Elatia Construction And Maintenance

Found Geoff through a handyman redoing my bathrooms.He fooled me from the moment we first met as he was dressed in business casual until he got the job and then appeared there after with body jewelry,tattoos and nail polish .Geoff is young and I didn't want to be judgmental so I tried to overlook his appearance. I was anxious to get the windows replaced and he seemed to know what he was talking about. He was smooth and I now know that was just hubris.I did get several estimates and thought Geoff shared my vision for the overall project. He was not the cheapest estimate I received but I felt we had a good rapport.I even commissioned a lawn sign for his business that was out front for the duration, I liked him so much.I ordered the windows and supplies to trim them and Geoff and his assistant would install them and trim them out with aluminum coil. We signed a contract( which had letterhead from his day job and I needed to clarify who exactly I was hiring) and I knew he would be working around his regular job schedule.We also made a plan for weather delays and other eventualities and believed we had a meeting of the minds.It rained heavily during the process and he didn't secure anything as he said he would. The start date came and Geoff arrived alone. He made an excuse for his assistant and said he could start the preliminary work solo. Red flags went up but I had a garage full of windows and fall was fast approaching. Thereafter his assistant never materialized and Geoff assured me he was able to do the job alone. I hoped this was true. I now know it was not. Windows are definitely a two man job.Almost every aspect of the job failed. So far,three of the 12 windows have evidence of water intrusion.All the trim coil rippled and is pulling away from the siding,which caused the caulk to pull away as well. Some of the nails rusted within six months.Upon closer inspection,the windows aren't square or flush with the siding,some stick out at the top and go way in at the bottom. Some windows need to be forced open.Globs of caulk that appear to be handprints mar most screens and that's not coming off without replacing the material. In addition,Geoff broke something and said he would replace it. He didn't .He cut away siding that he shouldn't have and hung my expensive custom shutters so wrong that I never even hung the ones for the lower floor and now I need to hire someone to remove the uppers as he glued them in when I specifically asked that he not do that.That leaves me with $500 in useless custom shutters as he ruined the siding where they should have gone.The trim molding on the inside also failed as the paint on all the sills has a 'crackled"appearance where it covers the caulking.Upon payment(he wanted cash) he claimed he didn't have change and just kept it.He did come out once to view the finished job and told me to let him know how I wanted to resolve the problems,short of a refund as he couldn't reimburse me. On that visit,he informed me he was now in property management and tried to solicit my upper flat! He also made a disparaging remark about "renters" when I told him I wanted to make some improvements before I let it out. And that was the last I've heard from him. I have emailed him and he won't reply. Although I could find him as he seems to be some kind of musician and posts on Facebook. Everyday I look at what could have been a lovely house and just want to cry as I don't have the funds to fix it.People want to feel good about their homes and I just feel like a chump.He should at least return my tip.I still don't know if he was a con man or just embarrassed and cut his losses.Either way ,caveat emptor.