US Home Construction, Inc.

To say we had a poor construction experience with USHC would be an understatement If it was not for the experience we have with home construction, remodeling and real estate, and the fact that the most experienced one of us was able to closely monitor/manage the project, we would not have been able to get the project over the finish line Our decision to choose USHC was informed by a number of factors: they appeared to have decent reviews on a couple websites (up to mid-2013, and we believe it was under different ownership/management then); they said all their design/build functions were in-house; we wanted to support a local, small business; their proposal price was very competitive; and, we were constructing a shell (up through drywall, with plumbing and electrical roughed in), having only a plan that needed to be put on paper, and planning to do most of the finish work ourselvesThere were a few problems with this plan:
Problem #- Unprofessionalism was relentless and surreal: NARI, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, has professional standards and expectations of their membership We were aware USHC was NOT a member, but never imagined there would be such a huge departure from observing any standards whatsoever This was evident most in the project prep and housekeeping – lack of tarps, creation and handling of trash or construction debris (rather absence of handling debris by USHC), and poor work habits of their people (top to bottom, front office or back) or their subcontractors Our home and yard were left in a dangerous and toxic condition throughout the project, despite non-extraordinary instructions in our contract As a matter of course, the USHC employees (occasionally subs) behaved unprofessionally, particularly the owner of the company who behaved more like an adolescent child without the self-discipline to prevent the routine melt-down or tantrum Customer-service is not a term any of them have heard before, much less understand None of them apparently knew that they should be respectful of a homeowner’s property and not do such things as throw trash and cigarette butts on the floor or ground, spit on the house floor, lay their hands on the homeowner and push them away, tell the homeowner to leave their own home, show up for appointments and/or be on time for them, come and go without providing notice they were coming or announce they were there when they were not expected to be there To say they thought they owned the place would not be accurate as it would be hard to imagine treating one’s own property in such a manner The crown jewel was when a worker (who was the owner’s relative) engaged in an incomprehensible tirade directed at us spiced with 4-letter words (which we could distinguish) and hand gestures, stomping in and out of the house Why would this be unacceptable when the owner himself routinely became angry and behaved in a similar manner … he apparently sets the tone and example for his employees and businessProblem #- Poor execution (workmanship & management) and lack of construction/industry knowledge was counter-productive and dangerous: Early in the project we were informed an individual would be our project manager He may have only been at the house once or twice in any capacity during the entire project, much less as a project manager The result was that we were forced to deal with the owner who did not have the experience, knowledge, or innate ability to perform the functions required to be effective at project management Conversations on what we could and couldn’t do with regard to permits and construction revealed a fundamental lack of knowledge and resulted in prolonging the planning and execution of the project and wasted time and materials Our project was completed mostly with the use of unskilled or day laborers who got on-the-job training for tasks that required some skill or practice, or by mediocre subcontractors on weekends because most of the subs had full-time, day jobs elsewhere There was little focus or concern for craftsmanship or appearance This resulted in a number of tasks or projects needing to be re-done, either by us or the person responsible, and if not possible, us deciding to just handle it after USHC left The foundation cement work was particularly bad, resulting in an aesthetically disastrous finish and profound leaking issues in the basement An unskilled worker commenced “repair” work under the direction of USHC’s owner which was not in accordance with the fix that we agreed upon The substandard repair was performed by an untrained worker and was sloppily executed with inappropriate materials and likely would not even have been a temporary fix We instructed him to stop to prevent taking more effective, permanent repairs off the table and to prevent further waste of time and suppliesOur recommended fix was begrudgingly executed and we appear not to have an issue at this time Another contract item, also performed by an untrained/unskilled laborer, was simple but performed so badly that after attempts and no functional improvement, we took a credit on the final paymentProblem #- Business practices were unethical and probably illegal: Licensed contractors must comply with state regulatory requirements to maintain good standing They are prohibited from or misleading advertising; not providing supervision to helpers and laborers; and are meant to come to mutual, written agreement in advance of changes to the scope of work USHC violated each of these principles consistently and to varying degreesA major selling point was that they advertised and represented to us that all project activities were available in-house, but they were not In fact, nearly all work was performed by subcontractors (and day laborers) and their full-time employees on our project were few They represented they were Revdex.com-accredited and while working on our project, they were not Most helpers/laborers were not supervised by a knowledgeable individual if at all (but often one of us stepped in) Nearly all of the subs complained about the way they were dealt with, being misinformed about the scope of work, presumably to get agreement to perform their part of the project at a low price, and being concerned or threatened that they would not be paid by USHC if they didn’t do as they “agreed.” For this reason, we made sure to procure waivers/releases against liens at final payment from each one of them (Later, we learned that indeed several contractors were never paid by them.) We had several disagreements about an undiscussed, much less authorized, item added on a change order Further, subs and laborers helped themselves to whatever they needed, such as tools or supplies owned by us, often not returning them When we requested the missing items be returned, all of them were not, and we received leftover materials in exchangeOur USHC project experience was about as unbelievable as it could have been short of the contractor taking the money and running, though we thought that might have happened about a month before project "completion." The project started off with little items/issues that were unsatisfactory and eventually escalated to the point where for the last three-quarters of the project, the interactions became contentious Everything was a struggle to get things done or done correctly When work had to be done, re-done and then re-done again, and when project management was incompetent, and when people only worked on weekends, and when workers were untrained, unskilled and unsupervised, one gets a month project that takes months, completed only by virtue of active involvement and management by on-site homeowners knowledgeable enough to intercept issues before they became a series of irreversible and unacceptable deviations and compromises The project ended much as it proceeded, with no flashes of competence or strong surge to the finish line We were left with a final punch-list that could not be completed in workmanlike manner, so we took a credit, got our waivers, and ended up with more projects to complete after they left As a note, we had to fight for this resolution after rejecting an offer not to write any negative reviews about them – an apparent acknowledgement of a poor performance As evidenced here, we declined the offer and are sharing our substandard experience

Great experience with US Home Construction They did a great job remodeling our master and hallway bathroom We will definitely rehire them for a future projects

To say we had a poor construction experience with USHC would be an understatement. If it was not for the experience we have with home construction, remodeling and real estate, and the fact that the most experienced one of us was able to closely monitor/manage the project, we would not have been able to get the project over the finish line. Our decision to choose USHC was informed by a number of factors: they appeared to have decent reviews on a couple websites (up to mid-2013, and we believe it was under different ownership/management then); they said all their design/build functions were in-house; we wanted to support a local, small business; their proposal price was very competitive; and, we were constructing a shell (up through drywall, with plumbing and electrical roughed in), having only a plan that needed to be put on paper, and planning to do most of the finish work ourselves. There were a few problems with this plan:
Problem #1 - Unprofessionalism was relentless and surreal: NARI, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, has professional standards and expectations of their membership. We were aware USHC was NOT a member, but never imagined there would be such a huge departure from observing any standards whatsoever. This was evident most in the project prep and housekeeping – lack of tarps, creation and handling of trash or construction debris (rather absence of handling debris by USHC), and poor work habits of their people (top to bottom, front office or back) or their subcontractors. Our home and yard were left in a dangerous and toxic condition throughout the project, despite non-extraordinary instructions in our contract. As a matter of course, the USHC employees (occasionally subs) behaved unprofessionally, particularly the owner of the company who behaved more like an adolescent child without the self-discipline to prevent the routine melt-down or tantrum. Customer-service is not a term any of them have heard before, much less understand. None of them apparently knew that they should be respectful of a homeowner’s property and not do such things as throw trash and cigarette butts on the floor or ground, spit on the house floor, lay their hands on the homeowner and push them away, tell the homeowner to leave their own home, show up for appointments and/or be on time for them, come and go without providing notice they were coming or announce they were there when they were not expected to be there. To say they thought they owned the place would not be accurate as it would be hard to imagine treating one’s own property in such a manner. The crown jewel was when a worker (who was the owner’s relative) engaged in an incomprehensible tirade directed at us spiced with 4-letter words (which we could distinguish) and hand gestures, stomping in and out of the house. Why would this be unacceptable when the owner himself routinely became angry and behaved in a similar manner … he apparently sets the tone and example for his employees and business.
Problem #2 - Poor execution (workmanship & management) and lack of construction/industry knowledge was counter-productive and dangerous: Early in the project we were informed an individual would be our project manager. He may have only been at the house once or twice in any capacity during the entire project, much less as a project manager. The result was that we were forced to deal with the owner who did not have the experience, knowledge, or innate ability to perform the functions required to be effective at project management. Conversations on what we could and couldn’t do with regard to permits and construction revealed a fundamental lack of knowledge and resulted in prolonging the planning and execution of the project and wasted time and materials. Our project was completed mostly with the use of unskilled or day laborers who got on-the-job training for tasks that required some skill or practice, or by mediocre subcontractors on weekends because most of the subs had full-time, day jobs elsewhere. There was little focus or concern for craftsmanship or appearance. This resulted in a number of tasks or projects needing to be re-done, either by us or the person responsible, and if not possible, us deciding to just handle it after USHC left. The foundation cement work was particularly bad, resulting in an aesthetically disastrous finish and profound leaking issues in the basement. An unskilled worker commenced “repair” work under the direction of USHC’s owner which was not in accordance with the fix that we agreed upon. The substandard repair was performed by an untrained worker and was sloppily executed with inappropriate materials and likely would not even have been a temporary fix. We instructed him to stop to prevent taking more effective, permanent repairs off the table and to prevent further waste of time and supplies. Our recommended fix was begrudgingly executed and we appear not to have an issue at this time. Another contract item, also performed by an untrained/unskilled laborer, was simple but performed so badly that after 3 attempts and no functional improvement, we took a credit on the final payment.
Problem #3 - Business practices were unethical and probably illegal: Licensed contractors must comply with state regulatory requirements to maintain good standing. They are prohibited from false or misleading advertising; not providing supervision to helpers and laborers; and are meant to come to mutual, written agreement in advance of changes to the scope of work. USHC violated each of these principles consistently and to varying degrees. A major selling point was that they advertised and represented to us that all project activities were available in-house, but they were not. In fact, nearly all work was performed by subcontractors (and day laborers) and their full-time employees on our project were few. They represented they were Revdex.com-accredited and while working on our project, they were not. Most helpers/laborers were not supervised by a knowledgeable individual if at all (but often one of us stepped in). Nearly all of the subs complained about the way they were dealt with, being misinformed about the scope of work, presumably to get agreement to perform their part of the project at a low price, and being concerned or threatened that they would not be paid by USHC if they didn’t do as they “agreed.” For this reason, we made sure to procure waivers/releases against liens at final payment from each one of them. (Later, we learned that indeed several contractors were never paid by them.) We had several disagreements about an undiscussed, much less authorized, item added on a change order. Further, subs and laborers helped themselves to whatever they needed, such as tools or supplies owned by us, often not returning them. When we requested the missing items be returned, all of them were not, and we received leftover materials in exchange.
Our USHC project experience was about as unbelievable as it could have been short of the contractor taking the money and running, though we thought that might have happened about a month before project "completion." The project started off with little items/issues that were unsatisfactory and eventually escalated to the point where for the last three-quarters of the project, the interactions became contentious. Everything was a struggle to get things done or done correctly. When work had to be done, re-done and then re-done again, and when project management was incompetent, and when people only worked on weekends, and when workers were untrained, unskilled and unsupervised, one gets a 3 month project that takes 8 months, completed only by virtue of active involvement and management by on-site homeowners knowledgeable enough to intercept issues before they became a series of irreversible and unacceptable deviations and compromises. The project ended much as it proceeded, with no flashes of competence or strong surge to the finish line. We were left with a final punch-list that could not be completed in workmanlike manner, so we took a credit, got our waivers, and ended up with more projects to complete after they left. As a note, we had to fight for this resolution after rejecting an offer not to write any negative reviews about them – an apparent acknowledgement of a poor performance. As evidenced here, we declined the offer and are sharing our substandard experience.

Great experience with US Home Construction. They did a great job remodeling our master and hallway bathroom. We will definitely rehire them for a future projects.