Our story is somewhat different. Most folks start a business because they want to be their own boss and make the big bucks.
This is our story. In 2024, my girlfriend Rita bought a home in the city of Long Beach. It was her dream home, and wanted to be beautiful, comfortable and liveable. She sold her home, and hired a friend of her ex husband. She gave a budget of $200k to remodel her home. Over the next few months, the home was gutted and was remodeled. On the surface, it was beautifully remodeled, only to find a few months later by the City of Long Beach building & Safety that her home was not up to code and did not meet safety standards.
My girlfriends dreamhome had become a nightmare.
The contractor had performed rushed, substandard and sloppy work. To our horror, we were told we had to gut the house out, and rebuild the home from scratch.
Over the next six months, Rita and I became “Experts” in everything related to home remodeling, electrical, plumbing, roofing, concrete, insulation, foundations, structural engineering, metallurgical gauges, footings, anchor bolts, hangers, Romex 12/2, steel beams and posts, framing, HVAC, Hardyboards, 1/2 inch plywood, 4’ x 8’ inch drywall, R-15 and R-30 Owens Cornering insulation, #2 Rebar.
Rita & I witnessed first hand what substandard and sloppy work looked like.
Here is a small sampling of substandard work looks like. The home was structurally unsafe and any mild earthquake could cause a roof to collapse. The steel beams and posts were soldered and held to the house by an improvised mounting plate screwed to the frame of the house.
The load bearing beams were not nestled to the rafters or Joists to anything.
The walls and ceilings were stuffed with a mix of used & recycled and some new insulation.
The electrical wiring was scattered, loose and reused.
My girlfriends $200K project turned into a $330K correction project.
