Santiam Barns and Supply, Inc

We had contracted , on the recommendation of our builder, Kevin Fredinburg with Santiam Barns in February, 2016 to build an engineered RV garage on our property in Salem, Oregon. We were not on site as we lived in Redmond, Oregon. Since we lived remotely we had to rely on our builder to make sure his recommended contractor, Kevin of Santiam Barns, did things correctly. Our builder was our eyes and ears on the ground. The ONLY reason we used Santiam Barns was based solely on the recommendation of our builder. That Kevin of Santiam Barns chose to make the relationship with the builder so contentious and unproductive does not reflect well on Kevin and Santiam Barns’ business acumen. We worked through our builder to obtain a detailed quote from Kevin. Repeated contacts from us and the builder netted little movement or acknowledgment from Kevin. After several tries and several months, each resulting in changing costs but no explanation from Kevin, we finally were able to sign a contract with Kevin. It was like pulling teeth to get the quote accurate and finalized. First point - Kevin's quoting process is not customer oriented. He would not respond in a timely manner to the customer and we always had to have our home builder intervene to make any headway. Kevin's attention to customer requirements needs vast improvement. Because we had always had to rely on our builder to get any information and forward movement from Santiam Barns and since we were remotely located we told our builder to make sure the barn got done right. Kevin of Santiam Barns resented this and many open, vocal fights ensued between the house builder and Kevin when our builder told Kevin to do things a certain way. Kevin's crew walked off the job. Kevin did not always do things properly to make sure the RV garage was watertight. He maintained that he worked for us, not the house builder. Second point - Whether Kevin worked for us, the builder, or the guy down the street we never said it was ok to do things incorrectly. Kevin needs to learn how to listen and interact more professionally with his customers and any other workers or builders on site. He must realize that when there are systems to be installed in the barn and tied to the house, then he MUST work with the builder on site and not constantly argue. His stubbornness and arguing only led to more conflict and work stoppage. The fights continued and everything degenerated into a “"he said-he said” argument. Each claims to have many texts, emails, and conversation recollections to point the finger at each other. They both refused to let Theresa (homeowner) see those. Kevin definitely won a reputation as being short tempered and vengeful. Phil (homeowner) personally witnessed and tried to mediate one of these interminable fights and Kevin's temper. It was a totally unacceptable situation. Third point - Kevin should never fight openly with a customer. Theresa attempted to let Kevin, our builder and Phil handle it. Then, Theresa got tired of it all and angry. The garage should have been done in 3-4 months. Six months had passed and still it was not finished. This time delay would have been avoided had Kevin been more willing to listen. On June 29,2016 Theresa confronted Kevin. I, Theresa , was very angry and he knew it. I openly and vocally expressed anger to Kevin. Kevin remained very open and amenable to me. He did not lose his temper. However, he had created the impression with the builder and us, whether true or not, that he was vengeful and was going to go after us or our builder. Kevin said he was talking to his lawyer about business and this particular situation with the builder became part of the conversation with his (Kevin's) lawyer. As a result of his lawyer comment Theresa asked him point blank if he was going to “go after” the builder or us. He said no and reassured me he wasn't. It will be a signal of his integrity if he keeps his word. Recall, it was our builder who had recommended him in the first place. I told him how very angry and unhappy I was with the fact that the garage is still not done and that these childish fights continue. I told him to , “"Shut up. Quit fighting. Man up and get it done RIGHT”. I had had enough. Fourth point - No matter what the truth is, there is a palpable impression on our behalf and the builders behalf that Kevin is short tempered, vengeful, and difficult to work with. He maintains that he is not. Our builder is actually afraid Kevin is going to do something to harm our builder’s business ability to get future jobs.In discussing the status of the pole barn and situation with the home builder on the phone, Phil could tell Kevin was starting to get hot and upset yet again. Phil suggested that it "was time for us (Kevin, the homeowner, and the builder) to get a divorce” and that Kevin needed to get the barn done right to make that happen. There were several things wrong with the barn that needed correction. Each item involved a “struggle” and languished for weeks to get it done. Things were not flashed or flashed properly to divert water. Several battens had not been installed yet. The porch ceiling was not closed in. The roof was put on incorrectly and the Malarky roofing rep looked at it and said he would not cover it with warranty. It needed to be redone. We had already paid Kevin for the roof. Kevin exploded. After the rep and an independent licensed roofer looked at it, they all concurred a section of it needed to be replaced. After yet another week of waiting, Kevin eventually hired the licensed roofer we had contacted to inspect the roof.The board and batten exterior and proper caulking remained unfinished for months. Workmen walked off the job. Workmen never showed up. Kevin would show up briefly and leave. Gutters still needed to be permanently strapped. Windows were not foamed to prevent water penetration. One garage door would not close. Any attempt by the builder to get Kevin to get it done resulted in arguments. The builder now refuses to speak to Kevin and will never recommend him again. Fifth point - Kevin tried to make Theresa feel as though she was getting something “free” from him. Not true. He said he wasn't charging us extra for the roof redo. I should say not! We already paid him for the roof. It's his dime if he did it wrong and has to redo it. He tried to tell me I had better quality windows than he specs and he didn't charge me for that. Wrong ! Per the written specs, which Kevin signed, those windows, which we paid him for are exactly what we specified. He tried to tell me that the replacement of the board and bat to horizontal siding in the front was something he didn't charge me for. Wrong! It was his suggestion to do that as a remedy for the leaks that were likely to happen per his building. Both Kevin and Phil agreed that would happen. The integrity of the building is his responsibility (as Kevin said many times) and is on his dime. We already paid him. Sixth point - Kevin tried to manipulate the conversation to show how generous and forthright he is. That is not good communication or customer skills. He needs to learn to do it right the first time and not argue with the customer or any other contractors , work crews, or anyone on site. While his demeanor with me personally was calm awhile I was very angry, Kevin has earned a fearful and careless reputation on this job. He eventually fixed the problems , but the struggle to get it done was unacceptable and the stress load could have been avoided had Kevin been more professional. Seventh point - Kevin told Theresa that he has a right to his opinion also. True. However, if he wants to “go after” the builder with “opinions” he needs to turn opinions into truthful, factual evidence. He assured me he would not do this. His interpersonal skills do not reflect highly on his company's reputation. It would be most prudent and professional if Kevin decided to learn from this experience and not “go after” anyone. When we last met Kevin on July 6,2016,along with the Malarkey roofing rep, Kevin was amiable. However, it was, as the saying goes, "a day late and a dollar short”. His pattern of behavior had already been established for us. Eighth point - Had Kevin chosen to act as a professional representative of his company and not engaged in petty fights, walk outs, incomplete work, improperly done work, and poor communication skills this review would be different. Kevin should reflect professionally on how he wants to actively display his attitudes and how he wants to represent his company In the future in order to spare clients this awful experience. We would never use Kevin Fredinburg or Santiam Barns again. The difficulty of working with him was not worth the anger, fear, angst, time lost, time to redo incorrect items and general aggravation. It is NEVER acceptable business practice to infuriate the promptly paying cash customer to the breaking point. It is NEVER acceptable business practice to so intimidate and argue with your peers (i.e., the builder) that they never want to use your company again. Kevin and Santiam Barns have been paid in full.