Inline Tile and Stone, license #789209, (aka Inline Kitchen and Bath), both owned by Duane Borad, charged me over $80,000 for shoddy work, incomplete work, and then abandoned the kitchen and bath remodel job after he screwed up the bath plumbing.. My very first clue as to what was forthcoming was the "light blue concrete" Borad ordered for the driveway. I now have a "two-tone" driveway. I should have cancelled the job right then. The CSLB cited Borad for ten violations, including: didn't get permits; didn't have workmen's comp for workers; no 3-day notice to cancel; departed from building standards; no written contract; no written change orders, etc. Shoddy work includes kitchen window installed crooked, warped kitchen cabinet (Ikea) doors, no (required) GFCI outlets in kitchen; bath GFCI not installed properly and doesn't work; bathroom plumbing hot/cold water lines crossed in bath (and kitchen); water temperature control valve in bath shower failed, shower fixtures not sealed to tile, no water temp control, and no water shut-offs for the vanity sink. I have three independent estimates at about $6,000 to get the bath plumbing repaired (it requires tearing out a wall in two places). Borad is offering less than $500, which I'm sure he thinks is very generous. (I gave him over three months, after I paid him, to fix the bath problems.) Borad also charged for changes that don't exist, such as: repairing hall outlets (there are no outlets in the hall); charged for 4 "pot hangers" when there are no pot hangers. This contractor also refused to correct the hot/cold water pipes in the bath and repair the water temp controller in the shower. He had OVER THREE MONTHS after I paid him in full, and then some. (His accounting was faulty.) This means he ABANDONED the job. There was a weak un-signed contract for the bath but no written contract or change order for the kitchen, hence a lot of items that would normally be in a contract were "left out," such as window trim, floor transition strips, tile trim between the tile and the drywall in the bath, and baseboard. Since they weren't in the contract, and there was no written change order for the $56,000 kitchen, some of these items became unwritten and unapproved change orders. Other change orders, like the tile trim, window trim, and floor transition strips were simply refused by me because by then I'd had enough. Because of the unwritten change orders the original cost of $68,700 for the bath and kitchen was over $80,000, some of which I refused to pay because of shoddy work, abandonment, and absolutely no formal accounting. I must warn consumers that the California Contractors' State License Board (CSLB) is virtually useless when it comes to "admonishing" licensed contractors. They go out of their way to protect them and generally just "slap them on the wrist." Yes, they did cite and fine Borad but his fines were minimum, and, on my side they grossly underestimated the bath repair cost. The bonding company, SureTec, is even worse. The consumer must prove absolutely 100% that the contractor is at fault, yet, in my case, the contractor has absolutely NO PAPERWORK to show what he did, and my claim is being flushed down the toilet. Borad has two favorite sayings: "You didn't pay for that" and "My computer crashed..." Check this company's license (#789209) violations before you hire him. You should not have to endure the hassle and headaches that I have endured with the CSLB and SureTec bonding company for the past 18 months.
Thankfully I did not listen to the 1 very nasty individual who seems to spend all of his time trying to destroy a very reputable, honest, hard working contractor. Instead I went with several neighbors recommendations and hired Duane with Inline Tile and Stone to remodel my old brick fireplace and to also lay 12x24 floor tiles in my masterbath.
I could not be more pleased with every aspect of Duane and his crews work, from the reasonable price, to the great ideas, reliability, expertise, professionalism, attention to detail and cleanliness.
I am so happy with Duane Borad and Inline Tile and Stone that I am going to hire him to do all my hardscape outside too. I will post before and after pictures so you can see how beautiful a job they did!
The second sentence should read "On my job Borad paid his "day workers" $40 PER DAY and charged me $65/hour for their time.
You probably paid too much. On my job Borad paid his "day workers" $40/hour and charged me $65/hour for their time.
Most of his day workers on my job had ZERO experience. He had one of those inexperienced day workers installing tile, and the tile are installed incorrectly. On my job he also didn't pay the required workmen's comp insurance for his employes (that he said on his CSLB page he didn't have). Not having workmen's comp puts the customer (YOU) at risk if any of his "day workers" get hurt while on the job.
Borad was fined by the CSLB for not having workmen's comp, and for nine other violations.
On my job, Borad was NOT straight-forward. He did not create a contract for the kitchen, did not create written and approved change orders for any changes, which he charged for after we already agreed on what I thought was a set price. But most of all, Borad didn't get the required permits. He blames that on me, but he was the contractor and was supposed to know what is required.
Borad likes travertine because it hides all the mistakes.
The downside is, it's labor intensive after it is installed. All that grout has to be re-sealed on a regular basis...especially outside and exposed to the elements. And I will bet you he only sealed it ONCE, when the sealer container specifically states that multiple coats ARE REQUIRED. Sealer costs about $40/quart...
OBTW: My sons went to high school with Borad and worked for him for a time, so I now know how he operates.
Too bad I didn't know that before I hired him. When I hired a "friend of the family" I expected him to do a professional job, but he didn't.
You can check out Borad's violations on the CSLB website.