Renovation Nightmare

Over promised and under delivered on renovations agreed. 75% of the total payment was made to Marnick Construction (Carlo Coetzee) in good faith for renovations to begin. Work was only commenced 2 weeks after payment. Project was supposed to take no longer than 2 months - a point which was discussed and emphasised repeatedly. After 3 months, the project was still not completed. The quality of the bathroom and kitchen finishes was not to standard and much cheaper than what was shown in the photographs on the original quote. A R2 000.00 discount was given for this. When the job was said to be finished, I found that the plumbing was not up to scratch: the hot water wasn't working and the basin tap was loose. These issues were addressed after another 2 weeks. Subsequently on the day of hand over of the keys, the toilet mechanism was found to be faulty and the kitchen tap was leaking. This was after full payment had been made. When I called to have these issues sorted out, Carlo said he would bring his plumber to fix the problems but never came and won't return my calls. In the end, I fixed the problems at further expense. Carlo appears and comes across as professional and knowledgeable but fails at the execution of his promises. My experience with Marnick Construction (Carlo Coetzee) was a disappointing and stressful one that I do not recommend.

Before employing Marnick Construction, I found a company online that supposedly recommends only highly s****ed contractors who are professional and registered with the appropriate regulatory bodies. This company, Dial a Contractor, refers you to "the best people for the job". As can be seen from my terrible experience above, this is definitely not the case. Marnick Construction was not registered with the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) - a prerequisite for anyone working on your property. Dial a Contractor also imply on their website that they will supervise and assist with the process but when I experienced problems, I found them ineffective and they took no responsibility. I would caution anyone against using Dial a Contractor.