Express Restoration

December 14, 2024

We recently hired Express Restoration llc from Vancouver, WA to do a fairly complex bathroom repair/remodel project in our home. At some relatively recent point in time, we had developed a leak in one of the water lines in our master bathroom, and perhaps had a partial drain pipe break as well. The complexity came from the fact that the water damage – buckled flooring, water stains – came from underneath our existing shower, which was still in good working order. Here was our project checklist (to somebody in construction, it is quite normal, but I wanted to list it here to show the scope of what we were asking Express Restoration llc to do):
• Repair portion – Express Restoration llc to tear out existing shower walls, glass and base; tear out existing bathroom vinyl flooring; tear out water damaged sheetrock and sub-flooring; repair or replace water lines and shower drain pipe; replace sub-floor and sheetrock; replace door to the outside.
• (Forced, or rather, necessary) Remodel portion – [in their original estimate, to replace our shower that would have to be removed, Express Restoration llc suggested a new shower base that was smaller than our original base. In order to not lose any shower base area, I elected to order the new shower base, the shower walls, and the glass walls myself, each from different companies] – Express Restoration llc to install new shower base; install new vinyl flooring; paint the bathroom walls; install shower walls (corner shower); install shower glass walls, paint the new outdoor door as well as completing dozens of finishing requirements.

So, lots and lots of moving parts, and at each step, we were very satisfied with Express Restoration llc’s quality of work. Express Restoration llc uses a work system where, for specific parts of the job, they bring in designated teams of one or two men to complete them. For instance, a two-man team came in and did all of the cutting out of the damaged sub-flooring and sheetrock, did all of installation of the new sub-flooring and sheetrock, and did all of the painting of the bathroom walls, ceiling, and outdoor door. A separate man came in and did all of the plumbing repairs. A third man installed the outside door. In each case, we were impressed with their work. One downside of this system is that after the two-man team finished a sequence of work on the sub-flooring, the plumber wasn’t available for several more days, which meant no more work could occur until then (frustrating). I’m not sure if these ‘teams’ were employees of Express Restoration llc, or sub-contractors, but regardless, they did work that we were very pleased with! As were we with the installation, detailing, and finishing work that Express Restoration llc in general, and the owner specifically, did! Remember, Express Restoration llc had to make three major corner shower components ‘fit together’ – the shower base from one company, the two corner shower walls from a second company, and the two glass walls from a third company! Each of these three components had a dozen or so finishing requirements. We are really happy with the installation, construction, and finishing work that Express Restoration llc and their teams did! My wife and I highly recommend them for all components of indoor construction work (they may also do outdoor stuff, I don’t know)!

However – at least for my specific interaction with Express Restoration llc - Express Restoration llc’s expertise and attention to detail on the building side of their operation did not, unfortunately, extend to their spreadsheet management and billing output. What had been kind of a daily joyous experience for us as we neared the end of the of our bathroom’s repair and remodel project (along with the knowledge that the cause of our water damage was repaired, along with repair of the actual damage itself), morphed into a bittersweet end of the relationship between we (my wife and I), on the one hand, and Express Restoration llc on the other hand: 1) sweet, because we love the work that Express Restoration llc did, resulting in our beautiful new shower and bathroom, and 2) bitter, because of a lack of trust we developed in regards to Express Restoration llc’s approach to change orders and our ‘final’ invoice.

To the uninitiated, once the initial cost estimate for a project is issued, the many additions and deletions of materials and labor are documented on “change orders,” which provide a paper trail leading to the final invoice at the end of the project. At one point, I found that not only did I have two copies of the original estimate with the same date, but with different items and costs, but that I also had a change order with the same change order ID number and the same date, but with different items and costs! This meant that I could no longer trust Express Restoration llc’s change orders, because there might be another one with the same ID number and date but different costs that just hadn’t been sent to me yet!

I’ll describe the last day of our project: the owner of Express Restoration llc brought us a copy of our final and only invoice to our home, saying nothing about it. I wrote out a personal check for the remaining balance, based on the final invoice that he had just given me (and had also previously emailed me a copy a couple of days earlier), the owner accepted my check, and we were done. Or so I thought. The following day, I received texts and emails from the owner of Express Restoration llc, claiming that “it looks like you’re confused by the total and remaining total balance,” and that we owed Express Restoration llc an additional $3000!!! After several texts and emails discussing first his attorney, then his “group of attorneys,” the owner of Express Restoration llc finally admitted “I found out what my invoicing software did. It is a system glitch.” I think if, even at some point later, he had taken responsibility for the mistake as the owner of Express Restoration, instead of blaming it on his software, I would have felt much differently about the situation. ‘A good craftsman never blames his tools.’

Should this be a reason to not hire Express Restoration llc? No, because except for the office portion, they are very good at what they do (hopefully, the office team for Express Restoration llc will develop the same expertise in their work as the construction teams have)! When you hire Express Restoration, and I think that you should, just get out your fine-tooth comb, and make copies of everything.