KEITH B HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Prior to signing the contract, the owner and I discussed the terms. During our discussions, Mr. Bloch suggested built in storage boxes. We agreed that white grout would look best with the tiles I purchased. I agrred I to buy the materials and Mr. Bloch agreed purchase the tub. During the demolition phase, the workers left a bucket ring stain on my wooden floors and a huge wet spot on the bed. Mr. Bloch sent the final contract via email late the night before he began the project. He required $2000 in addition to the supplies I had already purchased of $950. The same day the project was started, he yelled to his co-worker's for my benefit, "Where's my money!" I don't know how I was supposed to get the money when I didn't know the amount until late the night before. When he began the installation of the tub tiles, he informed me that he was going to use a dark grout because he already had it on hand. I didn't make a fuss and went with it. When he left that day, I couldn't believe my eyes. The tiles were not spaced evenly, the wall boxes were off square, the tiles were also cut unevenly and were lopsided. The decorative trim tile was not level and the gap between this tile and the tub tiles looked like a wavy line. That evening one of the tiles fell off of the wall. The next day, we discussed it, and I asked him to cover up the boxes with tiles and to straighten up the decorative mosaic strip. He covered the wall boxes and finished the rest of the tile. He did not fix the wavy line and said the grout would cover it. In the end, the finished product is substandard and looks like something I could have done myself. The tiles are not flush, the grout lines are unevenly spaced, there are chips on the edges of some of the tiles, and some are lopsided. Then came the floor. When he carried in the floor tile, I noticed it was the wrong color. When I told him that Home Depot had given him the wrong tiles, he snapped at me, and said," Don't tell me that when I'm carrying a heavy box like that." He did not offer to get the right tile. I decided to accept the floor tile, but it did not match the decorative strip tile I had selected, so I took it back and bought a mosaic that went with the floor tile. After the tile floor was installed, he left grout smears all over the floor and did not put in the heat vent cover. I cleaned it up and noticed that the hole for the vent cover was off center and that one of the tiles was cracked and chipped and stood out about two inches from where the vent cover should go. He agreed to fix it. Afterward, the vanity had superficial scratches on the sink and a blob of a clear liquid that I have not been able to clean off. There was also a nick out of the medicine cabinet and the glass light cover. The two tiles he replaced are not flush with the rest of the tiles on the floor so much that I could almost stub my toe on them. (It is now April and the grout used on the floor and bathtub has started to crumble, and the grout used on the sink is yellowing and crumbling away.) After he left that day, some sort of liquid had dried on the floor, and I couldn't clean it off. When I went to clean the tub, there were scratches on it in two places and a small chip as well as a gritty substance on the floor of the tub. It was abrasive and scratched the tub when I cleaned it off. He replaced the shut-off valve on the toilet without telling me and then charged me for it. If that wasn't bad enough, he left the rusty cap on it, and it sticks out like sore thumb. He did the same with the caps under the sink. Since then, the sink has leaked. I had to wait nearly a week for Mr. Bloch to repair it. That was done today. I hope it works. The water was luke-warm even when I turned it to hottest setting. When I asked if there was anything he could do to make it hotter, Mr. Bloch became irritated because he had to go to his truck to get a tool to adjust it. Mr. Bloch grumbled to his co-workers as he worked, accused me of moving a pipe he left in the basement and, at one point, said I was being difficult. He also left a mess on the basement floor. I was exceedingly patient with the installation and conceded on many of the details. I simply asked for what I should have received, and at no time did I raise my voice or become irate. Mr. Bloch also bragged about being a professional. and stated that he didn't charge as much as other contractors. I am very disappointed with my bathroom. Mr. Bloch was unprofessional and acted like he was doing me a favor if I asked him to make things right. Mr. Bloch attempted to repair his mistakes, but in doing so, he made things worse in the long run. He said he guarantees his work for a year, and I'm hoping that he will keep his word, but it seems that when one repair is made he damages something else, and I believe it will be counter-productive to ask him to correct his poor quality and deficient work. I would NOT recommend Keith B. Home Improvements to anyone!!!

I had contacted him for an estimate and given that I am not home often arranged that he would stop by and look at the deck and give me an estimate over the phone. He didn't call me back, but once I brought this to his attention on a day I was home, he came by almost immediately and gave me an estimate on the spot. I arranged to have the work done during the next three weeks given I would be gone for that period of time. When I returned, I was happily met with a very nicely stained deck and can't even find any of those annoying little drip marks that some of my neighbors have. He offered to do 50% upfront and 50% afterwards. But given that I had a good feeling about the guy and he really seemed to know what he was doing, I was happy to do 100% upfront. He had also done some other jobs in my neighborhood and I will ask him back for any other home improvement projects I have.