TAP Inc

They were very difficult to coordinate with. They had a lot of different people contacting us and they didn't always communicate with us. They didn't always have the same answers and stories. The project took a lot longer than we thought it would. The overall finished product turned out good. They ended up throwing things away that they were supposed to keep. They had to replace them. They had problems with their sub-contractors. Some of the stuff that was built was wrong and they had to re-do it. They didn't pay one of the sub-contractors for the countertops and that sub-contractor is threatening to file a mechanics lein on the home. I think they may have went out of business, because I haven't been able to get ahold of them. They started the job at the end of September and finished Christmas Eve.

This started out very well. The salesman (Sal Aceves) was very professional and was quick to return calls while we were going through the bid process. Their prices were slightly lower than other bidders and conversations between me and Sal led me to believe they would have no problem meeting my budget and time constraints. I was initially concerned about weak language in the contract and a lack of detail in what was provided. After several iterations, the contract was reworded to include the major items that I felt were necessary to convey the details of the work that was to be performed and items to be included. I ultimately had multiple contracts to cover Kitchen, Bath and some other minor miscellaneous work to be performed around the house. Even though the contracts were signed at about the same time and the deposits for the kitchen and bath were provided they started on the bathroom first. At this point it started going down hill. My initial concern once they started was with the quality of their workmanship. I had to constantly point out mistakes that were being made. I was also upset that the contractor did not come by frequently to check on the work of his subs. I was the one that was making sure things were done correctly. As the work progressed, I became more and more frustrated at the lack of attention to my project. I became aware that another commercial project they were working on was taking up their time. When the urinal was placed, it was not done according to the manufacturers specifications and did not look well at all. At this time, I asked them to remove the urinal and to reinstall it. It took quite a bit of negotiating to get them to do this but it was ultimately reinstalled correctly by a master plumber. Other plumbing work in the bathroom was done incorrectly which required demolition and rework several times. There was also quite a bit of tile work that had to be reworked because of shoddy workmanship. I was later told by Sal that the project didn't go well because they used subs that they don't normally use because their "normal guys" were tied up on the commercial project. The bathroom was ultimately finished and looks great but it was difficult and took over 7 weeks to get there. Before the bathroom was completed, they stated that they needed more money to start the kitchen. I refused to give them any more money since the deposit for the kitchen had been provided along with 2/3 of the bathroom funds. After some very intense negotiations, I demanded they finish the bathroom before I gave them any more money. By this time, I was working with David St. Germain who is another project manager. I could tell the project was going to drag on and I was getting the feeling they were going to start looking for ways to get more money. There were obvious internal disputes between David and Sal as to what the project should have been bid for. I decided the best approach was to offer an incentive to get finished by Thanksgiving and to have the work done according to code. The incentive was an additional 10% of the price of the kitchen remodel if, among other things, was completed by Nov 22. The kitchen went much more smoothly at this point but it was still very stressful at times dealing with the change in project managers. I frequently had to dig up email traffic that took place between myself and Sal to show David what was included. Sal and I discussed a specific tile pattern on the floor and back splash that David wanted to charge more for. Where appropriate, I signed a couple of change orders and provided additional funds for items that were not discussed as part of the initial bid. They finished the project the day before Thanksgiving and wanted the final payment and incentive payment at that time. I explained to them that there were still several punch list items remaining and I would be willing to provide everything except the Incentive payment and 10% hold-back until the punch list was completed. Shortly after Thanksgiving I was notified by an attorney that they had not paid the contractor for the bathroom cabinets. This prompted me to request lien releases from all of the remaining subs which I have still not received and will hold on to the remainder of the funds until I know everyone has been paid. David Tucker assured me they would get paid but is now stating that they were not authorized to install the cabinets in my house. As of the date of this report, I have been told by David Tucker that he is the only employee of the company and it is taking him a lot of time to pull together the list of subcontractors and Lien Releases that I have requested. He has also still not paid the cabinet contractor who is in the process of filing a Lien on my house. The owners and operators of D Terra Remodeling also have businesses under: Tucker Luxury Homes TAP Inc. If he has not paid for these cabinets, I doubt if he has paid for the kitchen cabinets and granite. I have asked for proof that he has paid but have received nothing yet. They are also supposed to paint the brick they replaced on the exterior to more closely match the existing brick but that has not been done either. The tile in the bathroom shower is already starting to come loose but David is not returning phone calls or emails. I doubt I will hear from them ever again and will probably have to have this repaired on my own.