AZTEC FINE HOMES

In a word, this job was HORRIBLE, A LIVING NIGHTMARE. I found Aztec Fine Homes in the yellow pages under "mobile home leveling" and their ad also listed remodeling. On the day I met Oscar Duran, I asked ?the contractor? if he was licensed and bonded, as it is a requirement of my gated community. He either told me yes, or led me to believe he was, or I could not or would not have hired him. He has since informed me that in Texas general contractors do not have to be licensed and bonded, just insured. That means that Oscar Duran misrepresented himself. After meeting my renter, Oscar became very angry, rude, and has refused to enter to do any work if she is present, only if I am here. Since I returned to work full time in mid-August, that is nearly impossible. Maybe the trimming of the tree was the one thing that went well, except for the partially broken branch that was left. From all I've gathered now, I was massively OVERCHARGED, possibly double a "reasonable rate." I expected a contractor to be on site daily, overseeing the work; Oscar Duran was rarely here and often unaware of work being done. The jobs were begun in mid-July and scheduled to take 3 to 4 weeks. On September 28, after 2 1/2 months, the last part of their work stopped. Nothing has been done since. Oscar keeps emailing that he will send a crew; I surely do not want the same people (Jairo, Daniel, Javier, ...) who did such a poor job the first time. Throughout my mobile, more of my original laminate flooring is separating than had been before. I cannot believe the mobile was leveled. I requested flexible water lines, but was given PVC pipe. He later agreed that we had discussed it, but said that I had not asked for it. A Master Plumber has now told me that the water lines were not laid on the ground (slab) nor hung with hangers from the beams; they are simply hanging unsupported between the mobile and the ground. The Master Plumber also told me that the new drain pipes are not draining properly. My air conditioning company told me that the repair and replacement of the ductwork was okay, but that one vent in my bedroom had never been connected to the ductwork, so that I have been cooling the outside for months -- and possibly allowing "critters" to enter my room or the ductwork. I had to pay this company to repair the work. Aztec spent weeks removing and replacing the floor and sub-floor. For days, I had to walk out the front door, around and enter the back door, just to have access to my bathroom. I was charged extra for some kind of support beams they said I needed, AFTER the work was all completed. They did virtually nothing to keep the place clean of sawdust and debris while working, something I specifically mentioned since I have limited mobility. They took a sample to match my existing laminate, found they could not match it, and chose another that they told me would be just a slightly different color. IT was installed so poorly that there are gaps between the boards which fill with dirt. The ends where the two laminates meet were not joined at all; because the laminates were different sizes, they cut some boards, just where it is most visible between the kitchen and the living room. Many boards are not level, so when I roll over them with a rolling chair, I bump up or down (and chip board edges). They caulked the large gaps; it looks terrible. The Installation Manager from the flooring store inspected the job and told me that the floor was not level and that the installation was done so poorly that it should be removed and completely replaced. The laminate removed could not be reused, so I have purchased another several hundred square feet of laminate. The pantry shelves have unfinished edges. The screws used to install the shelves were so long that they protruded into the adjoining bedroom. I had to hire someone to remove and replace the screws so that no one would injure themselves on the rows of 1/4 to 1/2 inch screw tips in 4 rows across one end of the room. I still have to fill the now-existing holes. Oscar told me that he only used poplar wood for cabinets. The cabinets Jairo built were made of 3/4 inch plywood and were poorly finished with rough surfaces. Jairo and Daniel spent weeks re-sanding (in my home with fine sand covering everything) and repainting. The final job was only slightly better. The "best" part was that I had asked for the cabinets to be extended to the ceiling, so as to utilize the unused distance above most cabinets. Jairo built the cabinets the same height, but raised them to the ceiling. My cabinets are now 2 feet above the countertops. They are so high that a 5 foot person can walk under them. It is also impossible for anyone to reach all but the lowest cabinet, and that only with difficulty. The upper cabinets are almost useless. I also asked for sliding shelves in all the cabinets; I received none. The lower cabinets had no shelves built in. Because I repeated my request for sliding shelves, they left me two long unfinished boards to use for my shelves. I will have to hire someone to cut and install them. No handles were purchased for cabinets or drawers. I bought them, but Oscar refused to install them, except for my cutting board (putting a screw through the board itself) and the bifold pantry doors, which have been hung so crookedly that one door keeps coming off the track when opened. This handle was mounted crooked. The upper cabinet doors are all mounted on a slight angle so that the distance to the ceiling varies from one side to the other side of the cabinet as much as one inch in about 6 linear feet. It is noticeable everywhere. The granite top was scheduled to be installed on 4 different dates. It was finally installed on Saturday night (ending about 8:00 pm), September 28, nearly a month after the entire job was to be finished. The seams are not smooth or level and are visible; there are numerous small chips everywhere; there is one large crack with a large gouge of wood out of the cabinet below. The end of the free standing cabinet next to the stove is completely unfinished, with the end of the underlying plywood exposed and unpainted. The 4 inch backsplash does not touch the existing walls, but is about 1/2 inch away. None of this has been addressed. In addition, the cabinets were built to full height, then the underlying plywood and granite were installed, raising the height several inches. I have to sit in front of the counters and sink to prepare food or to wash dishes. The counters are so high that is causing physical pain to reach that high. Oscar would NOT allow the granite to be installed until I made the final payment. That kept me from having a counter, sink, faucet, or running water in the kitchen for 2 1/2 months. If I had not made that final payment, I would not have had a kitchen to use at all. This lost my chance to withhold some payment in order to insure that all work would be completed. It also contradicted the contract which said I was to pay only as each job was completed. When asked about the huge holes in the kitchen ceiling, Oscar said he had no idea that ripping out walls might damage the ceiling. The sloppy patching and painting of the ceiling will have to be totally redone. A hole was left in the ceiling where a fixture was removed. I "exchanged" painting the kitchen walls so that the interior of the cabinets would be painted, not just left roughly primed. The wall frame was installed early, but blocked all possibility of getting access to my computer for several weeks. I had to buy the bathroom door handle. My Master Plumber has also told me that the sink and toilet were never vented and a 2 inch vent through the roof was required. The second week of September, I called and begged to have my washer and drier installed so that I could have clean clothes for work. The drier was not vented; I had to tell them to return the following week to do that. The washer leaked throughout my first load of wash. I had to hire a repairman who told me that the washer had been handled so roughly that a small hose with a metal clamp had come loose and had to be reattached. There are ugly nail holes in the wall paneling they installed; the pieces do not meet evenly. The door frame is wider than the wall, so there is a 1/2 inch gap behind the frame on the inside of the wall, continuing all the way around the door. On numerous occasions Oscar?s wife Mary Ellen offered to help me move boxes and to clean. They did neither. I found numerous nails and debris throughout the work area and on my carport. They damaged a sliding screen frame so that no longer works correctly, broke a mirror, several 8 foot florescent lights, and left trash and cigarette butts around the carport and lawn. The electrician spoke almost no English and I had trouble trying to communicate. Our microwave trips the circuit breaker if several lights are left on. Some wall plugs are not seated in the walls. The contractor promised drawings to show me his image of the remodel before he began. I never received any drawings. He has blamed me for making many changes (from what?) and wanting more than what is considered "standard," although was never told what that is. Oscar presented me with several "contracts" for overages, with no warning that anything being done would cause additional charges. These are just the major problems. The work was shoddy and unfinished. There was a TOTAL LACK OF COMMUNICATION.