BUYER BEWARE!! CHECK LIENS & JUDGMENTS FOR THIS CONTRACTOR
BUYER BEWARE!!! CHECK THIS CONTRACTOR’S LIENS & JUDGMENTS.
We contracted with Elite Construction & Renovations LLC for a whole home remodel under a Fannie Mae Homestyle Renovation loan with a very serious completion deadline.
Not only did they breach contract, but the owner, Eddie Gonzalez - knowing we had a looming deadline and he was leaving us in a serious lurch that could result in Fannie Mae taking our home if it was not met - attempted to extort an additional $40k from us mid-project in order to continue work.
He also fraudulently billed me and my lender for work not actually completed and work not actually completed. He attempted to double-bill for work for which he had already been paid. Additionally, he swapped out the materials specified in our scope of work and estimate (i.e. 2x6 prime PT lumber, PT plywood) for sub-prime materials (5 3/4 #2, OSB) without our authorization or a change order - pocketing thousands in materials costs and causing us to have to have most of his work re-done by another contractor.
He also did not build to engineer’s plan, causing us to have to bust open our concrete to locate footers, relocate posts and add additional joists. This, too, we had to pay to have redone by another contractor and signed off on again by an engineer.
He refused to make repairs or restitution under the Georgia Right to Repair Act, and at one point even tried to return materials owned by us to Lowes for credit to his account without our authorization.
His communication throughout was terrible. He’d go days or even weeks without responding to calls, emails or texts.
All of these things put us in serious risk of not being able to complete our renovation on-time, and has put our home in serious jeopardy.
Fortunately, a court of law agreed with us, and now we begin the process of collecting against the judgment while still trying to complete our renovation on-time with another contractor.
Do yourself a favor and avoid a similar nightmare!
PS - At least one of the 5-star reviews shown on Google is from the owner’s (soon-to-be-ex or ex) wife.