HARTCO CONSTRUCTION

Building a custom home has its ups and downs in a perfect situation. However, imagine this: not only did Hartco poorly perform our home build (we’ve had roof leaks since the first rain after we moved in, including other issues which I’ll list), but it’s been an perpetual legal battle with a frivolous lawsuit and fights with the contractor’s board (who are also absolutely worthless!). Here is the list I had of just a few of the issues we have had with the quality of our build prior to us moving in: · Paint edgework and caulk in the ENTIRE house and garage = horrendous · Roof tile pieces and garbage around house (no site cleanup) · Had to pay a cleanup company to clean inside of house before moving in which was actually in our contract for him to do · Stucco at front entry way was unpainted near the sidewalk in two locations where stucco was fixed · Drywall attic access door in hallway was missing · Drywall attic access door in bathroom was not painted or finished · Brick in front of the garage was unfinished at each garage door · Major stucco cracks on back patio in ceiling and walls · Eave vents were not installed per plan or code (house and RV garage) · Reflective barrier insulation not properly taped off in ceiling · Reflective barrier insulation not properly installed in walls · Roof penetration flashing was not secured down · Flange on garage entry door to house and weather proofing not installed · Weather proofing on RV entry door not installed · All interiors doors would not close without slamming (some would not close at all) · Floor damage in RV garage and attached garage · Broken roof tiles · Missing lighting fixtures in closets and bathrooms · Brick on fireplace has been spray painted, grout installed incorrectly and poorly done · Hole in master closet wall (drywall) · No mirrors in any of the bathrooms · Paint flaking off all exterior doors · Unfinished (no paint, no stain) thresholds throughout exterior doors · No finished grading of property as per contract · Broken shower faucet in second bathroom · Rain water coming through the window in both from bedrooms to below the window and onto the floor · Rain water coming through the ceiling in our living room and ruining the drywall over about a 20ft by 15ft section · Rain water coming through the wall in our entry way closet He also ”hired” (which his foreman backed in front of our construction control company) people off the street to build our roof (police were called many times due to public drunkeness and fighting), and refused to respond to the countless bills we received at our home from his subcontractors by mail AND by them knocking on our door! He absolutely refused to do a final walk thru with us before we moved in. We contacted him time and time again where he refused our calls. Pretty sad when you need to be forced by the Contractor’s Board to make fixes on a house you built! Garry Hart was ordered to fix some of the issues and was given about three weeks to perform the work. Guess what he couldn’t finish in three weeks? You guessed it. So he decides to file a lawsuit against us for not paying on change orders we never saw, signed or agreed to AFTER he signed a Notice of Settlement from our lawyer. Back and forth, back and forth he went with our lawyer, even going so far as to telling her he was on all kinds of mental medications etc etc and even inviting my lawyer to Disnleyland (W**?) and then all the sudden, he stopped pursuing the litigation. So we waited, and waited to hear what his next move was. And of course, if you know anything about lawsuits, he is supposed to send our lawyer a notification on any motions in the case…well apparently he moved forward without notifying our lawyer or us and he won the lawsuit because we weren’t there to represent ourselves! But as soon as we found out about that we countered with an appeal that we were never notified of our next court date or any motions and we were awarded the dismissal of the judgment and attorney fees for him lying under oath (of which he didn’t even get a slap on the wrist for!! Just a shake of the finger!). The judge was extremely unhappy and he finally hired a lawyer, then fired, then hired another, because they all told him the same thing…he was going to lose. So he dropped his lawsuit. Frivolity at it’s FINEST!!!! We were finally able to get our problems finished last week with all of the ceiling leaks, wall leaks, and mold. It took us a while to save up the money. Our roof was fixed last year as well. Finally, I had put in a few reviews on other sites about Garry and began to get threats from him and false reviews. So I began to question whether or not to post here. However, in the end, I decided that if I could help just one person avoid the pain we went through by giving an honest review, then it would be worth it. If we would have known, we would have never hired him.

From start to finish it was a nightmare. I am a international pilot and was gone during the rough-in phase. My roommate was here overseeing progress. The job was being done wrong. Workers would not show up or only show up for a few hours. He left construction material all over and never straighten things up much less removed the old material. Finally, I had to leave work early to fly in and see what was going on. In 30 years of buying, remodeling and selling homes, I never seen such horrible work. Walls were not straight, walls were not attached (yes you could physically move the wall with your hand and the drywall work was horrible. I confronted Garry and he said he hadn't been able to supervise the job because he was going through a custody battle (not my problem). I said I already gave up the week of work so I would hire someone to finish the job. He said he would pay for whatever it cost to make it right. When I finally got the job completed he would not pay the cost to fix and finish the job he was already paid for. He kept money for work he never performed much less paying for the work that had to be re-done. I had to pay twice for the same job. Trying to get anything done through the Contractors board was worth less. Garry knows the system and used it to flat rip me off. If there is a problem you have to file immediately to the contractors board. They have to have first hand knowledge and see things with their own eyes. So when he got me to hire other workers and get the job done, he knew that the board would not make him pay. I have plenty of pictures of his work that I would be glad to share. If you search the web for Hartco or Garry Hart, like I should have done, you will find that I am not the first victim of Hartco construction. If you hire Hartco to even build a dog house, I won't be the last. BEWARE you have been warned!!!! I am sure he will try and make some kind of excuse like he has on the other complaints. It is your choice to take the chance. All I can do is warn you and I am sure this is what Angie's List is suppose to be about. Helping people not to make the same mistake I did.