Quality Hardscapes and Porch Masters

I strongly recommend that you do not do business with Quality Hardscapes, Porch Masters, Porch and Pavers, or New Wave Pools in the Bluffton SC area. I contracted with Fabio, owner of Quality Hardscapes, Porch Masters, Porch and Pavers, and New Wave Pools, in October of 2016 for the construction of a golf cart garage addition to my home in Sun City Hilton Head. The contract included relocation of the gas and electric meters. The contract also included a clause stating that Quality Hardscapes was responsible for all costs except for light fixtures and interior painting, for which I was responsible. I put this clause in on the advice of two competitors of Fabio who said he has a history of asking for more money after a contract is signed. Shortly after signing the contract I received a call from Fabio telling me that Palmetto Electric charges $1,000 to move the electric meter and that he needed an additional $1,000 because he did not include that in his costs. I told him that 1) I did not know whether he included the $1,000 cost in his estimate or not because all I received was a total estimate and not an itemized estimate, 2) the $1,000 cost should not have been a surprise to him because I had called Palmetto a few months earlier and they quoted me the same $1,000 minimum price, and 3) it is clearly his cost and not mine and that I was not going to pay extra. Fabio expressed his displeasure and agreed to continue only after I said I would consider paying the $1,000 if everything else went well. A period of time later a small crew came to do about six hours of work to dig the foundation and install the forms for the footers and install rebar. Then a soil testing company came which said that the footers needed to be dug 12” deeper and filled with gravel. Fabio then sent me an email stating that he needed me to pay an additional $1,800 because of the need to dig deeper. When I refused he said that there was no way he could have anticipated that the footers needed to be dug that deep and that I could either pay it or he was not going to continue. I refused again and he walked. He returned a portion of my deposit, effectively charging me $3,150 for the work that was done and guaranteeing himself a profit on a job on which he did not honor his contract. While talking to other contractors that were bidding on finishing the job, I asked the cost of digging 12” deeper and filling with gravel. The three quotes I got were all between $800 and $1,000, whereas Fabio wanted $1,800. They also said that having to dig the footers that deep was not that unusual. Anyway I strongly recommend not doing business with Fabio or any of his companies. There are plenty of other contractors in the area who do not have a history of asking for more money after a contract is signed. My experience with Fabio indicates to me that he is running more of a scam than a legitimate business. If you would like a copy of the email exchange between Fabio and me that verifies what is written above, please text me at 937-435-8876.