Hartrum Bros.Remodeling LLC

Zach was very prompt with coming to the property to look at the work to be done and after he left I received the estimate in a timely fashion. I hired him to do the work and he arrived at my home to do the work at the appointed time. He painted the ceilings first and then began work on the backsplash. The new countertop I had installed a couple of week earlier (the beginning of 8/2013) was 1/2" short on the back rear side, so, Zach installed 3/8" piece of drywall to make up the difference. No problems there - once drywall was installed he was ready to begin tile work. The tilework was comprised of a decorative piece of listello, a decorative roping piece and then field tile that were in square sheets. As he began work, I noticed that the listello border around the window was not straight - since the cement/adhesive mix hadn't dried, he was able to push the listello/roping in to make the border around the window appear straight. As he continued with the job, I noticed he wasn't using a lot of spacers between tiles and I inquired about that. He said he only used a couple on the heavier pieces to keep them from moving down while drying. (Since all of the tiles were quite heavy, I thought it was odd that he wasn't using more than just a few.) He did his measuring and cutting, etc... and proceeded to complete the backsplash. He didn't snap chalk lines as far as I could tell, but, seemed to be positioning tile "by eye". It didn't look "right" to me at the time, but, I wasn't sure why. I thought it might look "right" after he applied all of the grout the next day. He returned the next day to grout and indicated that he had a hard time getting all of the grout off of the decorative pieces. I pointed out an area where the roping had popped off the wall - he took it off and said it was because the roping was crooked. I quickly ran up to Home Depot to purchase more, which he reinstalled - indicating the grout would hold it in. I also pointed out a knife cut on the new countertop (right side where he had started the backsplash the day before). He indicated he didn't know how it got there - the countertop was only 2 weeks old and it was inspected by several different parties for damage before installed. There wasn't any damage and this was a knife cut. He had been cutting tile on a couple of boxes over my hardwood floor after that. I believe that the cut occurred when cutting tile on the countertop. Before he finished, I had to leave for business appointments. He indicated that he would be done before I returned, so, I gave him payment and left. When I returned he had completed the job. As I looked at the backsplash, it still didn't look "right", but, I wasn't sure why. There were a couple of places that he had missed in wiping off excess grout, so, I quickly got a sponge and cleaned those areas off. Over the next few weeks, I called a couple of very reputable tile contractors to see if they could see anything wrong that I couldn't - they immediately pointed out the problem. The field tile had a slight wave. They asked me if he had snapped a chalk line to make sure that the tiles were installed straight across the drywall and I said no, I didn't see any evidence of a chalk line. But, when they pointed it out to me, I definitely saw the wave - some of the tiles were pushed together so closely there wasn't even a grout line. They also pointed out several chips in the tile (which weren't there where he started - the Home Depot guy and I were very cautious about only selecting field tile that was perfect and without chips). They also ran their hands over the surface of the backsplash and commented that they person who did the work didn't even get all of the grout off - it has a "rough" surface in places. There was also excess grout on the sides of my cabinets and on the window. In addition, he didn't grout or caulk underneath the window sill where the window sill meets the tile. Once I had both guys come in to take a look, I sent Zach at Hartrum a text letting him know I would be sending him an email. (about 4 weeks had passed) I then sent him a detailed email where I explained the situation and his email response was that as far as he was concerned, when he received the check his work was complete and done. He also told me to send him pictures, which I did. He indicated that it shouldn't have taken a month and a half to contact him (it was only 4 weeks from date of check). I told him that I wasn't sure what was wrong and wouldn't to get other opinions before I actually stated my case. I also asked him for the name of his insurance company twice to have the adjuster come look at the countertop, something he will not provide (although he indicated he had insurance when he gave the estimate.) Due to his obvious inexperience with installing backsplashes, I do not want him to continue with this job. The contractors I spoke with indicated that the backsplash field would need to be removed and installed correctly with snap chalk line and spacers. They also indicated that the grouting could have been varied a bit between the listello, rope and tile field to make it more aesthetically pleasing. (which would have prevented all of the small tile pieces he had to cut at the top of the backsplash. Since I will have to purchase new tile materials and have the backsplash reinstalled, I told Zach at Hartrum that I wanted a reimbursement. I haven't heard anything additional from him since I sent emails with pictures and my response. I let him know that I would be posting a review on Angie's List, that I'm contacting the Better Business Bureau, and since I'm a real estate agent I'm advising all other realtors not to use this company or refer them to their clients. A company that doesn't stand behind their work as any professional would should not be referred to others. In addition, if a company states they have business insurance, that information should be provided by certificate of insurance. I didn't request the certificate and I should have, since I'm also in the insurance industry I can call around to different carriers to track the policy down. Again, do NOT use this company or any of the other companies associated with Hartrum Brothers (I believe they have a total of 3). I've also contacted the electrician I used and advised him never to refer this guy again. If anyone would like to see pictures of the poor workmanship, I'd be happy to post them or send them to you.