Sandstra Construction Ltd

Complaint[redacted] was hired along with [redacted] exactly two years ago by [redacted] to rebuild my roof and renovate my home after extensive water and ice damage.These two men under bid on the contract and constantly held up the project by trying to cheapen it out. [redacted] paid for two coats of paint and only one was applied. Kitchen cabinets wrongly installed with gaps everywhere. Just found out the water softener pipes were hooked up to the cold water instead of the hot water. For two years the air conditioner was left out in the middle of the yard with no protection and I had to go and buy a new one myself when there had been absolutely nothing wrong with it. Damage to a clean air filter system destroyed and was not replaced. Front and back doors dramaged and were not repaired. Front and back yards destroyed. Complaints from my flooring people that [redacted] made it very difficult for them to install the flooring [redacted]. [redacted] He never finishes anything he starts and is always asking for more money but when we ask for a spreadsheet on the work being done he ignores us.Desired SettlementDoors fixed or replaced, second coat of paint so it covers his writing on the walls. [redacted]. Replace clean air filter system. Fix linoleum in the kitchen. [redacted]Business Response In regards to the customer complaint. Sandstra Construction Ltd was subcontracted through [redacted] to assist them in the structural portion of the repairs for [redacted]. 2/3 through the project Sandstra took over the insurer portion of the project. [redacted] quit during the project due to dealings with the client - they felt the negativity and being unable to deal with the clients in a professional manner going forward. Sandstra had a lot of financial interest at that time in the project and it was not in Sandstra's best interest to do the same. Sandstra also worked with the client to do structural repairs to the basement and a portion of the redevelopment which was not covered through insurance.The contract was not underbid. The delays in question were due to waiting for the insurer to approve additional work which was not on the original scope of work not previously approved by the insurer. The client also demanded the insurer and in many cases Sandstra Construction to facilitate work which was not part of any prior formal contract. There were numerous discussions for all parties to get to some agreement on many of these issues. The workmanship which was done on this home was of high quality and integrity. [redacted]. We did many extras for the client which we never billed for. Some of these examples are - new siding on entire house because there were some damaged areas (mainly due from a BBQ ). The siding was no longer available to match so we put all new on. Built custom bedroom closet organizers. Put in upgraded lighting in basement....and there was about 10,000.00 we did not bill for in total. As for specific complaints; The house had one coat of primer and 2 - 3 coats of finish paint throughout - using above quality paints. There was one wall which had a sketch drawn in pencil on it - we did agree to repaint the wall in question. When we did go back to do so the client had stick on wall decorations which would not come off without major damage to wall. Prior to this we had done 2 full walk troughs with the client on the wall finish - this particular wall was not noticed from a reasonable distance away....only up close could you see the faint pencil marks on a pastel colour. Once again this was on only one wall in one bedroom. The exterior walls, ceilings and basement walls have new drywall - all interior walls of home were the existing lath and plaster walls which were repaired to a reasonable finish - there will always be some texture differences on these walls between the patching and the original lath and plaster walls. The Kitchen cabinets were supplied by a subcontractor. The finish product was within industry standards. The existing home has walls which are not square and additional care was made to fit the cabinets in as well as able. There were a few deficiencies which were addressed and completed to customer satisfaction at that time. The client had ordered a fridge which was 4 inches bigger than the original one....there was a size issue but it was dealt with in a professional manner and to my previous knowledge client was satisfied with result. We supported the client on many items which were not part of the insurer's original scope of work - we went to bat for them many times. The water softener was installed as per industry standards according to the plumbing contractor we hired. I inquired with another reputable plumbing firm and they agreed. Once the request was made to change it - we did within a few days with no issues. The air conditioner was unhooked due to the excavation of the exterior for foundation repair. The ac was older and it was recommended to the client it should be replaced. There was an allowance in the contract for Mechanical. The client used up the funds to repair some plumbing items and we let them know this at that time. The new ac was not part of the work order - just an cost allowance - this was on the work order. There was no cover on the existing unit as far as I was aware and the mechanical contractors whom I mentioned this issue to said there would be no damage to unit for being uncovered. The back yard and front yards were partially excavated. We backfilled, brought in screened top soil to top off in the spring. It was all screeded as well as possible for drainage and ready for sod or other landscaping. This was done as per work order and was explained to the client many times. Parging was not part of our work order - I specifically told the client this was not a service we did and they would be responsible. They hired a stucco contractor whom made a huge mess of the yard after Sandstra had had all the final landscaping prep done. It looked quite acceptable once we had done our part. We even fixed where the stucco guy made a mess on our own time. There were a couple of items which were not the responsibility of Sandstra which the client had asked us to support them on, these items were rejected by the insurer and the situation is really out of my hands. The client specifically knew the doors and the clean air filters were damaged by others prior to Sandstra involvement. These are items they will have to discuss further with the insurer. The doors and steps were damaged by the remediation company ([redacted]). Our company spent time resetting the doors properly because we didn't want to put casings on them unless they were hanging properly - at no cost to the client. [redacted]. The flooring supplier and I had no issues which I am aware of. [redacted]. I suggested to the client they should have a new subfloor and that they should add that to the addendums with the insurer. The damage to the floor was in no way our fault. The original 2 contractors on the project (one did the main demolition of the exterior walls and the ceilings and another was the original rebuild contractor whom was fired by client - and rightly so.) the floors were not properly covered by either these two contractors. First thing we did when we started the job is put protection on the floors and took extra care not to damage them further. There was discussions btwn the client and the insurer on the floors being replaced - it had nothing to do with our company [redacted] The windows cleaned, baseboards wiped clean, vacuumed carpets, floors swept and swiffered, the bathrooms cleaned....it was spotless. [redacted]. The work was done in a reasonable time line to full completion. There were some delays due to some mould remediation, electrical addendum and floor prep and installation days. Nothing because of Sandstra lack of effort or organization.The work orders and estimates were clear on the scope, allowances if used and there was an agreed pmt progress sheet for clarity. I did send information on many costs and where we were as to progress on the project. They knew the numbers. It is not our policy to show a full profit / loss statement to the client. We have nothing to hide but it just is not our practice....this was not a cost plus job where that request would have been an acceptable one. We paid [redacted] directly to repair a piece of damaged carpet and the lino in the kitchen...I have the receipt to back that up. I had no issue with doing this. The Lino really was not our repair...but we covered the costs anyway. The client still had an outstanding balance of 4000.00 for the work Sandstra Construction had been in contract with them for. All the work in that contract was completed in good order. I inquired to the client's son and daughter about getting that portion settled one day when we were doing a few touch ups... I was told [redacted], there is no money to pay the outstanding balance and to get it from the insurer. At this point there was still a substantial amount in balance on the books with the insurer - so I didn't make a big deal of it - to keep the entire situation non volatile. The client eventually signed off on the insurer portion of the contract - they were disputing some items the insurer would not cover and which was not part of Sandstra scope of work. It didn't seem like a viable option to go after the outstanding balance [redacted] This being said - Sandstra Construction Ltd. or any of its affiliates or employees, firmly disagree with the complaint by the client. [redacted]. There is no resolution in our opinion possible. [redacted]. The warrantee is on labour for one year and manufacturer has been nullified due to the client not paying their balance in full. [redacted]