Jeffrey Paul Homes LLC

This letter is in response to the above referenced complaint. I will respond to each accusation, then summarize at the end of this memo. /> Customer’s Statement of the Problem: I originally talked to [redacted] in May about this issue. A home that I own was damaged in January, 2014 when the furnace stopped working and water pipes burst. Time became of the essence in order to prevent as much damage as possible. Response-I started the project immediately after the client got me involved. In fact the mold remediation company was given the task to remove the subfloor in the kitchen and den. The company spent a day working to get the floor out, were unsuccessful as they stated they did not have the right tools. At that point I offered to step in and remove the floor in an effort to speed up the process. I feel I did all I could to expedite this job. [redacted] presented himself as a professional licensed contractor who was an expert at restoring homes that had had water damage. Response-I never presented myself as a licensed contractor. I stated I had experience and all necessary insurance. His business card described him as a Restoration Consultant and a Realtor. Response-I am a licensed realtor and my business card states I am a Renovation Consultant. He also indicated in his advertising that he owns several businesses. Response-It is true that I own several businesses, including the above Jeffrey Paul Homes LLC, a lawn and landscaping business, in additional to being a licensed realtor. [redacted] *** agreed to restore my water damaged home. Response-I did agree to restore all damages to the home, as were reimbursed by the insurance company and identified and agreed to by the insurance adjuster. Together the client and I agreed that she would compensate our company based on the insurance companies allocation of funds for each line item in the claim. Instead he made a practice of covering up inferior materials and work that did not meet specifications. Response – None of the materials used during the restoration was inferior. The complainant has received copies of all receipts showing what was purchased and where it was purchased from and included: Subfloor was replaced using ¾” tongue in groove OSB, purchased from [redacted] . Drywall used was new ½” drywall, purchased from [redacted] . Insulation was new, purchased from [redacted] and met the required R-value and vapor barrier requirements. Paint used was Behr Premium paint, which is rated the second highest in quality on a 5 point scale. This paint is second only to Behr Premium Plus paint, and is a higher quality paint than other paint brands and/or types that could have been used including: [redacted] , and [redacted] , both also sold at [redacted] ***. In the master bathroom instead of removing subflooring that had been damaged and replacing it with 3/4" plywood as he had agreed to do, [redacted] left the damaged subflooring in place and covered it up with 1/4" OSB. Response – I agreed to remove and replace all items the insurance adjuster agreed were damaged and the insurance company reimbursed for. The adjuster determined the master bath subfloor was not damaged, so did not reimburse the client for it. I spoke with the adjuster about the floor in this area to try to get it added to the claim in an effort to help the customer, however he let me know that it was not structurally compromised, and therefore would not add it to the insurance claim. This adjuster is a professional at determining what is or is not to be replaced, so after discussing it with him we did not replace it. To reiterate, the adjuster had to choose some point in the house to stop replacing the subfloor. It was at his discretion that this was the transition point between the new subfloor and old subfloor. He is the water damage expert and has been involved with many more homes that have had water damage than both the client and myself. Due to the new subfloor being ¾” thick, and the old master bathroom floor being ½” thick, I did install ¼” wafer board in the bathroom area as to bring it up to the same level as the new subfloor. This material and time was done at no cost to the customer. I did it as a convenience to her and to the flooring contractor who would be laying the final finished flooring (hardwood or linoleum) as to not have a transition at the area the floors met. He nailed down the OSB in an entire bathroom with only 5 nails. Response – I don’t think this is a true statement, but cannot prove or disprove how many nails were used to secure the ¼” flooring. I did tell the client that I would be happy to come back to fix any issues that she was not satisfied with. I also told her I would come back and take out the ¼” flooring that I put in as a favor to her and the contractor who would be installing the final flooring. She stated not to come back, or she would call the police. [redacted] *** and his workers have shown a lack of respect for property by damaging furniture and items that were left in the house. Response – This is not true. The house was water soaked for a period of time and as a result, a mess when we started the repairs. My crew was careful to move furniture and/or cover up items that could not be moved, at no charge to the client. Most of the first floor was a construction zone, and with new subfloor, drywall and sanding, it did get dusty. We tried our best to respect the property and furnishing within it. After I gave [redacted] a key to the house, the property was left unsecured with a door actually open for over a day. Response – I do not believe this is true. I told the client the patio door needed to be open a few inches while the oil based paint was being applied. I wanted the paint fumes to dissipate as quickly as possible. The door was open during the day while workers were on the premises, but was closed and locked when no workers were present. If the door was left open it was a mistake as door and the locking mechanism on the door were very tricky to close completely. I presume this was a result of all the moisture in the home. When workers for [redacted] removed the subflooring in the kitchen/family room area, they did not cover furniture or areas in the basement nor the crawl space. Response – It is true that the items in the basement were not covered during the repairs to the subfloor. When the client voiced her disappointment that small pieces of subflooring fell through to the crawl space, I stated multiple times that we would come back to clean it up. I was told to stay away, as she could file a restraining order against me. The moist damaged pieces of flooring covered desks, chairs, boxes and items which were below in the basement. The damp subflooring in the basement and especially the crawl space has caused a terrible odor that is permeating throughout the entire house. Response - Keep in mind that the house had been flooded with water and the damage was not immediately discovered. And my workers did not move any boxes or furniture in the basement, so those same boxes and furniture pieces were directly under the subfloor that was damaged by water. I assume the desks, chairs, boxes and other items have an odor from the water that was pouring through the subfloor rather than from a small amount of plywood pieces lying on top of the boxes and furniture. Again, I told the client that we would come back and clean it up any subfloor that dropped down, but was told a restraining order was being filed. I have found [redacted] to be unprofessional and untrustworthy. Response – Unprofessional? She is probably right on that point. The client is an elderly woman whom I treated like my Grandmother. She took advantage of that situation, spending hours and hours on the phone discussing her concerns, insisting she be present for every minute any of my workers were on site, insisting we could not get started until after 10:00 in the morning because she was not an early riser, granting her favors including doing projects that were not reimbursed by the insurance company. No exaggeration here. Also, no professional would have wasted the time and effort without being paid one dollar for the work that was finished. The client has abused the situation and my respect for the elderly in this situation. He has made a practice of misleading me and telling me as well as others who have been present at the job site falsehoods. Response – I did not deliberately mislead the client. I did make a mistake and admitted that mistake to the client. That mistake being that I did not realize a permit was needed to replace more than one four by eight sheet of drywall. I had replaced a total of 6 pieces of drywall and we tried to work this problem out with the best possible outcome. After I found out about the need for a permit, I removed all drywall necessary for the inspections to occur, then replaced, taped and finished, then repainted those areas. As a result of my misunderstanding, I had removed all charges for drywall installation and finishing on my invoice to the client. I will repeat that the client has not paid me one cent for any of the work that has been completed. As a result of his unethical practices, materials that he installed have had to be taken out and replaced with specified materials that meet Zoning and Building requirements. Response – Specifically what has needed to be replaced? I cannot even respond to this statement, as the client has never stated any materials were replaced except the drywall that I pulled, had inspected and then replaced. Again, I have not been paid one cent for any of the work that has been completed. It has taken a lot of time and money to repair the work that [redacted] deliberately did incorrectly. Response – No work was done deliberately incorrectly. Early in her project I brought the client to another of my completed remodels to show her the work that we do. She knew what the quality of work would look like and hired us to work on her house. Other Responses included: Throughout the project, the client was insistent on wanting to get more monies out of the insurance company. She felt that work done by her son was not reimbursed at a fair rate, and wanted help getting recovery for this. While I did not help her with this, I was successful in identifying significantly more damages than had been originally claimed, which the insurance adjuster subsequently agreed to and paid for. I should have never invested so much time, materials and effort into a project without getting progress payments. In total, we spent two months on the client’s job and have still yet to be paid. I continuously listened to her input on what needed to be changed or redone along the way and subsequently completed the items. My offer of cleaning or touching up any of the aspects of the job that I was a part of still stand to this day. I treated her like my Grandmother, never thinking she would deliberately berate my professionalism, integrity and quality of work to avoid payment. The client and her son are deliberate in their accusations. By not paying for work completed, she is pocketing the insurance money, while still getting the work done. During one of our last conversations, the client had her good friend at the house with her. When the client was out of the room, her friend told me she could not believe the client was treating me the way she was. She stated she was a realtor and had viewed many homes in the area. She thought we were putting up with a lot from the client and the work looked good. She has twice asked me to give her an estimate for painting the interior of her own home. If the quality was so poor, unprofessional and misleading, why is the friend so willing to do business with me? My crew is professional and experienced. They have listened to her accusations and defended me to this woman. One of the crew got so upset with what I had been putting up with, he left the property and refused to ever return to the job site. He statement “I’ll do anything for you, [redacted] but I will not go back to that woman’s house.” I owe this woman nothing. I have already deducted for the only mistake I made, that being the drywall I installed, removed and then reinstalled after the proper inspections. I did not charge her for that work. She owes me for the rest of the work completed. Her accusations are unfounded and that is the total story.

I am rejecting this response because:  [redacted] has falsified many statements in his response to Revdex.com.   He absolutely misrepresented himself by telling me  that he was a licensed contractor.  He said that he would bring me copies of his license as a contractor and other documentation about insurance and Workman Compensation.   At no time was there ever an agreement that [redacted] would be paid amounts that were given as allowances by the insurance company.  He did agree to give me estimates in writing for labor and materials.   I reminded him repeatedly that my insurance company said that in order for me to be reimbursed, I had to document everything.  The insurance company told me that I had to document amounts that I paid for materials, labor and any other expenditures , or I would not receive reimbursement.[redacted] agreed to give me all receipts for purchases of materials and proof that he had paid all his workers.  In addition, I told him that I would want Releases of Liens signed, so that I would have proof that all materials, workers and any other expenditures had been paid in full.  He agreed readily to provide all that I asked for, but made many excuses when I reminded him that we had agreed upon those procedures.  Later, he said that he did not have any receipts, because he does not save them and that he always pays his men in cash.  He gave his word to email me copies of his contractor's license, all of his insurance coverage and Workman Compensation.  He affirmed that he had them all, and would provide them.
In [redacted] response to Revdex.com, he falsely said that he had never been paid or accepted any money from me.  He was given certificates.  In addition, I also gave him cash to make purchases and recorded the amount in my ledger.  When he had finally admitted that he was not a licensed contractor in Franklin County and had applied to become one,  he told me that he could get into trouble for accepting payment from me without having been a licensed contractor.  He had a plan, however.  He wanted to give me back the money I had given him.  When his contractor's license was approved, then I would give it back to him.  I would not agree to that.  I told him that I would not accept any money back that I had given him previously.
[redacted] made a statement about treating me as a grandmother.  In fact, while waiting to talk to men at the  Building and Zoning Commission, [redacted] asked me if I would tell them that he was my grandson.  [redacted] [redacted] advised me that he had provided over 200 pictures to my insurance agent.  I asked him to provide copies for me, so that I could view them.  He never did let me see them or give me copies, even though he agreed to email them to me.  
Others are aware of [redacted] unprofessional behavior.  Professionals have made statements about materials used and quality of workmanship preformed by him and his workers.  I am in the process of organizing evidence,  pictures, statements and other pertinent information to share with Revdex.com. 
Because of the unprofessional manner in which [redacted]  performed work at my house, there have been a substantial delay in getting the home restored and on the market.  Extra expenditures have been made to redo unsatisfactory work and materials.  It is important that he make a proposal to resolve this matter in a fair way.  He has cost me a lot of time and money having to have work redone.  Damage was done to property, because of workers disregard for the property of others and unnecessary carelessness.  Even though [redacted] signed a statement that he would do all work in a workmanlike manner to the complete satisfaction of the owner, he did not abide by the contract.  He permitted his workers to behave so unprofessionally that I received calls from the neighbors on different occasions.  Even the Building and Zoning Commission advised [redacted] and me that a complaint had been filed with the commission.

This letter is in response to the above referenced complaint.  I will respond to each accusation, then summarize at the end of this memo.
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Customer’s Statement of the Problem:
I originally talked to [redacted] in May about this issue. A home that I own was damaged in January, 2014 when the furnace stopped working and water pipes burst. Time became of the essence in order to prevent as much damage as possible.
 
Response-I started the project immediately after the client got me involved.  In fact the mold remediation company was given the task to remove the subfloor in the kitchen and den.  The company spent a day working to get the floor out, were unsuccessful as they stated they did not have the right tools.  At that point I offered to step in and remove the floor in an effort to speed up the process.  I feel I did all I could to expedite this job.
 [redacted] presented himself as a professional licensed contractor who was an expert at restoring homes that had had water damage. 
 
Response-I never presented myself as a licensed contractor.  I stated I had experience and all necessary insurance.
 
His business card described him as a Restoration Consultant and a Realtor.
 
Response-I am a licensed realtor and my business card states I am a Renovation Consultant.
 
He also indicated in his advertising that he owns several businesses.
 
Response-It is true that I own several businesses, including the above Jeffrey Paul Homes LLC, a lawn and landscaping business, in additional to being a licensed realtor.
 
[redacted] agreed to restore my water damaged home.
 
Response-I did agree to restore all damages to the home, as were reimbursed by the insurance company and identified and agreed to by the insurance adjuster.  Together the client and I agreed that she would compensate our company based on the insurance companies allocation of funds for each line item in the claim.
 
Instead he made a practice of covering up inferior materials and work that did not meet specifications.
 
Response – None of the materials used during the restoration was inferior. The complainant has received copies of all receipts showing what was purchased and where it was purchased from and included:
Subfloor was replaced using ¾” tongue in groove OSB, purchased from [redacted]. 
Drywall used was new ½” drywall, purchased from [redacted].
Insulation was new, purchased from [redacted] and met the required R-value and vapor barrier requirements.
Paint used was Behr Premium paint, which is rated the second highest in quality on a 5 point scale.  This paint is second only to Behr Premium Plus paint, and is a higher quality paint than other paint brands and/or types that could have been used including: [redacted], and [redacted], both also sold at [redacted].
 In the master bathroom instead of removing subflooring that had been damaged and replacing it with 3/4" plywood as he had agreed to do, [redacted] left the damaged subflooring in place and covered it up with 1/4" OSB.
Response – I agreed to remove and replace all items the insurance adjuster agreed were damaged and the insurance company reimbursed for.  The adjuster determined the master bath subfloor was not damaged, so did not reimburse the client for it.  I spoke with the adjuster about the floor in this area to try to get it added to the claim in an effort to help the customer, however he let me know that it was not structurally compromised, and therefore would not add it to the insurance claim.  This adjuster is a professional at determining what is or is not to be replaced, so after discussing it with him we did not replace it.
To reiterate, the adjuster had to choose some point in the house to stop replacing the subfloor.  It was at his discretion that this was the transition point between the new subfloor and old subfloor.  He is the water damage expert and has been involved with many more homes that have had water damage than both the client and myself.
Due to the new subfloor being ¾” thick, and the old master bathroom floor being ½” thick, I did install ¼” wafer board in the bathroom area as to bring it up to the same level as the new subfloor.  This material and time was done at no cost to the customer.  I did it as a convenience to her and to the flooring contractor who would be laying the final finished flooring (hardwood or linoleum) as to not have a transition at the area the floors met.
He nailed down the OSB in an entire bathroom with only 5 nails.
Response – I don’t think this is a true statement, but cannot prove or disprove how many nails were used to secure the ¼” flooring.  I did tell the client that I would be happy to come back to fix any issues that she was not satisfied with.  I also told her I would come back and take out the ¼” flooring that I put in as a favor to her and the contractor who would be installing the final flooring.  She stated not to come back, or she would call the police.
[redacted] and his workers have shown a lack of respect for property by damaging furniture and items that were left in the house.
Response – This is not true.  The house was water soaked for a period of time and as a result, a mess when we started the repairs.  My crew was careful to move furniture and/or cover up items that could not be moved, at no charge to the client.  Most of the first floor was a construction zone, and with new subfloor, drywall and sanding, it did get dusty.  We tried our best to respect the property and furnishing within it.
After I gave [redacted] a key to the house, the property was left unsecured with a door actually open for over a day.
Response – I do not believe this is true.  I told the client the patio door needed to be open a few inches while the oil based paint was being applied.  I wanted the paint fumes to dissipate as quickly as possible.  The door was open during the day while workers were on the premises, but was closed and locked when no workers were present.  If the door was left open it was a mistake as door and the locking mechanism on the door were very tricky to close completely.  I presume this was a result of all the moisture in the home.
When workers for [redacted] removed the subflooring in the kitchen/family room area, they did not cover furniture or areas in the basement nor the crawl space.
Response – It is true that the items in the basement were not covered during the repairs to the subfloor.  When the client voiced her disappointment that small pieces of subflooring fell through to the crawl space, I stated multiple times that we would come back to clean it up.  I was told to stay away, as she could file a restraining order against me.
The moist damaged pieces of flooring covered desks, chairs, boxes and items which were below in the basement. The damp subflooring in the basement and especially the crawl space has caused a terrible odor that is permeating throughout the entire house.
Response - Keep in mind that the house had been flooded with water and the damage was not immediately discovered.  And my workers did not move any boxes or furniture in the basement, so those same boxes and furniture pieces were directly under the subfloor that was damaged by water.  I assume the desks, chairs, boxes and other items have an odor from the water that was pouring through the subfloor rather than from a small amount of plywood pieces lying on top of the boxes and furniture.  Again, I told the client that we would come back and clean it up any subfloor that dropped down, but was told a restraining order was being filed. 
I have found [redacted] to be unprofessional and untrustworthy.
Response – Unprofessional?  She is probably right on that point.  The client is an elderly woman whom I treated like my Grandmother.  She took advantage of that situation, spending hours and hours on the phone discussing her concerns, insisting she be present for every minute any of my workers were on site, insisting we could not get started until after 10:00 in the morning because she was not an early riser, granting her favors including doing projects that were not reimbursed by the insurance company.  No exaggeration here.  Also, no professional would have wasted the time and effort without being paid one dollar for the work that was finished.  The client has abused the situation and my respect for the elderly in this situation.
He has made a practice of misleading me and telling me as well as others who have been present at the job site falsehoods.
Response – I did not deliberately mislead the client.  I did make a mistake and admitted that mistake to the client.  That mistake being that I did not realize a permit was needed to replace more than one four by eight sheet of drywall.  I had replaced a total of 6 pieces of drywall and we tried to work this problem out with the best possible outcome.  After I found out about the need for a permit, I removed all drywall necessary for the inspections to occur, then replaced, taped and finished, then repainted those areas.  As a result of my misunderstanding, I had removed all charges for drywall installation and finishing on my invoice to the client.  I will repeat that the client has not paid me one cent for any of the work that has been completed.
As a result of his unethical practices, materials that he installed have had to be taken out and replaced with specified materials that meet Zoning and Building requirements.
Response – Specifically what has needed to be replaced?  I cannot even respond to this statement, as the client has never stated any materials were replaced except the drywall that I pulled, had inspected and then replaced.  Again, I have not been paid one cent for any of the work that has been completed. 
It has taken a lot of time and money to repair the work that [redacted] deliberately did incorrectly.
Response – No work was done deliberately incorrectly.  Early in her project I brought the client to another of my completed remodels to show her the work that we do.  She knew what the quality of work would look like and hired us to work on her house.
Other Responses included:
Throughout the project, the client was insistent on wanting to get more monies out of the insurance company.  She felt that work done by her son was not reimbursed at a fair rate, and wanted help getting recovery for this.  While I did not help her with this, I was successful in identifying significantly more damages than had been originally claimed, which the insurance adjuster subsequently agreed to and paid for.
I should have never invested so much time, materials and effort into a project without getting progress payments.  In total, we spent two months on the client’s job and have still yet to be paid.  I continuously listened to her input on what needed to be changed or redone along the way and subsequently completed the items.  My offer of cleaning or touching up any of the aspects of the job that I was a part of still stand to this day.
I treated her like my Grandmother, never thinking she would deliberately berate my professionalism, integrity and quality of work to avoid payment.  The client and her son are deliberate in their accusations.  By not paying for work completed, she is pocketing the insurance money, while still getting the work done.
During one of our last conversations, the client had her good friend at the house with her.  When the client was out of the room, her friend told me she could not believe the client was treating me the way she was.  She stated she was a realtor and had viewed many homes in the area.  She thought we were putting up with a lot from the client and the work looked good.  She has twice asked me to give her an estimate for painting the interior of her own home.  If the quality was so poor, unprofessional and misleading, why is the friend so willing to do business with me?
My crew is professional and experienced.  They have listened to her accusations and defended me to this woman.  One of the crew got so upset with what I had been putting up with, he left the property and refused to ever return to the job site.  He statement “I’ll do anything for you, [redacted] but I will not go back to that woman’s house.”
I owe this woman nothing.  I have already deducted for the only mistake I made, that being the drywall I installed, removed and then reinstalled after the proper inspections.  I did not charge her for that work.  She owes me for the rest of the work completed.  Her accusations are unfounded and that is the total story.