Now this is why we moved out to the sticks.

(Click here for a more closely cropped – albeit much blurrier – version.)

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Tagged: my first place fox wildlife flickr photos

Dave Sanders Contracting

www.davesanderscontracting.com

13180 County Road 334
Savannah, MO 64485

1024 Sylvanie
Saint Joseph MO 64501

I’d warn y’all not to use Rick Williams and Almighty Roofing too (see the complaint we filed with the BBB, below), but I think he’s in semi-retirement, so it’s moot.

Honestly, we’ve been trying to get our roof fixed for nine months now; after at least a dozen canceled appointments (and a few outright no-shows)…well, I just don’t understand how “normal” people conduct business like this. Luckily for the husband and I, we both telecommute at least part-time, so scheduling in-home appointments isn’t terribly inconvenient (assuming people actually keep their appointments, ahem). How the hell do regular working couples manage this shit?

In any case, nine months is beyond ridiculous. We didn’t have this kind of issue with the locksmith, or the HVAC people, or even the plumber. (The chimney sweep remains to be seen, I ‘spose.) I mean, WTF!?

A word to the wise: if you’re negotiating to buy a house, and it needs some repairs before closing (particularly repairs that will be warrantied) – don’t let the current homeowner use the contractor of her own choosing. Most likely, you’ll regret it.

On the flip side, if you live in the Kansas City area and need some concrete work done – specifically, decorative concrete – check out Big Red Decorative Concrete. Kevin and his crew patched and stained about 90% of our interior floors last summer (basically, anything that wasn’t tiled over), designed and implemented a faux Spanish tile effect on our back patio, and laid down some industrial grade epoxy in our garage. They rock. No, really – go see for yourself!

Keep reading for the BBB complaint…

To: BBB of Greater Kansas City

In May of 2007, my wife and I purchased a new home. Before the closing, the previous owner had a significant portion of the roof replaced – as per our purchase contract – by a Mr. Rick Williams of Almighty Roofing (then located at 7169 NW 308th ST in Gower, MO 64454; phone 816-424-6553). The roof came with a warranty (2 years labor / 30 years materials), however, we realized after closing that the seller did not give us sufficient paperwork regarding the warranty. We are still attempting to obtain copies from Almighty Roofing, who is giving us the runaround.

In December of 2007, the roof began leaking by one of two chimneys. Mr. Williams came and fixed some flashing; the repair was not covered under warranty, and we paid him for his services.

In February 2008, the roof started leaking in the same spot; this time, the problem was covered under the (new) warranty, as Mr. Williams had obviously not fixed the problem sufficiently. However, in the few months since we had seen him last, Mr. Williams was injured on the job and in recovery, so he was not able to fix the problem personally. Instead, he offered to send his son, also a contractor, out to fix it. After months of getting the runaround from his son, we finally got back in touch with Mr. Williams, and he stated that his son was having trouble honoring all of his (Mr. Williams’) contracts and previous clients, so Mr. Williams contacted a third roofer – Dave Sanders of Dave Sanders Contracting – to come to our home, assess the problem, and honor the warranty if need be.

In May 2008, Mr. Sanders came out and made a temporary fix to stop the roof from leaking. He gave us several options for a permanent fix, some of which would be covered under our warranty with Mr. Williams, others which were more extensive and we would have to pay out of pocket for. When Mr. Sanders left, it was with the understanding that I would discuss the options with my wife, and we would call him to schedule another appointment in June, after the spring season (and rain) had wound down a bit.

Since that time, we have been trying to schedule a second appointment with Mr. Sanders – but for more than three months, we’ve been getting the runaround. Unreturned calls, canceled appointment, etc. Today (9/19/08) he was supposed to come out at 11AM, but called and canceled at 10AM, without even trying to schedule a new appointment. As we are now going into the fall season, this is ridiculous and unacceptable.

I would like to file complaints against both Rick Williams / Almighty Roofing and Dave Sanders / Dave Sanders Contracting. Mr. Williams has failed to honor his contract, and has also refused to provide copies of pertinent paperwork, even after promising to do so (and going so far as to say that they’d been mailed). Mr. Sanders has failed to honor the warranty that Mr. Williams contracted him to fulfill, and his customer service in our case has been appalling. We would like copies of the receipts and paperwork for the May 2007 repairs (which would have been made out to a Mrs. X), as well a promise from Mr. Williams and/or Mr. Sanders to either 1) send someone out to fix the roof promptly or 2) reimburse us for the cost of hiring a roofer of our own choosing to do so.

This experience has been both frustrating and deflating; let me just say that if we didn’t have a warranty from Mr. Williams’ company, we would have already started a boycott of both roofing companies, and anyone associated with them.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

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Tagged: my first place roofers contractors st. joseph st. joe saint joe saint joseph Dave Sanders Contracting Dave Sanders Rick Williams Almighty Roofing complaint letters big red big red decorative concrete decorative concrete concrete floors bbb better business bureau kansas city mo missouri ks kansas kcmo kcks

When she says these things it calls to mind those reality TV shows whose central myth of transformation centers on the home. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Trading Spaces,” “Flip This House” and so on. These programs are the new pornography of the landed middle class, and they are, in their own way, as cruel as the old pornography. Just as the libidinal 13-year-old will someday discover that not all naked women look like Playboy centerfolds, so too, the first-time homeowner will have to learn that refurbishing your den, even on national TV, does nothing to heal the cracks in your foundation.

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Tagged: my first place home improvement home ownership hgtv

Finding small wastebaskets that actually encourage you to use recycled plastic grocery bags as opposed to their overpriced “liners”*: way cool.

Finding out – ahead of time – that your local locksmith is a flaming godbag**: totally teh coolest.

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* Just a fancy word fer garbage bags, really.

** While he offers common key-n-keyhole services such as

# Safe Sales and Service
# Bank Vault & Teller Station Service
# Safe Deposit Box Service and Keys
# Master Keying, Standard & Multi-level
# Mechanical & Electronic Access Control
# Keys by Code – Lock Installations
# Door Closer Installation & Maintenance
# Security Hardware Consulting Service

The Lamb Locksmith, Keyman to teh Gods ™, helpfully cautions, “The Key to Eternal Security is Jesus Christ”.

RAmen.

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Tagged: shopping online the internets godbags recycle wastebaskets garbage locksmiths simplehuman

Originally posted @ www.kellygarbato.com/blog/2007-09-23/
Filed under: Consumerism — Kelly @ September 23, 2007 9:15 pm

Even if he went with the “bad” test patch,

it’s a huge improvement over the stained carpet and cheap wood laminate that was in the house. Hell, they could polish the grey concrete and seal it as-is, and I’d still be happy. Hate carpet.

Plus, when the GC tore up the laminate, he found some faulty wiring that posed a serious fire risk. Bonus.

I’ve got hundreds (literally) of pics up at Flickr, but since my photostream has been designated “naughty” by the Flickr Gawds, you need to register (and adjust your account preferences accordingly) to view ‘em. Yahoo sux ballz.

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Tagged: home improvement concrete stained concrete dyed concrete concrete staining concrete floor kansas city kansas missouri home renovations your featherhead flickr

Originally posted @ www.kellygarbato.com/blog/2007-08-16/
Filed under: Your Featherhead — Kelly @ August 16, 2007 11:40 am

Oh, built-in 8-track deck…

…I hope they tear you out first!

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Tagged: your featherhead new digs retro flickr

Originally posted @ www.kellygarbato.com/blog/2007-06-26/
Filed under: Your Featherhead — Kelly @ June 26, 2007 8:56 am