Southern Oaks Construction

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• By a user in Daphne

  February 23, 2018

  Basement Re-model

  $35,000

  At present, we are investigating legal action to require Mr. Kruger to pay for finishing projects that are incomplete and re-doing things that were done incorrectly or unsatisfactorily. When Mr. Kruger was hired in March of 2017, he estimated that the work would take a little over 1 month, and he would start within 10 days. In reality, after 5 months there was still a long list of things not finished and a longer list of things that were done but not to our specification/satisfaction. We told Mr. Kruger up-front what our budget was and suggested that if we needed to do the project in stages, we would do that. He insisted he could work within the budget we had and offered to do additional little projects at no extra cost...just kept saying "Oh, that's no problem." The excavation work for the sliding glass door and subsequent retaining wall were not properly done. Consequently, dirt continues to leach thru the retaining wall whenever it rains causing a muddy mess. In addition, the drain sits higher than the cement making even water drainage difficult. Corners on wood cut for the bar and pole wrap were not mitered as a professional should automatically do. The bar is too high even without the counter top which he never got. The steps remain un-carpeted. The siding gap on the west side of the house was never addressed. No cable outlets were installed. Stairway lighting was removed. Handrail was improperly installed. Many of the outlet covers were not installed. The gap around 1 was a visible hole. Wall texturing was inconsistent making the paint appear streaked. No access was provided for future plumbing issues when the shower was installed. Bathroom ceiling tile was cheap and unacceptable for a high humidity area. The framing was also not installed level. The plug outlet in the bathroom was improperly wired. There was a vent placed in the drain pipe under the bathroom sink rather than tieing into the main vent on top of the house. The closet installed was intended to be a LARGE closet, but in reality is barely deep enough to accommodate hangers. We repeatedly talked about wanting hot/cold water access for a sink behind the bar that he was to install, but he wound up having to rip up ceiling to run water line because he forgot. We requested a gas line run to the kitchen in case we changed to a gas stove later, but he forgot to do that and had to re-do work to put it in. In addition, the entire back yard was damaged by the excavation for the sliding glass door with no repair attempt made despite statements to the contrary. Payment was to be made in 3 payments (with the 3rd actually split into 2 payments with the final payment made once all work was completed). The contract also was to include all permitting as required by the city of Des Moines. Mr. Kruger tried to get by without permits and inspections whenever possible and then said it was OUR decision to not pull permits. We had no idea what permits were even required or the cost of permits. (He tried to tell us it would save a lot of money when in actuality a permit is $50.) All of this came to our attention after he complained because he had to pull a permit for the sliding glass door/excavation because a neighbor made a report to the city. We thought he was pulling necessary permits because that was part of the contract. No itemized statement was ever provided. By August, Mr. Kruger was demanding an additional $7500 to complete the construction. He had never indicated that any changes or requests would add to the cost. I never once saw him carry a notebook to write down what the job entailed. We never saw any drawings and were not consulted on many of the details. When we refused to make additional payment, he sent a very rude email demanding payment. He also told me in a phone conversation that he would call the city to let them know some of the permits were not pulled. This was a surprise to us as the city had been there and we assumed all necessary permits were done. He said that they would make us move the water heater, because it couldn't be under the stairs. We have been told that this is not a fact. It was not unusual for Curt or one of his crew to come and leave within minutes. We were very patient with him throughout the process knowing he had other projects going at the same time. However, he continued to make promises of completion without action. This man is NOT a professional. Knowing what I know now, I would NEVER hire him again. We currently have water all over the basement which is the adjuster is telling us is resultant from improper work by Mr. Kruger and his employees.

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