Aran Construction

The material has since expanded and now is full of large wrinkles. My understanding is that the new flooring material was not stretched properly when it was installed. The floor now needs to be completely redone, about one year after installation. There were other problems, also, but I am not qualified to report on those.

Overall, the experience was terrible. The contractor was extremely unprofessional once questions were raised regarding the quality of work performed. Because the contractor owned the lot on which construction was being performed, the questions raised infuriated the contractor enough to change the locks on the home and remove me from the site until construction was complete and after any problems could be easily remedied. Specifically, I believe Mr. Staab intentionally rushed completion of the project in order to meet a September deadline so he could enjoy a vacation to Spain. As such, much of the detail work in the home is shoddy. Floorboards were neither end-matched nor dovetailed, resulting in gaps between some floor boards as much as 1/4". The flooring ended up extremely wavy because too few nails were used to secure it to the subfloor resulting in height changes of 1/2" to 1" over several feet. There are numerous boards popping up from subfloor. Frequently, the flooring does not meet the walls at all, resulting in larges gaps between the floor and the moldings. Walls are not square at corners. Heating registers blow a good portion of their heat directly into the floorboards because they were installed before the floor and the contractor failed to take the height of the floorboards into account. Several more serious issues also presented themselves. We agreed to use reclaimed/recycled parts throughout the home. This presented a major issue in one window in the MBR. A left/right sliding window was installed in a vertical position (rotated 90 degrees). The opening was cut too large, resulting in drafts (I can see daylight through the sides). Additionally, the window is inoperable. I can open the window but need to go OUTSIDE the home to close it. This is unacceptable. Furthermore, the contractor completely forgot to install gutters on the home, something specifically provided for in the contract. Finally, Mr. Staab refused to correct any of these defects. New home construction in NC provide a one-year home warranty, which covers many of the defects I listed above, and more I excluded for brevity. When I pointed this out, he again refused, then ceased contact. I took Mr. Staab to small claims court for breach of contract and won a settlement for over $4,500. This amount was less than I will need to complete the home, but close to the legal amount I can claim damages for in small claims court. Mr. Staab then had 10 days to appeal or pay. He has done neither and I am currently in the process of having his assets seized. Throughout this process he has been extremely rude, unprofessional, and dishonest. His work was sub-par at best, and his own self-interest trumped any concern for customer satisfaction or professional quality work. If you must engage in business with Mr. Staab, I highly recommend a lawyer during negotiations or purchasing a finished product from him.