Chip's Remodeling
and
Home Repair
Call me now at 903-819-4964
Sherman Tx and surrounding area.
Shoddy work or materials
Welcome to the
Hall of Shame
"Put the tools down and slowly step away from the work area!"
I take lots of pictures of my jobs, just in case. Not only for my website but I have referred back to pictures myself on a few occasions.
On this page I will show some examples where cutting corners or hiring the cheapest bidder, or maybe not even the cheapest but under-qualified "Pros" can cost homeowners a lot more down the road than if they would have checked out references, etc and hired the right person the first time. This not only goes for remodeling, but all the trades.
This is what happens if a deck ledger board is not flashed correctly. The ledger is the board that attaches to the house. This is why it is very important to know what you are doing before attaching anything to your home. This could have been avoided with a couple of pieces of flashing, about $20. With the internet at our fingertips these days, there is no escuse for this kind of work. Welcome to the "Hall of Shame!"
In this image the ledger is properly flashed.
This is a video of a roof added over an existing roof and was so poorly done it has 2 x 4's sticking up through the decking and shingles and the whole thing looks like ocean waves.
Builder's First Source
I don't really know what to say about Builder's First Source except they had the worst lumber that I and 2 other experienced carpenters had ever worked with. Not only was the wood soaking wet to the core but the entire bundles were, all the way to the center. It was discolored, slimey, had plant roots growing in them and the top boards were bleached grey from years of sun exposure.
When the bad lumber from Builder's First Source was cut free and un-stacked they begin to warp, bow and twist before they even started to dry. They were so soft from decay that screws would strip out before sinking in and to get 2 boards tight up against each other they had to be clamped together before screwing or nailing.
This wood should not have ever been sold to anyone to build a house with, maybe dog houses, cheap ones. When I contacted them about it they blamed the Canadians saying it comes from them wrapped up and Builder's First Source doesn't un-wrap them before selling. More pictures and descriptions on my Bad Wood from Builder's First Source album.
This one is pretty self explanatory.
The video I mention is the video below.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know
that this is just wrong, and these were
pro's. (?)
I have seen and heard so many horror
stories that I am sick and tired of people
like this giving us guys that do quality work
a bad name, they are the reason the internet
is full of warnings and "how to pick out"
contractors in home repair.
Well at least these guys were called out on it,
the home owner sent them my videos and
they came out to fix it. But it wasn't good
enough so I made a second video and they watched it, came out to fix it again,
they said it was fixed.
After they were under there to fix the problem
3 times, was already paid to do it, I
worked on the bathroom floor and made
this album.
On behalf of quality contractors, I personally apologize to every one that has been done
wrong by home repair and/or remodelers
and I promise you I will do the job right
the first time, even if I lose money, that's
my guarantee.
In this video I am going under a house to check the bathroom floor for damage after some house levelers leveled the house, well, said they leveled it and got paid for, I could not believe what I found, don't let this happen to you!
There is a "Part 2" on my channel. and
part 3 is right above this.
In the slideshow below is Bathroom Nightmare. I was hired to fix a portion of decayed floor due to a toilet leak. Come to find out it had been "fixed" a few times over the years but the real problem stayed consistent, the toilet leaking due to improper floor installation. One "fixer" even put in treated floor joists so it would take longer for them to rot. It did not help the floor however. I ended up replacing the entire floor.
Click the arrows for the next picture, 12 pictures total.
This bathroom floor had several people work on it through the years, none of which did a correct or decent job. The tiles removed were loose and just lifted out. 4 corners of plywood came together with no support underneath right in front of the toilet, beside the bathtub, the most stood on spot in the bathroom is the weakest spot in the floor. Never should 4 corners come together and never should floor joints in a repair not be supported underneath.
When stepped on these corners, all 4 bent downwards like stepping out on a diving board, I felt like I would fall through if I stood on that spot. I told them even if I don't get the job I cannot leave the floor like this and I brought in a piece of plywood and laid over the spot so they could safely use the bathroom. I am pushing down a corner to show how thick the thinset is under the tile.
The lady living in the house asked me if the hardware store didn't have the flooring she picked out to pick one that best matched the tile that came out, I think it matches pretty good. I failed to get finished pictures, my bad, but just imagine a nice bathroom floor with that linoleum properly installed. This gallery was mainly for showing how doing something cheap or wrong can cost you a LOT more later.
This bathroom floor had several people work on it through the years, none of which did a correct or decent job. The tiles removed were loose and just lifted out. 4 corners of plywood came together with no support underneath right in front of the toilet, beside the bathtub, the most stood on spot in the bathroom is the weakest spot in the floor. Never should 4 corners come together and never should floor joints in a repair not be supported underneath.
Below are a couple of pictures of a major problem at house I looked at. Someone has cut the floor joists to the living room upstairs to put in a garage door opener, bad bad idea, what is supporting the floor now? At least it is an open room but this has to be dealt with ASAP. If I get the job I will post what I do to fix it.
Well first the garage door opener had to come out of course. Then I screwed new 2 x 8's to the old joists and placing them on top of each brick wall, this floor is even stronger than it was before the joists were cut.
Never ever use flex line in a wall
Unless the first picture below is the look you are going for. Flex lines are used under sinks and for hooking up toilets, washing machines, etc. Places you can get to easily and change them out when needed. This is what happens when you use flex line in a wall for a bathtub and shower and it eventually starts leaking.
Cable One
Consumer Beware!
I have never seen so much disregard for a person's home and unwilling to take responsibility for damages caused by their employee when it was perfectly clear as to who caused the damages. And this was to an older lady on disability with a very low fixed income. They did absolutely nothing other than move the cable from where the damages occurred and caulk the hole they made.
Just think, if they can do this to an older woman on disability, what are they capable of doing to your home? Better to hire a pro then to find out 3 yrs later half a wall is rotted out, by then whoever did it is in the clear. This story is in Google Albums, please click below.