Robert Nebolon Architect Not rich enough for him to follow through on his promise Berkeley California

This architect dropped our project when he suddenly became "famous" for remodeling a houseboat. The remodel was featured in a West Coast magazine and he was soon engaged by Silicon Valley clients providing him with much more lucrative work than ours. After forking over a lot of money for his plans, he gave me over to an unscrupulous builder who estimated twice as much as the architect's estimate, thus essentially requiring the entire project to be canceled. What this architect did was underestimate the work by 50%. Is it not his responsibility to know how much things cost to be built? Sketchy ethics all along: It took pulling teeth to get him to begin my plans; he asked few to none questions regarding how the spaces would be used, or what our needs were--there was a serious lack of interest, despite his regular requests for fee payments. He behaved as though he'd have liked us to go away, which eventually he made sure we did.

Further: He made me pay for the very expensive builders permit prior to even knowing if he could find a builder, or if a builder in the area was available (he couldn't and they weren't--the SF Bay Area is unique in this market), and when the builder he chose (non-competitive) quoted an absurdly ridiculous price (jotted down quickly on a half-sheet with just a few outragous categories--$800 for kitchen cabinet pulls?) he quickly scooted away with the builder. Out the door before I could kick him to the street. Where did either one receive their budgeting expertise? I have an MBA in finance and am a CPA, and if I'd ever submitted a budget like that to a client I would have been canned immediately. I feel that both were colluding to get me to back out rather than have the architect need to do it so he could get on with his rich clients. Greedy SOBs, both of them, along with many more who live in the Bay Area. Everyone's gotta be a millionaire there, even former ditchdiggers like the builder, Mr. Rodriguez. I just want my $20,000 returned. Mr. Nebolon is a talented architect, but a sleezy and intently greedy person. After almost a year of despair that my project was canceled I am still horribly upset, angry and despondent. Again, where's my $20,000?!