WEINHARDT REMODELING

NOT GOOD

It took a lot longer than we anticipated. The work began at the very end of May and was finally completed July 11th. There were quite a few unforeseen issues that were handled as necessary, like, an area of the floor needed replaced. When the existing floor was removed you could see the so-called foundation (loose cinder blocks that weren't even touching the floor joist) needed to be supported. Weinhardt took care of the issue. The existing sewer pipe leading from upstairs to the basement had a leak. Weinhardt replaced this pipe and also placed inside a wall (originally the sewer pipe was hidden behind a corner cabinet) so the wall space could be fully utilized. All the water lines in the basement were replaced because there were no shut off valves and the pipes were just going every where. These were the major issues we ran into. Once the major issues were taken care of, we thought we were well on our way. Weinhardt removed the old electrical and installed all new, up to code and insulation, this took about 2 days. Then he subcontracted the dry wall installation and mudding out, this subcontractor had mud every where. The walls aren't square, granted this is an old house but, I think the subcontractor could have done a better job and been a little neater. I still have mud on my carpet in an adjacent room and I am still trying to get the mud off the new French doors that Weinhardt installed. I believe the reason it took so long was because the cabinets we ordered weren't all in when it was time for them to be installed, also the counter tops were not completed either. Both of which Weinhardt had no control over. After the cabinets were installed, the counter tops were installed. These two particular counter tops did not fit because the walls are so out of square. In order to fit them, Weinhardt had to sand the backs of the counter tops until the fit against the walls. He did a very nice job. Oh, and the second counter top of the two that needed sanding to fit also was measured wrong, the one side was 10 inches longer. It needed to be sent back and cut down and finished. My kitchen is beautiful, well worth the wait.

After they poured the footer the masonry work on the block wall was horrible. There were holes through the seems in the blocks that the sun would shine through. The blocks did not even completely set on the footer. When they poured the floor, they finished the concrete with a rake. When they made the access hole in the existing house wall to the cellar they broke it through from the outside with sledge hammers right on top of a new gas dryer because they never looked behind the wall to see what was there. That is the way they left the access. Just a broken whole in the wall. The drywall work was bad, uneven, the screws showed, very poor craftsmanship. The woodwork for the doorframe of the kitchen into the house looked very bad. There were large cracks in the fittings of the wood, and they just filled them with caulk. They installed electric heat and told me that it would be the warmest room in the house, but the first winter all the pipes froze up in the walls of the laundry room because they were so many air leaks under it that the wind just blew through. After about two years, the caulking in the door cracked and separated and when you looked in the cracks you could see to the outside. They never fastened the wall to the existing house. In 2011, I asked Weinhardt's to come and looked at the wall and terrible construction they had done. they told me they would be back to repair it and thats the last time I ever heard from them.

Very good experience overall. Result is a very well built house with few flaws. Construction included many uncommon, unfamiliar materials and methods. Such as barn board lap siding and a round log entry porch. The few flaws in this huge project include: a missing post to carry weight of posts above, that might have caused a big problem. This seems to have been a failure of Buck Lumber who did the structural analysis. The builder installed the post at no charge. Most of the under sink fittings leaked. Oddly the builder noted that his guys tease each other about this. Obviously they need to learn how to do this properly rather than laugh about it. Damage was limited to one spot of hardwood floor because I noticed it. Something is amiss at the rood drip edges which allow water into the sofits. The gutters, by a subcontractor retain water, leak, and clog easily.