Paul Belchior Contracting

I do not recommend this company due to very poor communication and unmet expectations, which resulted in many problems, the largest being an unexpected, multi-room, toxic mess which forced me to live off-site for three days. Clean-up has been time-consuming and costly, since we have had to throw out some items that are not salvageable.

I had initially hired this company to do a bathroom reno and although there were some problems (the bathtub leaked the first time we used it, which created water damage in the dining room ceiling below), we were pleased that Paul was willing to come back and fix the ceiling in a reasonable time. When a member of his crew then discovered that the ceiling was covered in mold (due to damage from a previous owner/tenant), we were confident enough in their previous work that we hired them to replace the entire damaged ceiling. Paul assured us at the start of the work that his crew would seal off the area to contain the dust and mess so I was shocked to discover that after they came in, the main floor and basement (there is no door separating the two) were covered with dust, garbage, shoe prints, chunks of plaster (I am assuming it was plaster), and an awful chemical smell. As I mentioned, the dirt and toxic smell forced me to live off-site for three days, and we are still dealing with the clean-up, including trying to clean ruined furniture and removing dollops of guck on walls and garbage/dirt that were left hidden in crevices, like between a wall and bookshelf.
In my rush to get the ceiling fixed, I made the mistake of not getting estimates or quotes from other contractors. I've since learned that it is worth investing the time to do the following to ensure a good outcome: check if the company you are considering hiring is licensed and insured, get everything in writing (our contract was not detailed, which should have been a red flag), and especially be wary of anyone who offers a discount for paying cash (we chose this option and were not charged tax but this left us with less legal recourse and protection, and we unknowingly put ourselves at risk of liability if anyone had been injured while working on our property).