Total Construction by Dale Lands LLC

Communication was great. The house is tall and on a hill. We talked to 3 different companies about doing the work. One company chose not to do it because the house is tall and sits on a hill. Of the other two companies, Total Construction had the best estimate and the people were so nice. I'm so glad they came out to do the work. Each day they cleaned up behind themselves and made it easy for my family to live in the home even though the work was being done. Everything looks so nice now. I know some of my neighbors will be using this company now because they loved watching the work & the outcome!! Great Company!!! Highly recommended!!

They never called

Never happened: Mother payed deposit of almost $500 and just over 2 months later, still getting jerked around as to why its not even SCHEDULED yet. Mr Lands is quoted as saying "you're not getting your money back" even though the contract clearly states there is a 15% cancellation fee, "do what you gotta do" is in regards to my mother trying to get her money refunded, and "you're not a priority" is in regards to my mother asking why jobs ordered after her are getting done before hers is even scheduled. Very unprofessional and just good old fashioned robbery in my book. Please look elsewhere. Just an fyi, this place is the same place as Total Home Center on 40/42. Don't know why it's not listed as such....

Not well. Been at least 3 maths for a 3 day job quoted. Took materials we or for. Cashed check for lament and refuse to complete work

Absolutely terrible experience. Had these guys redo my roof a while back, and while they seemed to do a good job, they started a week later than quoted, it took 3 days longer than they quoted, and when they finished, they left close to 20 pounds of nails and debris around my house. I still find felt tacks to this day. After cleaning up the mess myself with zero compensation from them and nothing more than an apology, the roof seemed to be fine for the next couple of years until it started leaking a few months ago. I contacted them via email and phone multiple times, and my wife even called a couple of times. Each time, I was assured that someone would be coming to take a look at my roof, but after weeks of this circus, no one ever showed up, and they stopped responding to my calls and emails. Get your work done elsewhere, by someone, anyone, at least willing to give you the time of day.

This company is NOT a licensed LLC with the Secretary of State's Office nor registered with the BBB as stated. Be very careful.

Here we go again: The vinyl siding is buckling around the entire house. Pieces have literally fallen off of the house ~ there was no storm or wind. Two professional painters have been through my house and both agree NO primer was used on ANY sheetrock prior to "painting." I use that word very loosely. The whole interior, front porch, formerly finished garage and doors were never painted properly. Whomever wrote the review about the painting was very lucky. Flat paint was used in all of my bathrooms. The sheetrock is buckling underneath from the tub/shower water and moisture. You can still see the tape around the top of my kitchen at the ceiling. The moulding used in my house is nowhere near the quality of what was in my old house. I have had to replace the appliances because they were substandard to what was in my home prior to the fire. The stove is dented and some of the dishwasher cycles do not work. No paperwork came with the microwave and it was so large I couldn't fit pots underneath it to cook on the stove. The hardwood floors are buckling on the first floor, have scratches on them. In the downstairs bathroom there was a pretty bad leak and the hardwoods and mouldings are ruined, which Mr. Lands was well aware of. Mold is growing around the pedestal sink and it is starting to fall through the floor. I had a nice hall closet and pantry. Not anymore. Now I have an inside utility room with almost a 12" hole and a dozen wires or more just hanging out. My master bath is a garden tub, but is surrounded by a single, plastic surround. At least 12-14 inches are not covered; hence, walls are getting ruined and flat paint is not helping. Mr. Lands refused to do a walk through or fix any repairs under his warranty because he stated I owed him an additional $80,000. He has had more than 90 days to file a lien and has not done so. So, he refuses to honor his one year warranty. The kitchen linoleum is coming up approximately an inch at the door jam and the wood floors are cracked at every jam. Under the sink the trim was never nailed down properly. One nail. It's coming off. I have never seen such a mess after a construction site in my life. Me and friends have picked up truck loads full off construction garbage, including shingles, rotten wood, glass, thousands of nails, the double sink from my kitchen was on the back porch. Empty food containers, drink containers, thousands of cigarette butts, plastic, you name it and evidence of alcohol and marijuana use on MY property was also discovered and disposed of. Not acceptable. The floor where the fire started is now sinking in spots and you can see it on the ceiling on the garage below. No floors are even. They painted over mold on my front porch and it looks worse than it ever did. The finishing work is disgusting. The gaps are anywhere from 1/4" to 1" in some places. Those who have come through here to see the work to fix what has been destroyed are actually in shock. If my house is not finished properly, it can be condemned as unsafe. Don't be fooled by Mr. Lands' charming personality and just because his son, Patrick Lands, who works for Mr. Lands, is a Raleigh cop, doesn't make him honest. He just unlocked my door one day and let someone in my house while I was upstairs with the flu. The light in my son's closet does not work. Electrical outlets were not placed where I requested. They disconnected the lamppost wiring and garden pond from the house and REFUSED to reconnect it. The stairs were not replaced and creak like they are 100 years old. Wet carpet was on them for two years. Squirrels lived on the steps with nuts for goodness sake, and Mr. Lands refused to replace them. I had better closet shelving in my apartment than in this house. There is no closet shelving in two of the closets. Trees were cut down but stumps were left. Shrubs removed or destroyed were not replaced. There are holes in every bathroom around toilets and sinks and where the washer and dryer hookup is where mice and rodents can easily come into my house. The outside water connection comes off in your hands and is literally coming out of the side of the house. After looking at pictures (which survived) of my original house, I have received estimates ranging anywhere from $85,000 to $120,000 to return this home to a home worth $240,000, including providing the balcony drawn up on the plans which apparently my house can't hold the weight of, as well as metal shelving taken from the garage. There are NO light sockets in the garage. I told him I didn't need as many as I had because I used to run a business from there. Mr. Lands reused items from my home on other clients and charged them full price. He did not pay his subs and sent them after ME to be paid. I guess he is very proud of himself doing this to someone he has known since we were 13 and knowing I am a single mom of an autistic child. If he will do that to me, what do you think he will do for you? Just food for thought. I think you get the gist of what's going on. I would be HAPPY to have someone come through this house and see how bad it really is. I don't want him or his crew to touch ANYTHING in my house to screw it up even more. I want a refund to have the repairs done properly and safely. Thank you for your time.

They did an awesome job...I could not be more pleased! First I'll start by saying that I initially had intentions on hiring them to paint the inside of my house; however, during the process of setting everything up I had storm damage to my roof which caused many leaks so I had to switch gears. They were so helpful - especially when helping me stop current leaks and potential leaks so that I would have minimal damage inside. They also helped me deal with my insurance company and making sure the insurance company did their part. After everything was done I had a new roof and I was still able to paint the inside of my house. They were professional, thorough, prompt, and accommodating to me and my needs. I'm very particular about who comes in my home and I also have 2 cats that I wanted to make sure were safe during the process. With that said, I did my homework and Total Construction was highly recommended to me by a friend who knows how peculiar I can be at times. She has dealt with Dale Lands many times and everything she said about him and more was true. I've always gotten 3-4 estimates anytime I have any repairs/remodel to my house and their prices were very reasonable and they also offered several payment options so that I could find one that was best for me. I will definitely use them again for any home improvements I have in the future.

DO NOT HIRE TOTAL CONSTRUCTION BY DALE LANDS. PERIOD. He will take your money and not even care. I am a single mom and as of today, my six-year-old son (who has autism, and stability is essential in his world) and I have so much work to yet be completed, we still can't really "live" in or call our house a home. As the result of a total loss electrical house fire in July 2011, I hired "Total Construction by Dale Lands" in September 2012 to completely take down and rebuild my home. Things started out great. Mr. Lands was extremely helpful plowing through the "red tape" of the insurance "game" with State Farm not wanting to pay out policy funds I was entitled to. I finally had some peace of mind and was so excited about moving forward. In December, however, everything drastically changed. Mr. Lands became distant. He became involved in another projects. Days went by then weeks and nothing was happening at my house. He assured me not to worry, it would be done by the end of February. I gave my first notice to vacate early from my May 15th lease from Abberly Apartments in White Oak Complex in Garner. It was nowhere near being completed. It was extended another 45 days. Meanwhile, I was paying BOTH my house payment AND rent. My lease expired and he basically "blackmailed me" for the remaining money, refusing to finish. You don't get rich from insurance proceeds, folks. It is to rebuild your home...your life. If he had completed my house on time, I would have had money in the bank and could be moving forward. All of the sudden, he had brand new company trucks with his name and logo on them, a professional website, LLC title, etc. It was like he woke up one morning and said, "I think I'll start an LLC today." EVERY person who has come into this house is absolutely disgusted with the quality of work desired and expected in a 3,500 square foot home. And there have been many. Here are some scary facts: HE DOES NOT PAY HIS SUBS. I had to pay two electric bills to Progress Energy which occurred during the construction phase from the temporary pole. The last time his "people" came, they did nothing but leave a 3'x3' open hole to the outside in my third floor closet. Yes, sheetrock pulled off and wide open. Almost every employee has a public FELONY record, including Mr. Lands. He uses many mixed aliases in the public records of Wake County. With the exception of his son, who is used to do his father's dirty work, I found EVERYONE's record. He had a man working on my job who served time for raping and murdering a girl about 20 years ago. He spread malicious rumors around town that I was "f<<<<<<" (his word, not mind) around with one of his disgusting cons. He also never referred to me as a "client" to others. It came back that he called me "the crazy f****** b****." If he had done his job correctly, I wouldn't have had to get vocal. Being nice got me real far. At least I didn't trash his reputation. If this truth trashes it, so be it. I wouldn't want my worst enemy to go through what my son and I have been through. He is incapable of telling the truth. He will promise you the world to your face and comes across very professional. Don't be fooled. Mr. Lands only cares about money. Personal property has also been stolen. A Bose system, ferns for front porch. I am asking for restitution for $575. This doesn't include personal property removed without my knowledge prior to building. Just a Few Things Wrong Right Now: Water under the house! MOLD? This house was not professionally cleaned prior to him accepting the last payment, which came from my ex-husband. Not me. Although it is MY house. Wires hanging two feet out in my so-called pantry. It's more like a utility closet. All rooms were supposed to have cable-ready outlets. Only two have them. His people have come several times and nothing is accomplished. One phone outlet I found does not work on third floor. I plugged the cord in and no connection. Yard full of glass, trash, nails, plastic, shingles, cigarettes, food and beverage containers, etc. Just doesn't care. Doors have cracks in them. Jet Garden Tub doesn't work in master bedroom. Surround in Tub does not go all the way around. It is made to fit a standard tub. Painted in flat, which you don't do in bathrooms. They are all done in flat. Semi-gloss is the way to go. Light fixtures are put up crooked, missing bulbs and two ceiling fan blades are put on backwards (two different colors). No convenient switches or outlets where I requested. No cable wires behind plates - 4 weeks living here and nothing done. TWC and me NOT happy. Cable drilled hole in my living floor to get us connected - on first floor only. The cheapest carpet and not what I picked out. Carpet coming loose on stairs and they are creaking as well as second floor creaking like a 50-year-old house. I had requested wooden steps with a carpet runner. Kitchen floor has bubbles in it. It has been redone twice already. Mr. Lands talked me into vinyl siding (I had hardy-plank) stating it would be "easier for me to maintain." There is a hole in it and it is bowing and separating terribly. I have since learned that this actually what was best for Mr. Lands' wallet, not me or my house. Vinyl is approximately 2/3 cheaper than hardy. The appliances are for a trailer/apartment and not what I picked out. I actually think they are used. No paperwork with them and they were not installed. I will be returning them to Lowe's. Hardwood floors were done three times and the last time they sanded they covered NOTHING. I have been wiping red dust off of my furniture and everything in this house. Still finding dust. AND breathing it. They still are NOT right. There were termites in this house. They did not spray, treat or inspect the house for termites. He told me "that's not his a problem. I should get a termite person out here." After the hardwood floor was supposedly finished in the downstairs half-bath, water leaked for who knows how long. The floors and moulding are completely ruined and need to be replaced. The garage...a whole other story. Not painted, no moulding. Mess. The master bedroom floor is actually sinking in spots. I used a level and could not believe how bad this room was finished. The outside water for hose attachment has leaked for months. I contacted my water company so I hopefully will not have to the pay the hundreds of dollars of wasted water. My lights flicker on the second floor when my heat pump comes on. Mr. Lands REFUSED to finish my house and deliberately withheld papers for inspections to pass until he received the last crumbs of the insurance claim from the bank (he had already been paid approximately $210,000.00 (according to the bank) leaving me and my son completely homeless for 25 days). I, as the home owner, had to retrieve the permit (pay $60) and jump through very unnecessary hoops just to get a temporary CO. Sheetrock tape shows at the entire ceiling of my kitchen. Was never sanded down and painted. Other areas of the house as well. Absolutely NO pride or attention to detail in his work. There is not ONE room in this house or wall on the outside, complete. I am going to publish this, but there is much, much more to the story. Want to hear more or see pics? Let me know! Latest Update: The last telephone call I received from him on Monday, June 17th, stated he was busy with "the girl I am seeing. She was just diagnosed with breast cancer." Ladies, I am the first to have compassion. However, this girl is very much married. I need my house completed. Let her husband (who obviously thinks she is just using this company for investment or home improvement work) take care of his wife, and please just finish my house. When you record this information on my answering machine and use it as an "excuse" to not finish my house, I have a real problem. I have called at least three times to schedule a walk-through with no call back and no appointment set. Legal Action should be pending. If something doesn't happen soon, it will be. Please share your thoughts. I wouldn't trust this company to cut my grass. Which they claim to do, but they certainly didn't cut my grass for me this year. My ex-husband and his wife and parents came out here and did some yard work for me, as I have my own personal health issues going on now and absolutely do not need this stress and inconvenience. Thank you so much for your time.