Meredith Construction

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear belowPlease allow me to correct misstatements and omissions made by the Contractor in his rebuttal Contractor stated, “Upon the start of the project (which was 23-June-2014) the homeowner took a total of weeks to make selections for bathrooms” .and the cause of this delay was “There was a death in the family which the homeowner’s wife, ***, shared as a priority” ***’s mother died on May 14, 2014, nearly weeks prior to the start of the project Her death did not cause any delays The delays were actually caused by the Contractor’s starting his work days late, ending early and taking long lunches He also hired a plumbing sub-contractor whose participation in the Johnson County Fair (July – 19) left him unavailable to install the shower valve and shower pan in the first bathroom until the week of July 21st None of the tile work could start without completion by the plumbing sub-contractor As a result, the basement bathroom had been under construction for over weeks before any tiling had even commenced The delays were not due to any indecision on our part, the Contractor could not have commenced tiling for a month even if all of the choices had been made prior to the project Contractor stated “While we were demolishing the hall bath a leak developed in the basement shower door area” There are actually leaks .one at bottom-left and another at bottom-right of the shower door The bottom-left leak appears to have been fixed, however the bottom-right leak continues to this day causing paint and drywall damage, mold/mildew growth, damage to wall structure, and health hazards to my family This issue was mentioned to the contractor on multiple occasions, both verbally and in writing, without resolution Contractor stated “The door (shower door in master bath) was 75% complete when the homeowner decided he wanted the door on the opposite side” I was never consulted about on which side I wanted the door to be installed The way the Contractor was installing the door would have required us to step completely into the shower to turn on the water This shower also has a leak in the exact same location (bottom-right) as the basement shower After several attempts by the Contractor to fix this leak by applying more and more silicon, it appears that there is still water leaking around the bottom-right corner The grout has not yet hardened and can still be removed with a fingernail The area is still wet Again, this problem was brought to the Contractor’s attention several times both verbally and in writing Contractor stated, “ homeowner requested more can lights to be installed” I provided to the Contractor a drawing of how I wanted the lights to be laid-out in the kitchen and dining area before he began work The can lights were a part or our agreement He said nothing about there being any additional cost He also did not present me with a written change order to approve and sign The first mention of this alleged additional expense was not until early October Contractor stated, “Of the weeks it took to complete this project, weeks delay were the direct result of the homeowner’s personal issues ..” The Contractor worked an average of only 4-hours/day though out this projectThere were a few days in which he worked more than hours, however the vast majority of workdays were less than hours, and there were many days (or more) on which he simply did not show He acknowledged and admitted that the project was behind and suggested that, if we pre-paid even more of the project, he would be able to hire laborers to cause it to move at a more reasonable pace I paid him an additional $3,on 22-August so he could hire a general laborer to spethe project No additional help appeared until about 8-October and one of them appeared at my door seeking payment as the Contractor had not paid him Contractor stated, “Within hours of starting the job he (homeowner) was not in compliance with the agreement, and was in the construction zone interrupting progress He began instructing my workers to make chorines (changes) on the remodel without my knowledge” This is simply falseI am employed at Eli Lilly and was at work on the date he started Neither the Contractor nor any of his workers were at my home when I arrived Contractor stated, “We agreed that an itemized statement would be provided at the end of the job to settle up any additional add-ons that were approved by the homeowner prior to completion” [redacted] and I never agreed on anything of this nature I agreed to a specific project and relied upon the Contractor to reduce our agreement to writing He produced a crude document which described the work We did not budget for anything above the Contract Price and would have used a different contractor if we had any idea that the Contract was not going to be honored The first mention of work outside the scope of the written agreement was not until mid-October after I approached the contractor about items in the agreement that were not completed (i.eremoval of vanities, shower door and back-splash in hall bath, half-wall, etc ) He replied with something like, “there are some extras I did that you owe me for which will be included in my final bill” I was very clear that I did not agree to any “change orders” Contractor stated, “A complete punch out list was compiled by homeowner It was page per room Each page had approximately to items on it Most items consisted of cleaning issues.” For the last 4-weeks of the project I was leaving a punch out list nearly every week regarding cleaning and/or work [redacted] issues The list he appears to be referencing is from 27-October The issues on my weekly list were primarily work [redacted] concerns, such as: leaking showers, tiling issues in basement and master bath, broken and unstained trim, poor painting, drywall defects, etc Of course there was a fair share of cleaning concerns as well, such as: cleaning grout and residue from showers, clean paint splatters, clean carpet, etc Even after my weekly punch out list that “most items consisted of cleaning issues” the contractor still left drywall dust and debris throughout all of my kitchen cabinets, and all of my bathroom vanities He also left empty paint cans, a pile of scrap tile, used paint brushes/rollers, soiled rags, plumbing parts, and a wooden skid in my garage All of this took me hours of cleaning just to make my bathroom vanities and kitchen cabinets usable Contractor stated, “The homeowner walk with me during punch list walk thru and observed me complete and checked off every item he wanted addressed I completed each and every item with no problem.” “Checked off” was not an indication of satisfaction or completion He wrote on the punch list “meeting with plumber on 10/30” next to the ‘Support shower pan in basement’ on my list The list indicated that there was unfinished work and defects The contractor told me that he and the plumber would be at my house at 4:p.mon 30-October to address this issue because the contractor did know how to fix it Neither the contractor nor the plumber has come to my house Contractor stated, “The homeowner created chaos on the job site” I created no “chaos” I have every right to tell him and his subcontractors when something is wrong and when I don’t like the work [redacted] My biggest complaint since the contractor began my project has been his work [redacted] If he would of taken months to complete the job and did it in a workmanlike manner, I could accept that However, he took nearly months only to leave me with a house that looks like an unskilled general laborer completed it The work looks horrible and is also structurally defective Since he has refused to stand by his contract and has even sued my wife and me for the “extras”, I was forced to hire contractors to inspect his work and give me estimates to complete the work he failed to complete and remediate his defective work The first found several problems which indicate work well below industry standards I expect to have another inspection at my home this week Contractor stated, “He (the homeowner) knew that he could not fight a larger organization because of the amount of resources they have at their disposal” This is non-sense Against my better judgment, I gave him a generous down payment and additional advance payments to allow him to pay his sub-contractors and trade vendors We were bullied into paying the entire balance before the work was completed by his threats to have his sub-contractors file mechanic’s liens if we were not paid immediately (I have later learned than none of his sub-contractors were entitled to file liens as they had not sent us written notice or their working on my home within the statutory period.) The Indiana Legislature attempted to eliminate or at least reduce misconduct by contractors like Meredith Construction in the Indiana Home Improvement Act The Contractor’s failure to provide [redacted] and me with a written contract which sets forth a clear description of the work to be completed, a start date and a completion date and a price is a deceptive act under the statute The Contractor also violated the statute by failing to sign and return the agreement to us before commencing work and by attempting to modify the contract with change orders which were not presented in writing and signed by us before the additional work was commenced He has admitted or at least not denied violating the statute in his responses Rather than attempt to remediate his deceptive acts, he has chosen to file a small claims lawsuit in Johnson County seeking to collect for the change orders which are expressly forbidden by the statute.Regards, [redacted]

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Please allow me to correct misstatements and omissions made by the Contractor in his rebuttal. 
1.       Contractor stated, “Upon the start of the project (which was 23-June-2014) the homeowner took a total of 4 weeks to make selections for 3 bathrooms”….and the cause of this delay was “There was a death in the family which the homeowner’s wife, [redacted], shared as a priority”.   [redacted]’s mother died on May 14, 2014, nearly 6 weeks prior to the start of the project.  Her death did not cause any delays.  The delays were actually caused by the Contractor’s starting his work days late, ending early and taking long lunches.  He also hired a plumbing sub-contractor whose participation in the 2014 Johnson County Fair (July 13 – 19) left him unavailable to install the shower valve and shower pan in the first bathroom until the week of July 21st.  None of the tile work could start without completion by the plumbing sub-contractor.  As a result, the basement bathroom had been under construction for over 4 weeks before any tiling had even commenced.   The delays were not due to any indecision on our part, the Contractor could not have commenced tiling for a month even if all of the choices had been made prior to the project. 
2.       Contractor stated “While we were demolishing the hall bath a leak developed in the basement shower door area”.   There are actually 2 leaks….one at bottom-left and another at bottom-right of the shower door.  The bottom-left leak appears to have been fixed, however the bottom-right leak continues to this day causing paint and drywall damage, mold/mildew growth, damage to wall structure, and health hazards to my family.  This issue was mentioned to the contractor on multiple occasions, both verbally and in writing, without resolution.
3.       Contractor stated “The door (shower door in master bath) was 75% complete when the homeowner decided he wanted the door on the opposite side”.  I was never consulted about on which side I wanted the door to be installed.  The way the Contractor was installing the door would have required us to step completely into the shower to turn on the water.   This shower also has a leak in the exact same location (bottom-right) as the basement shower.  After several attempts by the Contractor to fix this leak by applying more and more silicon, it appears that there is still water leaking around the bottom-right corner.  The grout has not yet hardened and can still be removed with a fingernail.  The area is still wet.  Again, this problem was brought to the Contractor’s attention several times both verbally and in writing.
4.       Contractor stated, “…homeowner requested 6 more can lights to be installed”.  I provided to the Contractor a drawing of how I wanted the lights to be laid-out in the kitchen and dining area before he began work.  The can lights were a part or our agreement.  He said nothing about there being any additional cost.  He also did not present me with a written change order to approve and sign.  The first mention of this alleged additional expense was not until early October. 
5.       Contractor stated, “Of the 19 weeks it took to complete this project, 6 weeks delay were the direct result of the homeowner’s personal issues…..”  The Contractor worked an average of only 4-5 hours/day though out this project. There were a few days in which he worked more than 5 hours, however the vast majority of workdays were less than 5 hours, and there were many days (15 or more) on which he simply did not show.  He acknowledged and admitted that the project was behind and suggested that, if we pre-paid even more of the project, he would be able to hire laborers to cause it to move at a more reasonable pace.  I paid him an additional $3,000 on 22-August so he could hire a general laborer to speed-up the project.  No additional help appeared until about 8-October and one of them appeared at my door seeking payment as the Contractor had not paid him. 
6.       Contractor stated, “Within hours of starting the job he (homeowner) was not in compliance with the agreement, and was in the construction zone interrupting progress.  He began instructing my workers to make chorines (changes) on the remodel without my knowledge”.  This is simply false. I am employed at Eli Lilly and was at work on the date he started.  Neither the Contractor nor any of his workers were at my home when I arrived.  
7.       Contractor stated, “We agreed that an itemized statement would be provided at the end of the job to settle up any additional add-ons that were approved by the homeowner prior to completion”.  [redacted] and I never agreed on anything of this nature.  I agreed to a specific project and relied upon the Contractor to reduce our agreement to writing.  He produced a crude document which described the work.  We did not budget for anything above the Contract Price and would have used a different contractor if we had any idea that the Contract was not going to be honored.  The first mention of work outside the scope of the written agreement was not until mid-October after I approached the contractor about items in the agreement that were not completed (i.e. removal of vanities, shower door and back-splash in hall bath, half-wall, etc…).  He replied with something like, “there are some extras I did that you owe me for which will be included in my final bill”.  I was very clear that I did not agree to any “change orders”.   
8.       Contractor stated, “A complete punch out list was compiled by homeowner.  It was 1 page per room.  Each page had approximately 6 to 8 items on it.  Most items consisted of cleaning issues.”  For the last 4-6 weeks of the project I was leaving a punch out list nearly every week regarding cleaning and/or work[redacted] issues.  The list he appears to be referencing is from 27-October.  The issues on my weekly list were primarily work[redacted] concerns, such as: leaking showers, tiling issues in basement and master bath, broken and unstained trim, poor painting, drywall defects, etc…  Of course there was a fair share of cleaning concerns as well, such as: cleaning grout and residue from showers, clean paint splatters, clean carpet, etc…  Even after my weekly punch out list that “most items consisted of cleaning issues” the contractor still left drywall dust and debris throughout all of my kitchen cabinets, and all 3 of my bathroom vanities.  He also left empty paint cans, a pile of scrap tile, used paint brushes/rollers, soiled rags, plumbing parts, and a wooden skid in my garage.  All of this took me 20 hours of cleaning just to make my bathroom vanities and kitchen cabinets usable. 
9.       Contractor stated, “The homeowner walk with me during punch list walk thru and observed me complete and checked off every item he wanted addressed.  I completed each and every item with no problem.”  “Checked off” was not an indication of satisfaction or completion.  He wrote on the punch list “meeting with plumber on 10/30” next to the ‘Support shower pan in basement’ on my list.  The list indicated that there was unfinished work and defects.  The contractor told me that he and the plumber would be at my house at 4:30 p.m. on 30-October to address this issue because the contractor did know how to fix it.  Neither the contractor nor the plumber has come to my house.
10.   Contractor stated, “The homeowner created chaos on the job site”.  I created no “chaos”.  I have every right to tell him and his subcontractors when something is wrong and when I don’t like the work[redacted].  My biggest complaint since the contractor began my project has been his work[redacted].  If he would of taken 4 months to complete the job and did it in a workmanlike manner, I could accept that.  However, he took nearly 4 months only to leave me with a house that looks like an unskilled general laborer completed it.  The work looks horrible and is also structurally defective.  Since he has refused to stand by his contract and has even sued my wife and me for the “extras”, I was forced to hire contractors to inspect his work and give me estimates to complete the work he failed to complete and remediate his defective work.  The first found several problems which indicate work well below industry standards.  I expect to have another inspection at my home this week.
11.   Contractor stated, “He (the homeowner) knew that he could not fight a larger organization because of the amount of resources they have at their disposal”.  This is non-sense.  Against my better judgment, I gave him a generous down payment and additional advance payments to allow him to pay his sub-contractors and trade vendors.  We were bullied into paying the entire balance before the work was completed by his threats to have his sub-contractors file mechanic’s liens if we were not paid immediately.  (I have later learned than none of his sub-contractors were entitled to file liens as they had not sent us written notice or their working on my home within the statutory period.)   
The Indiana Legislature attempted to eliminate or at least reduce misconduct by contractors like Meredith Construction in the Indiana Home Improvement Act.  The Contractor’s failure to provide [redacted] and me with a written contract which sets forth a clear description of the work to be completed, a start date and a completion date and a price is a deceptive act under the statute.  The Contractor also violated the statute by failing to sign and return the agreement to us before commencing work and by attempting to modify the contract with change orders which were not presented in writing and signed by us before the additional work was commenced.  He has admitted or at least not denied violating the statute in his responses.   Rather than attempt to remediate his deceptive acts, he has chosen to file a small claims lawsuit in Johnson County seeking to collect for the change orders which are expressly forbidden by the statute.Regards,[redacted]