PAUMEN INNOVATIONS

Summary: If you use Paumen Innovations, be sure to: have the job permitted; do not use any subcontractor he recommends (e.g. a counter top provider); hire your own inspector; and, hold-back at least 20% of the contract payment until any items your inspector finds are corrected. My first mistake in dealing with Paumen Innovations was agreeing to not have the job permitted (despite the scope of work requiring it). I subsequently got the job post-permitted and, at significant expense and with significant time and advice of the Fairfax County inspectors, brought up to code and had latent defects fixed. Do not repeat my mistake or buy into any notion that “a man’s home is his castle” and thus permits need not be obtained. In getting my job post-permitted, I found the county’s zoning office and inspectors were helpful and understanding. I would describe their approach as : we are public servants here to ensure safety. (Keep in mind that county inspectors will only inspect for code compliance; they do not comment on non-code items, such as improperly installed cabinets. To protect yourself from non-code work defects, I strongly recommend hiring your own home inspector to check the job before paying the final 20%.) Paumen Innovation’s carpenters cut many corners. They: - Didn’t install door sweep on front door; - left a door strike rubbing against its door frame (something the lead described as “I can’t do anything about that.”) - Used dry wall screws to mount cabinets (versus ones provided by the cabinet maker); - Installed cabinet spacers asymmetrically; and, - Installed upper cabinets without spacers causing the doors and drawers to rub against each other and bind. Paumen Innovations cut corners insulating pipes in a wall. I was concerned about these pipes potentially freezing, so I advised Paumen Innovations that I wanted to see the insulation of them before they were covered with drywall. I returned home one day and the drywall was up. I reminded the crew chief that I wanted to see the insulation and he replied with a chuckle: “Ops, I forgot. But they are well insulated.” Fairfax County’s building inspector did not think so. Paumen Innovation’s appliance installation was of substandard quality. The installers: - connected the dishwasher to the cold water line; - did not install bracing on the sides of the dishwasher/secure the sides of the dishwasher; - did not install an anti-tip device on the stove; - used only two of four screws to mount a stainless steel sheet behind the stove; and, - did not box in the water line for the refrigerator’s ice maker (i.e. they spakled around the water line which just comes out of the wall). Paumen Innovation’s electrical work has issues. The electricians: - left three incorrectly labeled breakers (two breakers listed as “range,” two breakers listed as “fridge,” a spare breaker listed as “microwave,”) and left two blanks uncovered; and, - did not bond the gas line for the stove. Paumen Innovations recommended a particular granite counter top provider, vouching for the company and stating that using it would be a great way to help keep the project on schedule. I naively hired that company. It came back with a ridiculous quote, to which I objected. The company then came in with a more reasonable quote and blamed the issue on the granite wholesaler. Select your own subcontractors competitively; do not hire contractors recommended by Paumen Innovations. Prior to making the final payment to Paumen Innovations, its oft reply to the punch list items I identified was: “I can’t do anything about that.” By that point I was so frustrated, I just wanted them out of my house so I made the final payment. I later discovered additional defects that a professional inspector would have found immediately. I wish I had hired a professional inspector to find these and educate me on the standards of the industry to which I could have held Paumen Innovations before I made the final payment. If you hire Paumen Innovations, hire your own inspector to review the work and ensure Paumen Innovations completes any punch list items before you make final payment. To recap: if you use Paumen Innovations, be sure to: get the work permitted; do not use any subcontractor he recommends; hire your own inspector; and, hold-back at least 20% of the contract payment until any items your inspector finds are corrected.

Went great. Mr. Paumen oversaw the whole process.

unknown

He is very reliable, honest and does a great job.

The work was outstanding and the project still looks great six months later. Tim Paumen focused completely on our project and was there every day, directing the work and doing much of it himself. This seemed to be a somewhat unusual project, to build out the structure, under the upstairs bedroom which was being supported by the existing garage, and we had some trouble finding a contractor who would undertake it, so did not get comparative bids, so we don't know whether we might have gotten a better price. We knew what we wanted (more car length space, and have it look like it fit naturally into the house, not a strange add-on) but we didn't know if it was technically feasible, whether the house would fall down, whether it would look odd when finished. He provided the architectural design options for our approval, consulted us whenever a question arose, and stayed within the contracted price. He said he could do the job, start to finish, in two weeks, and did so, even though the unexpected discovery of what was really potentially an unsafe existing support structure required a full day or two of extra work to replace the beam. (The unanticipated new beam installation understandably increased the cost above the estimate - by $1500). Also the posts supporting the new beam which he installed were much stronger steel posts instead of the old wood posts. He built to very high standards for the footings for the extension and the added cement slab. He discovered some old termite damage and removed the damaged wood. One element which might not have worked out aesthetically as well as it did was finding brick to match the old brick elsewhere on the house for the new support column facades. Tim wasn't sure he could match it and we knew from the start we might have to use siding or other finishing material, but he went to special efforts to find bricks made today which match very well. Tim made every effort to make the project come out to our satisfaction, functionally and in appearance.

Tim and his plumbers came by and within a few minutes had replaced the fixture plus installed 'quarter turn' shut-off valves. Service was prompt and clean. Highly recommend Tim and his crew for just about any job!

He gave me a fly-by night estimate by phone, but when I asked him for a written estimate, he told me that he was working on a major project and would be busy until April. He refused to provide a written estimate, and said that he did not want to spend any more time on it. I did not appreciate him wasting my time, and I would have liked him to be honest with me in the beginning if he was not interested in the work.

Tim Paumen is an absolutely amazing carpenter and class-A contractor. Everything is meticulously planned, on or under budget, precisely done and handled with an eye to minimum personal disruption. The finished product is great and more importantly the remodel process is also great. Tim is on-site every day of the job, either doing the labor, working alongside other laborers, or supervising the subcontractors - and at the end of every day, everything outside the work perimeter is left spotlessly clean. I would trust Tim with any project, large or small, and have and will recommend him to friends. He's also done kitchens, porches and smaller projects up an down my neighborhood.