Caraway Fundamentals

Colton was hired to renovate an 882 sq. ft house. Initial conversations we asked if he was licensed, bonded and insured. Colton responded that he was and provided one documented proof. We discussed having two options at the start of the project. The house, originally built in 1946 was in disrepair and had been broken into and vandalized. We discussed the opportunity to tear the house down and start over or to renovate the existing structure. We were assured the house had “good bones” and should not be torn down. Colton gave an initial estimate of approximately $30,000 to renovate and 6 weeks to complete the job. We asked about permits and were assured that permits were not required by the county as this was a small renovation. Several meetings were done virtually to facilitate planning. Colton agreed to daily calls while providing pictures of the work done each day. Initial demolition began in late May 2022 taking the house down to studs in the walls and ceilings. Removed all appliances, cabinets and fixtures in the house, removed old flooring down to subfloor. We wanted to change the floor layout in the house to allow a 2nd bathroom to be installed and a space for a washer/dryer and small pantry to be installed. The roof was recently replaced and was not part of the scope of work. A balcony existed on the back of the house, updates including a new deck with ramp and railing was planned. Plans to install a new porch on the front of the house also planned with a ramp to the driveway and staircase to the ground. Water from existing spring would need to be reconnected. Assessment of the septic system would need to be done. New electrical and plumbing throughout would need to be completed. Tankless water heater would be installed under the house. Ductless heating and cooling system was to be installed and a gas fireplace installed. Not being onsite we had to trust that what we were told by Colton that the porch structure was sound. A railing was to be put up and a new floor was to be laid over the old current flooring. Two issues were identified with this effort. First after removing Colton, it was pointed out that the porch support beams were falling away from the house and are not able to support the porch and had less than ¼” of contact on the support. Second major issue was that the railing of the porch that was installed did not have an egress point. In this house that left only one egress point and would never pass inspection as state code requires two egress points for a house. Neither of these issues were pointed out by Colton. We relied on Colton for his expertise to meet state and county guidelines. He had recently graduated from Contractors school. After demolition Colton began framing the new bathroom and pantry area. His original crew of workers seemed to have the basic skills to complete this project. The original group of workers that Colton had left the project to go work in Florida after Hurricane Ian. It took him some time to find a new crew. The problem was that the new crew did not have the skills to work on the project. This caused a slowdown in getting the project done but we were still paying for skilled workers. It also showed up in the poor finishing and incomplete work throughout the house. New wiring went in, new plumbing was required and insulation in the walls and ceilings added. It was decided the owners would purchase the materials and have them waiting for Colton at the Lowes in a few different cities due to supply chain shortages. Colton did make several trips to pick up materials as they were identified, and he charged us for the trips. Colton did maintain almost daily communications and photos with us. We noticed that a lot of times he would send us duplicate pictures. He would tell us that a part of the project was done but then had to go back and fix something or restart the project because he hadn’t finished it like he said he did. We rented a backhoe for Colton to identify the location of the septic system. Septic was dug up and identified. The septic tank was not connected to the tubing to the weeping field and that was repaired, but no permit was pulled. Our assumption is the repairs were correct but unable to confirm because he never finished hooking up the water and toilets completely. Even though he said that he did. There was already a spring serving our house and another 6 houses in the community. It has been operational for 60+ years. Colton could not identify the pipes from the spring, so he recommended digging a new spring. When they dug the spring, they put it about a foot from the creek running through the property. Talking to the County Environmental Office after Colton was released, we found out the spring is actually ground water fed and not deep enough for a spring. Colton did install a carbon filter for the house, but the spring contains numerous bacteria and chemicals from runoff and a carbon filter will not be able to clean and purify the water coming into the house. We will have to install a UV light system and filter in the plumbing to make the water safe to consume. The spring does not have a casing or protection to keep it from collapsing on itself or a cover to keep out animals or debris. Piping from the spring to the house was not dug below the frost line and will more than likely freeze. Just another example of the incomplete and incorrect work that Colton had done. The water line was not put into the spring or set up to be ready and no permit for plumbing for a spring was pulled. Throughout the project there was a need for several experts to be coordinated. Colton could not do this, and it was left to the owners to find and hire HVAC, Electricians, Plumbers, Natural gas experts, and tilers. In the end it was identified that Colton did not have a contractor’s license or experience to do a project of this complexity. There were several instances of down time, due to supply shortage and other issues. To keep the workers and not lose them to other projects Colton suggested having them do some yard work. This included clearing vines, taking out some trees and general yard clean up. The vines and debris were piled up next to the road on our property and left. One tree was cut at the base and then again about 8 feet up, leaving a significant tree tangled in vines, hanging with an 8-foot section of tree removed. This posed a significant hazard to our house and anyone on the property. We had to hire another landscaping company to come in and complete the work. Throughout the project, windows were left open, or broken. This slowed down the drying of the mud and paint several days. Colton said that the ductless heaters were hooked and operable but that was not the case. I asked him to use the heaters to help the mud and paint dry. He finally told me that the heaters were on the walls but not operatable. Doors were not secured, and hazards were left around the property including a 500-gallon propane tank that Colton’s crew flipped upside down and left like the for much of the project. Safety and security of the project were not at the forefront of the workers. We made a trip down to the house in late October. The work that was supposedly already completed was nowhere near being done. We spent more than four hours talking and making a list of the problems, incomplete projects and about what was not done. We continued to work with Colton to get the project back on track. By the end of November the workmanship was still unprofessional and it was obvious he was in over his head. In November we received a stop work order from the county. They came over to approve the work the owners had organized with a master electrician. The County Inspector did approve the electrical work but placed a stop work order and disconnected all power to the house to prevent further work. The reason was that there were no permits pulled for the remodeling of our house. Colton called us and in a phone conversation he was asked by the County Inspector if he was the contractor and he clearly told her “I am not” in order to avoid getting into trouble with the County Inspectors Office. Since that time,

HORRIBLE. The work done was shoddy. Had to have some it redone at our expense. Hired to do other jobs but he longer answers phone or responds to email.

Wonderful experience. Quick response. Great communication. Very reliable and professional!Colton called and set up an appointment to come out within a few days. He called the day before to confirm the appointment and arrived on time! They came prepared to complete the job. (No running to the store for supplies/materials). Job was completed efficiently and timely- left no mess for me to clean. I am thrilled and very impressed! Will definitely call again! I highly recommend! Thank you Colton, Christian and the Caraway team! A job well done!

It went great . The contractor was very reasonable on price . He gave me an estimate and stuck with the estimate . He said he would start the work on May 30th and that is exactly what he did . He contacted me before that date and reminded that he would be coming . He started each day on time and he and his workers worked steady through the day . He kept me abreast of the progress each day and asked if everything was ok as they progressed . They did good quality work on each task that was contracted . Did a good clean up at the end of the job . I would recommend this company to anyone and look forward to any future work I may have a need for

Wonderful experience. Quick response. Great communication. Very reliable and professional!Colton called and set up an appointment to come out within a few days. He called the day before to confirm the appointment and arrived on time! They came prepared to complete the job. (No running to the store for supplies/materials). Job was completed efficiently and timely- left no mess for me to clean. I am thrilled and very impressed! Will definitely call again! I highly recommend! Thank you Colton, Christian and the Caraway team! A job well done!