A month ago we decided to renovate the house. We needed to resurface 25 years old pool, which was leaking, we needed to replace an upstairs rail, which was not to code, and we needed to put texture and new paint on the walls.
Our house started out as a builder house, constructed as the builder’s personal residence, and the first owners made an interesting decision to not texture the sheetrock. You could see nail holes under the paint, the seams, and so on. We hired a general contractor who came highly recommended. He subcontracted the painting to a respected painting firm with excellent reviews. We walked through the house with the painting company owner. We agreed: the walls needed to be floated, textured with a light orange peel, primed and painted and neutral color that would be nice to live with and would show well when we put the house on the market. It would be expensive, but worth it.
We were told to be out of the house for two weeks so the texture could be applied.
We couldn’t find any rentals on short notice, so we decided to combine being out of the house with a vacation. We couldn’t find any vacation rentals because everything was booked. We looked through three different rental sites and about 60 properties and got the only place that was available by some miracle in our time slot, even though it was expensive. We needed a vacation badly, so hey, serendipity, right?
We spent 2 weeks packing. We have shelves filled with Gordon’s action figures, our comics, etc. Everything had to be removed and packed so shelves could be moved. Every horizontal surface was cleared. It was like moving, except we were coming back to the same house. We dismantled the craft room, packed the office, etc. Everything is in boxes. My yarn is in garbage bags.
We boarded 4 dogs and 3 cats.
We went on vacation. We were assured that the house will be clean and habitable when we came back. It should’ve been a 12 hour drive. It was a 15 hour drive, because Orange, Texas. You see, there is roadwork on I-10 by Orange, Texas, and the 3 lanes of the interstate and 2 lanes of the frontage road were funneled into one lane. Two hours and change to clear the funnel.
Midway through vacation – which was lovely and relaxing and I don’t regret it at all – we got pictures of the room taken from far away. Everything looked good.
Friday we are driving home, hoping to not be stuck by Orange this time. Kid 1 calls and says, “Hey guys, the house is really bad.”
We hang up, and I am like, how bad could this be? We have pretty pictures.
We made it in 13 hours this time, because we hit Houston at 4:30 pm on a Friday. We arrive around 8:30pm. We haven’t eaten because we wanted to make good time. We walk into the house.
It is the worst paint job I have ever seen done by a professional crew. I can’t even explain it. You have to be here. Not only that, but the house is a wreck. There is a thick layer of construction dust on the floor, the counters, and walls. The TVs are unplugged and mounted back, so everything is disconnected and kind of impossible to reconnect without unmounting. We found some gross empty water bottles with some kind of black slime in it. Ugh.
I took these pictures this morning, so this paint is dry.
This next one is a particularly telling image. Floating walls requires a couple of coats of “mud,” which is a compound that bonds to the wall. It’s smoothed, and then texture is applied, followed by primer and then paint.
Single coat of paint.
They did try to patch things, and they made it so much worse. The house looks worse. It is unsellable as is.
I’m pretty good with words, but I don’t have the right ones to convey the feeling of driving for 13 hours, walking into the house, hungry and tired, and expecting it to be habitable… and it’s not. The walls are bad, but the dust and trash everywhere is worse. We couldn’t even sit down. The floor was basically white. So we cleaned, vacuumed, and mopped because you can’t breathe that powder in. It’s not good for human lungs.
We’ve been cleaning non-stop since we arrived. If we are awake, we are cleaning. I took a break to drink my afternoon cup of tea and post this. I am not handling this well. I screamed on Saturday at some point. Just a kind of guttural wordless scream. It was that or explode. I finally put together my computer set up at 10:00 pm last night because we had purged the fridge before leaving and I needed to get the necessities delivered.
We also don’t have the upstairs rail, so the upstairs is blocked off. It is unsafe. The rail is just a post-pandemic delay thing, so I am not mad about that, but I can’t clean the staircase or the upstairs floor. I can’t replace the air filter. Kid 1 moved into the tiny garage apartment, because her bedroom and computer room are inaccessible. Her boyfriend rescued her computer – which is covered in dust and stained with paint, wtf – because we have a launch on the secret project in August and she has to work on editing it.
This color is forgiving in photos so you look at the pic above, and with the right lighting and distance, it seems like it looks good. Trust me, it doesn’t.
Our general contractor was shocked. Apparently he checked this on Monday and told them it was not up to par, so they “fixed” it. He wants to make it right at no cost to us.
The problem is, we can’t take off for another 2 weeks. We have to work. We have dogs and cats. At this point, I’m giving up on texture. If they just sand the walls and make them smooth enough, I would settle for that. I just… I am tired and upset. At some point, when asked what could be done to fix this, Gordon said that we could set the house on fire. He is obviously being dramatic, but every single wall is fucked up. Every one.
I don’t know how this is going to get fixed. We had to be out of the house. That was the whole point of this.
I’ve got to go clean some more. There is paint on one of the TVs, so I need to go and see if I can scrub it off without destroying it. The dogs and cats are coming back today and it should be safe. Most of the powder is gone, and the stairs are blocked off with a sturdy gate.
I have to work on Monday. Kid 1 cleaned our office, which was so nice of her, I almost cried. On Friday around 10:00 pm, I called Kid 2. She’s been checking on us throughout the drive, and we made arrangement to have a fun lunch on Saturday. I told her that I loved her but the lunch was not happening and I showed her some of the walls and the floor. Thirty minutes later, there is a knock on the door. Kid 2 dropped everything and drove in the dark “to clean and help.”
Not all things went badly. The pool is great. I have high hopes for the rail. The renovation budget is spent, so whatever fix happens will be it. Tomorrow the maid service is coming, and we have removed enough powder so it should be safe for them to clean.
Hopefully by Monday, I will stop being a burning ball of rage. Not likely, but anything is possible.
I’m so sorry ????
I hope the fix will be minimally invasive for maximum effect!
I can’t wait to see the villain of your next novel. I can see them doing a job that involves paint… and the hero figures it out by following the paint chips left everywhere.
I was obviously being facetious. The insurance money wouldn’t be enough, in the current market, to either rebuild or find a similar place. It would be cathartic though.
Smart. That way if a fire happens now, insurance can’t refuse to pay saying it was arson cause you covered yourself -wink wink-
Sorry Mr. Insurance Man, the remaining paint fumes just spontaneously combusted…?
when i lived in NC, they called it a “warm renovation.”
Wow. Just wow. So sorry for you guys.
Oh crap, I am so sorry and sending you a virtual hug ????
Hang in there and remember you are so blessed that your kids came to help and one thing (the pool) worked out. Hang out by the pool if possible and spike your tea.
That sounds horrible. So sorry. I wonder if the painters were inexperienced and not enough supervision? Covid and the great resignation seem to be making some things less reliable, eg, doctor’s offices, etc., I think from inexperienced people. My local pharmacy, a bigger chain, lost a lot of staff and is now staffed by loaners from other local stores from the same chain. Now it’s hours are shorter, there are bags with prescriptions lying all over including bags on the floor and every surface, and I had a mistake in one of my prescriptions. Yikes.
They were definitely something…
I strongly suspect both. Our job, our home, was farmed out to a different company, whose main team was most likely busy with another job. Unskilled labor was hired and not properly, or in any way, supervised.
I have been there and done that in a full renovation. The Rockwool insulation that was supposed to be in the walls ended up under the tiled floors.
That boggles my mind. You have to try *really hard* to put rockwool underneath tile. Like, make a really diligent effort in effing up. Yikes.
They are lucky you did not put the name of the company here with a review online. I think you have enough of ways with words and follower that it can den a business.
O_O
That happened to me when I replaced my roof. I hired a company with great reviews, no problems reported with the BBB, etc. They hired inexperienced guys and they did a horrible job. All my sympathy! I wish I could help.
This happened to us with whole house interior painting, although I’ve gotta say our unskilled guys did a way better job than your unskilled guys. Painting company contracted out to an outside crew. The crew foreman was supervising the first two days, and they did a reasonably good job. The final day, the foreman went on to another worksite, and the remainder was pretty slapdash.
We are in the middle of having a new cement floor poured in our hundred year old 2 story garage. Long story short. A very unsupervised series of employees ended up jackhammering out the iron posts supporting the main girder in the garage rather than cutting next to the posts where they were to put in new footings. It has been a nightmare!!!!! The owner was so frustrated he came out & put in the footings himself.
I did a cut for much of my rant & forgot to put back that I am so sorry you are dealing with this. It is worse for you all as it is where you live & work. Ugggghhhhh.
I would report them to the Better Business Bureau at least. Maybe also to any news stations that might do an “in your corner” type story.
I wish there was something I could say to make it better, but I know that’s not possible.
BBB is a privately run business. They have zero authority. (I learned the hard way.) Small claims court is the best way to recoup, but it’s draining and wildly unpredictable.
+1 for the news report.
Sending you hugs. Sadly, your story of reno-hell isn’t unusual. I’ve read so many horror stories over the years. Even when one is present to inspect daily & ensure the work is being done or has hired someone to do that chore issues can occur. As for drywall work, there is no such thing as coming home to a clean house unless you hire a cleaning crew to clean up after each day’s work is done. Even then there are still dust particles settling out of the air post construction.
On the plus side, your general contractor has stepped up. Kudos. Yes, it means yet more work must be done to correct the issues & yes, living in a place as work takes place isn’t ideal. This too shall pass & hopefully the end result will allow you to enjoy your house for years to come.
Oh I wouldn’t have minded some powder, if the walls were good. But this is beyond.
you need to go and Kate something. that might help with the rage.
I have a big firepit out the back (its an old coal sieve so its pretty big) and some days you just had to load it with wood and watch it burn.
Maybe do that while lying in the nice pool with a lovely refreshing drink or two
There will always be some dust, but reputable firms cover things and have plastic to minimize damage.
This is just sloppiness. I am pretty sure the firm hired day laborers and yet you can bet they charge full price.
Coming from a family in the business I can tell you that all kinds of things go wrong and these are trying times, but this crap has been going on a long time. The contractor likely is happily doing a lot of jobs, but there is no excuse for this.
I am so, so sorry your should-have-been-relaxed-homecoming ended on this note. Lots of virtual hugs.
This. So so sorry, this sucks (to put it mildly).
Wow. That’s such a shock. Such a bad job. That is in no way a good professional job. I can’t believe they would leave a house like that. The painting company workers and management really fell down on the job.
I am sorry for your frustration and I hope it gets repaired, repainted and resolved quickly and easily with little aggravation. You did so much work to prep and make it an easy paint job for them.
I would say burn all the trash these supposed professionals left behind as catharsis instead but the fumes would probably be just as bad for your health as the dust by itself. But CHANGING THE AIR FILTERS in your house would probably be a really good idea if you haven’t done that. Otherwise you can still be breathing that stuff in ????
The upstairs is blocked off and the air filters inaccessible because of it ????
Oh I somehow did not read that sentence. Found it when I went back and reread the whole thing just to take in the awesomeness that is this. Maybe the contractor could replace them when they come to install the new rail? If some extra air filtration is needed in the meantime there’s always the air filter attached to the back of a box fan method, unless you have non DIY air purifiers.
We got the downstairs ones and the upstairs AC is off until we can do that one. 🙂
I found out the hard way that by my using only the upstairs thermostat and leaving the downstairs off (only one A/C unit, that serviced both levels) that the damper on the first floor broke because of the constant pressure it was under when the air was flowing to the upstairs…a $500+ repair. Just wanted to give you a heads up in case the same situation applied. Didn’t want you to possibly have to repair yet one more thing due to the sub-par (to say the least!) reno job.
I’ve had terrible reno jobs, too and one ended up in a small claims court (pyrrhic) victory – you can’t get blood from stone, he was broke and couch surfing.
I am glad that the prime contractor is stepping up. He wants to know how he can make this right for you? HE can pay for all of you (plus your animals boarding!) to stay somewhere else for a couple of weeks while the work is re-done CORRECTLY! AND have a clean-up crew scheduled for after the work is completed so that you don’t have anything to clean when you return. Simple!
Also, unrelated but if you’re still using the Robot Litters (I, too, was scammed by the auto litter box product on jumpstarter). Costco (pic was too large to upload, it’s the Kirkland 10 gallon wastebasket liners, package of 500) has trash can liners that they sell that work like a charm! Helps to save money on replacement liners.
That is the worst. Honestly, I don’t think they could have done worse if they tried. I hope everything gets resolved swiftly somehow.
Oh Ilona and Gordon. This is awful. Anything that destabilizes the security of one’s dwelling is psychologically devastating (thank you Mazlov), and you two are in the thick of that. There will be a solution. It will be alright. Your house will be nice, and clean, and sellable, and you will feel good there and you will not be bankrupt. It’s not okay right now and your trust has been broken, but it will be okay. You will keep untangling this problem a little bit at a time. I am so sorry.
I’m so sorry, this sounds like a special circle of hell. Sending all the hugs and hopes it will get fixed properly.
OMG. I am so sorry. We had a similar experience with a roofing contractor and four years later the rage still boils to the surface when I think about it. I’m so, so sorry this happened to you all.
I’m sure I speak for much of the Horde when I say – I’m so grateful to Kids 1 and 2 for lending physical and emotional support.
Well said. You guys have great kids.❤️
+1
+1 Much empathy and sympathy to you.
+1 Thank goodness that Kids 1&2 are there for moral (and all other) support! At least this gives you one more reason to be proud parents.
I feel very bad for you. I had a remodeling contractor, the work to include painting was excellent. I hired him five years later, I needed an exterior door moved one foot. He had a new painter, everything else to include the exterior surface and the concrete foundation sill being cut, moved, and replaced was excellent, except for the painting. It took four days to get a two feet by eight feet patch of interior wall with an orange peel surface painted correctly.
Ugh, so sorry. Fingers crossed the fixes go smoothly.
Oye… as widow to professional dry wall finisher, I can pretty much guess the things that went wrong and that were short-cutted. Including the traditional antagonism between painters and tapers. Watering paint is fairly common with commercial paint application. Bad texture application wi poorly working compressor. But this is bad. Like really really bad.
Did they not know that you never piss-off a bard? Their misdeeds will be immortalized in song and story.
This s why I repainted my place myself with the help of friends. That way The only person to blame was myself if it turned out badly, upside is spare paint for future touch ups.
This is just ridiculous, looks like first day on the job work but no senior to teach them how it’s done.
Wow, this truly is an epic mess. I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with this, especially after a long car trip. I’m relieved to hear that the general contractor is stepping up, and that both your kids are being such a big help.
Fingers crossed that this gets fixed as quickly as possible, with minimal upheaval!
There are just no words… I would have sat down and cried.
How awful for you and yet you kept going – kudos to you and your kids.
Hoping the fixes go quickly and correctly!????
What a bummer way to end your vacation with more stress and work. Very sorry to hear it and sending good vibes to TX.
At least you both can be proud parents knowing you’ve raised really great kids.
It sounds horrible, I’m so sorry. Good luck, sending hugs and thinking of you guys.
I am so sorry. That’s terrible what happened.
I understand completely and I can say you are handling this much better than I would. At least you have help, with renovations, I have found you have to be on-site overseeing everything.
Pray for patience and forebearbance.
Sending you hugs from North Carolina. I hope things get better soon.
I am so sorry.
(There is nothing else I can or should add….)
I’m so sorry!
This sucks. I am so very sorry. If I were closer I would come help. With your permission of course. Sending love and good vibes.
I am so sorry to hear this. Lots of virtual hugs to you and family to get through this.
That’s ‘circle of hell’ event level. I’m so sorry to hear this. I hope the fix is swift and thorough – and hope springs eternal, right?
Oh, no. What an awful thing to come home to. I also would be screaming, and kinda ready to kill someone.
So sorry this happened. I wish there was some way I could help.
Hugs, and hang in there.
Thankfully I won’t have anywhere near enough to paint in my house and I have a very very reliable teenager I hired to help me. of course my budget for renovations at this moment is 0 so I have to pay as I go. That really sucks. I hope the contractor makes it right.
I have no words. What kind of professional thinks that is any form of ok. That’s possibly the worst paint job I’ve ever seen. And the mess is unacceptable. I’m glad you enjoyed the Vaca but sorry you came home to this. Ugh. On a positive note, you raised some sweet caring kids.
I am so sorry, what a crappy thing to come home to.
The contractor you hired is responsible for this mess. I am personally uninterested in how ‘horrified’ he is and doubt his sincerity since he isn’t there with a cleaning crew scrubbing to your satisfaction. I hope that you insist that he man up and have the job done properly on his own dime by someone competent, even if they have to redo the walls one at a time every day over the next month. He is also responible for the damaged property. I strongly urge you to document and to file against his insurance. Please do not give this jack-donkey a single penny or the benefit of any doubts.
Yes, this! Not sure how big of town you reside in, but if the contractor is reputable, and wants to stay that way, he needs to make this right.
I agree totally and I had family in the business. He should be more than shocked and horrified, he should be making it right, and not in 6 months.
This sounds absolutely correct. I hope they can achieve it.
Too bad you can’t talk to Kate and Curran about this. Disgusting to hear it; I’m sorry to read about it and can’t imagine living it.
I was thinking Rafael the contractor would have OPINIONS.
Rafael is a reclaimer, not a contractor
I am so sorry. It is so depressing when you make stupid effort and things are taken care of.
Ffs! That painter should be paying to have the place cleaned. I am so sorry you Guys. ???? Sending energy through the ether.
I am so sorry you have to deal with this. Been there. It’s beyond frustrating–it’s enraging. I’ve wound up (re)insulating a 3600 custom home (my own) because our insulation guy tweaked out on meth and couldn’t even put it in correctly, so I had to redo the entire home. I’ve repainted because the painters didn’t use mud–just painted on top of raw sheetrock. I know this kind of pain, but never where I had to live with that level of dirt and dangerous dust. And destruction of my electronics. I am so, so sorry. Write those bastards into a book and annihilate them, please. I will have second-hand joy reading the comeuppance.
Wow. Wow. That’s really bad. I’m so sorry. (The more I hear the more I think we were SO FREAKING LUCKY with our general contractor. The not on time was our fault because we had to reorder a cabinet. Under budget. Excellent work. Isn’t it awful that that’s lucky and not the norm? We’ve had other contractors do small projects and none of them have gone smoothly. Why isn’t competence the norm?)
To get a license you just need to apply. You don’t have to prove you know what you are doing. Painters/drywallers don’t even need a license. So sorry HA is going through this.
I am so sorry. That just really sucks. I hope everything gets worked out.
I have no words. I would be sharpening my knives if I were you. I honestly hate people.( not all but most) Animals are so much better. I hope you get it fixed without too much trouble
Wow. I’ve been through nightmare remodels, and I feel your pain. Maybe its a good time to write a major fight scene? Probably less disruptive than blowing it all up (but likely less satisfying). Hang in there. I hear whiskey in tea is a thing.
All the sympathy!! I bought a house that turned out to have had everything done the cheapest way possible. Every repair has been way complicated because it wasn’t done right the first time.
I wish I could help get your home back to rights. This sounds so awful!
I don’t know how it happens in the USA but in France, we file a complaint against the company and we bring in our insurer to have it repaired and turn against the insurance of the company at fault.
When I look at the photos, I tell myself that even completely drunk, I would have done a better job…
I’m so sorry for you
I’m so sorry. I wish I had something nice I could do for you folks; wouldn’t help fix things, but might help the feeling like the world completely sucks :-{. I hope what can be done to fix things is done with as little more stress as possible.
I am so very sorry, I just posted my story on trying replace my washer dryer this last year on Facebook. I got 60+ comments from family, friends on their nightmare of home improvement. I also screamed and I shed a tear. I need to do more improvements, I just can’t face it. As my Mom said, don’t say anything, if you can’t say anything nice. SO, your wall color is interesting-kinda Star Trekkie ❤️
We are in the same trauma space. Went thru hell getting a new front door and storm door combo – at one point I asked someone “Why is this so difficult, is it always like this!” Now I just don’t have the ability to move forward with some other house jobs. I just can’t face that crazy again yet.
I am so sorry.
Honestly, I just had 18 new windows installed and I was SHOCKED at what a great job they did. I expect contracted work to be inferior these days because every job for the last few years has had to be fixed or totally redone. I have low expectations now and am pleasantly surprised when something is done correctly.
I’m so, so, sorry for this crappy stressful experience.
Maybe build a model of the house and burn it in the fire pit? Might be cathartic.
Wishing you a decent, speedy resolution.
Oh my, that reminds me of the time my husband and I bought a garage door opener for my Mother-in-law. We came to see her the day it was supposed to be installed and it was sitting in a box on her garage floor. We asked what happened and she said the guy came out to install it. He said it was his first day and he needed to read up how to install it and she said, “no, thank you.” That was years ago, but it was the same thing with the job being farmed out to someone who didn’t know what they were doing. I can’t imagine the scope of what needs to be fixed. But seems like the general contractor or painting contractor should foot the bill to fix this!
I am so sorry this happened. Maybe the fix can be a schedule of different rooms on different days. I hope they figure something out soon for you guys
I am so sorry you had to have this happen to you after trusting in your contractor and doing so much to have a relaxing 2 week vacation while the work was being done. Since they were so disrespectful of your things, make sure that nothing is missing as well. NOTHING worse than sloppy workmanship. I should know my dishwasher plumbing was put in incorrectly, so I have to plunge the sink to make the water go down. IT WILL GET BETTER! So says the BDH!!
Dont mention dishwasher,just replaced my Bosch dishwasher bc apparently it has a major design defect ( the relay that controls the water heating is too low a current) and trying to get Bosch service where it is 160 bucks to walk in the door out,well…
Your problem is likely they did not put a loop in the drain hose just before it attaches to the trap on the sink,that is easy to fix