craftmanship.   (He forgot to install a shower pan and basic carpentry had to be redone.) 
2.     Mr. Farmer does not know the Virginia House Code requirements.        Proof:  Shower drain and PVC not installed according to code.
3. Mr. Farmer represents himself as a licensed contractor when in fact he is not.  Proof:   Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation appears to have no record of an Andrew Farmer being a currently licensed contractor.  (If he is operating under someone else's license, he did not make that known to the homeowners as he should have.)
4. Mr. Farmer is unable to find and retain qualified helpers.  Proof:  His first helper was fired for absenteeism.  His second helper (whom he hired by a random posting on [redacted] and without doing a thorough background check) lasted one day.   This person spoke almost no English.    He finally had to bring in a buddy to assist him.
5.      Mr. Farmer is negligent.  Proof:  He routinely forgets to turn off water;  routinely forgets to close up crawl space doors;  routinely forgets to remove his lunch/tobacco debris from the work site inside our home.
We hope that with this response, Revdex.com will ensure that a full public disclosure of our valid and honest comments are made available to the general public.
Regards,
[redacted]

July 20, 2014
To Whom It May Concern,I have responded to the complaint about my business and the job that was not completed for the client with the upmost honesty. 1 feel that there is nothing more I can offer to the situation other than restating some facts.Brief summary once again:I had a disgruntled employee who installed the shower pan and drain for me while I was out getting materials and the homeowners were not home that day.....Hence the fact that my company was allowed in the home while they were absent. It is a good possibility that my previous employee did not do satisfactory work. I had no way of seeing if the shower liner was installed due to the fact that the floor was poured with mortar after "what was supposed to be the shower pan liner". The project was nearly completed when we discovered a water penetration issue. First issue was leaky shower heads which were tightened. The second issue was under investigation. I wanted to address the issue the next day. The homeowner refused me to touch the project for 2.5 weeks. Then the day before I was to return I received a certified letter stating they had cancelled my contract,...a contract that was still open since they owed me $4,500.00.The homeowners brought other individuals in to touch my work before it was completed which voids any warranty that I was going to offer.I offered to come back and fix any issue that I found free of charge. I received no answer. Once again a previous employee of mine very well may have made a crucial mistake which I was willing to fix as long as I received my full payment after the issues were addressed.As for the issue of installing spray foam to hide the issue......the spray foam I authorized was to go around the exterior walls to fill any voids and to be used as draft stop.If you look at the initial complaint they filed it was filled with absolutely horrendous accusations which depicted me and my company as thieves, criminals and very bad people. After my initial response with providing minimal proof (proof of which I have tons; nearly 50 text messages and over 100 emails that depict the entire situation to a "T”, yet I cannot and will not share all of the documentation to a third party organization other than a court of law) the clients seem to gravitate back to the only possible issue with the project. Non installation of a shower pan liner. Understandable that it needs to be fixed if in fact it wasn't. To be honest I wasn't able to inspect to see if it was or wasn't. Instead they had a plumber/tile setter with 25 years' experience touch my work while the contract was still valid and supposedly find the issue. Mind you this is more than likely the same gentleman who the clients would not let do the entire project due to lack of skill for that type of project. I should have known better as a contractor reading the situation from the beginning, as the homeowners expressed concerns of poor relationships with nearly all past contractors.
Conclusion:The clients owe me $4,500.00 in an outstanding balance. I am willing to compromise and state again that my previous employee may have not done the proper thing which I was liable for. Up until the time they had another contractor touch my company's work. However I am willing to compromise and say that $14,000.00 of the $19,500.00 balance on the project was paid in full and if the client did pay $2,100.00 to have the shower floor replaced that I am willing to have them remove that ammount from the $4,500.00 that's owed to me and settle for a payment of $2,400.00.I have nothing more left to offer and certainly cannot pay for the "$2,100.00 for the floor -replacement" given the stated facts.As I have previously stated regarding this case 1 client out of 100 who is unhappy is bad business for me. Unfortunately I cannot do anything further regarding this case to please the gentlemen who seem to have their hearts set on attempting to destroy my reputation. This will be my last response to this topic no matter what kind of letter I get from a third party organization such as the Revdex.com. I am far too busy with work and clients that I keep year round do to my excellence in professionalism and craftsmanship as these two gentlemen found out from my references.Lastly I see that the clients wish to have their complaint publicly announced on the Revdex.com website for all to see. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and as I stated before the ratio of happy to unhappy clients is literally 1:100. Everything comes out in the wash. The truth and justice on how business is supposed to be conducted will prevail.Andrew F[redacted]

Review: We hired Farmer's Construction Services (Owner Andrew Farmer, Strasurg, VA) to do a complete bathroom remodel. Farmer's Construction agreed to totally gut the existing bathroom and install a finished, usable bathroom in our home. Contractor's non-performance of his duties under the contract was cause to fire him and terminate the contract.1. Finished shower leaked profusely into the sub-floor due to (a) lack of a pan liner according to the VA Housing Code; (b) lack of an 'aggressive' downward slope of floor; (c) drain opening being offset toward the side of the shower stall instead of directly below the shower fixtures; (d) PVC drain pipe used was 1 3/4 " instead of 2" as required under VA Code. Prior to firing contractor, we hired a 3rd party licensed plumber specializing in bathroom renovation to review and inspect the work and to independently test the shower pan. Improper installation of shower and techniques not in accordance with VA Housing Code are the reason for dismissal of the contractor.2. Ethical issue/lapses in professional conduct. Contractor entered our home after agreed work hours when we were not at home on at least two separate occasions. Also, without our permission, photos of the interior of our home were taken and posted on his personal [redacted] page. Emails which were private communications between the contracting parties were excerpted and posted on his [redacted] page. 3. Junctures between the ceiling and wall were left open and unsealed by as much as 1/2 inch, allowing moisture to escape up into the shower light fixture (a violation of code).4. Cleanup was poor and homeowners routinely had to remove dust, debris and the contractors personal soda cans, lunch trash, etc.5. Backordered fixtures were not managed proactively.6. Paint drops on floor; gaps in group, stain on file; badly mitered cuts and gouges in woodwork all had to be brought to his attention.7. Bathroom door hung backwards.Desired Settlement: Homeowners demand a refund in the amount of $2100 to cover the additional costs incurred to repair the poor work and bring the bathroom shower stall plumbing, drain and ceiling/wall junctures up to code.

Business

Response:

To Whom it May Concern, I received a letter last evening regarding a project that I started but never got the privilege to finish. I have attached some documents for review that will assist in seeing the light within the situation.If you look at the [redacted] write up (attached) that my customer did they valued the project at $15,000.00. That is the amount that has been paid to me. I have a contract and a few change orders all that are signed by all three parties that value the project at $19,500.00. (as indicated in the write up my previous customers did on Revdex.com) There is no proof what so ever to show that I have received all of the payment that is due to me. Case in point is that the customer owes me $4500.00. They wouldn't allow me to finish the project/allow me to fix any issues that were there. I they did in fact pay someone $2100.00 to fix issues within the bathroom then it would appear to me that they paid $2100.00 too much as I offered in my final email - which is attached- to fix anything wrong at my expense as long as they paid me in full upon completion. That email went unanswered. Final payment of $4500.00 is due. I will be seeking the full payment in the nearest future.I can honestly say that there is no justification/proof of me quoting private emails on my personal [redacted] page because it is a false accusation. I never once entered the home as an unwelcome visitor. The customer can claim whatever they wish. I have the proof that I was supposed to be in the house every time X was there. I will not share that proof with the Revdex.com as the BB is not a court of law. That proof along with a great deal more will be brought to the table soon enough.This is all the information I will turn over as of now. If there is a section in the Revdex.com paperwork for "desired settlement for the contractor" it would read- Payment: in full of $4500.00 within ten days or further legal action will be rendered.This project was flowing smoothly until one documented date when I refused to do anymore extras on the project without charge. I went from "a true gentleman and craftsman" (documented in an email and text message close to the same date) to a lousy contractor. Kind of Ironic one would think.Andrew F[redacted]Farmer's Construction Services

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting the contractor's response because 1. His reply fails to address the fundamental issue which is quite simply that he (Mr. Farmer) installed a shower stall which in multiple ways violates the Virginia Housing Code -- PVC of wrong diameter used; drain coupling and installation improper; no shower pan used; insufficient grade to shower floor. A licensed plumber tore his work out and detailed the mistakes for our records. My licensed plumber/tile installer (with 25 years of experience), stated that he had never encountered an instance of a contractor neglecting or forgetting to install a shower pan. All code violations have been photographed and documented, including the contractor's attempts to use foam sealer in the sub-floor joists to keep leaking water from being detectable.