Eddie Smith

I found Eddie on Craigslist (first mistake). He showed up late for hours before we agreed on the work (huge red flag). The first day he didn't show and the day he started he started late. He came without supplies and necessary tools (okay, I'm an idiot for even allowing him to start). I chose Eddie because of his embellished Craigslist listing, charms and promises he made to me. Eddie is a sweet guy who seems like he really cares. We had a verbal agreement that he would do the steps, walkway, flower boxes and driveway repair for $1,250. I had a quote before him that was for $1,200 but I chose Eddie because he claimed to have a lot of bluestone remnants that he would add to the work for free and he also thought of the flower boxes. He could also get started right away and time was of the essence because we had tenants who had just moved in the house and we wanted them to be happy. It wasn't long until Eddie and his crew started working that I got concerned. They delved in without preparing much at all. I had had a brick and stone walkway done before and more than a day was spent making sure the ground was dug, laid and graded with precision before any bricklaying had begun. It was hot out and Eddie and his crew did minimal prep work. I think that's how they work, haphazardly with little professionalism. The steps that were done looked pretty good until the bluestone went in. Eddie used two tiny bluestone pieces in a sea of cement on the top of the big step so it looked very chintzy, I asked Eddie to change that and he did but they were never installed correctly. They stuck up and are now a tripping hazard with water that can collect in the grooves. Then came the walkway- oh boy, what a disaster. Instead of being smooth it was very bumpy and uneven. Instead of having a smooth slope off the steps it had hills and valleys. In short, I had to constantly supervise and point out the obvious and have them redo what they could. I asked our neighbor who was a contractor what he thought and he let me know it was wrong by by motioning with his hands that it was wavy. Getting increasingly concerned, I reached out to a brick company to find out who could give me a professional opinion. Later that day, a man who had been a landscape contractor for 35 years came over to inspect it. He said IT WAS THE WORST BRICK MASONRY HE HAD EVER SEEN. HE ADVISED ME TO NOT PAY THEM A DIME AND TAKE THEIR BRICKS AND GO HOME. I decided to sleep on it. But instead of sleeping, I stayed up and worried. Since the workman were 70% done, I thought about letting them complete it and giving them $600. My husband suggested $500 but in the end I decided to give them what Eddie and I had agreed upon in full because these poor men were a charity case. Seriously, they did not have a dime to rub between them and I felt sorry for them toiling in the heat trying to make a buck. In the end, we got our walkway and it's screwed up in many ways but it's done so we can move on. It's a rental home so I'm not going to sweat it too much but the reality is it probably depreciates the property because it's a deterrent for people who appreciate quality. I'm also concerned that it won't hold up over time and it will create drainage issues. As a aide note, mid-way through the project Eddie recommended that we stucco the backside of the house which wasn't stuccoed like the front. I agreed it needed it but I didn't want to pay $800 for it like he suggested. He said he could do better but we never agreed on a price or him doing the work. I wanted to see how much others would charge to have it done. To my surprise, the following day I came by an his workmen and almost finished it. In the end, Eddie got very mad at me for not paying him anything extra to do it. I explained that we never agreed that he and his crew would do it. He knew that. Still he threatened to take me to court and things got ugly in the end. I considered the stucco work a bonus for the fact that I paid in full for shoddy workmanship and the fact that I had to constantly play supervisor and foreman when I had two little boys out of school and two businesses to run. In sum, my experience working with Eddie was very upsetting. In fact, this morning my husband told me that I woke him up in the middle of the night in a sleep walking state and said, "Honey, what are we going to do about the walkway?" In the end, I have learned to call our contractor who knows good people who do good work. Our contractor can play foreman not me. It's worth the price by far so I don't have to worry, sweat in the sun, criticize workmanship and deal with contentious situations. Another good place to find a workman is from a recommendation from those who work in the field. The people who sell the supplies to the tradesman generally know good people who do good work. The last place to find a good workman in on Craigslist.