North Kern Construction

Throughout the remodeling project of our house May 2016 through November 2016., we found the contractor Tony Z, to be very disorganized and financially irresponsible. For example; in the original contract it stated that we provide a payment on the day we signed the contract and more as the project progressed. Tony often came to us for more money and we had over 50% of the original amount paid by the end of the first month.

There were many times Tony would say they would arrive to work at 8AM but we wouldn't see anyone until 11:00 if they arrived at all. On more than one occasion The crew would arrive to work and Tony would ask me what they were working on that day. It was almost a daily practice for the crew to arrive only to leave to buy supplies. To call his workers a crew is even a joke. We never knew who would be arriving each day. The painter showed up and there was no paint on site. The first tile guy showed up and had no tools.

The tile flooring that we requested was not available so he brought in several samples that were all higher cost than the original. Tony told us that our square footage was 2200 square feet, but in fact it is just 1600 square feet. This was finally agreed upon when I provided him with drawings and the associated Math to back up my numbers. When they did start laying the tile, they did not follow the manufacturers recommended installation guidelines and thus the tile is uneven and it makes it difficult to even slide a chair across the floor. The tile work in the bathroom also became a nightmare. The grout lines were uneven and the grout appeared to be different colors. The vanity was installed, but the matching mirror we ordered only appeared after we went and bought the correct one.

We asked for all new interior doors and requested that they be prehung, but they were indeed not pre-hung and the hinges did not fit correctly so they were just surface mounted. If the door was too wide they were trimmed down with a Skill saw and the edges were crooked and rough.

Our custom built shower is also a disaster. The tile work is crooked, and it leaks every time it is used. The shower doors were installed wrong and side rails were cut too short. Instead of replacing the side rails, they glued in plastic looking fillers at the bottom of the rails. Maybe I would not be so sensitive about the shower door rails and such if he had paid for them with the money he had already been paid up front, but indeed he sent his worker to go pick up the parts and I had to pay for them in order to move forward on the project.

Under no circumstance would I recommend this company to anybody that is looking to improve their home. We feel that after investing over $37,000 in our dream home, all we received was a nightmare. We are currently seeking a "real" contractor to rebuild our bathrooms. The floor will have to wait until we can save up to fix or cover up their mistakes.

Jim DeLaMater