Renaissance Restoration, Inc Reviews
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By Lori Love L.July 19, 2017addition, interior remodel$93,000
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By lori.cavell.loveJuly 19, 2017Two-story Addition, Kitchen breakfast room, master bath, kitchen update, modification to structural$93,000
Slow and sloppy work. Took on a major addition and remodel and primarily used only one worker for 6 months (contract said it would be completed in 3). Damaged our existing bathroom (mud and sand constantly ground into the marble and a newish bathtub), our couch (with paint and dust), and our entire rear yard (spread excavation material and building debris including rock, broken brick, glass and nails through our backyard instead of removing it). Never took out the garbage from the construction (I was afraid every Thursday because I, a 5 foot woman would take out the renovation garbage to our curb on garbage day) I was afraid our garbage men would complain. Plus, is not yet finished (I suspect he has sent that one main worker to a new job because he doesn't show up half of the week. I anticipate his appearances will get less and less), what was finished new contractors tell me I have to have redone, and overcharged (constantly asked for more money). The worst experience.
Our experience was stressful and costly. We are now interviewing contractors to redo the poorly done work, and finish other work. We are 6 months into what was contracted to be a three month project (contract said the work would be substantially complete on 5/10/17). It is not finished. And the work that is done has to be redone. I can not allow them to continue to work on my home because it is so sloppy (really actually reckless) as to be a detriment to my home value and function. Windows and doors are crooked (some won't close enough to lock. Outside experts say they are "racked"). I've had three contractors in to review the work (and to potentially take over). They are all mortified by what they see when they walk in. Wires hanging, outlets open, door frames not square, etc. Bathtub scratched from them standing on debris that they left there. Outside is worse, our yard was left in ruins with glass and nails purposely spread through so the contractor didn't have to pay to hall the excavated dirt away. I can't let my kids play back there. I will post pics soon. They didn't tarp our roof well, and we had a leak ruining the ceiling in our master bedroom. (They did repair this but the ceiling sags now, and I'm worried that they may not have let the insulation in the roof dry well -- I have to worry about this because of the quality of all of the other work.) The work was sloppy (even in the new addition) -- drywall is so far from window trim that there is a lot of caulk necessary to get the window trim to meet the drywall. Besides that, they never cared for my home or my family. He used my wooden dining room table as a work bench. He opened without my permission our brand new chandelier from West Elm, threw out all the protective packaging, and left it to get scratched and covered in dust on top of my dining room table which they used for their work/tools. (I moved and protected it myself). They stored my indoor rug on my screened porch under debris and mounds of tools and garbage (pics above -- my chaise lounges are there somewhere too). I asked over and over for tarping, to no avail. Finally in May, after me screaming about his lack of respect for our things (see esp. bathroom pics), he cleaned and put plastic down in the bathrooms only! I used to call myself the tarp lady, I was always running around taping things they didn't. He didn't keep debris and hazards away from our children (even lead-based paint chips!!!!). We moved out at our cost. The addition we hired him for is slanted. He never arranged for a dumpster to remove debris from our house (For 6 months I had to take bags and bags to the curb to clear my home of garbage). Beyond this, he charged top dollar (a fact we didn't realize until much too late). I'm in tears. I can't believe what I put up with for so long. Do not hire him or his associate (right-hand man and lead worker) Matt Adams.
There is another online review (on a popular contractor review site) that says he also did things out of order. I can confirm this woman's review and experience. He kept trying to refinish our floors mid project. He painted all the new walls of our interior remodel before starting the addition or master bath. Every wall is scuffed and trims are scratched. It needs to be redone. They installed the drywall in our kitchen bump out before the plumbing (shower pan was tested for leaks). It leaked! (Surprise, two tile people I brought in recently said the pan is awful -- Bob even tried to charge us more for it being "custom" at the end). When the pan leaked, the drywall in the kitchen was damaged. Also, the tile man could've been working in the master bath if they had done the work in there first. Instead, the tile man has yet to start. I'm glad! At least I can have the tile done well with someone else! Bob is not a manager and he allows for sloppy work. He ignored my requests to straighten things when I noticed them before they were finished. He went on to finish them in their crooked state. I feel like a fool for trusting him.
Short Description:
We hired Bob (Robert) Babenderier (sometimes spelled Babendreier or Babendrier online - the MHIC# is 90817) to do some interior renovation and a small 81 square foot (two floors) kitchen bump out and a master bath above. Our experience was awful from the beginning and we trusted him for too long (to a great financial loss). Beware, he tacks on new charges in confusing ways to get more money out of you. FYI, the contractor, Bob Babenderier will claim I made changes that delayed the work. He brings this up whenever my husband and I confront him about his conduct and the quality of his work. It's not relevant. I would have waited a long time for quality work. And, many of the changes were set off by a roofline adjustment to the original plans for ease of build at HIS suggestion. I am not upset about the work being overdue. I'm upset about the quality and the destruction of our home.