Molnar Design

Regarding “Special video pointed at out crews”: We did not mean to make anyone uncomfortable, only to enjoy the long awaited process (it took months from signing to break ground) we thought would bring much joy to our livesWe have cameras in our home for security and monitoringWe did initially move one of those to capture a series of time lapse shotsThe first and only time Brad asked us to remove this, we removed it (December 2016) because he cited the religious beliefs of the Amish subcontractors he was using, even though when we talked to the subcontractors themselves, they gave us permission to leave it up-- Regarding "we would notice it still up in different places": We resumed using the video camera in April (2017) after Brad asked us to leave our house open for his crew but then he and his crew left it unsecured and unattendedThey did this repeatedlyWe generally feel safe in our neighborhood, but would you like to leave your door unlocked for a whole week while your contractors were no-call no-shows? We felt safer with a camera to ward off someone who might be up to no goodIf Brad would have asked us to remove it again, we would have been open to that,, es about when our house would be left open and unattended but only if Brad would address their regular no-call no-show habits, so I wonder if that could have been why Brad never mentioned the camera a second time(Note that the Amish subcontractors were gone long before we got the camera back outAlso, if the project were done in February like it was supposed to be, this also could have been avoided.) -- Regarding micromanagement: This is the first time Brad has mentioned anything about micromanagement being an issue, almost months after the project startedI can only guess what he is referring toWas it when Brad asked me to explain to his subcontractor how to build the stairs? (When I showed the sub the plan drawings, he asked me some questions related to the current building code, so I called the city and researched online to try to help answer the sub’s questions.) Was it when I said I would try to be present at the inspections if I could, but that Brad didn't need to schedule them any differently on my account? (In fact, my presence allowed Brad and his team to skip inspections - which resulted in one seriously annoyed inspector - Brad only showed up at out of rough inspections.) In short, we strongly believe the frequency and level of communication coming from us was appropriateThe project was supposed to be finished in mid-February From that point onward, Brad did not take any of my phone callsHe did initiate phone calls of his own to me over the course of the next MONTHS on a project that was supposed to last months in totalHe DID answer a phone call from my wife (who was barely engaged for the majority of the project) shortly before he stated via a lawyer that he wanted to walk away without returning any of our money-- Regarding the phrase "out of money": This is the first time Brad has mentioned anything about concern over us being "out of money", about months after the conversation in questionBrad has mischaracterized the situationOut of money is not what we said On March 23rd we did write this: "6) When and how are leaks going to be addressed? We want to be sure they are resolved before drywall goes up 7) From a cashflow perspective, we need the siding to be completed before we can pay the drywall drawInsurance was able to turn the roof depreciation recovery in about a week, so I think it would be similar for the remaining siding recovery." Brad's only valid concern should have been if he wanted to complete and be paid for the drywall too soon after the siding went onBrad always wanted to collect checks as soon as possible, so this communication was in support of that goalWhat I also explained to Brad over the phone was that we could write a check for the $5k siding draw upon completion, but then we would need to recover the remaining insurance claim value (about $13k for siding elements) before we would have enough cash on hand to write a check for the drywall drawThe other option idea I offered was that I could put part of the $6.5k drywall draw on a credit card I did charge about $2k worth of windows to a credit card in April the same week I received my annual bonus payout, which I knew in February was coming the first week of April There is no reason this should have been an issue and NO EXCUSE for bringing this non-issue up months AFTER the fact on a month project that is more than months overdue-- Regarding "endangermentexaggerated" We agree some dangers are unavoidable, but the length of time these dangers were left open was unacceptableWe asked Brad in April to remove the trash along with asking what the howas on re-installing the deck and fenceHe provided no explanation but took over months and several more requests before he finally removed the trash-- Regarding the pile of trash, here is a picture: [See Picture of trash pile]Months and months -- Regarding the staircaseWe agree that Brad never addressed the staircaseWe have an email from July 6th where we specifically mentioned it in writing Is Brad accepting fault here when he said, “the stair case was never addressed”? Brad didn’t finish the stairs or make them safe when they sat open and unsafe for months – that’s the problem Regarding "minor leaks": [Picture of collapsed ceiling, leak at door and mold in corner.] There were some MINOR leaks, but there were also MAJOR ones The attached picture shows our master bedroom ceiling collapsed; Brad’s team had only partially completed the roof on a Friday afternoon, so they [improperly] covered it for the weekend prior to a rain/snow stormIf that’s not a MAJOR leak, I'd like to see what isBrad’s insurance adjuster came out to look at the damage, but Brad never completed the repair, though he did do some cleanup and repair workAnother MAJOR leak (picture of mold): Our crawl space was leaking for months while simultaneously being closed off to airflow, causing mold to grow on almost every surface of the floor joists above-- Regarding flashing windows: Brad’s team did not flash the windows the way we specified, and they did not follow the manufacturer guidelinesAgain, there were leaks around several windows and the door, demonstrating that Brad’s installation methods were flawed-- Regarding "questionable funding": Every draw in the contract was paid early – that is, BEFORE it was due per the contract - including $9.5k for framing months before it was completeWe even made an additional payment which was outside the bounds of the contract in order to keep from having any part in delaying the project-- Regarding "Communication is extremely important to us": Really? Let’s clarify hereBrad chose to not set up voicemail on the primary phone he used to communicate about our projectHe didn’t answer any of my phone calls nor did he immediately call me back after I called him starting in March and going through the end of July In fact, in that same time period, Brad called me one time on his own initiative-- Regarding "ample capitol left": The cost of materials alone exceeds the value remaining in the contractWe can’t find contractors that are willing to complete the work without a premium to follow up after BradWe discovered our estimates from the original Revdex.com complaint are quite wrong and we hesitate to guess again, but it appears our cost to finish and fix Brad's mess will be over $45kLess than $15k remained on the contract when Brad decided to walk away from the jobThat leaves us with extra cost of over $30k, not including indirect and consequential loses-- Regarding attempting "to work out a win/win situation": If "work out win/win" in this case means “walk away with your money, not fix the problems we’ve caused, and just leave some materials for you to try to figure things out on your own”, then we agree they have attempted to do thatWe find it ridiculous that they think this could be acceptable.--[Pictures to follow]

We do value and thank you for reaching out to help with this situation,however; this situation is already being handled through our attorneyWe wont be needing mediation through the Revdex.com at this point, but will reach out if things changeThank you, Rafaela Molnar Molnar Design LLC ###-###-####

We have been building for almost 20 years and we have many wonderfulclients. As a standard, we believe that keeping good relationships are veryimportant on many different levels.We understand remodeling in anyone's home can have its ups and downs,especially on longer projects. Trust and...

communication are key ingredients in making everything come together. On this project, unfortunately, there was an immediate compromise with both of those. Almost day one, the client had a special video camera pointed at out crews, it seemed a little strange, so we told him that it made us uncomfortable and we did not approve, but we would notice it still up in different places. The clients would consistently interfere with our work by attempting to micromanage usand our crews. It brought much discord, distrust and confusion to theproject. After all this, the client then told us that they were out of money until he recouped more from an insurance claim. He then installed new windows throughout the rest of his home. We felt extremely uncomfortable in that type of atmosphere.1) we were building an addition, any endangerment to anyone is exaggerated. We had dried-in a two floor addition (ie. hole dug forfoundation, exposed framing, rough electrical, work debris, etc are normalfor any remodeling project ) all phases were inspected and approved by thecity. 2) the piles of trash refereed to were mostly large fence sectionswith other debris. The fencing sections were kept at the owner's requestbecause he wanted us to re-use them. After he changed his mind, we removed all of the debris and the fencing weeks ago. 3) the stair case was never addressed. 4) The leaks were minor and coming in through the house wrap.They would have been alleviated when the siding was installed 5) We installed the windows and door to standard building practices, after this client watched u-tube, he then complained to us about the flashing, weaddressed his way of installation, and flashed the way he wanted. 6) We understand that sometimes things happen, but work cannot continue normallyif funding is questionable and our crews do not feel like they can get their work completed without jumping through hoops and being constantly questioned about their integrity. 7) As a company, communication is extremely important to us. It is untrue that we did not respond to him for3 months. Because of the issues we were having with them, we had to becautious in any reply. We did respond.It is grieving to us that situations like this happen, because all w ewant to do it complete any project knowing that it was done with excellence. This is nearly impossible if the atmosphere is full of distrustand confusion. We do not feel comfortable returning to their project. We know there is ample capitol left in the project and it would be much better for all parties if the client would complete their project as their owngeneral contractor. We have attempted to work out a win/win situation withthem but they seem to be unwilling.thank you,Molnar Design

Regarding “Special video pointed at out crews”: We did not mean to make anyone uncomfortable, only to enjoy the long awaited process (it took 2 months from signing to break ground) we thought would bring much joy to our lives. We have 6 cameras in our home for security and monitoring. We did initially move one of those 6 to capture a series of time lapse shots. The first and only time Brad asked us to remove this, we removed it (December 2016) because he cited the religious beliefs of the Amish subcontractors he was using, even though when we talked to the subcontractors themselves, they gave us permission to leave it up. -- Regarding "we would notice it still up in different places": We resumed using the video camera in April (2017) after Brad asked us to leave our house open for his crew but then he and his crew left it unsecured and unattended. They did this repeatedly. We generally feel safe in our neighborhood, but would you like to leave your door unlocked for a whole week while your contractors were no-call no-shows? We felt safer with a camera to ward off someone who might be up to no good. If Brad would have asked us to remove it again, we would have been open to that,, es about when our house would be left open and unattended but only if Brad would address their regular no-call no-show habits, so I wonder if that could have been why Brad never mentioned the camera a second time. (Note that the Amish subcontractors were gone long before we got the camera back out. Also, if the project were done in February like it was supposed to be, this also could have been avoided.) -- Regarding micromanagement: This is the first time Brad has mentioned anything about micromanagement being an issue, almost 14 months after the project started. I can only guess what he is referring to... Was it when Brad asked me to explain to his subcontractor how to build the stairs? (When I showed the sub the plan drawings, he asked me some questions related to the current building code, so I called the city and researched online to try to help answer the sub’s questions.) Was it when I said I would try to be present at the inspections if I could, but that Brad didn't need to schedule them any differently on my account? (In fact, my presence allowed Brad and his team to skip 4 inspections - which resulted in one seriously annoyed inspector - Brad only showed up at 1 out of 5 rough inspections.)   In short, we strongly believe the frequency and level of communication coming from us was appropriate. The project was supposed to be finished in mid-February.  From that point onward, Brad did not take any of my phone calls. He did initiate 3 phone calls of his own to me over the course of the next 6 MONTHS… on a project that was supposed to last 6 months in total. He DID answer a phone call from my wife (who was barely engaged for the majority of the project) shortly before he stated via a lawyer that he wanted to walk away without returning any of our money. -- Regarding the phrase "out of money": This is the first time Brad has mentioned anything about concern over us being "out of money", about 6 months after the conversation in question. Brad has mischaracterized the situation. Out of money is not what we said.  On March 23rd we did write this:   "6) When and how are leaks going to be addressed? We want to be sure they are resolved before drywall goes up.    7) From a cashflow perspective, we need the siding to be completed before we can pay the drywall draw. Insurance was able to turn the roof depreciation recovery in about a week, so I think it would be similar for the remaining siding recovery."   Brad's only valid concern should have been if he wanted to complete and be paid for the drywall too soon after the siding went on. Brad always wanted to collect checks as soon as possible, so this communication was in support of that goal. What I also explained to Brad over the phone was that we could write a check for the $5k siding draw upon completion, but then we would need to recover the remaining insurance claim value (about $13k for siding elements) before we would have enough cash on hand to write a check for the drywall draw. The other option idea I offered was that I could put part of the $6.5k drywall draw on a credit card.   I did charge about $2k worth of windows to a credit card in April the same week I received my annual bonus payout, which I knew in February was coming the first week of April.   There is no reason this should have been an issue and NO EXCUSE for bringing this non-issue up 6 months AFTER the fact on a 6 month project that is more than 6 months overdue. -- Regarding "endangerment... exaggerated" We agree some dangers are unavoidable, but the length of time these dangers were left open was unacceptable. We asked Brad in April to remove the trash along with asking what the hold-up was on re-installing the deck and fence. He provided no explanation but took over 3 months and several more requests before he finally removed the trash. -- Regarding the pile of trash, here is a picture: [See Picture of trash pile]. Months and months… -- Regarding the staircase... We agree that Brad never addressed the staircase. We have an email from July 6th where we specifically mentioned it in writing.  Is Brad accepting fault here when he said, “the stair case was never addressed”? Brad didn’t finish the stairs or make them safe when they sat open and unsafe for 9 months – that’s the problem…   Regarding "minor leaks": [Picture of collapsed ceiling, leak at door and mold in corner.] There were some MINOR leaks, but there were also MAJOR ones.  The attached picture shows our master bedroom ceiling collapsed; Brad’s team had only partially completed the roof on a Friday afternoon, so they [improperly] covered it for the weekend prior to a rain/snow storm. If that’s not a MAJOR leak, I'd like to see what is. Brad’s insurance adjuster came out to look at the damage, but Brad never completed the repair, though he did do some cleanup and repair work. Another MAJOR leak (picture 2 of mold): Our crawl space was leaking for months while simultaneously being closed off to airflow, causing mold to grow on almost every surface of the floor joists above. -- Regarding flashing windows: Brad’s team did not flash the windows the way we specified, and they did not follow the manufacturer guidelines. Again, there were leaks around several windows and the door, demonstrating that Brad’s installation methods were flawed. -- Regarding "questionable funding": Every draw in the contract was paid early – that is, BEFORE it was due per the contract - including $9.5k for framing months before it was complete. We even made an additional payment which was outside the bounds of the contract in order to keep from having any part in delaying the project. -- Regarding "Communication is extremely important to us": Really? Let’s clarify here. Brad chose to not set up voicemail on the primary phone he used to communicate about our project. He didn’t answer any of my phone calls nor did he immediately call me back after I called him starting in March 2017 and going through the end of July 2017. In fact, in that same time period, Brad called me one time on his own initiative. -- Regarding "ample capitol left": The cost of materials alone exceeds the value remaining in the contract. We can’t find contractors that are willing to complete the work without a premium to follow up after Brad. We discovered our estimates from the original Revdex.com complaint are quite wrong and we hesitate to guess again, but it appears our cost to finish and fix Brad's mess will be over $45k. Less than $15k remained on the contract when Brad decided to walk away from the job. That leaves us with extra cost of over $30k, not including indirect and consequential loses. -- Regarding attempting "to work out a win/win situation": If "work out win/win" in this case means “walk away with your money, not fix the problems we’ve caused, and just leave some materials for you to try to figure things out on your own”, then we agree they have attempted to do that. We find it ridiculous that they think this could be acceptable.--[Pictures to follow]