WHITE LAKE, Mich. (WXYZ) — A metro Detroit family says building their dream home turned into a nightmare due to contractor issues.
Cindy and Michelle were delighted and excited about their house on the lake. She said she had $97,000 in the bank waiting to do the project. Now, it's all gone.
They hired a contractor who came highly recommended to create an addition on their already existing property. It would've created a suite-like room.
The contractor, Marty Bruce of J & L Painting and Remodeling in White Lake, priced to job at $100,000.
"I told him, 'Marty, I'm trusting you, we're putting our faith and trust in you,'" she said.
For the price, they were getting a 646-square-foot addition, a 3-car garage, shingles, siding, flooring, a bathroom, kitchen, electrical and plumbing completed. The only thing they weren't getting was heating and cooling.
Marty told them it would be done by spring, and he and his crew had been working since October.
Things were going well, until Michelle says Marty started asking for more money. She said the numbers in relation to the work and some receipts were not adding up. Then, the job came to a halt.
She said that he was very personable, and they never expected this to happen. She said she thinks it will cost at least another $40,000 to finish, and they don't have it.
They tried negotiating with him three times, and the last thing they claim they heard was that he won't sit down and talk to them again until they give him $10,000.
As far as the outside, the framing and the work is nearly finished, but inside, only about 10 percent is done.
At this point, they are about $12,000 away from hitting their $100,000 maximum, and there's much more work to be done.
7 Action News Reporter Andrea Isom reached out to Marty. He admits that some of the project is not complete, but says his clients are not accounting for the items they added to the construction and additional labor cost.
Marty said he's already in the hole on the deal, and plans to take the mother and daughter to court to collect.
We want to make sure that you don't end up in a mess like this.
First off, never pay for the entire job up front. It's customary to do about 1/3 of the total cost. Secondly, don't pay in case, and when things and prices change, get it in writing and signed off on by both parties.
Also, get a completed, signed waiver of a lien, to prevent the workers from outing a lien on your home. Also, have a payment schedule and get everything in writing, and finally, keep good records. Make sure you have a contract that both sides are comfortable with.
You can also verify contractor and building licenses at Michigan.gov/licenselookup, or check licenses for electricians, plumbers and mechanical contractors here.
In a statement, Marty Bruce said: "I am not going to play the he said , she said game on TV. The fact is they hired us to do $100,000 worth of work, They added almost $40,000 worth of extras, knowing that they did not have the money to pay for it. Now, it is supposed to be my fault that they ran out of money halfway through the job."
