Feb
22
2011
Holmes Home Improvement and Handyman Services – very poor quality job
The contractor/handyman we used for our job is named Jason Holmes. His company is called Holmes Home Improvement, and he is based out of Grand Rapids. We had used him for a few small jobs previously so we felt confident in using him for 2 larger jobs. In the first bathroom he added a larger wall and then added double sinks. In our master bathroom he retiled the shower, tub, and floor. We were out of town on a trip for the majority of the master bathroom remodel so we didn’t see him doing most of the work. Upon returning from our trip, we saw some tile that needed to be fixed, tiles that were uneven, missing grout, etc. Since we trusted Jason, we paid him for the job assuming he would fix some of the work that needed to be repaired. We really couldn’t see the brunt of the errors until the grout dried and we could wipe it all down. Once it all dried, we saw numerous problems. We additionally discovered he had scratched our new granite countertop by placing tiles on it and not putting sheets or something to cover the zone while working. We had the granite company come, and they said they can not get the scratch out. Unfortunately, we discovered Jason saw no reason to ever return our 50 or more phone calls we made. We sent him many e-mails as well that were ignored. After a few weeks of being avoided, we had to call other companies in to see how to get the bathroom finished. We called 3 professional tile companies, and all 3 said this was the worst job they had ever seen. The tiles were not even attached with thin set mortar. Most every tile is uneven and the grout lines are way too thick. The shower head and faucet was installed improperly. The shower was tested to see if it could hold water. It began to leak immediately. Luckily, it was tested with a small amount of water. If we had used the shower, it would have flooded the house. He charged us for items and claimed to install the items. During the repair by the new contractor we found out he never even installed these items. The electrical work from the first bathroom didn’t pass inspection. He damaged our ceiling and did a poor patch job to try to hide the error. On top of this all, Jason told us he was licensed. It is on his business card. However, when the city inspectors came to see his poorly completed job, they called Jason to let him know he had no permits and they wanted to see his license. He is now avoiding the city inspectors, has not paid the fees, and has not provided the license as requested and required. $5135.00 plus the scratched countertop worth $1600.00 = $6735.00 of work that was poorly done.
