After going through 5 or 6 great renovation experiences with many wonderful contractors, our last project became our first horror story. Thom Hirtz who operates as Group 5 promise many things which he could not deliver, it began with the budget and cost spiraling, like the $30,000 for disposal bins, (it was no tear-down, merely a demo down to the framing), when confronted on the fact that estimates and quotes were doubled and tripled we never received any real answer. After being billed almost $500,000 before drywall was even finished we knew we had been taken for a ride (the building was just under 2000 sq/f). We finally had to part ways as the quality became sub-par, even against code as building inspectors later pointed out. Beyond the fact that what was contracted as a $200,000 job turned into an unfinished/poorly done $500,000 nightmare the very fact that it cost almost $200,000 to fix and complete the job leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
My honest advise would be to go with a larger company with real experience and not simply a "charming man" out to make a quick buck.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $500,000.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- change ownership and hire new trades
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Always call references and go and look at previous work. It was only after that we found out that there are a multitude of disaster jobs done by Group 5.