Jack N'Toolbox Jack Byers Jack N'Toolbox Misleading Knowledge of Repair Methods Santa Barbara, California

Several years ago Jack Byers charged my client a significant sum of money to eliminate a moisture problem on a rental property of his.  Jack's solution was to place a water-proof membrane under the raised floors of the structure.  The membrane was according to Jack supposed to placed upon the underside of the floor joists to keep moisture from the ground from intruding into the living space of the units.  (This method is contrary to all other contractors I know and all books about dealing with moisture control).  

Upon closer inspection it was found that his installation personnel were inconsistent in how they installed this material, in some instances tacking it to the underside of the floor joists, and in the areas not visible from the crawl-space entries, the material was laying on the ground.  The cost was approximately $40,000.  According to a book I have on moisture control the most that should have cost was $5000.  Not only did it cost my client eight times what it should, it was inconsistently installed, and ultimately never kept water from affecting the structures.  

Other contractors have consistently recommended the installation of French drains to prevent the moisture from getting under the buildings in the first place, but Jack never made this recommendation.  We've had to pay others to undo the work that he claims that he did, and then install French drains.  Much damage has been done to the property butt Jack refuses to take responsibility.  When we posted the problems we were having on a site that is for customers to complain on Jack's attorney threatened us although we stated the truth.

Interestingly, there are no negative comments from the Better Business Bureau--they are disfunctional in this city.  I know of another lawsuit that they have been involved in so it's doubtful that a contractor will have such a clear record.