The "Help Barb & Mick" Fund

Below is a letter writen by Mick to "Catch a Contractor". A show that was unable to assit because they are not filming anymore plus they are based out of California.
As her friends we know she isnt usually willing to accept help.  But we still wanted to find a way we could help without her knowing "who" was helping! If you have some funds to spare it would surely help her and Barb complete their dream. 

EVERY little bit will help!! THANK YOU

Please take some time and have a read...

"Mom is a widow and lives alone in a manufactured house in a community. She's been there 40 years. She is very active and the sweetest person alive. You rarely see her without a smile. She golfs three times a week and bowls throughout the year. She is incredibly independent. She gets invited to my friends parties before I do, and if I can't go, they will send me photos of her and them just to rub it in. She's our biggest fan at the softball games and doesn't miss a one. And provides us with beer, which is important.

She suffers from COPD and I've noticed her failing a bit the past couple of years. This became apparent to over a recent family vacation. I usually see her almost every day as she lives about three miles from me, but I haven't spent all day every day with her in a long time. This and a white trash family moving in next door to her making her miserable prompted me to make a plan. This is where my nightmare begins.

I convinced her (wine may have been involved) that we should build an addition onto my house, as I have almost two acres of land and would love her to be that close to me. She would only agree if her space was totally self-sufficient and private, but we did plan on having a pass through door. In the back of my mind, I wanted her to be there so she would live here a long time and feel at home before she lost her senses due to dementia. I know she's going to have it, and I NEVER want to see her go into a nursing home. We sketched out a floor plan, called an architect (she insisted), and started planning on this new space.

I contacted several contractors with the blue prints, but only one gave me that warm and fuzzy and was super-attentive. His name is Frank Vlasak. I really liked him a lot. Notice the past tense?

Frank came right over as soon as I called, bringing with him the President of the construction company, an electrician, a plumber and his side-kick, Dave. After meeting with the other contractors, mom and I decided we would go with Frank. Unfortunately, the architect plans made the project WAAAAY too pricey, but Frank said he could make some simple changes that would make our project within our budget. He basically re-did the architects plan as far as straightening out the lay out and cleaning up the roof line.

We were supposed to start in the spring of 2014, as we had been working with the architect since the previous fall. Frank then came to me and said he had a falling out with his "business partner" Mee Construction. Yeah, I can't find it online either. Between the changes in the architect plan and him starting a new business with his side-kick Dave, Your Option Construction, LLC, we didn't sign the contract until late summer. I wasn't too worried, because that gave me time to tear down my garage and hire someone to cut trees to clear the construction area out. His quote - "Barb will be sitting in her new dining room having Thanksgiving dinner, I promise". He didn't mention of what year.

He gave me a quote that was higher than I thought we could afford. We went line by line and he said he estimated high on everything and we could save money by some cost-cutting measures that he could do. He verbally told me he could do the project for around $140,000.000, several thousand dollars less than what was on the written estimate. That was still pricey for a retired cop, but I was willing to beg borrow and steal to make a dream house for my mom.

Construction started in August of last year. We starting paying him. Lots. I didn't think too much of it because his crew was there all day every day, even on Saturdays. I loved those guys! Biggest rednecks in the world, but awesome dudes! He sub-contracted the excavation, concrete work, plumber and electrician.

He sent me an email with a payment schedule so we could have some notice to untangle our money out of different accounts. I have all the receipts and bank check stubs for the payments. And the emails. And some texts. And a copy of the contract, which he clearly broke. So, like a freaking idiot (I SO know better), I let us pay him $152,052.00 to date. I feel sooooo stupid!! So, anyway, they were moving right along, then about last December, they pretty much stopped working. He didn't hook up the radiant floor heating/ propane tank, and we had a bitter winter. I can understand. Too cold to work outside. Well, then Frank starts to falter on his communication skills. Texts and phone calls go unanswered, He finally gets in touch with me, probably around March or April of this year, meets with mom & I, and I can tell he wants to ask for more money. No F-ing way. I think he was too embarrassed to ask. Oh, did I mention him not insulating the wall in between our spaces, so I would come home from work and it would be 50 degrees in my house? I insulated it myself, asshole. "Oh, I didn't even think about that", yeah, because you don't have to get out of the shower in 50 degree weather. Also, leak issues where the roofs met, which he has since said he fixed, but I'm not convinced. Did I mention how bad my driveway got over the winter because of all this?

At the meeting, he didn't really say much, didn't have much input, I showed him a few things that I was concerned about, which he said he would address. Yep, the guys will be back up soon to finish her up. Be done by summer time. We both thought it was weird, he wanted a meeting, but not much was said. Hmmm, starting to get that feeling now.......

Second meeting, he promises it will be done, probably by mid-July. Third meeting, he basically orally admits to me he spend all our money and need to work other jobs to pay for ours. That's the last I heard from him.

The guys did come back, or I should say, guy, and started mudding the drywall. For about a week, that was back in May. Yeah, no activity here, mudding still isn't done, Frank won't answer my calls or texts, I feel like I'm getting screwed. Doesn't feel good.

Yeah, in the beginning I really like this guy.  My mom is stressed out, I feel guilty like it's all my fault that she's all stressed out, when I just wanted to take good care of her. I feel like a fool. I'm embarrassed. Frank is laughing all the way to the bank with my retirement savings and mom's 401K. ARGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I want my life back!! I want to feel happy again!! I want my mom to smile!! 

 I just want mom to come home. :-(

Very sincerely,

Mick Stebbins
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