Hamilton Mountain homeowner out thousands after botched concrete job

Back in July 2022, Sarah-Jane Shaw noticed her neighbours were getting a new stone aggregate driveway, with perfect lines and a beautiful finish.

She hoped to achieve a similar look for the driveway and pool area at her east Mountain home.

As she was preparing to have her pool installed, Shaw knew she also needed concrete stairs to complete her perfect backyard oasis.

After walking to her neighbour's driveway, Shaw saw a man on a Bobcat loader and inquired about receiving a quote to have concrete and aggregate work completed on her property.

The man made a phone call, and within 20 minutes, Shaw said a man named Omre Taha met her to discuss work on her backyard concrete and stairs.

Shaw said Taha showed her professional-looking blueprints of a multi-unit building drawn up in his name.

I was quite impressed with his vision and the quality of his work that he professed to have done at the corner house."

After agreeing on a price of $14,500, the work got off to a slow start, Shaw recalled.

Shaw said Taha approached her on the weekend of Oct. 1 and asked her what she was planning to do with her interlocking stone driveway and how she planned to tie it in with the side stairs and the landing.

I said I hadn't thought about it as the backyard is my priority. He said it was cheaper to do all of it at once because he had to pay for the entire truck load of cement for the pour anyway," Shaw recalled.

Shaw agreed to pay a total $28,500 for the backyard, front driveway and widened concrete stairs, with lights.

But as time went on, Shaw determined the work performed on her neighbour's property was not done by Taha.

He pretended he did that house," said Shaw. He did not do that house. The people that live there did that house, but it was his Bobcat and Bobcat guy working there."

Now, with pool season approaching, Shaw is paying a qualified contractor thousands more to rip out the substandard work and redo the job.

Shaw said the job was a nightmare from start to finish, with stairs constructed at different widths and heights ranging from five to eight inches. One of the stair lips was broken. Concrete retarder was applied improperly, and poor-quality aggregate was used, said Shaw. The driveway was framed crooked and did not have a proper deck prepared.

A disposal bin was left in Shaw's driveway for four months. When it was moved and placed back in the driveway on an angle, Shaw backed into it with her truck, damaging the vehicle.

As several weeks passed, summer turned to fall and temperatures cooled, Shaw made inquiries about when the concrete would be poured.

The delayed timeline for the concrete pour was also creating uncertainty for Shaw's pool installer.

Workers finally arrived for the concrete pour on Nov. 29. But the concrete was carried in a wheelbarrow instead of a truck.

The day of the pour, it was so cold that workers lit fires in a wheelbarrow, using Shaw's firewood without her permission.

While working around Shaw's pool area, workers rinsed away about $2,000 in glow rocks, and left concrete debris and residue that could not be cleaned up. Liquid concrete was also splashed against the house and adjacent pool blocks were ruined.

Concrete was rinsed into the downstairs tenants' unit, ruining a keyless combination door lock.

When the work went off the rails in late November and early December 2022, Shaw said Taha stopped responding to messages.

Hamilton Community News was unable to reach Taha by phone for comment on this story.

In an interview earlier this month with Hamilton Community News, Shaw said she's pursuing legal action to recover the money she paid to Taha, plus additional losses and damages.

To make matters worse, after sharing her experiences on social media, Shaw was nearly duped into paying thousands more for a Mike Holmes reality show experience that turned out to be a scam. After receiving correspondence from an apparent Holmes Makes It Right" show producer, Shaw connected the dots when the promoter claimed an episode would be broadcast live from her property and asked for a payment of $35,000 to be sent to a Wells Fargo bank account. Official-looking correspondence came from email accounts that appeared to identical to the actual HGTV accounts but came from .com rather than .ca domains.

Stoney Creek general contractor and consumer advocate Bob Assadourian has spent more than a decade warning about the dangers of rogue contractors and said the problem has only gotten worse since last fall.

I've never had such an influx of complaints as I've had this year, in the last 20 years," said Assadourian, owner of Triple R. Inc.

Through his YouTube channel and Cable 14 show, Just Ask Bob," Assadourian warns homeowners about the dangers of hiring unlicensed contractors, as well as employees of licensed contractors who perform work on the side, and out-of-town contractors who may lack the necessary credentials to work in Hamilton.

Assadourian advises homeowners to call the City of Hamilton to confirm a contractor has a valid business and trade licence.

Ideally, said Assadourian, a contractor should have the City of Hamilton's Master Building Repair licence, which requires a police background check and proof of WSIB insurance coverage.

But Assadourian would also like to see a province-wide contractor licensing system, that would replace a patchwork municipal system, giving consumers added peace of mind.

While concrete work like driveways, and minor renovations like painting, flooring, and fencing typically do not require a master building repair licence, Assadourian would like to see the licensing regime encompass anyone performing renovation work in or around customers' homes.

TIPS FOR SELECTING A CONTRACTOR

Beware fancy contractor websites that can be easily falsified.

Be cautious of social media contractor advertising, as well as contractor ads in classified sections and Kijiji.

Steer clear of door-to-door contractor solicitation, unannounced visits, sales and today only" specials, where a contractor offers to begin the work right away.

Look for a contractor who listens to your needs and responds in a timely manner.

Ask for proof of a contractor licence and insurance.

Ask about the contractor's community involvement, such as Chamber of Commerce membership or Better Business Bureau acknowledgement.

Get at least a dozen references.

Google the contractor's business name and the owner's name and thoroughly research them.

- Source: Bob Assadourian