Although most of the work that was done on my project was generally good, I cannot recommend Gillespie Handyman Services because I do not believe that they stand behind their work when an issue comes up, even though they advertise "We stand behind the quality of our work with a warranty on labour for 1 full year." See below for a description of my experience.
In May 2024, I hired Gillespie to create a storage space under my basement stairs: framing, drywalling, and mudding, as well as installing doors. The craftsman was friendly and courteous, did the work efficiently, and the result initially looked good. Unfortunately, an issue with the drywall tape in one corner became apparent after I had applied a coat of primer about two weeks later: a long wrinkle/bubble was evident for most of the height of the wall. On seeing the shadow against the white of the primed surface, I did not continue with the application of paint along that wall, knowing that a repair of the seam would be required.
I contacted Gillespie, providing a picture of the issue (attached), and asked about their process for getting the bubbling drywall tape repaired since it appeared to be a workmanship issue. Instead, I was asked to provide information on the primer I used (new drywall primer + sealer) and then told that it could not be covered under warranty because the problem is due to the use of a low-quality, inexpensive primer and they substantiated their position by providing a screenshot of two anonymous reviews (also attached).
When I questioned this position, on the grounds that the first review did not mention anything about drywall tape and that if the primer was prone to causing bubbles, I should have seen it elsewhere than a single seam (which I did not), and that the second review was not even applicable to my situation since only primer had been applied to the wall with the seam in question (although paint had been successfully applied without issues on the remaining areas where the primer was applied). I also pointed to the commonness of drywall seam issues being caused by lack of adhesion between the tape and the drywall and suggested that as a possible cause of what I was seeing. In the photo I had shared, one elongated bubble is visible along a long stretch of the corner seam and it generally corresponds with the edge of one of the drywall boards where it forms the corner with the perpendicular drywall board. I shared that, since I could both see and feel the joint, my belief was that the source of the bubble was due to the lack of adhesion of the drywall tape to the drywall along this joint, making the bubble along the seam a workmanship issue. As a result, I asked Gillespie to stand behind their work or explain to me how properly applied and adhered tape could have become unstuck by a single coat of primer as I had not been able to find anything online that would suggest the possibility. In the same email, I offered to send additional photos or arrange a time to be home so that they could send someone to assess the issue in person.
Instead of considering the possibility of a workmanship error, or looking at the issue in person, I was told that "Overapplication of a budget-friendly, watery product can cause bubbling as the moisture attempts to escape. This issue is evident in reviews of the product used." No mention of workmanship, no acknowledgement of the lack of issues elsewhere with a supposed poor-quality primer. Instead, I was offered the opportunity to request an estimate to repair and repaint the area.
I asked again why the possibility of a workmanship error was not addressed in their responses, indicating that I was especially curious about this as I had already indicated that I could feel the joint and not just see the bubble/wrinkle. I also added that any search I did online for bubbles in drywall tape points to the application process and provided an example from a website (Getting Rid Of Bubbles On Drywall Tape).
Gillespies response: "After a thorough review of your concerns, we are writing to inform you that we cannot accommodate your request under our current warranty terms. Our assessment indicates that the issue does not fall within the specified warranty coverage. particularly as our investigation has revealed that the use of an incorrect primer has contributed significantly to the problem."
Shocked by the reference to a "thorough" review, I tried one more time to address the possibility of a workmanship issue, since they had been utterly silent on it throughout our correspondence, and provided additional online sources that pointed to taping problems being a common issue (it took me less than 15 minutes to find 3 more links to share including those with pictures similar to what I had observed) as well as a picture of what paint bubbling on a wall looked like from a paint company website. I was confident enough if my assessment of the bubbling along the drywall tape being an application issue rather than due to the primer I had used that I offered to bring my can of primer to their office, apply it myself on a similar joint, and wait for it to dry in order for all to see if it caused similar issues. If it did, it would confirm Gillespie's position that the primer caused the problem I had observed rather than workmanship and provide a more realistic investigative result.
I sent my last email to Gillespie on July 10th and I have not heard anything back. They have not taken me up on my offer to go to their office with my can of primer nor have they given any indication of wanting to investigate in person as I previously suggested. In the meantime, anyone I have shown the picture of the bubbling drywall tape to has immediately told me that it is a taping issue. When I mention the assertion from Gillespie that it was my primer that caused the issue as a possibility, their jaws drop in disbelief, and they repeat that it is a taping issue and/or that I've found a company not to use again.
Once again, I cannot recommend Gillespie Handyman Services to anyone I know looking for handyman services and will not consider them myself in the future since I do not believe that they will stand behind their work. While I understand that errors can happen in any project, the thoroughness of their warranty review seemed unwilling to consider the possibility workmanship and relied instead on unsubstantiated and anonymous online reviews that did not provide enough information to be able to confidently compare to what I'm experiencing. To me, this signifies a disappointing lack of accountability and ownership for the services they provided.
