Preston's Builders Inc

Our experience with Preston's Builders could not be more different from the previous review. Preston and his crew were complete professionals on all our jobs. The subcontractors he recommended were excellent as well. Everyone showed up when they said they would and never caused a delays in the progress of the work. He communicated with us on every aspect of the job. Best of all, the quality of his work was outstanding. We have an unusually shaped kitchen with a couple of tricky places. Scotty and Preston were able to install our pricey cabinets so perfectly that they appear absolutely seamless and beautiful. We ended up with an exceptionally beautiful custom kitchen that we know will add value to our home. Preston's Builders's work far exceeded our expectations on many levels for the kitchen and the remodeled bathrooms. We have other projects planned for our home and Preston's Builders will certainly be our choice for them.

Quick Facts - I was forced to file a 30 page Work Abandonment (for taking funds for work not completed) and Poor Craftsmanship complaint against Preston's Builders with St. John's County Contractor Licensing Board of Florida which was reviewed and accepted in it's entirety in his Permanent File. It includes all of my quoted and paid in full contracts, cashed checks to Preston's and extensive pictures of his poor work and damages done. Subsequent to that filing Preston's Builders attempted to intimidate me from taking my story public or filing a lawsuit by pretending to be a Lawyer in email exchanges. That is a Third Degree Felony in Florida; he failed to provide an actual attorney resulting in my filing a UPL (Unlicensed Practice of Law) complaint with the Florida Bar which is now under investigation and in discussions with St. Johns county. This vendor was one of the worst experiences of my life!! These guys pitch you on the work as two honest, hardworking professionals that are happy to be doing what they love in such a bad economy for any carpentry/construction. Nothing could be further from the truth. From the outset of the Bookcases construction they told that "they were making twice what they were three years ago and what a deal we were getting" in the most bitter terms and even though we were paying every penny they quoted for the work. We asked for some minor trim modifications on the first day and the owner Preston Bartlett lost all composure, the first of three times and reacted violently as if we asked him to now build a kitchen cabinet instead of a bookcase. We agreed to pay a $200 upcharge to have a simple lip attached to the front of the units and were very concerned about how the rest of the project would go...I wish I had just paid for the lumber and stopped there. We wanted the units to be black to match the rest of our custom interior from the start; they failed to inform us they had not painted anything black in 20 years. They also painted the units outside our house under a half open party tent; I live 1 block from the beach with heavy winds, the results were to be expected and I am happy to share the pictures, large splotches of drip and runs along with inconsistent color. When we informed them they were unacceptable they told we had signed off on the color and they wanted an additional $400 to paint them again. We refused and Preston again lost his composure to the point of disturbing our neighbors outside and scaring my wife. I was so shocked by the level of his explosion I agreed to pay him in full for the units if he agreed to return to install them. I regret that decision with every fiber of my being. I then had to pay to have them painted by our professional painter (who had to seal off our garage and paint inside as the units are 10 ft tall & were impossible to move) creating a disaster area for us. In the end Preston did not return for the installation and sent two unlicensed individuals to do the work, which was not nearly sufficient for the units size or weight so my wife and I had to assist at great peril in installing them! The results were horrific, gouges, scratches and cracks all over. They had also puttied several pieces of lumber they damaged in front facing units that were now painfully obvious. They units a nail gun on the trim mentioned above instead of hot glue and liquid nails out of laziness or ignorance resulting in large holes with missing paint. They did not file a fireplace discharge hole right n front of the unit and they did not repair any of the floorboards which they ripped to pieces. Again, pictures available on all. I had to have another craftsman come in to make repairs which at a cost of $400 but they will never be perfect as they were originally power sprayed and matching that finish is impossible. Prestons did not return to complete the Audio Unit either, they left it needing sanding, clear coating and all of the shelf drill holes. They accepted $150 on $450 for the Stairway railing removal but only did 10% based on square footage. I called Preston' s three times to have them come back & complete the work, no calls were returned. I wrote to them with all of the details above and received a very nasty response that essentially said they had completed all teh work satisfactorily based on their thinking which was a Time and Materials contract. Unfortunately, they quoted us completed units at a fixed price but they just felt tey had done enough and that we were indecisive and difficult customers. That after paying them in full for every item before completion and giving them every courtesy available. As stated above St. Johns County has received, reviewed and approved all of my points/facts into Preston's Builders Permannet file and indicated had I paid closer attention to my dates they would have Cited Preston's for Work Abandonment. Subsequent to my complaint Preston attempted to intimidate me from going public with my story by pretending to be a Lawyer. I called the Florida Bar association who informed me that is a Third Degree Felony in Fl; I gave Preston an opportunity to provide an actual Attorney which he did not and the Bar is now investigating him for this offense as well as St. John's County.