Mr. Tool Belt

My experience with Matt W and Mr. Tool Belt, LLC was HORRIBLE. My daughter and I set out on an adventure to buy a duplex outside of downtown Columbus to do a full renovation. I purchased one from an investor that had not been lived in for several years and hired Matt to renovate the property. Before the actual purchase I had Matt go through and determine if the funds I had available would cover the renovation costs. I was assured that my available funds would cover the repairs barring any unexpected cost that come up during the renovation. I was also told that he would easily be done by February 1, 2019 (purchased on October 15, 2018).
What actually occurred is I found myself doing most of the work since Matt would only send over one person, which happened to be his slowest, most out of shape employee. Most of the time there would be only one person 3 to 4 times a week and when I gave push back another would appear for a couple of days. Mid-January came and I realized there was no way the property was going to be done even though he kept on with his lie that it was. I informed him I wanted all the focus to be on my daughter’s unit because she had to move in February 1st. February 1st was the first day that there was running water in her unit.
Matt would not come out to the property much so his workers could (and did) do what they wanted with no direction. Overall, the work that was done had some glimmers of great work, but the poor work overshadowed them. After one employee brought his wife through then questioned me on my security system and another was caught on camera going through the cupboards and eating food it was time for me to have a strong conversation with Matt.
Ultimately, I ended up asking Matt to stop his people from coming to my home on March 20, 2019 and told him we needed to talk. He has yet to respond to any of my calls, texts or letters because he is a coward. In my opinion he is the most unorganized, unprofessional, contractor and should find another line of work.
I did finish mine and my daughter’s home in October 2019 and am very thankful for those sub-contractors that Matt did not pay and were patient with me in getting them paid. *** all were amazing, and I recommend them highly! I personally was forced to do drywall, mudding, window repair/replacement, outlet/switch installation, lighting installation, trim installation, painting, appliance installation, shelving, caulking, duct work, and exterior repairs (leaks, woodwork, painting) and much, much more because Matt had taken the funds and left me with no other option.
Here are some items that I experienced with Matt and his employees:
My home is in a transitioning neighborhood and is still primarily bad. On multiple occasions the security system was shut off and never turned back on when the workers would leave. Disgruntled by the cameras placed in the home, the worker would disconnect or put something in front of them upon arrival and would not reconnect them when they left. On five separate occasions, my daughter or I arrived at the home mid-day to see who was working since the security system was turned off. No one was at the home and so we would set the security system before we left. On each one of those days the security system was not turned back off indicating that the worker(s) did not return and left the property unsecured. On another occasion one of the sensors had become detached and set off the alarm. Because the cameras were unplugged, we were not able to see if there was an intruder, so Columbus Police was dispatched. It turned out to be a false call and the city charged me $100 for having the police sent to my property. I was able to work with the city in getting this charge reversed but this all could have been avoided if the worker would not have disconnected/covered the cameras.
Windows were taken out of the casing so glass panes could be replaced. These windows have been in their casings for 100 years and have multiple layers of paint. The trim pieces were damaged, and I had to replace all the trims and spent hours sanding down the 100 years of paint layers. All of this could’ve been avoided by using a six-foot ladder outside that was at the property since the day I purchased it. When I asked why they didn’t use the ladder, the worker’s response was that he didn’t think of that.
Garbage was left lying around even though garbage cans were readily available. Pop was sprayed all over a wall and cabinet and not cleaned up.
Mud was shot up on the house because one of the workers thought the best way to get out of the mud was to spin their tires really fast till their truck grabbed solid ground. This was left and not cleaned.
Black handprints were all over freshly painted white trim that I painted and needed to be repainted because the prints would not wash off.
Floor leveling was done so poorly that soft spots, humps, seam splitting, and popping are still issues I must live with. There are several places were pieces were not installed up to the door jams and the transitions I had to install myself.
The minimal nail holes that were filled were so sloppily done that it took a long time to smooth them out so the trim could be painted.
Because of no accountability or supervision from Matt, workers would show up later in the morning, take long lunches and if they came back, would leave early regularly.
Matt would lie to me by telling me the sub-contractor was the reason things were not getting done. When I called the subs, one informed me that Matt did not get back with them and thought he went with another company. The other was not getting paid and did not want to invest any more time until he saw some more stability with the finances. Lastly, *** felt so bad for me that he continued and trusted I would get him paid, which I did.
For me to get an accounting of what Matt had done with the $50,000+ he received, I had to hire lawyer and it took him 5 months to provide it. Inflated workers hours, fabricated expenses and false claims were throughout what I finally received from him.

We work with Mr Tool Belt every month and have for a long time now. He always does great work and is a joy to work with!