Aproserv

Everything started well. Steve responded quickly, gave me a quick estimate via email, and then came for a final walkthrough before starting the project. He estimated $225 for labor, which he said would be a full day of work, and $50 for supplies. He told me that if I wanted to do some of the prep and help out, it would reduce the labor time. I had some misgivings about his course of action, but when he told me it was the "best course of action" I went with it. We agreed that he would level the floor with a self-leveling compound. Steve dropped off supplies, which turned out to be over $180 instead of the quoted $50. He added on another $40 for picking up the supplies which 1) should have been included in the estimate/labor, and 2) is an absurd price for roughly 40 miles. The floor needed to be prepped by pounding in raised nails, and priming. I spent over an hour doing that the night before (in the dark no less). It turns out we needed more primer, so that tacked on another $24. Steve arrived promptly the following morning, but when he re-read the directions for the self-leveling compound numerous times, I knew I should be worried. I helped as I could for the next three hours while he mixed, poured, and (over) spread the compound. When he finished in far less than half a day, I asked about a discount for the work I had done myself. He told me that he had under-quoted for his time anyway. I did get him to help repair a loose bit of siding for another half an hour, but he basically did half a day's work (slightly more if you count picking up supplies), got ME to do some of his work, and then refused to give any discount at all. Before he left, I could tell that the floor wasn't quite even, but I was still trying to convince myself that it would be fine. The next day when I walked in, it was bad. I could feel the hills and valleys as I walked around the room. When I contacted Steve, he said he would come back and fix it for the cost of more materials, but I was hesitant. It was clear that he had improperly installed the first set of materials (which are about $40 a bag) and I didn't want to throw more money away and still not have an even floor. Steve basically suggested that I was being too cheap to finish the floor "properly." I'm not sure what world he lives in, but if you quote someone $275, charge them $475, refuse to give a discount for work you didn't even have to do, and then expect them to pay another $100 or $150 more to cover the cost of your mistakes, that's just not acceptable. Steve claims he's "the best in the business" and has never had an unhappy customer, but not only did he screw up my floor, he treated me poorly in the process. I don't care how talented you may be, if you're too arrogant to admit that you made a mistake, you're not a good handyman. He overcharged me for a project he didn't know how to do properly and then refused to fix HIS MISTAKES at HIS EXPENSE. He's got a really unhappy customer now. For the record, from the contractors I hired to fix his mistakes, the plywood floor should have been screwed down (now it squeaks when you walk on it), the self-leveling compound was overworked (not allowing it to actually self level and leaving patches with gouges), the compound was applied too heavily in some spots leading to a lot of cracking (which could eventually break up under the floor). In addition, it was like walking over hilly terrain. It was less even than when he started. I'm sad that I basically threw away money that could have been used to help furnish our new home, but at the least I hope I can save someone else from doing the same.

THIS COMPANY IS RUN BY ONE PERSON AND HIRES HELPERS WHEN NECESSARY. HE DID A GOOD JOB AND DEFINITELY CARED ABOUT HIS WORK. I ORIGINALLY ASKED HIM TO CLEAN OUR GUTTERS AND REALIZED THAT HE WAS CAPABLE AND WILLING TO DO MANY THINGS TO IMPROVE OUR GUTTERS. HE COMPLETED EXTRA TASKS FOR US AND WAS VERY HONEST TO DEAL WITH. HE IS BUDGET-CONSCIOUS AND DID NOT CHARGE US ANY EXTRA FOR VERY SMALL REPAIRS. WE ARE CONSIDERING HIM FOR A PAINTING JOB. MY ONLY COMPLAINT IS THAT HE WAS A HALF AN HOUR LATE FOR THE JOB WITHOUT A PHONE CALL. CONSIDERING WE ORIGINALLY WERE HIRING ANOTHER COMPANY THAT NEVER SHOWED UP, I WAS WILLING TO OVERLOOK IT. GREAT FIT FOR SINGLE AND DOUBLE FAMILY HOMES ON A BUDGET. $50/HR