Hager Construction & Remodeling, Inc. Benjamin Hager Kelly Joyner Hager Shoddy Work, Shady Billing Practices, Damaged Property, Code Violations Elm City North Carolina

On 7/1/08, Hager Construction & Remodeling started construction on a new garage at our home. Seven months later the garage was still not finished, and we dismissed Ben Hager as contractor due to serious workmanship issues, questionable billing practices, failure to build to code, and damage to existing property.

Workmanship issues include a twisted roof, warped eaves, warped walls (1-2 over 1-2 feet), leaks, no flashing between deck and home (rot issue), exposed exterior osb, incorrect siding installation, incorrect window trim, twisted door installations (all access doors will NOT open, rear door stuck), and poor drywall repairs.
Property damage included damage to finished hardwood and carpets due to heavy construction with NO protection, damage to driveway, damage to driveway drain, damage to finish walls/trim, using gas trimmers without permission fueling with straight gas (completely ruined), missing light fixtures, damage to trailer roof, breaking existing twin window unit and cracking triple window unit casing.

Questionable billing practices include billing for time and material for erred installation (trim, roof, doors), the removal of erred installations, and then the correct installation. Other questionable billing issues include billing for items that cannot be located on the job site, family relationships to subcontractors and subsequent high subcontractor bills, recordings of subcontractor admitting Ben Hager told him to mark up invoices 10%-20% even though contract called for no markup of materials or subcontractor work, and failure to provide time cards to explain why billed labor hours were thousands of dollars more than hours observed and recorded daily by homeowner.

Homeowner is concerned over what implications existed with the concurrent construction of a spec home by Hager Construction. If the homeowner would have paid the ludicrous amount demanded by Hager Construction, the 28x35 garage would have cost roughly the same as the 1700 square foot home the homeowners built four years earlier. The homeowner had to make extensive repairs to correct code violations including incorrect plumbing installation, brick stairs not to code, missing bracing on deck, missing outlets, no electrical phasing, and more.

The homeowner has secured an attorney and has authorized a lawsuit to be placed against Hager Construction & Remodeling for over $80,000.00. Benjamin Hager and Kelly Joyner Hager are to be named in the suit as well because business was conducted in all three names, allowing the homeowner to go after both the business and personal assets to recover losses. In addition, the homeowner is going to the District Attorney to request review for criminal fraud charges, and the North Carolina Board of Contractors to request the suspension and revocation of his contactors license. Complaints are also going to be filed with the Attorney General of North Carolina, a wide range of internet consumer websites and forums, and local newspapers and television consumer advocates including WRAL.

Michael
Nashville, North Carolina
U.S.A.