JFW Construction (Port Hope)

We hired this company at the persistence of the owner. He would not let up on us and kept texting me right up until 11pm at night. That should have been our first indicator that he was not right in the head.

We wanted to have the front foyer and back door foyer & kitchen ceramic tiles replaced. We also wanted to have two full bathroom ceramic floors and shower enclosures replaced. Christopher Wallis (CW) practically begged us for the job. We had an Italian family friend who is a retired plumber and renovator come over for his input at the time of the quote from CW

CW wanted to remove the tiles and use a 1/8th" ditra and then cement the rest. Our friend said that wouldn't work because the floors would never be level as some areas could need 2" and others only 1/2". He said mesh, dry pack and then thinset and back butter. CW insisted that was old school. After CW left we exchanged several texts and he finally agreed to use the mesh/dry pack method even though he insisted no one used those old school methods anymore.

We discussed barriers and protection as our home has high ceilings and is open concept. CW agreed and said that's the first thing they would do.

The next day CW showed up with one other gentleman to work. He immediately set out to removing the quarter round but not the baseboards. He then started lifting tiles and suggested that maybe that's all he had to do. He wouldn't have to remove the old cement.

After some time, I checked in and noticed they had only placed a small plastic sheet on the back of each sofa. Nothing else was protected or cordoned off. I told CW there was dust everywhere in the family (open concept from the back door and kitchen). He said he had the window and doors open. I said no, there is dust all over everything. My drapes, tv, sofas, floors, etc.

He then said he never dealt with cathedral ceilings before (they're not cathedral but 12' ceilings). Finally he put up a plastic barrier. He was using a staple gun and stapling it to my newly done ceilings. I asked him to not use that and to use tape. CW said he doesn't do tape.

There was a huge sagging gap in the top part of the plastic and it hung about 3 feet off the floor. It protected nothing. He did not cover any chandeliers (I have 4 on the main floor) or any of the cupboards.

What ended up happening was every single item inside my cupboards was covered in a film of fine white dust. From my pots and pans to small jars of spices. My walls, drapes, piano, wood furniture - everything was covered.

CW said he would clean it. So he used all my paper towels to wipe my dark walls and basically just spread all the dust around in swirling marks. He became angry and told me he did really good work and that I had no idea how hard he worked. That he worked very hard. I told him if it was easy work why would I need to hire him to do it?
Then I said he did not cover any of my cupboards. There was dust through my entire main floor. Everything was covered. Wall hangings, cabinets, plants. Everything. CW said putting up tarps would not matter because the dust would spread through my microhood vent and the floor vents. So, that's why you COVER them! He then said if he knew I wanted them covered I could have told him and he would have charged me for it. I reminded him this is what he promised he would do prior to us hiring him. I was so upset at the vast mess that I just left the area. Then CW went up to my husband and said he wanted 1/2 the money for the job and he would come back tomorrow to finish. But he never even demolished the front foyer (yet he wanted 1/2 the money?). At that point I knew he was not going to return. The work was more than he was able to handle and all he did was complain throughout about how thick the cement was ( 1" to 1 1/2"). He kept telling us he started from nothing and he built himself up to this and that he does the best work. Always patting himself on the back and expecting adoration from his clients.

Shortly after that time our Italian friend came by. He saw the holes and gouge marks left in the plywood and the jagged cement along the bottom counters. CW started yelling at our friend and it looked like he was going to attack this sweet Italian man. My husband & I intervened. Then CW asked who I thought I was letting this guy (our friend) into our home. Seriously? I couldn't believe what this arrogant 'man' was saying. I reminded him he was in our house.

He then started swearing at our friend with whatever Italian words he knew. He was completely and utterly unprofessional. Our daughter recorded CW yelling and refusing to acknowledge the wood transition he broke. I even asked him pointedly - does he see the split? His response? I worked hard. I do good work. Everyone knows I do good work.

I asked him again - do you see where it's split in two? His response was the same. He worked hard. He then said I have no idea how much work he did and that I didn't appreciate the hard work he did. He then slammed down 2 receipts on the counter top. He wanted me to pay for his having to haul away 1 1/2 tons of broken cement and tile. This was news to me as it was never mentioned it would be a separate cost.

CW was truly not mentally stable. Well before all that he said he wasn't coming back - nor did we want him to. I told him I was going to deduct $200 for cleaning because the dust was everywhere. My wood floors were covered. Everything was covered as you can imagine. I thought CW was going to blow a gasket or cry.

In the end, my husband paid him for the work even though he created a huge mess and did not protect or clean up after. His idea of cleaning was to circle around the kitchen with wet paper towels.

The next morning, I noticed all the dust I could not see under the evening lights. It was quite extensive. Every stick of furniture, every plant, wall, drapes, floor, flat surface was coated in dust.

I text CW about it and the quote I received from a well known cleaning company was $400 + HST. I told CW I expected him to pay for it or at least half. That's when he did the most disgusting and vengeful thing ever.

He said my dog bit his employee and he was going to call animal control (to have my dog taken away).

I text his employee (we asked for his number because he was a really nice man and our friend is going to help him get work so he doesn't have to work for this 'contractor'). His employee said our dog never bit him and he has no bite marks. In fact, our dog was with us at all times. She was never, ever let out of the room with myself or my husband except to go for walks.

So, I think it's very important that anyone who is ever considering hiring this company save their time and unnecessary aggravation and don't do it.

Hire a professional. Which I have done today and I will be writing a review of this professional who I was going to hire before but could never reach him.

My home is still apart. I have a non-working kitchen. I have dust everywhere and now I am out a lot of money because we are honest people and we paid CW for very poor. He did not remove all the cement and mesh. Some floor boards have so many holes and gouges in them that it is best to replace them.

I would never, ever recommend this company, JFW Construction in Port Hope, Ontario.

It took him 7 hours to demolish 265 sq ft of tile. He made a huge mess doing it. Did not tarp or show any respect for any of my chattels or home. He then verbally assaulted our dear friend and us. His employee was so embarrassed that he apologized to us and even told us that the night before, CW had a screaming match with another customer. Apparently this is what he does.

And of course...he made it personal and fabricated an untruth about our dog. Who does that kind of thing? Seriously. Who? Only someone who is not stable.