Extreme Makeover Custom Home Repair Handyman, LLC

Description of Work: Replace our back porch

Description of Work: Bathroom remodeling, gutted and everthing replaced vanity, sink, toilet, shower , tile floor to ceiling, plumbing.

Description of Work: 2nd floor bathroom renovation full renovation

Description of Work: Door installations, window installation, ceiling replacement and plastering, roof overhang built, rotten wood repair on front & rear of house under vinyl siding

Description of Work: John is extremely professional and I would highly recommend him and his work!

Description of Work: Install an lvl beam for a bearing wall

Description of Work: Kitchen remodel

Description of Work: Front entrance way door and bathroom tile

Description of Work: Bathroom Remodle

Description of Work: John removed a damaged ceiling (horsehair plaster and blown-in insulation), reinstalled insulation and ceiling and painted the room and ceiling

Description of Work: I want to start this off by saying I had used john a year ago to renovate a full bathroom. With that said, his helper at the time was there full time and did most of the work. I was reasonably happy with the work minus a few painting touch ups I did and a few fixtures I had to re-secure to the wall as they were done quickly at the end of the job. Fast forward a year. My wife and I purchased a home and left a month overlap before we sold our other home to allow time for work to be done. While most contractors were booked up for 3 or 4 months, John was available, this should have been an early warning. The work being done was replacing wood trim with white (pre-primed), mostly all new interior doors, two new exterior doors, 2.5 bathroom remodels consisting of tile, vanity, and toilets only. Based on the estimate I received from john and others, the work was estimated for 3 weeks…. give or take a few days. On the first day John went to pick up stock and painted some baseboard, he asked for money, so I provided a check for $5k. He complained about this being in check vs. cash, so the next day I proceeded to provide him with $6k cash and asked him for the check back, but he cashed it already without telling me. At this point I had paid almost 50 percent of the job with minimal work started (bad idea). During the first two weeks, all that was accomplished was installing/painting wood trim and installing doors. Since they were progressing so slowly I grabbed my paint bush and helped them paint doors and bi-fold doors to speed things up. I also had to do a 3rd coat of paint on some of the trim since it bled through. What I thought was odd here, is that all the estimates I received said this was 3 to 4 days work of work. I would not have cared so much about the extra time but the doors were poor quality with even more poor installation technique, leading to them not being level/not closing correctly. In addition, the baseboard was not notched in to the baseboard heating I had, and some door jams he installed were bowed. As you can imagine, I was a bit irritated, but to add to that, I got excuses as why they were not done correctly and that the doors (purchased from Home Depot) were a manufactures defect. So the question is why does someone who claims to be a contractor (noted on their work agreement) buy doors from Home Depot and not one of the many local lumber yards that carry quality products? After asking for the trim and doors to be fixed a few times. My farther in-law had to fix the doors. Strike 1! As the work progressed, it was a constant fight about items to fix or work that I had written into the contract he didn’t want to do. For example, the door to my basement and garage were to be replaced. So after having this in the contract, talking about this on day one, he continued to push me to just painting the air leaky doors vs replacing them (with no mention of reducing the price of the contract, but trying to cut corners and save him time). He even primed them hoping I’d cave and them just paint them. I purchased a recessed mirror that was called out in the contract and he refused to put it in. He also continually fought me on which bathrooms were to be painted AND refused to put the new hardware on the interior doors even though he was installing new doors (like really???) After asking to have the trim and these other issues fixed multiple times, it was excuses like “I am thinking how best to fix this”, “I wish you told me sooner” (I didn’t think I need to tell you notch it in?, there is two things you do with base trim and that is notch it or run behind the baseboard endcap) and “Mike I have to pick up stock, I am trying to be fair, I am doing extra things.” What extra things? I was not real demanding unless items were done incorrectly, then I asked they be fixed. Strike 2! At the end of the third week with minimal efforts made, I was asked again for cash, even though I had paid 50% of the job. I was kind and provided $1500 (in cash) but that was met with resistance for MORE and a statement of “I have $4k in stock receipts”). At this point I paid 60 percent of the job, with less than 50 percent done. Fast forward to the next week. I was asked to settle the stock receipts which is odd being only half way done the job. So I was handed just under $4k in receipts, well after carefully and thoroughly going through these (many duplicates like 2 exterior doors when I only needed one, 12 interior doors when he only installed 11, 12 bi-fold doors, when only 11 were getting installed) so the real total was $2800. Is that crazy? After that, he tried to make a joke calling me an “Indian”? I am not sure what that meant. Good thing I told him I needed the night to go through the receipts. Well that night, I get a text asking for $5k cash which would paid him 90 percent of the job when he was just half way through. I responded that I will pay him at the 75 percent milestone (no payment milestones were in the contract), but at this point I felt it was time to put some in place to protect myself. Come the next day when I hand him the $2800 for the receipts (not the $4k asked for) I was asked again for $5k, which I repeated myself again at 75 percent. So what happens that night, another text message for $5k cash by Friday. At this point, I am getting a bad gut feeling since he seemed extremely desperate for cash. Fast forward, we had a snow day on Thursday, which I get it, but NO messages stating he wasn’t going to be there other than his helper mentioned to me he would be plowing. Come Friday, instead of showing up bright and early knowing we are on a dead line, he comes in, has attitude, runs to home depot (essentially all john did every day was 3 trips to home depot). After, being there an hour he tells me he has to leave to roof rake. You are far delayed on my project and you can’t do that before you come or after being here? Strike 3! At this point, I knew this job was going to take 6 weeks or greater. And if I gave him any more cash he would leave me high and dry, so I told him this was not working and asked that he wrap up and go. Instead of asking what he can do to fix and make thing right, guess what he asks me for????? Money, telling me he needs more money, which I replied, “john, I paid you 60 % and you are not there”. Then followed by a jabber of excuses… THE WORST THING…….. I receive a text message that night which was complete gibberish. I kindly replied, “John, I did not feel that job was going in a positive direction. I wish you all the best.” John replies, “I snow blowed your drive way (it was nice of him, he brought over his snowblower and then I used it) and picked up stock (which is why he got so far delayed), but wraps with, “good luck if its anything like the bathroom door you fixed up, I am sure it will look great”. I was shocked at how unprofessional he was. You got kicked off a job, so either try to make it right or walk away. There was no reason to send messages that were rude and made no sense. *** I know he will have a chance to rebuttal this, but that’s what great about having texts and emails… they can’t be erased and can be screen shot! The reason why I took this much time to post this so thoroughly is I don’t want to see anyone get suckered. Go for a licensed contractor, pay a little bit more, but get quality vs. the home depot door job I got. It will be interesting to see what excuses or things he has to say about what I wrote here. He gave me two updates throughout his time at my house with deadlines both were missed by a week. He took stock items I paid for – painting supplies, shims, and the 12th bi-fold door I paid him for that was nowhere to be found. He even took my extension cords. ******* Be warned if you pick John your job will take much longer, need corrections after he leaves, and he will cut corners every step of the way.

Description of Work: I needed to replace a front door. John was very helpful in helping me select the proper size and where to look for the best selection. The old door had to be removed and some work needed to be done on the frame in order to put the new door in. John cleaned up the area and was able to get extra lumber and finish the job in one day.

Description of Work: During the October 29 storm I had water coming in around my vent pipe, chimney and severe leaking coming in from a small balcony in my attic. The water came into the house and down through my plaster bedroom ceiling.

Description of Work: general work

Description of Work: 2 sets of entrance stairs. Front door, side door.

Description of Work: We hired John to install replacement windows in our dining room and install our window AC in the wall.

Description of Work: Two projects: 1. We had a bathroom with leaking toilet that destroyed the subflooring and linoleum in an upstairs bathroom (50 sq ft). 2. We wanted a new doorway installed where there was only wall in between two basement rooms.

Description of Work: We had a complete Kitchen makeover which included the removal of a wall.

Description of Work: Wanted to hire this person to do some tile work for a backsplash and bathroom.

Description of Work: Built a new deck and repaired existing stairs.

Description of Work: Bathroom remodel and painting bedrooms

Description of Work: We had a new Andersen patio door and a new basement window installed. They also repaired some rot and replaced a bunch of cedar siding.

Description of Work: Laundry Room cabinets and counter, bathroom paint and wall repair

Description of Work: Basement walls insulated, framed, and drywalled

Description of Work: I had John Lahey do the spring "handyman" list. Everything on the list was done well and to my satisfaction. My house looks so nice. The bathroom was re-calked, where needed (and it needed it), more soffit vents were added to roof overhang, more insulation in the attic, two marble thresholds that had been installed improperly by a previous contractor were deinstalled and reinstalled correctly. He fixed my safety rail in the bath. He even adjusted my back storm door that wasn't on the list but fixed it so that it now closes properly. He also installed a new shower rod for me. Excellent work and a fair price.