Absolute Choice Contracting

Do you work for this business? Unlock this free profile to update company info and see who's viewing your profile.

• By B S.

  June 13, 2022

  Fix drywall/ceiling, plumbing leak

  $1,000

  The first time we had them do work in 2020, everything went very well, which led us to continue using them. Kevin Smith (owner) even came out once on a Saturday to help us with an HVAC leak. Unfortunately, things changed in the last year and I can no longer recommend this company for your home improvements. Doug, who works for Kevin is amazing, and we loved working with him. This negative review is regarding the owner and how he conducts his business and treats a repeat client.
  
  In April 2021, we discovered an issue in our master bath. The bathroom was DIYed by the previous owners, who installed a beautiful steam shower. The ceiling began peeling so we called to have them look at it. He said the previous owners didn't prep the ceiling correctly for a steam shower, or install a fan inside the shower. Within a few weeks Doug came out to patch the ceiling. He patched it just fine, but the ceiling was still taped and we were told we needed to get the drywall guy out to finish fixing the issue. We spent 11 months waiting for this step.
  
  In that time, we were extremely patient. I never ONCE complained about how long it was taking. Kevin always told me how busy they were and our issue wasn't urgent so I didn't press the matter. Every month or so I would follow up and ask when we could get the ceiling finished and it was always the same response: "We are so so busy, it's going to be a last minute thing where he calls you when he can come by."
  
  In the meantime, we had another issue come up with our main level bath, which sits directly beneath the master bathroom shower. I noticed a leak in the ceiling, about 6 inches in diameter.
  
  Carl (plumber) came out and said the seat in our shower wasn't caulked correctly and needed to be fixed. He suspected water was getting in that way and caulked it. When I asked what to do about the ceiling in the main level bath, he said to spray mold remover on it and repaint it. When I asked Kevin he had the same response.
  
  Fast forward to March 2022. The drywall guy finally came to fix our shower ceiling. He told us it was fixed and could be painted. We called Kevin to get Doug out to paint it. Doug began painting, only to find that the entire ceiling above the shower was wet, not just the spot that was patched. He tried to paint it and the paint started peeling.
  
  He called Kevin to discuss and they decided to finish painting and come look at the ceiling again. Over the next month, Kevin sent multiple people over to look at the shower ceiling to figure out what to do. At this point, I am wondering why nobody realized the entire ceiling above the shower needed to be replaced, instead of the one small area, after we had multiple people look at it.
  
  While we were waiting for next steps, I noticed the same spot in the main level bath, which is beneath the shower was wet again.
  
  This issue was never resolved, even though we paid them for "fixing" the issue by caulking the shower seat. I told Kevin there's still an issue, and he said he would have Doug come by and will "call when he can drop by." I followed up and asked if we could please try to have both issues resolved before the last week of May, as we had family coming to visit. I sent this via text 3 hours after Kevin and I chatted on the phone for 20 minutes.
  
  I got a response a few minutes later saying "we cannot get this completed by that date. Based on this and past job requests then canceling them, I don't think we are the best fit for you and your family moving forward."
  
  We never once accepted a job request and then cancelled. In 2021 I asked Kevin for an estimate on getting one of our toilets replaced. He took a very long time (well over a month) to get me the quote, so we went with someone else to replace the toilet. I told him this - and this is before we signed anything or accepted anything.
  
  Throughout this entire time we had been working w/Kevin, he only sent us a quote for ONE job, which was the first job they ever did for us in 2020.
  
  He never sent quotes, just had his guys arrive and then would send the invoices. We always paid our invoices on time. We probably spent about $1000 on the master bath issues, that were never actually fixed and we were left with a bigger mess than when we started.
  
  We hired a new contractor in late April 2022 & the first day he came out to look at the shower, he suggested tiling the ceiling. He also told us the shower had a pipe leak, which is what was leaking into the main level bath ceiling. Both of these issues had a plan for repair in place within 1 hour and have both been fixed and we are only in June. What took Kevin over a year to figure out, only to be left with a bigger mess than when we started, took James only 6 weeks to fix. The pipe leak was fixed within 2 days. The new contractor is Porterhouse Contracting. James is amazing and will give you outstanding customer service, which is not what you will get going through Kevin.

  Read more