Couple says Phoenix Home Remodel abandoned the job after taking more than $33,000 from them, causing considerable damage to their home
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — John Popovich surveys the damage done to the bottom floor of his home of 25 years, shaking his head. He says after hiring a general contractor he and his fiancé, Evie Patterson, found to reputable and reliable, one-third of their home is now unlivable.
Exposed wiring and drywall. No heating, lighting or air conditioning. A job they say not only wasn’t done up to code, but abandoned after causing extensive damage to their home.
“I saved up all my life to do this. I was trusting them,” says Popovich. “I feel betrayed, I feel cheated and robbed.”
A dream home renovation project, gone terribly wrong.
“They kept taking money from us and just didn’t do the work,” says Popovich.
Popovich and Patterson had been looking to remodel their home for quite some time, preparing for older age and retirement. In June, they hired Josh Mauney of Phoenix Home Remodel for the job after reading highly-rated reviews online and having him in for an estimate.
“We asked him one thing,” recalls Patterson. “We asked him if he would please do the job according to how he would do his own home or his own family. And he said, ‘Absolutely. I would never think of anything less.’”
Popovich says there were red flags early on.
“Shortly after the demolition, there were some issues with the drywall,” he explains. “A couple inches between the ceiling and the floor. I raised that issue. He literally screamed at me over the phone.”
From there, he says, things would only get worse.
“Then other issues came up, we found out, during the process that he didn’t have any permits on anything.”
Popovich and Patterson say they confronted Mauney after discovering the work had been done with no permits. The couple says he responded by yelling at them once again — this time, in their own home.
They say Mauney eventually got the required permits. After raising several other concerns, Popovich says Mauney claims he himself was bamboozled and didn’t know members of his own team — including an electrician — were working without licenses. Popovich says he has proof through an email exchange that he did.
“After taking approximately $33,000 he abandoned the job, blamed it on somebody else,” says Popovich. “This is where we’re left.”
Popovich has since filed a lawsuit against Mauney and Phoenix Home Remodel, as well as complaints with several other agencies, including the Better Business Bureau.
An attorney representing Mauney provided ABC 36 with the following statement:
“Phoenix Home Remodeling strives to provide the best possible quality of work to all its customers, and the overwhelming majority of them are completely satisfied with their results. But like any business, not every customer is 100% satisfied. It is unfortunate that Mr. Popovich elected to take his concerns to the news media, instead of allowing Phoenix an opportunity to fully review them and come to any appropriate resolution. As Phoenix was only recently provided with a copy of the lawsuit, we have not yet had an opportunity to review and determine whether any of his specific complaints have merit. Since Mr. Popovich filed the lawsuit instead of attempting to resolve his differences directly with us, we will respond to his complaints in court, not in the news media.”
Meanwhile, what was once a dream project for this couple has now become the stuff of nightmares.
“It’s been very, very depressing it to the point. I can almost cry right now,” says Patterson. “It really just slammed me down.”
Popovich and Patterson says it’s not only the substantial financial loss, but the toll the situation has taken on them both mentally, and physically.
“It’s one of the worst experiences of my life. The thing is, it’s not just me. This type of thing happens to other people, too. People need to be held accountable for treating other people like this.”
