We hired R&M to renovate 2 bedrooms in our home and had a very disappointing experience. For starters, Slava underquoted the cost and timing so we ended up paying 20% more and it took twice as long, even though the scope of the project never changed (the other contractors that quoted had included the "missing items" in their quotes). His crew also left our home very messy, they did not take precautions to keep the dirt contained during the demo (we requested this before they started) so that even the rooms on a different floor were covered in thick dust and left us unable to stay in our home. Despite this, the most disappointing part was that the quality of the work was very poor. The closets they built for us are undersized (the openings are non-standard and do not fit the doors we provided). The ceiling is uneven, the walls they built are not square, and the floors are not level. Overall his crew was very slow, made constant mistakes, and had to be reminded 3 or 4 times of what needed to be done (we had to stay home from work to keep reminding them). Slava also kept trying to convince us to cut corners to get the job done quicker, saying things like "you don't need window casings". This was not our first time renovating, we have renovated nearly every room in our home and hired many contractors and this was our worst experience by far. If only we could go back and pick a more capable contractor...
Edit: Response to R&M Comments:
1. Quoted time was 1 week but the job took 9 days and still didn’t include the hardwood installation or baseboards or closet doors. Therefore there is no exaggeration in saying “twice” as long
2. When you came to quote the job, we said we wanted to “gut everything, rebuild from scratch” so I am not sure why you assumed the old floor could stay. The other 2 contractors that quoted clearly stated on their written quote “new subfloor”. Nevertheless, we split the cost with you anyway
3. You mentioned in your response that we had no framing and you had to build it, but then you say you could not make the walls square with “existing framing”. Which is it? If all of the exterior walls and closet walls were built from scratch, why couldn’t they be built to proper size and perpendicularity?
4. The finished opening widths for the closets are 47.5” for one and 47” for the other. The closet doors are 24” each and need an extra ½” in clearance. This math simply does not add up. If you don’t believe me then please come measure yourself
5. I did not realize that we had to specifically and explicitly request that the quality level of the work be adequate and not poor. You should mention this when you provide quotes for jobs
6. Finally, insulting our home and insulting me for being pregnant do not provide any basis for your arguments. All of the statements in my review are easily verifiable either visually or by using a measuring tape
- Approximate cost of services:
- $6,015.00
- Company Response
Thank you for your kind review ! :)
lets check missing corners you cut here:
lets start from truth. project take 3 days longer than i planed. let see why:
1. we had to do extra framing for outside walls (we cant see through wall when we quote job)
2. you ask us to change subfloor. for some reason you sad that hardwood installation quote suppose to include it ! is it ? do you remember that at the end you DIDNT PAY for it but you agree to price and we did it>?20% more cost? look at the top why ! ohhh. do you remember that you DIDNT PAY for last insulation box because too many of it left? is it my fault ? i pay my own money for it and make sure that every space was filled as you requested
your very messy home: did we cover up our path outside with drop shits? did we shake them outside every morning before place them back ? did we walk anywhere except that ?
lets talk about quality:
1. as the last request you asked to prove that bifold door will fit before you pay. all 3 of us check it. please dot lie !
2. uneven ceiling in 100 years old house? of course it is. you asked to remove planks and plastering and install drywall. did you ask to level ceiling ? did you pay for it>? or again you thought its part of drywall installation as with hardwood ???
3. not square walls? in 100 years old house ? how you even square them with original framing ? square to what ? i 100% sure its plumb but i can't do magic and make them square to existing
4. not level floor. the plywood that we install instead of old planks? how can i level it? by CODE it have to be glued and screwed to existing joists. also and VERY important. even if i could: did you ask me to? did you pay for it ?
about the casings: it was my personal opinion. when i sad that i also add but it's your choice. please don't cut corners when you write review!
i see another LIE in you review. your house falling a part. there is no renovated rooms there. NON. not even single one. ZERO !
i understand that you pregnant but your hormones is not the reason to make up stories. i would like you to provide pictures of work we've done for you so you can prove me wrong.
once again i'm appreciate your review in any case. your comments are very valuable for me for future project. thank you !