Grew Exterior Restoration

On May 5, 2009, my parents signed a contract with John Grew of Grew Exterior Inc. to paint their house in Water Mill. I visited in the last weekend of August 2009 and was appalled by the poor quality of his work and by the way my parents were victimized. I was also shocked by how expensive Grew was. My parents had gotten many other estimates and Grew's was the highest. However, his references looked good and he promised that he could finish the painting properly in 12 days because he had a large crew. My parents were willing to pay a premium for service, but got inferior workmanship and no service. Mr. Grew had promised them a large work crew, but failed to deliver. The painting was supposed to be done by June 1st, but was not ready until after July 4th. It was only supposed to take 12 days according to the contract.

Despite having ample time, the work seemed hurried and was shoddy. Paint was applied unevenly in many areas. In less than 6 weeks, bubbles have appeared. Paint has already peeled off and the painting had discolored part of the patio. Dark brown spots have appeared on the garage. Many of the bushes and other plants around the house have died, despite the promise of "environmentally friendly" chemicals.

The work was guaranteed for 5 years, but I hate to think what it will look like next year.

In the process of painting, Mr. Grew "discovered" that the wood for the outdoor shower shed , which was rebuilt the year before with new wood, was rotten. The outdoor shower stall was demolished and replaced without a stall. My mother saved the wood, and it didn't look rotten to me. Part of the deck had to be replaced and the wood was not of the same quality or set straight.

My parents are 63 and 77, and my father was still recovering from 2 months in a hospital. Mr. Grew was aware of this and took advantage of them. Mr. Grew also worked on my parent's master bathroom, but it deserves an entry of its own because of all the problems.