We apologize on the long read, but it may save you thousands of dollars and the headaches involved with cleaning up an unnecessary mess.
Vic (Vadim Abuzov), with Fences and Pavers, by Design (license: PAV05062404), was hired to remove our existing deck and replace it with brick pavers, as well as extend our downspout away from the house by burying a 20’ extension pipe.
When the project started, (which took 2 ½ month for him to begin after multiple failed attempts to obtain a solid timeline), his crew left the deck partially torn out and a 5ft mound of dirt blocking the roadway for 2 weeks. We continually had to ask Vic when the crew would return to complete their work, with minimal response, and we were met with more failed timelines. His crew did finally show up to complete work. When Vic stated that the project was finished, which took 3 months from agreement to completion, we were left with:
- A visibly uneven paver patio with several high and low points
- A patch of pavers in the corner that do not match the rest of the patio
- A trench that extends onto our neighbors’ property, was not dug deep enough partially exposing the drainage pipe and is attached to our gutter system with duct tape
- Our sprinkler system was also damaged by the trench
- Wood framing from partially removed deck that encloses pavers was damaged by a Bobcat used for deck removal. Fixed by troweling concrete over some portions of the damaged areas, other portions left with exposed broken/splintered wood (Vic initially blamed damage on having to remove rotted wood, but later admitted that it was damaged from using a Bobcat)
- A large bolt protruding through, and several inches above the patio
- A roughly 3in-4in chunk was taken out of the corner of our house during installation
Vic was called over to our property to discuss our concerns in person. He was defensive, became combative, and went as far as telling us he didn’t want to come in the first place. He initially minimized our concerns and denied issues existed. As we continued to address concerns and ask questions, he threatened his attorney and tried to storm off, but not before stomping on/damaging our downspout in the process. When we were able to get him to calm down and discuss the issues with us, he tried to backtrack and claim that the project was not finished, and only then admitted to some of the damage/faulty installation.
We requested he email specifics on what he would do to fix each area we discussed (as trusting him to make professional decisions during installation had gotten us to this point in the first place). This request was met with refusals to state anything further other than “we need to fix everything we talked about”. After again attempting to request clarification, he said that how he fixes everything is up to him, not us.
We have since cut ties with Vic/Fences and Pavers, by Design. After doing some digging, we have found that Vic/Fences and Pavers, by Design has been involved in 9 past court cases (that we can find) in Volusia county alone and is also currently involved in additional legal action against him and his company, regarding similar issues.
