![Hubs Services](/images/directory/business.png)
Year Established | 2005 |
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Business Categories | Architects in Lynchburg, VA |
In March, 2016 my family hired Kevin Hubbard (Hubbard Construction) to renovate our home. The contract started in March and was supposed to be completed by June 15th. We agreed to prepay for our project in 20% increments. After the first 20% was paid work started. 2 installments later, it was June and work had been completed to 40% in our estimation. Kevin Hubbard did not know the status of our project when called, and his team worked on our property on average less than 2 days per week. Now almost October (more than double the time on a 3 month project, we were forced to end the relationship with Kevin Hubbard. He has not completed much of we work we prepaid for. Many areas of our home are damaged beyond repair. The house features 120 year old original moulding that was severely damaged. The weights were cut out of our windows and thrown in the yard. Kevin climbed on our roof and cut a piece of roofing off with his knife in order to "show us the damage". So many things about the way this work was performed are bizarre and inappropriate. Kevin would laugh at our concern when brought to his attention. We have also received a letter of intent to file a lien on our property due to unpaid bills Kevin Hubbard failed to pay to his trash removal service. We decided to cut our losses and end the project. A few days after ending the work, Kevin put a lien on our property in the amount of almost $4,000. He claims we owe him for work he completed but was never paid for. We were shocked. We prepaid for everything that was done on our home, and most of that work is not even finished. We are going to have to pay an attorney to sort this out for us. We would have been happy to pay Kevin Hubbard all the money in the contract and more if he held up his end of the deal. The problem his that he simply did not. I am a business owner, and never would I dream of our business operating in this manor.
These first two questions should only relate to services or good purchased directly from the service provider. Many products carry their own warranties, like roofing shingles or siding. It's useful to know what these warranties cover as well as how long they last. The "warranty agent" question is important, because often warranty agents work with the manufacturer to get you repairs under warranty at a much lower price.
The question is great for some industries and non-applicable for others. A general contractor, for example, will by definition employ subcontractors. Most Lynchburg Architects companies do not, but there are exceptions. You should always ask this question to your service providers. If they do use subcontractors, ask if they're all licensed and insured independently.
Always ask for references, and always check them. Keep in mind though that the only references you'll get are people who the contractor is certain will give him a good review. You'd also be well advised to check online review sources in Lynchburg as well, which will give you a broader view of customer satisfaction for a given company.
You'll certainly want to ask them this. Steer clear of any company that is not insured in Virginia, because that means that any incidental damage they may do on your property will be a real hassle to recover compensation for. It is never wise to work with uninsured tradesmen of any kind. Most states also require that someone have insurance in order to be issued a trade license. If they say they're licensed but not insured, they're being less than truthful.