Tuscana Renovation

The quick demolition of the bathroom had potential for a quick finish. Cons: The project was estimated to last for 4 weeks so that we could be back home after the New Year weekend. The project ended over 1 week later than expected. After the demolition was completed in the first day, no work was done for days. We were concerned as we entered the middle of the second week and there was nothing else done. The owner, Lucaj Sokol, was initially upset when we asked if we were still gong to finish on time until he saw the lack of progress for himself. Then he explained that the foreman, Besim, that he put in place was having personal issues and he gave us too many details about the man’s wife and sleeping arrangements. We tried to be understanding because at this point, we were eager to let them finish since we have been encroaching on my parents while we stayed at their home for over 4 weeks when they were supposed to be finishing the work. Then it was Lucaj’s birthday and he explained that his wife wanted him home to celebrate so work on the delayed project was cut short. After the last payment was provided, they never returned for the touch ups they promised. These are not men of integrity and honor. List of issues: -Shower handle was placed backwards which means that if you want hot water, you were getting cold and vice versa. Lucaj insisted it was installed the right way until I showed him the photo from the manufacturer of the shower handle that showed proper installation. -In less than a day of moving in, the caulk around the tub fell off and the grout from the bathroom and kitchen floors chipped off in patches. I sent the photos to Lucaj immediately to show him the time stamp. Lucaj said he would return but he never did. The new contractor we hired indicated that the issue with the caulk and grout happens when the caulk is not properly cured. Tuscana rushed the job in the end and did not allow for proper curing. -The towel bar fell off and the new contractor we hired indicated that Tuscana did not place it properly on the stud or use a drywall anchor. -The tile installation in the bathroom was uneven and Tuscana indicated that the framing was uneven. I don’t understand because Tuscana completed the framing after the demo. -They installed closet rods at the wrong heights. Lucaj was upset that I was being “picky” until I sent him a photo that showed that the walls were marked (with black magic markers so it could not be missed) for the appropriate heights and the installer ignored it. The photos showed the absurdity of folded pants hanging in the lower closet rod and the pants were touching the floors. -I asked him to finish putting the second coat of white paint on the kitchen cabinets because there were grey splotches paint strokes in random places. When he responded to me, he raised his tone and sarcastically told me that he should just give me new cabinets. I sent him a photo of the white cabinets with uneven paint. He later apologized to explain that his worker used 2 shades of white and that’s why the colors did not match. -Our home was also covered with paint splatter and dust. I asked prior to the start of construction if they needed us to empty the space and I even purchased tarp to cover our belongings. His foreman Besim said no and that they will take care of it. This was not true. It took us another 2 weeks to clean everything before we could move back in with our 2 year old toddler. -Besim also said that they would install a shower shelf insert on the tiled wall but it was not done because Lucaj claims that he failed to communicate that to the crew. -The wrong tiles were almost installed. I asked for confirmation that the tiles purchased were porcelain and they said yes. After asking again and sending a photo, they admitted that the floor tiles were ceramic and they finally exchanged the tiles for the correct ones. -They also caused scratches on the newly installed bathroom wall cabinet. -They also scratched our front door and destroyed the door lock. It appears that they were moving something and it landed on the door knob. -They also asked for payments outside of the contract schedule and Lucaj later explained that his wife, Mary, created the budget and schedule without consulting him. I take no pleasure I writing this review to relive the stress or the fact that we paid over $20k for the headache. I’m writing this so that these “businessmen” can improve their practices and that others like me can be warned to use their services with caution. Lucaj Sokol takes no responsibility for the quality that his team completes and will easily blame them or the client for his failures to manage. I noted his name because the business name (Loyal Renovation) they initially presented to me changed by the time I signed the contract.