F&L Construction

Today?s date is Feb. 27, 2015 as I write this letter. I signed a contract with Frank Leaper, F&L Construction, on Aug. 10, 2014 to build an addition to my home which was to be completed within 40-60 days. On the contract he provided, his PA Attorney General?s Office Home Improvement Contract registration number was 000952. Frank Leaper abandoned the project and subsequently through legal litigation it was discovered his HIC number had expired one year prior to the contract on July 1, 2013. In total, $30,900 was paid before Frank Leaper abandoned the job. Frank Leaper had frequent requests for payment draws prior to work completion. Professional estimate from another contractor on the actual work done by Frank Leaper was $10,000. $6,600 was given to Frank Leaper specifically to purchase skylights and a generator. These have never been delivered and Frank Leaper refused to show us the receipts. Each check given to Frank Leaper was cashed the same or next business day at my bank. Frank had numerous excuses as to why he was not onsite working and why this was no longer a 40-60 day project: initially the rain and lack of concrete availability slowed the project. As time progressed, the cold, the snow and then the death of a friend slowed the project. Frank Leaper attempted to have a final framing inspection completed to receive another payment. The Coding Inspector came onsite and provided a ?partial inspection?. Frank asked for the additional money, lying to me stating this was the final inspection and it was called ?partial? because he only had to add a beam. In calling the Coding Inspector, he stated nothing but a bare frame was in place and he could not approve the inspection without hard wiring, plumbing, windows, doors and insulation ? all of which had not even been started. Frank Leaper?s framed in roof leaked into my attached garage. Water damage caused the ceiling in my garage to collapse, resulting in a 5x5 foot hole. Frank was aware of this damage, and would not repair it. I needed to contact my homeowner?s insurance and I am attempting to get this repaired. I have been forced to hire an attorney in an attempt to rectify this situation. The job was abandoned, I am out $20,000+ with little recourse but to hire another contractor to complete the project and repair damages done and ti complete unfinished work by Frank Leaper. We have since contacted the PA Attorney General?s Office, the Better Business Bureau, the Fairview Township Police, The District Attorney?s Office, even local news agencies. Additionally, there is yard damage. My fence was cut at the base in two areas for equipment. This was not listed as something needed in the contract and will cost thousands to replace. There is dirt fill covering a large portion of my back and side yard, and he also abandoned a large bin of construction waste which is still sitting in my front lawn. The statements above are factual with copies of cashed checks, pictures, witnesses and bank statements for verification. I would never recommend F&L Construction or Frank Leaper for any type of construction project.

Frank put in a side walk for us. However, he never returned the deposit of $500. from the Boro of Mechanicsburg. We had to give Frank a $500. deposit for the permit which he was to return to us one year after the project was complete. According to the boro, he picked up the $500. last May but never returned it to us. We have a signed contract, with Frank, in which he states he will return the money to us however, he has disappeared and his license is expired.

He did a good job and the sidewalk looks fabulous. He does quality work. The code inspector for our borough came out and inspected the job and complimented on the nice work. He communicated with us, we knew when he was coming and what was going on with the job the entire time. He was reasonably priced and we plan to use him again.

Their quote was very reasonable. They were very professional. They took the time to work with us and explain the details to us. I would absolutely use them again, if this job turns out well.

There's not a lot to say except that the job was done proferssionally and in less then 2 weeks.

Where do I begin? F&L Construction has been renovating at my home since August 2010. I was only looking for someone to tear down and rebuild my old deck. I found F&L on Angie?s list and was able to look at a bathroom he had renovated locally. His work looked very professional. I had also looked at a deck that had been built by another contractor but was not impressed. F&L specialty is as new home builder. However, with the downturn in the economy F&L was willing to take on my small job. I had a large 12 x 24 deck that was in very sad state and I knew that it really wasn?t salvageable. I wanted a covered deck built that was about a third that size. I also wanted a concrete patio build under the deck. After consultation with F&L we agreed on what would be built and drew up a contract and work was started. Throughout the various construction phases I was always kept appraised of any problems encountered and was advised as to any fixes and costs that were relevant to the project. Suggestions were made and after I considered the benefits and additional costs I usually took the advice offered. Even though the weather was not very cooperative, the work continued at a good pace and was finished and the results were very satisfactory. I was so impressed and please with F&L that I next wanted to renovate our upstairs bath room. Our house is a Cape Cod and was built for a larger family and space was devoted more to the upstairs bedrooms and the bath was very small and cramped. It was suggested that the size of the room could be doubled by cutting through the existing roof, then basically building a new bathroom using the existing plumbing. The results were just as professional as the deck. We now have a large airy bathroom, with a window, chair rail with wainscoting and very nice 47? shower unit that I can actually turn around in. (BIG SMILEY) There is a new vanity and a nice mirror and lighting that offer a pleasing visual and much improved look. There is also a nice closet with shelving and room for cleaning supplies, a vacuum cleaner, and a laundry basket. We?ll once that was finished; the hallway to the upstairs was next. Again F&L came up with a suggestion that made a lot of sense and again the results were great. By adding great steps, more chair rail with wainscoting, new paint, smoothing out existing dry wall, a much improved and visually aesthetic result was achieved. I said what the h*** the kitchen and downstairs bathroom could use a do over as well. F&L is working on that now, I?ll be back with the results once those are completed. *********************************************************************************************************************************************** Mr. Leaper DID NOT complete all of the work he contracted for. After giving him 3,600.00 to complete concrete work, install 8 new windows he never came back to compete the job. Up until this point I was satisfied with his work. Then he just stopped doing the job and would not take or return any of my calls. I finally just gave up. Eventually I had to get another contractor to do the windows. My total loss with Mr. Leaper is approx. $6000.00 after having to use another contractor to complete the work. It is a real shame that Mr. Leaper did not finish the job. As I up until this point more than satisfied with his work.

I want to take a moment to say how delighted I am with my bathroom remodeling project performed by F&L Construction of Mt Holly Springs, PA. I hired F&L Construction to lay ceramic tile in my bathroom and fix problems left over from a disreputable contractor. Frank Leaper, the owner of F&L Construction, presented me a quote that was clear and concise. There was no question about the work to be performed. The payment schedule was laid out clearly and he even explained in writing what would happen in the event that something unforeseen should come up. When he began the job he discovered a problem that he quickly fixed, that being an electrical wire that the previous handyman covered over with tile. This was a hazard that could have caused a fire had Frank Leaper not taken corrective action. For this I will be forever grateful. The quality of his work is precise and meticulous. He also keeps the worksite very clean. We were able to continue to use the bathroom while the project was ongoing. There was very little disruption to our home life. I get the impression from him that he is not only working this job for me, but that he truly cares about my project. He is fixing problems left over from the last contractor who damaged my bathroom. Frank knows his reputation is on the line, and is doing everything possible to please me. He added a grab bar for me that the previous contractor said could not be done. He was able to do this quickly and I appreciate having the bar to help me in and out of the tub. He also lined up the plumbing fixtures, something the previous contractor was not able to do. I can?t say enough nice things about F&L Construction. I plan on having Frank Leaper perform another bathroom remodeling project and also a kitchen remodeling project. We?re also discussing a roof replacement. I have trust and confidence in his knowledge and work. If you are considering hiring a contractor give Frank Leaper a call. I know that you will be as pleased with his work as I am. =========== UPDATE: Frank broke ground on Sep 11, 2012 and assured me that the entire project would only take 4-6 weeks. Looking back I wish that I had had a penalty clause in my contract. He began to start his day later and later, and sometimes wouldn?t come to work at all. When he was at the job site he would always leave promptly at 2:30. In November, after the 6 week point had passed I finally said something to him and he said I had told him he could take as long as he needed to take?. I?m not sure what he took out of context, but I told him he was costing me business, as my inventory was packed in bins and stored in the sheds and in my house. It?s no wonder the job was past its completion date with him putting in only 3-4 hours a day. I was also angry that my shrubs (about $500) worth, had now been uprooted since September, and I had to ask him repeatedly to put down dirt so I could replant them. I finally figured out how many draws I had paid him and was shocked that I was at the 98% payment point, when the work was only at the 50% completion point. At Christmas I threatened to contact my lawyer and he begged me to work with him, saying it would only take another 2-3 weeks. January 15th came and went and we were nowhere near completion. I went ahead and began setting up the room, thinking that my doing this would force him to work faster (it didn?t). After hearing from another customer who was waiting for work to be completed 2 years later, I finally told him he was done at the end of the month (10 more days) whether the project was done. He didn?t show up the entire 10 days, but yet, did show up to complete my gutter work that I paid for. I held back $500, per our contract. I now need to hire a landscaper to repair the damage he did to my yard. He left work unfinished, saying the ground was too wet (I don?t know why he didn?t do this work in the fall when the equipment was there and the ground was dry). He poured concrete water into my flower bed and it?s now rock-hard. He promised to come back to dig the concrete out but it?s been a month and no Frank. He is not returning calls. My yard is a mud pit and filled with huge landscape rocks. I paid him to paint my entire building, yet you can see where the paint line ends. He never did a walk thru to see what was needed to be done. He started off great with lots of promises and left us very unhappy and dissatisfied. I paid him A LOT of money and he has done this to himself. It became a joke of the neighborhood? how many shingles did he put up today? 3? 4? After comparing notes with his other customers, I feel I have to warn people to be very careful if they consider hiring him?. He a very nice person who can be very charming?. But he loses interest fast. He will take your money and apply it to other jobs?. And I often had the sense that my money had been spent on other things. I can?t imagine paying him to build a house. My project was only 600 square feet?. And this 6 week job was entering into the 7th month. Needless to say, he was not going to build our pergola ($4,500), replace our roof ($15,000) or do renovations at our other store ($25,000). His unprofessionalism cost him other jobs. We will not be hiring Frank for any future work.