WALTER A MILLER CONSTRUCTION

I do NOT recommend Walt Miller and Sons for any construction. Our project was a bathroom addition. My husband and I believed we were hiring “high-end” builders. The first red flag was when we spoke to Walt Junior about our expectations. We wanted an accessible shower with the shower floor at the same level as the bathroom floor. I also asked for a foot bar for shaving my legs. Walt Jr. had never heard of a foot bar. I decided to buy a portable foot rest since I didn’t trust someone installing something when they don’t know what it is. It took weeks for Walt and Co. to start work. They showed up unexpectedly to put in the foundation. I was surprised by the lack of mortar between some of the blocks. We didn’t say anything as to be polite and give them the benefit of the doubt. My husband then added mortar to the gaps. When the framing was done, it became apparent that the shower floor was not at the same level as the bathroom floor. Walt’s son Jake Miller installed the insulation and made an absolute mess. It took three days for my husband and I to clean up the leftover chunks and fibers ftom the fiberglass insulation. We could not “sleep in our bedroom until that was clean. We then put down floor paper and hang burrier tarps (also to contain spackle dust), but they complained that they impeded their performance. Instead, they required us to move all of our clothing and items from our bedroom to a different room. Walt Jr. sent me to pick out bathroom tile from a local supplier. Since I am not a contractor, I was not privy to the costs. However, when I asked if I had selected expensive options, the salesperson assured me that my choices were “very budget friendly”. Walt Jr. obtained the contractor price info and told us that the tiles were all “over budget”. He then suggested we check Floor & Décor, which had the same tiles for half the price. I purchased samples of each tile (shower wall and floor, bathroom floor) and brought them to the job site. Walt Jr. and Co. had the tiles from the planning phase, yet when it was time for installation, they claimed the tiles were too big for the ceiling. They told me we needed to get tiles that were 6x6” or smaller. When my husband and I expressed our disappointment at this, we were told that our only remaining option was to have epoxy paint instead of tile. Months later, when we hired a different contractor to fix Walt’s mess: they used 12”x24” tile with no problem. In addition to the bathroom, we asked to have an air intake duct extended to the second floor. Walt Senior said that rather than adjusting the air intake we needed to install blowers in the duct work. We had trusted that Walt knew what he was doing so we accepted his change order. BIG MISTAKE. The blowers were incredibly loud and sounded like industrial fans from one end of the house to the other. It was impossible to hold a conversation, hear the television, or even attempt to sleep in our bedroom that was above the fans. My husband unplugged the blowers only to notice that Walt’s people cracked our existing duct work while installing them. When we tested the temperature with and without the blowers there was no difference in temperature. Walt Sr. told my husband that he “should have known that the fans would make noise” because he is an engineer, and that they “could remove the fans, but it would be an expensive experiment” on our part. Any reasonable person would have known that those noisy blowers were not an acceptable solution. Any ethical contractor would take accountability for their mistakes without insidiously passing the bill to the customer. Walt Sr. complained that we were “being too picky”. He tried to guilt us, saying that “the crews’ morale was down” because of our feedback. After that, I found myself trying to stroke their ego and compliment them for any little thing they didn’t screw up. Sadly, nothing was done right the first time; A pocket door was hung crooked and unpainted; a strange staple stuck in the wall scratched the door as it was opened and closed; a hole in the dry wall was hidden in the closet. When we told them we found it, they shoddily filled it with spray foam. The light switch allowance was for the cheapest builder grade possible. The bathroom closet only had a single shelf. Walt Miller and Sons squeezed every penny out of us by deceptively selling a “custom bathroom” and then demanding change order upgrades to actually get what we initially asked for. The breaking point came when the town inspectors FAILED the heating exhaust for everything from placement to materials. At this point we were forced to cut our losses. This is our home, NOT Walt’s experiment. Walt Sr. argued that we didn’t give them an opportunity to fix things. However, if they couldn’t do it right the first time, why should we trust that they would do any better the second time? Let alone the fact that Walt expected us to pay for the costs involved with fixing their mistakes. How were they planning to paint the pocket door that was already in the pocket? When I showed Walt Sr. the staple scratches, he scolded me and said that the door should not have been used because we “were not supposed to be on the job site until the work was complete”. He claimed this was in the contract, but we checked, and it is NOT. I would never accept anyone denying me access to any part of MY home. This was not a hard hat area and there was no machinery. Walt Sr. deliberately tried to hide his team’s mistakes from us and had the gall to try and blame us for the damage. SHAME on Walt Sr. for his repugnant thoughts and actions. Walt Sr. claims that he holds licenses for many specialty skills. He might possibly have these licenses, but it is doubtful for his kids and employees that actually perform the work. My husband and I were forced to hire a different contractor to fix the mess that Walt Miller and Sons left behind. The new contractor did not pretend that he was an expert on everything. Instead, he called an experienced HVAC and plumber. They were able to properly fix the mistakes while explaining the process to us along the way. It was determined that Walt Miller and Sons had installed incorrect pipes, the wrong plumbing valve, and had simply left some pipes missing. The framing on the vanity wasn’t true and it ended up a half inch too narrow on one end. A light switch was installed but electrical wires were left disconnected. It is a miracle that we stopped Walt Miller and Sons when we did: the damage cost us THOUSANDS of dollars to fix and required walls be torn down to fix the plumbing, install the vanity, and completely rework the HVAC. The new contractor, plumber, and HVAC were all perplexed at who “this Walt Miller and Sons” are because none of them had ever heard of Walt Miller and Sons. In the end, we got our bathroom with a level floor and beautiful tile. However, it came at the expense of thousands of dollars of damage, months of stress and hassle, and ultimately needing to hire somebody else to fix Walt’s disaster. People make mistakes, but to shrug accountability and blame your customer shows a reprehensible lack of character or ethic. For these reasons, I cannot and do NOT recommend Walt Miller and Sons for any construction work.

During install I came home to the incorrect roof being put on - the shingle color did not match the existing roof. The roofer tore it off and re-installed. I had numerous leaks on the roof especially near the sky light. The company had to come back because the water was now coming down inside walls. I still have issue with leaking but Walter Miller said he already came and it's already past the warranty time. Bottom line - he never finished or corrected the issue properly and the effects still exist today. I went with Walter Miller because or prior work & reputation. The company is more expensive beause you think you are getting better work performed. In my case NOT REALLY.

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