Otter B Enterprises

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• By John S.

  October 26, 2015

  Remodel

  $70,000

  90 days

  Nightmare

  We are completely unsatisfied with Jeff English/Otter B Enterprises and would discourage anyone from hiring him. He was deceptive and difficult to work with. When my wife and I met with Jeff English from Otter B, we were very clear that we are very particular and that we wanted a contractor that would pay close attention to details making sure that all the work would be done precisely and cleanly. He validated our concerns about other contractors doing work poorly and assured us that he would be able to meet and exceed our standard. He claimed that his work wouldn’t look like a remodel or “after thought.” He encouraged us to speak with him about any concerns as he was completing his work and that if we did not like his work that he would fix it. He asked us to trust him with our new home. He told us that his bid included all costs and nothing would be added on or hidden. We gave him almost $70,000 to remodel parts of our bathroom, closet, kitchen, bar, and fireplace (this was not a full remodel). He was unable to complete any of these projects, the work that he did complete was poorly done, and he charged us a significant amount above the bid he gave us in the contract. We hired him in May. He claimed he would be able to complete the project by the end of June so that we could move in at the beginning of July. The work was not complete when we moved in mid July. We fired him at the end of August because the work was not done as he promised, and the work that had been done was done poorly and needed an expert to repair. Some of the mistakes can only be fixed by completely ripping out his work which would cost thousands more. This has consumed so much of our time because Jeff made so many mistakes and misrepresented himself and his capacity to perform the work we hired him for. He was unwilling to follow our design and continually made choices without our approval. He was unable to receive constructive feedback around his mistakes and unable or unwilling to accept personal responsibility for his mistakes and misrepresentations. Jeff took so much from us and the money is only a part of that. Our time, our emotional energy and the excitement that we had for these projects is so valuable, and he stole these from us. We would not ever recommend Jeff English or Otter B Enterprises.

  Some examples:
  • Drawers (some of them) don’t open and close without catching
  • Stove is not centered
  • Fireplace stonework was left with gaps between stones on the face, areas without grout on edges, and 90 degree cuts left visible instead of having a finished edge
  • Bar refrigerator did not fit (requiring us to either completely redo all of the work he did in the bar or replace the existing refrigerator with a smaller one); wall was damaged when refrigerator was removed for repair and requires repair
  • Cabinets did not fit into place, so he changed the plan (initially and cabinets were not symmetrical), when we discussed this with him he balanced it out the cabinet sizes but cut into the soffit (at this point the soffit has been ‘repaired’ but poorly and will require more attention
  • Tile work was not installed well so it is crooked in shower, bar, and fireplace
  • Excess texture on walls, trim, flooring, and even on the in-wall speakers
  • Excess grout on tile
  • Excess caulk smeared on the floor and walls
  • Pencil marks on tile
  • Caulk that is peeling away (after only a few weeks)
  • Veneer doesn’t reach the edges of cabinets
  • Charged us for work, which he led us to believe was included
  
  Damage to Our Home:
  • Drywall around the fireplace
  • Scratches in the travertine floor and counter
  • Rust stains on the travertine floor in the bathroom and on tile
  • Multiple chips in granite hearth from a hammer

  • Door to the bedroom during demolition

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