ARTISTIC DESIGN

We were looking for ways to get our project done as economically as possible, and were thrilled when Artistic Design's estimator recommended that we install our own firring strips on the ceiling of our garage to save money. My husband rented a nail gun and spent a weekend installing the firring strips (spacers that help the drywall get installed level over an uneven surface). Artistic Designs employees came the following week and installed the drywall on top of the firring strips, leaving drywall mud all over our beautifully finished wooden walls. When we went down to the garage to inspect (clean up) their work after they had finished, we also found several screws lying around and realized they were too short to penetrate the drywall and firring strip to actually reach the structural ceiling above. In other words, the drywall was not actually fastened to the ceiling. We researched the Seattle Building Code and discovered that screws that short weren't even allowed for this purpose! When my husband called Artistic Design to discuss the issue, they at first tried to blame him for not using screws to secure the firring stips (which should never be used for a structural or support purpose anyway--they're just spacers). Then they said that it wouldn't matter anyway because they were "secure enough"; my husband replied that the screws were too short to be within code and that the situation was dangerous and unacceptable because they drywall was marginally attached to the ceiling (at best!). We were concerned it would fall right off in an earthquake. They finally agreed to "humor us" and come back out to install sufficient screws. We were relieved that Artistic Designs was ultimately persuaded to perform decent work, but we won't be calling them for our next project.