No Despair Home Repair & Remodeling

<strong>Much Despair Bad Repair</strong> <br /> Background: <br /> We originally hired Ron in the summer of 2014 to change the flooring in our finished room in the basement as well as paint and check for moisture under the floor. The project grew when we discovered that water was leaking from beneath the adjacent bathroom and turned into a complete remodel that involved gutting the bathroom and rebuilding everything. Ron assured us that <br /> he could handle the job. At the time, my husband, who is currently disabled from a chronic disease, was undergoing home IV treatments several times a day, which made it very difficult for him to oversee the work as things progressed. However, Ron kept <br /> reassuring us that we would be involved every step along the way and that we would be happy with the end result, and we trusted him. <br /> Unfortunately we are not happy and the result is anything but good. <br /> Please refer to the photos to get the complete picture of just how poor the quality of work is that Ron?s company performed in our basement. Here is a detailed account of our most pressing complaints: <br /> <strong>Problems in the bathroom:</strong> <br /> As we already mentioned, the bathroom had to be completely gutted and rebuilt. This involved building walls, a new ceiling, installing a soaking tub, tiling the shower and floor of the bathroom, doing all of the plumbing, installing lights <br /> and a fan, installing a vanity and new toilet and extending a wall and painting. <br /> Here are the problems: <br /> - Sewer smell - we started to notice an intermittent sewer smell shortly after the work was completed.  It has grown worse at times, especially this summer when the a/c was running and we could smell sewer throughout the house.  We don't know for sure that Despair is to blame, but since they didn't get any permits for the plumbing work (or anything else for that matter), we don't have a starting point for finding the problem and can?t eliminate their work as the possible cause. <br /> - All of the tile work is done very poorly (see photos). Tiles are uneven, some have sharp edges, there is grout in all of the corners that they failed to clean up... Other contractors have told us that it looks like they didn?t glaze the shower. <br /> - Immediately after the work was complete, water started to puddle in the shower area. (See photos for the complete story.)  This was later repaired somewhat by Despair. He warned us that the look of the tile job wouldn't be as nice the second time and he wasn't kidding, check out the photo of the floor around the drain. <br /> - The tub was not properly installed. Basically, they laid it on top of the sloped concrete floor and leveled it with the adjustable legs under the tub. Then they filled the gap with grout that is over an inch thick. They called it ?grout snowballs.? The problem is that the grout is already starting to crumble in places and bow out and is going to be a mildew magnet over time. It also looks sloppy, especially along the back sides. <br /> - We asked that they build an access panel for the tub faucet. We didn?t get one (which is against code). <br /> - Likewise, there is no access panel for the air admittance valve (also against code). <br /> - The vanity is not level ? water drifts to one side. <br /> - Despair was unable to attach the drain plug in the sink properly, so it has never worked. <br /> - Every fixture (sink, shower and tub faucets) was loose when they were finished. Since we have no access panel, we can?t tighten the tub faucet properly. There is already mildew under the sink due to the loose faucet. <br /> - They installed a dual flush mechanism in the toilet improperly. As a result, it often sticks and the toilet doesn?t flush like it should. Ron said, "All toilets flush a little differently, it's fine".  It wasn't fine.  It kept sticking and the dual flush didn't work properly.  After our adjacent unfinished basement flooded, Ron insisted that it had nothing to do with the toilet, but then said, "It sounds like you are never going to be happy with this toilet, what's it going to take, a new toilet?  For $75 I'll put in a new toilet, would that make you happy?"  It felt <br /> rather condescending.  Later, a plumber and another contractor confirmed that the backup was as bad as it was because the toilet <br /> handle stuck and continued to run.  We were lucky that the water didn?t cause any great damage.  We accepted his offer <br /> for the new toilet because it was a better option financially than starting over with someone else, but he put us off, then put us off <br /> again, then never responded and in the end never showed up with the new toilet. <br /> - As already mentioned, Ron didn?t get any permits for any of the work, even though my husband asked whether we get the permits or Ron files for the permits, he said something along the lines of ?Don?t worry, I am going to take care of everything.? When I called the permit office after our basement flooded they had never heard of Ron Borgquist or No Despair Home Repair. <br /> - The bathroom walls (which they had to rebuild) are not at 90 degree angles and not straight. The shower <br /> walls in the back are not framed properly (see photo). <br /> - The ceiling is wavy and you can still see the ceiling tape in places underneath the paint. <br /> <strong>Problems in the adjacent finished room:</strong> <br /> - We had them install heated floors underneath the new laminate flooring. More than once during the planning sessions we asked for the heated flooring to be in the center of the room.  One day my husband came down to find the heating pads out against the walls.  When he reminded him of what we asked for, Ron said that he read online that you get the best heat from floor heating when it's out against the wall.  While that may be true, it's not what we asked for.  We wanted warm feet while walking around in the room during the <br /> winter. He moved half of the floor heat out from under where the couch would be but refused to move the other half away from the wall. <br /> - Related to the heated floors is the fact that they didn?t properly level the floor after installing the heating panels and before putting down the laminate. As a result, the laminate moves under our feet in some places and with time will most likely begin to break. The <br /> laminate was installed poorly, with several places where they had to fix something and the result is rather ugly (see photos). The <br /> laminate pieces are not properly fitted to each other either and have corners sticking up in places. <br /> - They put new treads on our stairs going up from the basement. The problem is that they are all different depths and all the treads stick out further than permit range (they stick over the edge so far that they present a trip hazard). One step was wobbly immediately after the install. Ron argued that it was fine, then finally fixed it, and when I said "If that one was not supposed be wobbly, how do I know others won't become wobbly?"  His response was "These stairs were well installed, you won't ever have a problem".  We have several wobbly stairs less than a year after the job. <br /> - When they put polyeurethane on the stairs they did a sloppy job. There are splatters of stain in several places (see photo). <br /> <strong>Lack of professionalism:</strong> <br /> Not only did they perform poor quality work, but they also weren?t professional. <br /> For example: <br /> - We never knew when they would show up. I guess because my husband was always home (due to his illness), they figured that they could come and go as they pleased. They would also leave without letting us know whether they?d come back or were done for the day. <br /> - They didn?t take the time to clean up after themselves (especially when grouting the bathroom). (Not to mention that one of the workers would simply poor down the rest of the grout into our new bathroom sink when he

Very pleased with service.  What seemed like a big deal turned out to be a simple fix because of his honesty <br />

<p>We have used No Despair Home Repair previouslly.  As always, this project was excellently done.  This weas the biggest project Ron and his crew has done for us.  Ron does a great job of listening to what we want and then producing that result.  He makes excellent suggestions that are well worth considering.  His work aleays exceeds our expectations.  Ron is easy to work with and flexible in making any needed changes.  Ron was quick to return when it was necessary to resolve a couple minor problems.  We are already planning our next progect.  I would highly recommend No Despair Home Repair for any type of work around the house.</p> <br />

Job well done. We had Ron install ceiling fans in all our bed rooms and living room. He also installed a couple of lights in our living room. Ron quoted us a reasonable price which was within our budget. Ron and Mike were very professional and efficient in getting the job done on time and with high quality. Ron came up with some good suggestions that we hadn't thought about. He is very innovative and always has a solution to a problem. Would highly recommend his services. <br />

Amazing experience.  I hired Ron and his crew to gut and remodel a powder room in my home built around 1850.  There are no straight lines, level surfaces or right angles so all the work was challenging.  Not only did they do a wonderful job, they uncovered and restored an original brick wall we didn't even know we had.  What I appreciate is Ron's ability to bring unique ideas to the table and enhance the result of the work within the same budget.  I immediately hired them to remodel another bathroom and will use them exclusively as we work to restore our home.  I couldn't recommend them more highly. Ron, Matt and Mike are like family.  I trust them completely. <br />

Excellent experience.  Ro was easy to work with.  Exceeded expectations.  I have severaal projects I plan to do in the next year or two.  I plan to use Ron and his crew.Would hIghly recommend. <br />

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They were out to my house twice. They were concerned that when they made the repair the first time that it would not work. They asked me to call if it didn't. I called and he came back out to make the repair and didn't charge me any extra. He had to buy the tool and I offered to split the cost and let him keep the tool but he wouldn't let me. He is honest and fair and is interested in taking care of his customers. He came up with a less expensive approach to my problem. He is very creative.

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He arrived on time. He put the sink in the first day, and started on the lights. A young man came later that day to assist. He came back the next day, an a third guy came to help. They finished up. Did a good job. I also had water leaking under my refrigerator. He pulled it out from the wall, looked it over, cleaned under it, and didn't charge anything extra. The one light was't working correctly, so he came back promptly and fixed it. <br />

He was a really nice man, you know, they were simply late coming up. He had, you know like, all excuses. It was just like, they wanna finish it and they didn't finished it right. It's done but I wouldn't have them back.  I wouldn't have them back again not because the work was bad, it was just dragged out. You know, he'd say I'd be here and he wasn't there.

Ron was professional and had a true sense of how to expand living space. His eye for detail was amazing. It looks like we spent 100% more! Wish we had done business years ago! Thank you Angie!

Great job!

I was impressed in that he clearly listened to what I wanted and then gave numerous customized suggestions to help me achieve my personal objectives.  He also offered up helpful suggestions for economizing without diminishing my objectives.  He is currently working up a bid for me.   Although I have another contractor consultation coming up (also found through Angie's list-thank you very much) for comparison, I was very impressed with the professionalism of Ron Borgquist, the owner of No Despair Home Repair & Remodeling,  and at this point am definitely leaning towards them for the job.   It really helps to see the grades & reviews on Angie's list when trying to select a vendor- it increases my comfort level in knowing I'm likely to have a job well done.

This was a good experience.  He arrived on time and quickly went to work.  Very professional in his manner and how he did things.  Ron is a very nice gentleman to talk with.  The job he did looks very good and we have not had any problems with the installation of the items he installed.  We will use him again in the near future.

We were happy with what he did for us. He charged $65.00 apiece for the deadbolt installation and $60.00 apiece for the fans. He actually lives the next street over from us and he said we can come right over if we need anything.

He was excellent!

No Despair Home Repair & Remodeling did 10 or 12 jobs for us and they were just phenomenal. He was amazing. He did so many different types of jobs. He did a wonderful job and the price was very reasonable. He was honest and hard working and had fair prices. The quality of his work was great. He was wonderful to work with, very friendly and polite and very considerate.

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Ron did an awesome job finishing our basement.  His knowledge, recommendations and expertise are exceptional.  He was extremely accommodating to our style and changes.  The finished space is first-rate quality.  I would highly recommend Ron for your home repair/remodel project.

Very good service, and they worked their schedule around ours, coming in the evening one day, and late afternoon on another to finish the job. The fan works perfectly (no wobble), the remote works great, and the kitchen switch works just like new. Note: He had planned to replace the kitchen switch the same night he came to install the fan, but had forgotten the switch he needed to do so.  We offered to pay for the fan installation that first night, but he suggested we wait until he came back to replace the switch. I thought that was classy.

He was fair and reasonable. We were addiment about the project and he did well enough. He was courteous and quick. They didn't clean up real well after the job, but everything else was fine and he did what he could. I would hire him again because his pricing was fair. You have to tell him exactly what you want. He needs to be more customer considerate and not focused on what he wants to do.

It was an excellent experience, and we would hire him again in a heartbeat.

Overall good experience.  Great price.  Ran into a few unexpected problems with the doors fitting correctly but was able to mitigate the problem.  Ron took his time and  made sure he did the job right.

Responded very quickly to my call and put in a very functional and attractive light switch.