Performance Contracting

The complete remodeling of my home in Riverside by Jim Duguay, sole owner of Performance Contracting, was completed about 1 year after a fire in my home December 2012. Most of the work was paid for by our insurance company but approximately 1/3 of the costs were paid by us. This was Jim Duguay's first time remodeling a home paid for by insurance however he was recommended to me by a real estate agent that had been helping me get my house ready for sale prior to the fire.You may be wondering why it took a year to remodel the interior of my home; there were many delays from Amica Insurance and their red tape, from Wells Fargo Mortgage who held the money and released it in 1/3's after lots of paper work requested, delays from myself having so many choices to make on cabinets, handles, appliances, flooring, lighting etc, and from Jim. Although he delayed some towards the second half of the remodel he was ahead of the game the first half of the remodel and making frequent requests for decisions on cabinetry, appliances, and flooring. I was busy at work and I would make decisions but then change my mind and then change my mind again. Jim then started requesting decisions in writing which I was more than ok with because this protects me as well as the contractor. I found it difficult to make decisions that would make me happy if we decided not to sell the house and also be appropriate if the home was listed for sale. Initially I chose several different paint colors which became a cost issue because paint type(flat versus eggshell) and color had not been specified in our original contract. We disputed the extra cost of this for a few weeks and finally agreed to split the extra costs($1400) between us and Jim, although we felt that we should not have been charged extra for this since it was not specified in the contact. After becoming frustrated with the overall delay of the remodel from all sources, I decided to allow Jim to make choices on our behalf as if we were remodeling to sell the house but still remain within the costs of our contract; Jim seemed to have good ideas on how to prepare a house to sell and was good at keeping costs within budget. He also has a lot of connections with very good subcontractors who work for him such as electricians, plumbers, painters, etc. The subcontractors all seemed to be honest, knowledgeable, thorough and all on the up and up. After we moved back in the house we had a few small issues with paint, cabinetry, and plumbing that were all quickly resolved by Jim and his subcontractors. He also hired a very nice lady named Susan to run the office which helped increase responsiveness. There was a delay, after completion of repairs, in getting the final money paid by Amica Insurance but held by Wells Fargo to the contractor which created some tension. Overall in the end, we were very happy with the results, and felt that the work completed was more than acceptable, and that no corners were cut.