We bought a house that hadn't been touched in decades. We needed a complete bathroom renovation, refinishing the hardwood floors, replacing a load bearing wall with a beam, adding a sliding door to the backyard, complete kitchen renovation and finishes.
The president, Robert, wanted us to pay him in full before he would confirm whether the building permit was closed or not. Upon further investigation I found out it was still open and that a final inspection had not been completed, requiring us to rip open the brand new walls to get sign off.
Plumbing for the new kitchen sink and dishwasher was not vented or installed to code (using a t-connection under the sink on the horizontal, lack of venting, etc.)
Kitchen floor grout cracked within days of installation, and no tile was installed below the dishwasher, making it impossible to pull it out without tearing out some tile or removing the counter top.
Small deck addition was put in place, with spindels nailed on with brad nails, drywall screws used for the joist hangers and less than adequate support for the deck boards (deck board support was installed parellel to deck boards?!?!)
The left the house, inside and out, in a complete state of disaster. I had to spend an entire weekend with family and friends to clean up after them prior to tenants moving in. During construction all our brand new appliances were in the middle of the living room during demolition stages of the job.
All in all the entire process was, and still is, a nightmare. Now we have to pay others to come in and make things right.