ComplaintsforBaker Design and Construction

• Initial Complaint

  06/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hired Isaac to finish our basement, have had many issues. We wanted fixtures to match what we had through the house, his plumber installed a different brand valve because he didn't like the brand I had. They didn't ask me if that would work for me. They installed proprietary hardware and forced the change. We had an island installed that was supposed to mirror the island in the kitchen, he built it 6" longer and 3" narrower, so cabinets weren't sized correctly, and countertops cost more due to additional sqft. biggest issue has been flooring. Isaac was aware that the concrete in the basement was wavy and not level and he would need to level it. He had to lay the floor 3 different times because he kept trying to level it in patches. It's done so badly that we're hiring someone to come in to see what can be done to salvage it. It buckles and pops, in sections you can see the floor moving under you. Did not wire the thermostats correctly, and then had to cut into completed drywall to fix it, resulting in very visible patching. Found out recently that he wasn't supposed to do any of the wiring, and our electrical contractor pulled his name from our permit because of it, so we can't get inspections. Project was supposed to be completed in March, didn't finish until the first week of May, and we're just now finding other items that are incorrect or poorly done. We have doors are not closing correctly, we have at least one that is actively rubbing LVP. During project, Isaac is often completely absent from the jobsite. Early in the project the guys broke one of our windows and they ended up replacing it 4 months later with a completely different window, that does not fill the space correctly, and latches completely different. He told me he couldn't find one that was identical, after he installed it. This is a new build and I could have just asked our builder, but like everything else, he makes the call, doesn't speak to anyone about it, and you just need to live with it.

  

  Business response

  07/07/2023

  I’m not sure if I’m responding to Kyria the public or BBB here

  kyria and I interacted about everyone if these issues all throughout the project

  i was told by kyria that she had found a delta fixture that matched the ones upstairs so I didn’t have a reason to think it needed to be changed 

  it is correct that the island ended up being 6” different from upstairs

  I apologized and offered to pay the difference to Michael for the extra counter. He told me it didn’t amount to that much and was ok 

  we simply put a 3” spacer on either end of the island that filled the extra space 

   

  the flooring we did pour the entire basement with self leveler as the product tells you to do. There were a few small pockets that could be felt barely 

  and so we took up much of the flooring and reported a few spots then installed again.  Finally once done with floors and trim and base and doors. There were 2 small issues that we took up 75 percent of all the floors to go back and fix for the client    
  there flooring is installed correctly 

  And the self leveling was done correctly as product states 

  and we took time and money as a company to go back and address issues 

  tiny bits of popping in a floating floor in a basement on concrete is very possible and does not mean the floor is incorrectly installed 

  my electrician has health and family issues and had to pull out and we couldn’t find an electrician to jump in that late in the game so I finished the job so they could move in 

  the city of Loveland had their inspectors inspect all the work and it all passed bc it was all done correctly and up to code 

  everything works properly in basement 

  mans we are waiting for an electrical company to come and sign off on the work completed by testing everything so the city may come do a final inspection

   

  I don’t know what else I can do to help 

  were mistakes made 

  of course but we always worked to resolve them and at the end I told them I think the basement was a beautiful basement done as they asked with a few slight differences of a window that has a ever so slight different latch in a completely different bedroom

  an island slightly wider than planned 

  and a floor that has a few minor pops and places you can feel which in a basement with a floating floor 

  I always do what I can to get the customer the best product as they ask 

  Customer response

  07/07/2023

  Complaint: 20155685
  
  I am rejecting this response because: it is untrue. He told me his plumber would not install Moem and had already installed the proprietary Delta valves, so I’d have to pick Delta… so I picked Delta, because that was the option. The self leveler was not poured over the entire floor, and we spoke with him about this several times. He had to redo it three different times and it is still awful. The popping and flexing is not minor, it is incredibly noticeable and has been a constant source of aggravation. We received a quote to fix it and it will cost at least $15k, assuming new material isn’t required. We had to have a company come in from our builder and replace the window for like… they laughed at his install because there were screws sticking out of the frame on the interior and the foam that was lining the exterior of the window and visible to everyone outside the home. It was shoddy at best… and again: not the correct window for my NEW HOME. The electrician did not pull out for family issues… I have spoken to him twice and his pulling his name from the permit was related entirely to liability concerns because Isaac didn’t want to pay him for the wiring and instead did it himself. The city of Loveland is involved with it at this point. There were many things we were forced to accept, because there wasn’t another option and we weren’t consulted before he moved ahead. That doesn’t mean we were happy with it. Additionally, we recently found out that he did not vent out our bath fans, they were terminated in the ceiling. 
  
  Regards,
  
  Kyria Keyser

  

  Business response

  08/01/2023

  So there’s not a lot to say

  we have said 10 times this much thru the project 

  and yet each person is going to say and think what they feel

  the fact of the shower fixture is that the moen fixture they wanted I told them my plumber doesn’t like to use those cheap fixtures bc of the plastic parts in them that break down quickly then he is often called back within as quick as a year or 2 when they fail and it seems to customers like he did something wrong when in fact the poor quality of some brands these days is the fault that they won’t hold up

   

  i asked both kyria and Michael twice if they wanted us to redo the mixer in the wall for the shower and Kyria told me it was fine she found something from delta that matched 

   

  I’m aware she wanted moen 

  but we walked thru that and came to that decision 

  the issue with the window is I could not find the one the builders had 

  the window I put in was like 98% the same 

  exact same size 4’x4’ and white 

  slightly different handle that opened 

  And in an entirely different room

  yhe only reason the outside of the window never got finished is they asked me not to come back to the project and we’re not going to pay the last $2400 of the project 

  the floor issue we have been thru over and over 

  and yes it has minor issue that will happen in any basement 

  it has places that go down a bit 

  ans flex 

  that’s what happens when you put a floating floor on concrete

  we installed the self leveling product as directed by package as I have done 100 other times in basement

  even went back and redid areas as she mentioned multiple times at my own cost of time to help

  however self leveler does not ever perfectly level across a whole huge basement 

  but the flooring was all installed properly and everything was beautiful 

  again the only reason the window didn’t get installed and finishes outside and mentioned to be shoddy work was bc they didn’t not want me to come back and finish the last few things on the project and would not pay me the last of the money

  they wanted things to be done 

   

  I again don’t know what else can be said except over and over they can share their frustrations

  and over and over I can share we walked thru each of these issues and the basement was done as asked

  and we just obviously can’t agree

  i don’t understand what can be done 

  their floor is installed and finished 

  I can’t give them $15,000

  to redo a floor that has been installed and is completely done and I already took 3 times the amount of time that should have been taken to install 

  that they will say is bc I didn’t level the floor accurately which is not true 

  they will say other flooring companies or contractors are saying it’s done incorrectly and what are you left to do 

   

  I don’t know 

  they have a beautiful product snd basment 

  and frustrations and disappointment exist 

  sorry 

  I’ve done everything I know to do 

   

  the reality of my electrician that pulled off bc family issues is exactly what he told me 3 different times

  he would have come down and done all the wiring but didn’t have time

  and we had waited and waited for the city for more than 6-7 weeks to begin with 

  and then waited for almost a month for my electrician 

  so I went ahead and got us going so we could get the permit and inspection and keep the project going

  after I did the wiring yes the electrician couldn’t get in to claim that he had done a job he didn’t 

  but he very much told me over and over he couldn’t get to do the job bc of family issues 

  and any other electrician was going to take over 6-8 weeks to come and get going

   

  again these are the issues 

  I’m sure they have the same and other things the home owner can and is dissatisfied with 

  I don’t know what I can do 

   

  thanks 

  isaac

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