One Last Look Back

Thanks to all who acted upon the notification of my post. I really forgot how therapeutic this activity is for me. I knew I still had at least one reader, as my father called me almost immediately. The old adage, “time stands still for no one,” was brought to light when he said, “You started this project eight years ago.” That was a sobering realization.

It is now end of 2019.The next step was to find funding. I was never successful in getting funding for the restoration of my house. The purchase price was just $10,000, I had that in a bank account. Some banks denied a loan because they wouldn’t allow it to be used as collateral given its non-livable condition. At the time I was fully self-employed, so other banks denied citing my 1099 income was inconsistent (it had only gone up each year starting in 2014). I used retirement savings to restore my home.

With it fully restored, I sought loans again. I sought construction loans, given it was a new build, but banks would not lend for a garage project. I was advised to seek a HELOC on the house. PNC Bank granted me a HELOC, but due to the low appraisal value placed on the house, the amount was not enough to cover the building estimates I had put together.

I got the crazed idea to flip a house as a way to raise the shortfall. Hence the birth of Sista Girl with Skills, LLC, and the restoration of 3067 Sidney Ave., Ms. Inez. Between COVID-19, extreme rot and decay, and my refusal to settle for a simple cosmetic flip in the face of evidence that called for a true restoration, the project failed to yield the additional income I was seeking. I sold Ms. Inez in December 2022—almost three years of the eight.

In January of 2023, I decided to move forward with breaking ground on the garage. Between my home and Ms. Inez, I have had great experiences supporting businesses based in Camp Washington for some of my construction needs. Camp Washington Hardware is gold for that quick bit, brush, or bolt. Mike Hensley Plumbing has proven reliable for some plumbing repairs I’ve had. Baker, Bauer & Fish, now Baker Services, Inc., is my HVAC company of choice.

The foundation was the first item on the list. Based more so on a referral from another local Camp Washington business, I entered into a contract with Cedric D. Thomas, owner of Wood Fundi Paving, located just one block from my home. I relied heavily on that recommendation rather than doing the level of research I normally would. That was a decision I would come to regret.

It has proven to be the singular worst decision of my short general contractor career.

If I have developed any negative following as a general contractor, it may be due to my unwillingness to tolerate mistakes or what I perceive to be unacceptable work. If I find it, I seek correction immediately and, if necessary, I will fire a contractor mid-project. More often than not, when confronted with the work and the evidence before us, the contractor simply chooses to walk off the job. Unfortunately, I found myself in exactly this situation with Cedric. What transpired rocked me to my core and led me to question my ability to be a good general contractor.

I have a security camera installed on the side of my house. I originally placed it there because homeless people were living in cars parked on Stock Street, visibly doing drugs, having sex and engaging in other activity that had become a problem for the neighborhood. Footage captured by the camera helped result in their removal, and I never took it down.

My father was excited to learn that construction was finally underway, so I granted him access to the camera, allowing him to watch the progress from Florida. I jokingly let Cedric know that my father would be watching. Little did I know just how much damning evidence that camera would capture.

The problems did not reveal themselves all at once. They came one after another. With the signing of the contract I was required to pay “a non-refundable 1/3 payment of the total” before scheduling would take place. First ignored red flag. I was out of $8,400 with no work completed, I had never dispensed that large of a figure in advance and will never again. Weather caused some delays as he worked to dig for the footer. I needed to coordinate Cedric’s work with Neiman Plumbing who I had contracted with to perform the sewer and plumbing work. Pipes to allow for sewage and water had to be run in conjunction with the pouring of the foundation and before the pouring of the slab. Cedric made it clear that it was not his job to communicate with my other trades, so by the time I had Neiman scheduled there was going to be a few days of delay for Cedric’s team.

Cedric told me that delay was preventing him from completing the job and that he needed a second draw to pay his crew. I paid it—another $6,100. In addition, because at this stage I had no reason to question whether things were going right or wrong, I paid him another $2,200 to install the drainage system around the foundation. It had not been included in his original quote but was a requirement of the plans.

During the pouring of the foundation walls they experienced a major failure with their forms. They actually broke forcing them to scramble to rebuild the form before the concrete hardened.

What I believed was a foundation being prepared for the next stage of construction was anything but. Once my plumber arrived, questions about the preparation for the garage slab began to surface. The City inspector became involved and identified problems with the amount and type of gravel, the excavation and removal of roots and debris, and eventually issued a list of corrections required before the slab could be poured. This is when my trust and confidence in Cedric completely erroded and I decided I was not going to allow him to do anymore work, pour the slab.

I removed the gravel myself. Beneath it I found tree roots and metal cabling.

When Neiman Plumbing was digging to lay their pipes and later when a new concrete company I hired for the slab excavated the area properly, they unearthed huge chunks of concrete (the hardened concrete from the form failure), more cabling, tree roots and an entire tree stump. Two dump-truck loads of material had to be hauled to a landfill. Those discoveries led me to start combing through my Ring camera footage. What I found was enough for me to take Wood Fundi Paving to small claims court, seeking the maximum amount allowed: $6,000.

And we still weren’t done.

My father noticed that Cedric had failed to allow for the required drop-downs for the front and rear doors. I ultimately had to hire a concrete cutting company to cut the openings into the newly poured foundation walls.

There were also problems with the anchor bolts. Some were improperly located, some were angled, and others did not extend far enough above the concrete to properly accommodate the sill plate, washer and nut. To document the problems, I made a wooden jig marking the centerline of the wall and the minimum bolt height needed for installation, then photographed it beside each anchor bolt.

These were not cosmetic disagreements over how I thought something should look. I had construction plans. The contract required the work to be completed “per specs.” I had photographs, videos, emails, inspection records, the testimony of other professionals who examined the work, and the physical evidence that showed what I viewed as negligence.

Cedric’s response was to countersue for the outstanding balance and initiate a lien against my home. He even had the audacity to come to the house and tape the lien notice to my front door himself.

Cedric’s countersuit was thrown out, and I was awarded the full amount of my claim. To date, Cedric Thomas has yet to pay the judgment.

I have since discovered one more item that was done incorrectly, which I believe warrants a refund of all labor expenses. I am willing to pay for the concrete and materials used. Despite everything that was done wrong, I have no choice but to make the best of the concrete as poured.

I sought legal advice from several attorneys about pursuing the matter further. Their advice was that I would be throwing good money after bad, given the difficulty I had already encountered trying to collect the first judgment.

My confidence in my ability to do this project was shaken. I was paralyzed and afraid to go any further.

In the midst of all that drama, I was home for lunch one day and preparing to return to work when a van filled with members of Mrs. Laverne Ford’s family pulled into the driveway of the house next door. Mrs. Laverne had passed away several years earlier, and the house had simply sat empty. The neighbors across the street and I had taken turns maintaining the yard.

I introduced myself and asked what was happening. They were there to clean out the house, with plans to put it on the market that evening. I responded, “I have my life savings invested in my house. I would appreciate you giving me an opportunity to make you an offer before putting it on the market.”

What I was saying to myself was something different: I want to control what happens next to me. And, more importantly, I need a project that will help me restore faith in myself.

A week later, the garage was put back on hold, and I owned the house I named Ms. Velma, in honor of my maternal grandmother. I do plan to write about Ms. Velma and pay tribute to Mrs. Ford. If I never restore another house, that one will be my favorite. I sold it in April.

For almost three years, I’ve been staring at an investment of nearly $60,000 between the concrete, pre-plumbing work and permits. Do I abandon the vision, or press on? Many, many factors say stop. But when Clarence Burton of Burton Construction agreed to do the framing for me, it was enough for me to say continue on.

I have complete and total trust in him. Our paths first crossed during my first job at Swifton Commons Mall, where he built out many of the storefronts. Years later, he bid on the drywall for my house. His price was outside my budget, but given the performance of the crew I ultimately hired, I sure wish I could have used him. I later hired Mr. Burton to rebuild the porch of Ms. Inez.

His crew starts work on Monday. Once I’m under roof, I’m back in my wheelhouse and ready to make the vision a reality.

I asked ChatGPT to take my front elevation and turn it into a rendering of the finished project. Close enough, but I’m sure looking forward to seeing it look even better in person.