Across the Board Construction, LLC

BEWARE! We had hired Across the Board Construction to renovate our beach house in Corolla, NC. We were absent during the renovation. We had specified most, if not all, details such as, the type of paint to be used, appliances and granite. We selected Mr. Bell because his detail proposal and professional demeanor. Sadly, this was all a sham. He required a ¹⁄₃ down payment upon signing the contract but did not start the work until months later. Periodically, Mr. Bell submitted detailed invoices of completed work and we paid them. We had checked on the project 4 months after it had started and learned that he had used cheaper materials than those specified in the contract. He lied and told us that he would produce receipts for materials but was not able to do so. He failed to complete the renovation on the date specified in the contract. He did not pay his subcontractors despite us being billed and paying for the sub contractors work. Mr. Bell did HVAC work on our property with out a permit. The State Board of Plumbing and Heating have slapped an injunction on him for performing such work. Mr. Bell walked off the job towards the end of the project and refused to pay his subcontractors. The subcontractor sued us. We argued that the we had paid for the subcontractors work and proved it by producing detail invoices with zero balances for the subcontractor. The subcontractor admitted to knowing that we had paid him but Mr. Bell did not have the resources to pay him so the sub had no choice but to sue us. Justified or not, we were dragged into a lawsuit. Because it would cost more to litigate, we settled with the subcontractor.
This is a classic case of a crooked contractor trying to make a quick buck by taking advantage of absentee homeowners. BEWARE!