Woman still waiting on repairs a year after the Texas Winter Storm
CYPRESS, Texas - Many families whose homes were damaged from burst pipes in the Big Freeze are still waiting for repairs a year later.
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The Better Business Bureau says it has received more complaints about contractors than ever before. A Cypress woman says first, the Big Freeze left her home a disaster. Then, she says her first contractor left it a disaster, too.
"I feel sad when I come in my house I start crying because I want to be home," said Linda Taylor. "I have a dog she wants to be here."
Taylor and her dog Abby still can't go home a year after the Big Freeze.
"We came back at 9 o'clock in the morning, and there was water just pouring into the house," she recalls.
After her pipes burst, Taylor says she paid Harmony Construction Group, LLC of Splendora about $63,000 dollars to repair her home.
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But after seven months, Taylor says she had to fire Harmony for unfinished and improper work. Taylor hired a new contractor, and they tell us Harmony left wet insulation in some walls, in the attic, and behind the fireplace.
"This was left all in the lower section with wet insulation and everything, and they had gone ahead and sheetrocked over that," said Taylor's new general contractor Angie Armstrong with Mid-South Roofing & Construction.
They say a pipe was left leaking in the kitchen for months.
"The water was literally running," said Armstrong. "This whole section was all wet and had been wet since the freeze."
They say a new water heater was damaged.
And while only the wallpaper was supposed to be replaced in the master bathroom, "they went in there and damaged the whole bathroom," said Taylor. "They cut out the tub, they did the tiling on the floor."
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Taylor says after months of asking, Harmony sent her a $3,882 refund. But Taylor and her new contractor estimate $30,000 worth of work was either improper or left undone.
We called and emailed Harmony Construction Group, but received no answer. So we went to the office during business hours.
The door was locked. We called the business again. When we identified ourselves as FOX 26, the person on the other line said they were not interested and hung up.
The Better Business Bureau says it's seeing more complaints about contractors than ever since the Big Freeze.
"We’re definitely still seeing people who are unfilled, living in hotels, or somewhere because they haven’t finished the house," said BBB President Dan Parsons.
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Parsons says many contractors are struggling with labor and materials shortages.
"Right now, contractor issues, and I’ll put slash fraud, is as high as we’ve ever seen it," Parsons said.
Taylor is now working with her new contractor and an attorney and looking forward to the day she and Abby can finally go home. Harmony Construction Group has an A- rating with the Better Business Bureau.
The BBB says contractors should be upfront about delays. If not, Parsons suggests getting new timelines in writing or taping conversations.
If a project is left undone, he says consumers can file complaints with the BBB, the District Attorney, and on social media to get the contractor's attention.