Gibson's Grading And Construction

On the positive side, David did a good job with the grout work and laying the tiles with a slight incline to divert water away from my house. But on the negative side, David used a different kind of tile from the one we had selected, and did so without getting our prior approval (we would not have given it). We had gone to WNC Tile Center, David Gibson's tile vendor, and brought home 6 or 8 different tile samples. We chose the one we liked and told David. Many of the tiles at WNC Tile Center are very smooth, and since our porch is uncovered, I was worried these would be too slippery. So we intentionally chose a tile that was a little rougher. I called David the day he was installing the tiles (I was at work) and he informed me that WNC Tile Center had sold out of my tiles and so he had gotten a "similar" tile. By this time he had already installed the tiles. While the new tiles were in the same color family as the tile we chose, they were not all that close of a match, and more importantly, they were the smooth type of tile. I told David our concern, but of course by that time it was too late. The tiles look nice, but my pregnant wife has almost fallen on the tiles several times during the rain. It ought to be common sense that if a customer chooses a tile and that sells out, you have to get customer approval before you just pick and install a different tile. Very unprofessional.

Fabulous. David showed up on time to talk about what I hoped I could do as far as widening the parking area at my house. Walked the entire driveway and asked questions and made sure we were on the same page. Did all the clearing etc by himself. Brought equipment in for excavation and stump removal. Hauled all the debris off. His Dad came on the 3rd day to help with the gravel spreading and finishing touches. Both are very personable and professional.

David Gibson is a dishonest contractor who lied to me. More on that below. David finished the work in February and when the next round of heavy rain came in mid-April, it was clear that David's work had not fixed the problem, or even lessened it. There is just as much rain in my basement now as in the past. (See before and after photos.) I exchanged numerous emails with David trying to figure out why the drain hadn't fixed the problem. David stood by his work and proposed alternate explanations: maybe an underground spring or a stormwater drain or a water main. At his suggestion, I called the city, which has a great online map tool for looking up the location of water pipes, stormwater drains, etc. The head of stormwater helped me interpret it over the phone. There are no stormwater drains within 3 blocks of my house, and the water main is below the elevation of my basement and on the opposite side from where water gets in. As far as springs, I live in an old neighborhood near downtown and the map shows no natural sources of water near my house, so that seems unlikely. I was a little put off by how eager David seemed to divert any and all hint of blame away from himself, despite there being no compelling alternative explanations. David proposed that the best solution might be to cut a channel in the floor of my basement to help the water get to the drain, and just let the water come in and go down the drain. When another round of heavy rain came a couple months later, and I was once again sweeping water out of my basement, I contacted David and asked if he would be willing to refund half of my money ($1000). The way I see it, David either installed the drain incorrectly, or misdiagnosed the source of the water and thus sold me the wrong solution. One way or another, I hired him to prevent water from getting in my basement, I paid him $2000, and I still have water getting in my basement. $1000 was roughly the amount of money he had to put in the job, so I was basically asking him to do the job at cost, so that it wouldn't be such a total waste of money for me. David was not willing to refund any money, insisting that he'd done everything right. Instead, he offered me a 25% discount if I would hire him to cut a channel in the basement and do additional sealing. I was not sure I wanted to hire him again and I persisted in my request for him to refund some of my money, but he stood his ground. I was disappointed that David did not take more responsibility for the fact that his drain had not made any difference, but by itself that would not have caused me to give him an F, more like a C. He earned an F by lying to me, then lying to cover his lie, then persisting in his lie despite my providing him with proof that he was lying. It started when I informed David of my intention to post a review on Angie's List. I told him the review would be fair and factual, but that I thought other members should understand the risk that, like me, they will shell out money to fix a problem and the problem may not get fixed. David tried to dissuade me from posting to Angie's List by telling me that, when a client calls a contractor about a job, the contractor can look up the reports that the client has posted about other contractors on Angie's List, and if the contractor sees a negative review about another contractor, they will often not agree to work for the client, fearing a negative review for themselves. I contacted Angie's List customer support and they assured me that is misinformation: a contractor can only see contact info, on request, for reviews written about themselves, not about other contractors. I confronted David with this information and he told me that he had not been talking about his contractor account but about his own consumer account. As every Angie's List member knows, that is also a lie: we cannot see other reviewers' contact info. I confronted David again and sent him the link to the FAQ page that confirms members cannot see other reviewers' contact info. David responded by pasting a report into the body of an email which appeared to include contact info. I searched Angie's List and found the report and discovered that David had modified the company name in the report and had pasted the company's contact info into the report as if it were the reviewer's contact info. I confronted him again, sending him screenshots of the report he had doctored (it was getting laughable at this point) but even in the face of that much proof, he denied he was lying and just played dumb. David Gibson is seriously deficient in moral character. He is a liar. That is a strong claim which I don't take lightly, so below I have included the relevant excerpts from our email exchange. I have also attached a side-by-side screenshot showing how David doctored a report on Angie's List to support his lie. At the time of writing this, there are two other negative reviews about David Gibson on Angie's List. Based on those reviews, one thing I am sure of is that David will reply to this review with a lengthy comment denying wrongdoing. He will probably say I am lying and/or that I was trying to blackmail him with the threat of a negative Angie's List review as a way of trying to get him to give me money back. If the email exchange and the screenshots are not enough to convince you whether it is David or me who is lying, ask yourself how likely it is that 3 different reviewers on Angie's List would for some reason all want to sabotage David's career by telling lies about him. Bottom line: I think David is knowledgeable and plenty of people on Angie's List have had a good experience with him. But if anything about the project goes wrong or there are any disputes, know that you will be dealing with a lying, unethical contractor if you hire David Gibson. EMAIL EXCERPTS ME TO DAVID: (July 14, 2012, 8:58 AM) I will probably post a review on Angie's List but I will be fair and just tell what happened and let others form their own judgement. Other members should understand that there is a risk that they will spend money on a solution that doesn't help. DAVID TO ME: (July 14, 2012, 7:54 PM) It is your right to post your opinion on angies list, but you need to think about a few things first... when you post a bad review other contractors see at as well. and most contractors on angies list if they get a call from a angies list member, they will look and see if they posted a bad review, and most of the time if they see one bad review then the contractors will not take the job. When i get a angies list member i look into if they have posted a review, and if they post a bad review on a contractor then i do not take the job! ME TO DAVID: (July 16, 2012, 1:48 PM) David, I spoke with Angie's List customer support, and they said that the reviewer's name is only shared with the contractor whom the review is about. So a contractor cannot go in and see all of a member's past reviews about other contractors. Also, I posted a bad review in the past about a contractor, so if you were telling the truth, you would have seen that and not taken this job. Which means you're not telling the truth. Up until now, I've trusted everything you've said about how well the work was done, but now that you've lied about Angie's List, I don't know what to believe. DAVID TO ME: (July 16, 2012, 5:04 PM) I did not lie to you at all! Not only am i Angie's list contractor i am a member just like you are, because i use other services in Angie's list just like you! So i can see reviews just like you are anybody else as a consumer, now if i went under my account in business i cannot look at other postings, but under my consumer account, just like your account i can see ratings and comments just like you! so i use that on services i hire out plus when i get a call form a Angie's list member i will look and see if i see them commenting on other contractors in construction.if i get a call from a member, i will go under my consumer account to see what i can find out! if i see somebody that has a history of complaints then i will not work for them. other contractors does the same thing. we do this in order to be careful who we work for because people can use Angie's list to get unfair advantage or be very biased! I really resent the fact plus it is very insulting that you accuse me of lying!! You need to get your facts correct Before you make any accusations!! ME TO DAVID: (July 16, 2012, 6:04 PM) David, The Angie's List FAQ states that "*Members cannot see who submitted other reports. *We share only the member's name and address with the service provider if they request it." (http://support.angieslist.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/188/kw/anonymous/related/1). What you are claiming to do with your consumer account is impossible according to Angie's List....It looks like you are trying to cover a lie with another lie DAVID TO ME: (July 16, 2012, 7:01 PM) I sent you my membership information, here is something here is a member that had a kuchen remodeled, i juts pulled this up from my consumer account juts like yours [Here, David pasted a report from Angie's List into the email , having added the contractor's contact info as it were the reviewer's contact info. The full email is shown in the attached screenshot. I'm close to the character limit so I won't re-post it here] ME TO DAVID: (July 16, 2012, 7:33 PM) Nice try, David. You pulled up a report for Daniel Friday of Noble Carpentry, changed "Noble Construction" in the report to "David VanWyck", and then pasted Daniel Friday's contact info as if he wrote the report when in fact the report was written about him. All I had to do was search Angie's List for the keywords in order to figure out your lie. DAVID TO ME: (July 16, 2012, 7:49 PM) who is noble carpentry? i sent you a copy of what i pulled up on my consumer account. will you get serious!this nonsense you are creating does not help, lets focus on solutions!

I called David to have him give me an estimate on repairing my gravel driveway, which is sloped and approximately 1100 ft. long.David came out that same day and gave me an estimate of $1,400.00 to bring in gravel and road bond and scrape the entire driveway.A week later I called him to schedule the work which he said he could do the following Thursday.David and his Dad showed up on Thursday and did exactly what we had agreed to in a prompt and professional manner.A week later we had a severe thunderstorm and my driveway held up pretty well for the severity of the storm.I am pleased with the work performed and I would recommend him.Ed Carroll46 Jones Rd.Leicester, win

Good excavator however I gave David Gibson an "F" because I found out he overcharged me $600 on the asphalt driveway price. David Gibson said that he had to pay everything so he could have it for taxes. I found out that was a lie. David Gibson gave me a price of $3,100 to have a paving company come in and asphalt my driveway. Something bothered me about this transactions and David Gibson not allowing me to use my credit card for the asphalt, dirt - 3 dump truck loads and straw. I called the paving company and I asked them how much I owed them. The person I was talking to said "I thought you were paying through David Gibson." I just asked again how much I owed them. She said hold on, let me check the computer. She came back and said your paving job is $2,500. I asked this person if there is any way that David Gibson could have misunderstood them and said $3,100. This lady said "No, he has the proposal and the receipt. I paid the paving company $2,500 personally with a check and then called David Gibson to confront him about attempting to steal $600 from me and to fire him. David Gibson to this day will not admit the $600.00 overcharge and blamed it on the paving company. There was no way the paving company was wrong because I saw all of the paperwork but he stuck with his story. David Gibson also hit on me by asking me to sit down and then he told me he developed feelings for me. We were interrupted by relatives stopping by. I didn't need or want a boyfriend I wanted a Professional Contractor which Gibson Grading and Construction. Two jobs were just left undone. David Gibson is a smooth talker. Do not let this fool you. Do not use this company. July 5, 2012 Now I am the one shocked on David Gibson, Gibson Construction and Grading, response. We can settle this with Big Foot Paving's input. David Gibson did not tell me after the asphalt was completed that the price had changed, I called the company since I was uncomfortable with Mr. Gibson's actions and I FOUND OUT that my paving only cost $2,500 from the start and the finish, not $3,100 like David Gibson told me. I am a retired Police Officer of 22 1/2 yrs from Maryland. Please believe that David Gibson is not a trustworthy person professionally and personally. Do as you wish but I sincerely DO NOT recommend the use of this company.

The job is still in progress. So far, we've created a multi-phase plan, beginning with grading and excavation and removal of the old, compacted drainage pipes. Mr. Gibson has successfully completed the grading. Next will be a more specific excavation around the problem area against the foundation, with the likely application of a French-style drain for that area. At that point, we will also remediate the malfunctioning gutter/drainpipes on both sides of the home. If additional remediation is necessary, we may add an interior french-style system with a sump pump. Mr Gibson is willing to take this project phase by phase so we can determine the best combination of solutions will ultimately dry out the basement. Again, I am fully satisfied with work completed thus far, and pending Mr. Gibson's availability and my observation of the basement when the next series of rains have fallen, I will invite him back to tackle the next phase.

Gibson Grading has done road work for our community before with good results. A picture is included to depict the level of skill and attention to detail. The new culvert was installed and stone set in place at both ends.

David is a very thoughtful solutions kind of person. His expertise and desire to create smart and successful solutions are wonderful. David is also very willing to spend time with the customer to ensure the fully understand the problem and solution. He kept us in the loop as he discovered and solved the underlying issues of our water issues in the basement.His pricing was fair and his work ethic impeccable.

David Gibson is straight forward, honest and a hard worker. If he said he would do something he did so in a timely fashion. He is reliable and capable.

David was one of two people I interviewed to handle work on a house I bought on a short sale that I'm rehabbing for my daughter and her family. He handled the entire process professionally and responded quickly and clearly to phone and email messages. He will certainily be the first person I call if and when I need similar help in the future. He provides other construction-related services and I would be more than willing to see how he does with those.

My 500 ft gravel driveway needed to be regraded and repaired. Called Gibson Construction and he promptly called back. I believe he came out the next morning(friday?) to give me an estimate. He came out the following Monday I believe to start work , we had agreed on $1500 for a driveway good as new and I would say I got almost that. Most importantly he did properly fix my drainage issues as the rain recently has shown. A driveway " good as new" has an ascetic of clean lines and a smooth appearance and that I didn't get. All in all though, I am pleased. The price seemed a bit steep for the hours involved but honestly I have no real idea, it certainly seemed fair especially given the short notice. The price went to $1700 because I had him haul some dirt for a new lawn. That was definitely pricey as he did it for $50 a load and I now know The Longest Yard will do it for $35. Honestly it was pretty bad dirt too. I don't think he knew that so I blame myself for not checking first. I must say that I asked him about his pricing and he said most of his jobs were 50/50 materials and labor, which seems an unusual way to price a job, but hey what do I know? I would absolutely use him again if needed but the whole experience simply convinced me I need a tractor not a contractor.

We needed a retaining wall rebuilt below the pool, where small landscape timbers had rotted away below a fence. David offered to come out and take a look - it was very quick, either that day or the next. I appreciated that he offered two different options for the repair - a cheaper fix, and a more expensive/higher quality fix. We opted for the higher quality version, but it was nice to have that less costly option. I got a couple of estimates on this work - the other individual I checked with said it would take three days. David finished the job in one, and we were very pleased with the final result.

I will be taking the to small claims court if the job doesn't get fixed or I get my money back.

He is amazing. They are like wonder people. They are very honest. They gave a great estimate and they are hard working.

David arrived on time and went to work immediately. He installed the boards needed to raise the door so that there was no gap at the top. He had to rework all three doors because they were so out of line and could not be adjusted by simply turning the adjustment screws. He work constantly and consistantly until he had each one level. He showed me with the level that each door was squared and had me try out each door to be sure I was satisfied. He also checked all the doors in the house to make sure they were level and adjusted correctly. David is a very reliable, honest and knowledgeable person. He works on a problem until he gets it fixed. I highly recommend David for any work. His assessment of problems will be accurate, honest and reliable. His bill for repairs is very reasonable and fair. He always goes beyond his work order to make sure other repairs are done. His integrity and honesty make working with him a pleasure.

Do hire this fellow...he is very honest and gives a fair price. I had been quoted similar driveway repairs prices last summer and David Gibson's price was $800 dollars cheaper than that other guy. I have no doubt that David and crew did a much better job. Plus, you know you can trust this man. He knows construction, he knows the area. He gives exactly what he promises and more. We got a bigger, better driveway with lots of gravel. It looks fabulous and it was a very good price. I am very pleased at David's work and will definitely use his company again.

I am pleased to be able to highly recommend Gibson's Grading. I contacted the company for a free estimate to repair a basement leak. David Gibson returned my call promptly and came out to my home to check out the leak. He quickly diagnosed the problem and recommended a french drain. It so happened that the french drain would run underneath our front porch, which we have wanted to replace since we bought our house. David said he could also do the porch and quoted us $2,000 for both projects. I can tell you that it was money well spent. David spent three days on the two projects and his work is top notch. I felt comfortable asking him questions about how to install a flagstone sidewalk as a do-it-yourself project, and he gave me a lot of helpful tips. Our house needs other work done and I plan on calling on David.

I can already tell that the drainage system is working. The whole project went very well and all of the work was very high quality.

David arrived promptly on the day scheduled for work. He had schuled a 3 day completion of project. He arrived early and completed each phase everyday . He competed the project in 3 days(He worked long hours and didnot ever stop for breaks. David went beyond the job description. He cleaned up completely,replanted the shrubbery, bought mulch and spread around the entire area. He repaired all the gutters around the house (they had pulled apart and we didn't know it.) He brought his chainsaw and removed a tree that had fallen on our shrubbery .

David Gibson returned my call and came out the next day to look at what needed to be done. He was willing to look at and discuss different possibilities. The job was done over two days. He was always punctual and professional and kept me informed about the process. He cleaned up as he went along and took pride in his work, his tools and equipment. Even though the weather was cold, he had to kill two poisonous snakes that tried to strike him as he dug the drain. After David's work, the difference in the experience of being in that part of the basement was like night and day. For the first time it felt dry and the dehumidifiers were mostly quiet. He was a pleasure to work with.

David came out and assessed what needed to be done in order to fix the immediate problem of the fallen wall; in addition, he suggested regrading as a solution to carry the water away from the house. Building the new foundation was done by 2 members of David's crew, who were both extremely capable and experienced. The grading was done by David and his father -- again, both very capable and experienced in their work. David has a wonderful attitude and he takes his work very seriously. The work was done in a very timely and professional manner, and the jobsite was actually cleaner at the end of the job than at the beginning!

It went very well and I'm extremely pleased with the results. I got about 5 bids for the job and David's was the lowest. I'm sometimes nervous about taking the lowest bid but after David and I talked over the scope of the project, and what I needed to have done, I felt like he was the right guy to hire. David's crew was headed by Derek, who was very considerate and took the time to explain what the crew was doing and make sure it met my expectations for the job. Scott and Dave were the other two who worked on the house and they were all very nice guys. It took the guys a little over a week to complete the job and the results are excellent. My floors are level and feel very solid. I'm really glad I hired David and I feel like I got a great deal for the money.

The job took longer than David estimated, in part because he originally thought the entire rear deck could just be re-planked, but when he started removing the floor planks, it became apparent that there half the rear deck needed total rebuilding. This and the extra foundation work did make our final price about $1000 higher than the original estimate, but it was well worth having quality work and resolution to the basement moisture issue. The only small complaint is that I'd asked for the decent quality 4x4 treated lumber "waste" to be left behind so that I could rebuild a flowerbed box and only four 3ft pieces were left when a lot more could have been salvaged, which i could have really used for the 5x12x3ft project. Though, I suspect it was just a misunderstanding since David's been really great about working with us for two fair-sized projects so far. I look forward to having him do more work in the future!!

We are very, very pleased not only with the affordability of Gibson Grading and Construction's services but also with the quality of the work and David Gibson's attentiveness, promptness, and flexibility at handling the unavoidable unknowns that tend to come up when working on an older home such as ours. You could not go wrong hiring him!!!

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