c/contractor-reviews

That $50 epoxy flooring kit from the hardware store was a total scam

I tried to refinish my garage floor with one of those cheaper kits and it peeled up within 3 months where the car tires hit. Has anyone else had luck with a specific brand that actually holds up to hot tires?

Picked the $30 hand trowel over the $120 power one for my patio job in Phoenix

I was resurfacing a 400 sq ft concrete patio last week and figured a power trowel would save my back. Rented one for $120 but it kept bogging down on the edges and I spent more time fighting it than smoothing. Swapped to a $30 marshalltown finishing trowel and got way better results in half the time, lol. The rental place guy even laughed when I brought it back early and said I made the right call for a DIY job like mine. Has anyone else had a tool that looked better on paper but totally flopped in practice?

Hired a local crew for a 2-day deck rebuild and it turned into a 2-week lesson

I booked a crew from Springfield back in 2017 to replace my rotted deck boards, thinking it'd be a quick weekend job. They showed up late, used the wrong fasteners on half the joists, and I ended up learning building codes myself just to keep them honest. Has anyone else had to double-check a contractor's work because your gut said something was off?

One bad review about my messy work truck made me finally clean it out

A guy on Nextdoor said he wouldn't hire me because my truck looked like a dumpster fire, and after stewing on it for a week I realized first impressions matter way more than I thought - has anyone else gotten feedback that stung but actually helped?

Ripped out my own bathroom floor after paying a guy $500

Had a contractor patch our subfloor in the Powder Springs house last March. He said it would hold for years but by July the tiles were popping like popcorn. I pulled up three rows myself and found he never sealed the plywood seams. Anyone else find hidden shortcuts after the fact?

I tried that cheap laminate floor cutter everyone raves about and it was garbage

Everyone in the flooring groups kept saying that $50 manual snap cutter is just as good as a $400 electric saw for click-lock laminate. I bought one from Home Depot last month for a 300 sq ft living room job in Denver. First 10 cuts were fine but by row 6 the blade dulled and it started chipping every edge. Switched to my old circular saw with a fine tooth blade and finished the room in half the time with zero chips. Has anyone else had better luck with those cheap cutters or did I just get a dud from a bad batch?

Noticed a pattern with homeowner reviews after 3 years of reading this sub

It seems like every bad review I see starts with "they showed up late" or "they didn't communicate", not actual shoddy work. Has anyone else noticed that good communication is the #1 thing people care about over quality?

Hired a local guy to refinish my deck and he pressure washed the paint right off

I paid a contractor named Mike $600 to refinish my deck off Dale Road, and three weeks later the stain was peeling like crazy. Turns out he used a pressure washer way too hot and blasted the wood fibers loose. Has anyone else had a contractor mess up a project by being too aggressive with power tools?

Hired a painter in Seattle who quoted me $2,000 for the living room and then left after one coat with drips everywhere...

I paid him half upfront and now he won't pick up my calls, has anyone else gotten stuck with a contractor who just vanished mid-job?

Fence contractor ghosted me after taking a $500 deposit in Austin

I paid a guy $500 to fix my back fence last month and he showed up once, dug two holes, and never came back. Now I'm out the money and my dog keeps escaping. Has anyone else had luck getting deposits back from flaky contractors?

Took 4 months to fix a simple drainage problem in my backyard

Had water pooling near the foundation every time it rained. First guy came out, said it was a French drain issue, quoted $1500. Second guy said the grading was wrong. Third guy actually dug down and found a crushed pipe from an old gutter downspout. Total time from first call to fix: 17 weeks. Anyone else have a contractor take forever on something that ended up being a simple fix?

I finally took a contractor's advice after ignoring him for 3 months

Last fall, a roofer named Dave looked at my 20 year old asphalt shingles and told me to replace them before winter. I figured he was just trying to sell me a job, so I put it off. Then we had that ice storm in January and I ended up with a leak in my living room that cost me $800 in drywall repair. Now I wonder how many other contractor warnings I've dismissed as sales pitches. Has anyone else had a contractor give you advice that turned out to be spot on, and you ignored it?

My GC told me to skip the independent inspection on a $450k reno and I regret it

He said his guys had it covered and I'd save $800, but now we're finding bad wiring and sloppy framing that should have been caught. The drywall is already up on half the house and fixing this is gonna cost way more than that inspection would have. Has anyone else had a contractor push back on third party inspections like this?

Used to hire the cheapest general contractor on Craigslist for my rental flips, but after a $12,000 foundation crack in Denver last spring, I now pay a premium for a licensed guy who actually pulls permits

What changed for me was watching that cheap contractor cover the crack with drywall and a coat of paint, so how do you all vet your contractors before handing over a deposit?

Picked the cheaper roofer on Craigslist and paid for it twice

I had to choose between a $4,000 roofer with solid reviews and a $2,500 guy who seemed nice but had no online presence. My roof was leaking bad after a storm in Portland, so I went with the cheaper option to save money fast. He patched two spots, but three months later water was dripping in a new place during heavy rain. I called him back and he ghosted me, so I had to hire the original $4,000 roofer anyway. They found six more weak spots and fixed everything for $4,700 total. Has anyone else learned this lesson the hard way when picking between price and trust on a big job?

Why does nobody talk about asking for photos of the actual job site?

I had a roofer quote me $4,200 for a repair based on a satellite image, but when I asked for recent photos of my actual gutters he backed off hard. Anyone else get a more accurate quote by just asking for current pics before they even come out?

Guy who painted over rotting wood for a whole deck charged me $4,000 and it failed in 6 months

TIL that glowing Google reviews aren't always what they seem

I hired a painter in Austin named Mike's Brushworks based on 50 five-star reviews. After he left drips on my trim and charged $2,800 for a rushed job, I found out those reviews were mostly from friends and family. Turns out 15 of them were posted in the same week with similar wording. Has anyone else gotten burned by fake contractor reviews like that?

Chat with a kitchen contractor changed my mind about cheap cabinets

I always thought spending big on cabinets was a waste. Just wood and hinges right? Had a conversation with a guy who remodels kitchens for a living last Thursday. He showed me photos of $400 cabinets from Home Depot after just 2 years. Delamination. Warped doors. Particle board swelling from steam. His point was simple - cheap ones cost you more in the long run because you replace them twice as fast. Got me thinking about my own plan to save $3k on materials now. Has anyone else had a contractor talk them out of cutting corners?

Overheard a home inspector at the hardware store last Saturday

Guy was telling his partner he finds 3 major electrical screw-ups per remodel. Said half the contractors he sees don't pull permits for panel swaps. Made me think about that $2,200 kitchen reno I almost hired off Facebook. Anyone else check permit history before signing a contract?

Rant: Got ghosted by a roofer after he took my $500 deposit

Called a guy named Mike from Arlington Heights after a storm took off some shingles. He came by, gave me a quote, took a $500 check, and I never heard from him again. Three weeks later I'm still looking for someone who will actually show up. Has anyone else had a contractor just vanish with your money like that?

Millcreek Painters vs Five Star Painting in Edmonton - any experiences?

Getting quotes for exterior painting and I've narrowed it down to Millcreek Painters and Five Star Painting. Anyone used either of them in Edmonton? Millcreek seems more local but Five Star has a bigger name. Curious about quality and price differences.