Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:17/06/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Jan 13, 2025 to Jan 24, 2025 D & H Custom Millwork abandoned renovation.Demolished 2 floors of home, then walked away, with minimal renovation, after 2 mtgs at house, Nov 25, 2024 and Dec 01, 2024 when you were present entire time the building inspection was done, with inspector showing you everything, prior to starting work Jan 13, 2025. You agreed to the repeated budget between $80,000 to $100,000. After just 1 day on the job, your own word for word Jan 13, 2025 email to me said "If I was you, I would probably try to take some of this on myself".This contradicts your own stated reasons to terminate per your Jan 27, 2025 email. Contrary to your invoices, emails & texts, here's list of what you actually supplied/did;- 2 uninstalled toilets, needing a plumber to install.- 1 garage heater ***** W 240 v cost $ *****.- Put drywall in at top of stairs,- Electrician work that you charged $ ***** on your Jan 15, 2025 Inv #****, but increased to a $10,000 Subtrade charge on your Jan 27, 2025 Inv #**** (note electrician was actually paid ~$7,000.) Limited electrical supplies were included, as homeowner paid for majority of materials.- Took out 1 kitchen wall.- Took out 1 wrong wall in the office.- You billed for 2 helpers, but only had your wife & 1 helper. - You supplied regular and bifold doors, but doors arrived 2 weeks after you abandoned.- You charged for ***************** jambs installation, but didn't do, as the homeowner did.- Flooring was to be bought and installed, but the homeowner had to install.- You framed the living room fireplace tv box and then drywalled only.- You charged for painting, but never did any painting.- Re 2 water leaks to have plumber fix - no breakdown/communication provided when asked for.- Insulated/gyproc//tape/mud inside garage & levelled garage floor.Home was worse off after your 2 wks there, plus both kitchens removed !You took $ ********* & GST=$ ********* and advantage of a just separated, single mother.

  Business Response

  Date: 24/06/2025

   Without Prejudice
  
  
  Hello 
  
  
  In regards to this complaint. I can assure you I didn't take advantage of a so-called "single mother". First off, the budget was never ******k; those numbers were never spoken of. If they had been I would have stopped right then. The budget for this job started at *******k in writing from the homeowner. And it was voiced to her that this job will take every bit of 150k. We had multiple meetings, not just two and the budget at its highest point was 175k. A number given by the homeowner. She allowed the interior designer to work from that number as well as myself.  The day the job started 55k was cut from the budget by the homeowner but she would not drop any of the workload to be completed.  On January 13, 2025 an email was sent to her outlining the various costs of the project. It was then voiced that maybe she could take parts of the renovation on herself such as painting or hold off on the new hvac system until next year or look into government rebates.  
  
  
  The job started for the most part without issue. Trades came out and quotes were provided. Demo started and final finishes were selected. Materials were ordered up, some taking 3-4 weeks to arrive. Demo was completed and prep work started:  screwing floors down, building maintenance, back framing etc.
  
  
   Prior to the homeowner purchasing the house, she had a home inspection done by a third party, which she hired herself.  I was present during the home inspection.  The inspector discovered that there were ongoing water leaks throughout the house. The water leaks completely saturated the basement floor and basement lower kitchen cabinets. A result of the previous homeowner never dealing with the water leaks, the water continued to leak and there was substantial mold growth in the basement. The true extent of damage could not be determined until we started to open up the walls. Most of the basement walls were cut out at 48" to remove all the mold that was present. The framing was then cleaned and a dwelling agent sprayed down to kill any residue that was left. Then drywall repairs commenced.  
  
  
  During the two weeks on the job, we had guys onsite 7 days a week. The homeowner voiced that she wanted to move in asap and we wanted her to be able to do that. One of the tasks on our list was to build a photography studio in the garage. We had agreed that we would get the garage finished up so she could have a clean/quieter space to stay while we finished up in the house, likely taking 4-5 more weeks.  
  
  
  Over the course of the full two weeks we worked at getting the house finished as per our approved drawings/design schedules 38 pages in total. She was made aware that we would need to cut costs on some of her finishes and material choices because of budget constraints but we would make sure that the house was livable, safe and if possible lay the groundwork for future upgrades to limit timeline and disruptions to her. 
  
  
  Behind our backs the homeowner took it upon herself to try and contract out other parts of the job such as flooring and cabinets and painting. Ultimately buying things twice and in some instances doing things out of order or removing things that had already been completed. I can think of two things that cost around $3500-4000 in materials and labour, all of which is unreturnable and was a 100% waste of time and money.  
  
  
  Essentially all of the numbers listed in the complaint are false. I'm not even sure how they arrived at some of those numbers. We can provide receipts for everything. The homeowner has written that they were charged for painting. There is no painting charge on the final invoice. Just like they were not charged for installation of the doors and trim. They wonder why the electrical bill went up... Because they added central air and needed an additional power feed. The heater number that they provided was from a sale priced item I had sent to the homeowner before the job started. she didn't pick it up during the sale. I picked it up a month later and paid almost double. 
  
  
  The most expensive part of any project is the first 2-3 weeks. I was more than willing to work within the budget but demands kept getting more and more each day. Things I would bring up to cut costs fell on deaf ears. During a site meeting one morning the homeowner was calling sub trades, telling them my prices and asking if they could do better. Sometimes offering cash as an incentive. All of this happened right in front of myself and my crew. ultimately we had to walk away which is unfortunate. This is a business. This is not a 1 man handyman show. We have accountants, bookkeepers, vehicles, subs and employees. and yes, one of them is my wife. That's what keeps this a family business.  
  
  
  There was mention of removing one wrong wall in the basement. It's sort of funny. I was asked to remove a closet downstairs to add space to a small bedroom. I could only remove a portion because the one side was load bearing for the stairwell and entry closet. We removed the closet and closed in a doorway. All was good while we were on site. Homeowner liked it. After we leave I see a ******** video post about how her contractor never listens to her. When I left the job the drywall was first coated with mud. When she re opened the wall it was final coated, sanded and painted. Might have even had the baseboard installed. It's funny how you went through all that trouble just to rip it out but it's easy to blame the contractor on social media then admit you made design changes. 
  
  
  The reason this job didn't work out rests solely on the homeowner. I would be surprised if the finished product looks anything like our approved renderings. The homeowner compared a small side job renovation from almost 10 yrs ago to a complete semi custom renovation at today's prices. They would rather play the victim card than take responsibility for their own actions. I do wish her the best with her new relationship and their new company. I hope it works out for them.   
  
  
  At this time no compensation will be given. 
  
  
  It is our opinion that although there was no written contract D&H was to take care of the bulk of the job as discussed. Due to the homeowner calling her own trades, including her new tradesman boyfriend. she is in breach of any contract written or implied. During termination she was charged accordingly and $4000 was returned to her via registered mail. The money was accepted and no further contact was sought on their end for almost 4 months. If there was an issue it should have been brought to light in a much timelier manner then that. 
  
  
  Thank You
  D&H Custom Millwork 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/10/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On September 27thand 28th. D and H custom millwork (Anthony) came and put in heated floors for me. I came home the 28th horrified to see that my flooring was not only put in poorly. Meaning big gaps between the laying. I had provided him with additional flooring at his request. The flooring is incredibly uneven. * ******* * ****** ** **** **** * **** *** ******* **** **** ** * **** **** I then contacted Anthony and asked if he glued down the flooring. He informed me yes. I told him about the uneven flooring he said, he would come over and rip it up. Now why would you do that with out discussing it with me? Are the flooring going to be salvageable? I have scheduled an appointment with him to have these questions answered. I was concerned he was going to rip it up and then tell me I had to pay for more flooring expenses.

  Business Response

  Date: 25/10/2022

  I have dealt with this customer directly and have come to a resolution. We had spoke before I was ever contacted by BBB. I have no idea why she would put in this complaint before we spoke about anything. 
  
  The "extra flooring" she provided was 4 pieces of flooring left over from her original install. 
  
  The flooring does not lock together and I guess with expansion contraction some gaps showed up.  I have done lots of work at this residence and I can't believe this is even happening. I don't call a job complete until my customers are happy, period and she knows this. 
  
  Never once did I say I'll rip up the floor and expect her to pay extra. Lesley said she could feel the heating cables under the floor which is impossible. I told her I'll pull up the floor and investigate. 
  
  Let me know if you need anymore info. Thanks for reaching out to me. I've been contacted by BBB before and turned out to be a ****. I wasn't to concerned when I saw your original email but glad we can get this resolved.