Baywolf Dalton, Inc

Our issues were in several key areas: Attention to detail as a general contractor. We paid top dollar and wanted a general who was going to keep an eye on detail so we did not have to. Promises were made about the level of attention Nancy would provide. These promises were not kept. We quickly found that her attention went onto the next project. For example, the electrician neglected to wire for a can light. Nancy never checked the work, I had to contact her and ask about the missing light. Her response was, "Oh, I told him to put a light there." Another example, new hardwoods were placed throughout and a 7x10 ft area of in the hallway was to be replaced. We came home to find the hardwood sub had replaced 2 boards of the 7x10 ft space. Again, Nancy had not checked the work. I had to call her and the response was the same, "Oh, I told him to replace all the boards." Another example, the tile on the bathroom floor has a directional pattern. I heard Nancy speak to the sub and instruct him to place it in one direction. The sub had a difficult time noticing the direction and placed a few tiles the wrong way. Again, Nancy did not check up on it. We had to call her and point out the mistake. We had to go behind very sub to make sure the quality level was where we expected it, often we were filling in information for them. There were 8 different people involved in painting. When touch ups were done the subs would ask what color was used in different areas. They had no idea, Nancy had not communicated this information. Responsibility. Mistakes are made, as they can be. However most of the time they seemed to want to cover them up or not take responsibility. Eric is great at this, if asked he says, "I don't know" or "have to ask Nancy." This became a running joke for us and then Nancy would trot along and wonder why Eric had not fixed it, or raised it with her. It was either a well-choreographed show by them or reality, we could not tell, but it was incredibly exhausting chasing them down to follow up. We still have the dishwasher cover on upside down, the bathroom door will not stay open and a corner cabinet door needs to be carefully lifted and closed with two hands or the light will stay on. Timing. After the original flurry of work in teardown and framing the work really slowed. We had to wait for the custom cabinets, which took 10 weeks, but once they were installed all the workers were pulled off. BD had another job and we were relegated to seeing contractors show up serially and Eric doing the final work alone over a course of 6 weeks. He would show up at 10:00AM stay for 1-2 hours leave for a few hours come back for 1-2 hours. There was no sense of urgency, deadlines were missed and nothing was communicated about timing. Design/Contract. The contract and penalties for any changes were substantial. It ran many pages, and in the last days of negotiation was rushed to get the cabinet order in. We found that changes were made from what we had discussed and they were hard to track. The design had its own bait and switch with the cabinets we wanted not included in the original bid, "if you want those ones it will be $10,000 more." In all honestly, as we write this that should have stopped us in our tracks. We had wanted to give the job to a small local company. BD had been recommended by neighbors. It was a mistake.

I would caution anyone to carefully consider whether or not a design/build firm is the best option for a construction/remodel project. A major issue we experienced was that the designer is not going to be an advocate for the homeowner if her or she has an interest in the company doing the construction. That is, is it reasonable to expect the designer to be on the homeowner's side if the build is not according to plan if it is all the same firm? We contacted Nancy Dalton to work with us on making a plan to remodel our bathroom because she was known to us through existing business relationships. We felt she was professional, knowledgeable and would do a good job helping us design the bathroom. She came up with a good plan and we decided to contract with her and her husband, Eric, to complete the work. We were assured they would be professional, treat our property with the utmost respect and keep us informed on progress. It was expected the project would take about 6 weeks to complete. Having done our own complete kitchen remodel, we made it clear that our expectations were high and that we knew a lot about correct building practices. We had decided that we preferred to not do the work ourselves to avoid the stress and to get the project done quickly. Initially things went reasonably well. There was a small mishap during the demolition in which Eric accidentally cut an electrical wire, but otherwise the demolition went pretty well and everything was cleaned up at the end of each work day. When electrical work was roughed in, some of the switches were not installed according to the plan. Although probably for a good reason it was annoying to NOT be consulted about what we would prefer if the plan was not feasible given site conditions. Likewise with the framing in of a closet opening. It was made narrower than the plan. All this was always rationalized by Nancy and Eric and we regrettably accepted the changes. Despite assurances that our property would be treated with respect, we came home one day to find Eric had left the site and not only did he not lock the door, but he left it standing open. One day they left a water hose running. In both cases, Eric was unapologetic and had the audacity to point out that WE had left a door open one day and he closed it for us. After the drywall and flooring was installed, it became apparent that the plumbing had been roughed in too low to account for the cantilevered vanity cabinet. This resulted in some of the drywall having to be removed and the plumbing redone. The day the vanity was installed, we came home late in the evening from the theater and found one of the valves for the sink leaking into it. Fortunately, we caught it in time and there was only minor, concealed damage to the cabinet base. However, B-D did not offer any compensation for the damage until we requested--not even a thank you for not demanding that it be replaced. In the end, they agreed to paint some additional trim work not included in the original bid, but they did a poor job and we had to redo it. The vanity was a never ending problem. When it came time to install it, Nancy informed us that the solid surface counter top material we selected was not available and we were forced to make an alternate selection quickly (she should have reserved the material when we signed the contract and informed us immediately if it was not going to be available). Although the Daltons claimed to have installed cantilevered vanities in the past, it quickly became apparent that the support bar they specified for our vanity was too weak. The day the solid surface top was installed, we came home to find the unit supported by a 2x4 jammed under it. When I insisted that the 2x4 be removed, the whole unit began to sag. It then became necessary to specify and install a new stronger support bar. During the re-installation of the vanity, they punched a hole in the hall door adjacent to the bathroom (they reimbursed us $200 for repair). Other failure to pay attention to detail issues included: - Eric did the painting himself and the paint finish was blemished by roller lint. He tried to rationalize that this was normal. We pointed out that painters wrap the roller in tape to remove loose lint and insisted that the work be redone. - Installed a wood tone door guide for the bypass closet doors even though the flooring and doors are off white. - The closet opening ended up being 42", but 24" wide bypass doors were installed making the opening on either side very narrow. After we complained they replaced with 22" wide doors which were the proper size for the opening. - The outlet for the under vanity lighting was installed too high causing the vanity top to be mounted at 37" instead of the specified 36" - The vanity doors and drawers were installed without regard to matching grain even though the manufacturer and made them so grain would match. - Eric failed to correctly reinstall the heat register in a section of floor that had been cut out. When I pointed this out, he claimed he 'never touched it'. However, it was in a section of floor that was completely removed. How could he NOT have touched it? - Eric did some minor plumbing work incorrectly. When I pointed it out, he tried to rationalize that it was OK. Only after I insisted that he had to prove that it was correct for me to accept it did he have a plumber come and do the work correctly. On the 'final' day of the project (over 3 months--not 6 weeks after start), we objected that doors and drawers of the vanity did not align properly. Eric told me he would have to check with the manufacturer and would get back to me. He never dealt with the vanity door/drawer alignment, sending a 'final' invoice and notice of completion 2 weeks later. They refused to return phone calls or to answer their phone when we called. I once managed to make contact once by using a friend's cel phone and they accused me of 'harassing' them. The cabinet manufacturer was rude and unprofessional when I contacted them for assistance. After several vain attempts to negotiate with them and have them fix the vanity I gave up and spent an afternoon fiddling with it until I was able to do it myself. I then attempted to get Eric and Nancy to meet me at a public location near their office to make the final payment. They refused and sent an attorney their final check. Because we were diligent in making sure that significant deviations from the plan or quality were addressed, the bathroom turned out nice. The final product is about 90% of what we expected. Nonetheless, the problems of dealing with Baywolf-Dalton took away the joy of having a newly remodeled bathroom. We feel very strongly that it was not unreasonable to expect first class work and professionalism for the price we paid, yet Nancy and Eric Dalton acted put upon and as if we were being unreasonable when we pointed out that they did not follow the plan or when something was not done correctly. Regretfully, we can not and will not recommend them for remodeling services. UPDATE: Sept, 2012-I was working on the roof and just discovered the exhaust vent for the bathroom fan was not installed correctly. Instead of nesting so the shingles completely overlap, it was installed with just the first course over the back of the vent and then 'glued' down with tar or silicone. It is coming loose and will have to be repaired to prevent leaks. Another example of shoddy workmanship by B-D.

a good talker before the contract was signed, but terrible to work with, never returned calls, way over schedule, lacked any kind of customer service skills. could say worse...