Elite Repair and Restoration

NOT WELL AT ALL...unacceptable. I spoke with Enok Estrada (owner) and he said he could do the work requested, and had done this many times. I received his contact information from an inquiry on ANGI. Price was to be $800.00 for labor, and I was to purchase the stain (3 Gallons)... cost was approximately $150.00. Work was initially scheduled to begin on Friday 17 September. All communication regarding the work was done via text message with Mr. Estrada, and he texted me that someone would be here at 8 or 9AM Friday morning. That morning (Friday)I received a text message saying that they would not be able to be there as scheduled and would come later in the afternoon. I explained that I couldn't be here...at my home...at that time, so he informed me they would begin work...sanding the deck...on Saturday Morning. His worker and a helper finally showed up and sanded the deck, finishing around 6PM. The worker told me he would be back "in the morning" to do the staining, which was fine with me. The next morning (Sunday) at 7:24 AM I received a text message from Mr. Estrada saying that the company doesn't work on Sundays. I told him there were still several areas that still needed to be sanded, and he agreed finally that the worker would come Sunday and finish sanding, then come back Monday to begin staining. Looking at the weather forecast, I told him I didn't think that would work, as RAIN was forecast for late Sunday/Early Monday morning, and then rain all day Tuesday and Wednesday. (The stain has to have adequate drying time before it can be rained on and not damaged). I asked Mr. Estrada how long it would need to dry before rain would damage it, and he texted me the following: "Sitting all night is more then enough. It just needs a few hrs for it to completely dry". Based on the weather forecast, he agreed that the best course of action was to finish the sanding and do the staining on Sunday, which they did, finishing at around 5:30 PM. This would allow for the recommended drying time (given by Mr. Estrada..."just needs a few hrs") before any rain was forecast. He also told me if it dried "overnight" it would be OK to walk on and remove some of the masking which they left for me to remove. Mr. Estrada finally came to the worksite as the worker finished (his first time seeing the job) so he could give me the invoice and get paid, which I did via check. There was, in fact, a small amount of rain that fell early on Monday Morning, around 4:00 AM, which did not even come close to most of the stained deck surface. When I got up Monday morning I discovered that the stain had not dried very much at all. That was over 12 hours after completion. Since it had rained on part of the deck I also noticed discoloration and "blistering" where the water had pooled. Throughout the day Monday and on Tuesday morning I continued to check the finish to see if it was drying out...and as of today...nearly 36 hours later...it still has not completely dried. I contacted Mr. Estrada via text Tuesday morning, stating that I was not happy with the results. He at first ignored my text, and when I texted him a second time he replied and essentially blamed me for the bad results, saying "We did exactly what we said we would do". The stain did not dry because it was not applied in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. It was applied much too thick. The instructions on the stain container clearly state that if it is SPRAYED on (which it was) it should be "back-brushed immediately" to apply a thin, even coat. Mr. Estrada initially said he would fix it. Later in the conversation I told him I would wait to hear from him after it quit raining, warmed up, and he had a chance to come out and look at the deck and decide what to do about it...before I complained to Angi or the Better Business Bureau. He texted me back, saying "You can go head and write the complain. I will write mine as well and you will see what I have to say about you sir thank you" Mr. Estrada was never at the worksite to look at the deck or look at the instructions on the stain product that was to be used before the job was started. He simply sent the young worker out...who worked VERY HARD for 2 days, such that I gave him a $20 tip when he was done. Mr. Estrada was totally unaware of the weather forecast for the until I made him aware of the rain forecast over the next 3-4 days. I asked him directly how long it would take the stain to "completely dry such that rain wouldn't damage the job"...to which he replied 3 hours. He said it would be OK to walk on after it dried "overnight". When he assured me that he has done "many" jobs such as this, I assumed he would be aware of such things as the forecast weather and following manufacturer's recommendations for products that would be used, and that he would properly supervise his workers and the overall job to insure it's successful completion to the satisfaction of the customer. Instead he has blamed me for his lousy outcome, and asking me to pay an additional $200 to come out and fix it. I have used Home Advisor many, many times with total satisfaction. I understand Home Advisor is now Angi. This was a completely different experience. I am totally dissatisfied with the job done by this contractor, and would not recommend him to anyone for this type of work. 9/25/2021 UPDATE: As of today...7 days after completing my project of sanding and staining my deck...the finish is still not completely dry, is tacky, and footprints can still be seen in some areas. I submitted this review to you, to the company, and to Bizpedia.com. I have heard nothing in response, nor to refute my complaint from the company, from Bizpedia.com, or Angi.com. I was referred to this company by Angi.com.

After texting photos of the job and answering his questions all I could get was a text message with a price for the job. I asked for a proposal (estimated completion date, proof of insurance, description of work) and his response was "I stay until the job is finished, no one complains." and "Why do you want a proposal? Are we getting married?" I am not making this up. At that point I stopped asking.