Support Elderly Family After Renovation Scam

Hello to all… my name is Ann and I am the daughter and only child of the victims in this story.

In October 2024, my parents purchased a home and moved to Texas to be closer to my daughters and grandchildren. My dad’s health is failing, and my oldest daughter was having medical complications which involved possible blindness. My dad is not receiving VA benefits at this time, but that is a battle I’m trying to win as well. The house was a little bit of a fixer-upper but nothing major. They had to have some foundation work done, and during this business transaction, they were introduced to a contractor who they asked to do the mold remediation, add a bathroom, and make a few changes to make the home wheelchair accessible. My father is a veteran who served during Vietnam and has a debilitating hereditary disease which involves the loss of the use of his legs. My parents are on a fixed income, being social security, and told the contractor they didn’t have a lot of money to make the adjustments. The contractor made friends with my parents and convinced them she could add an additional master suite along with updating the interior for wheelchair accessibility for $43,000. They moved into a rental while the work was being done since they were told it would take 30 days. They paid her half of the funds upfront along with the payment for the work done on the foundation. The contractor then told them she had procured the materials for the work to be done along with the tile and flooring they had picked out, so the price wouldn’t increase due to the changes in the government. She invoiced them for another $12,000 to cover the costs of the materials. They paid this additional amount. The addition was framed out, the foundation poured, and the majority of the interior demo’d. Then all work ceased. The inside of the house was trashed, the framing was unstable, the electrical had not been done to code, and no materials had been delivered. After several attempts to contact the contractor over several months and multiple lies about why the work wasn’t continuing, the city was contacted, only to find out that no permits had been pulled by the General Contractor. The job was shut down due to a violation of the building codes. My parents were forced to retain an attorney who wrote them a letter demanding a refund of the funds which hadn’t been used. The attorney also cited the criminal violations they had committed. They were given 45 days for the funds to be returned. It has been more than 45 days with no answer.

During this time, my father was hospitalized for cardiac and pulmonary issues. My oldest daughter had to undergo two emergency surgeries, one on her eyes and one on her brain to place a shunt. We had to share caretaking responsibilities for her and the grandbabies. That lasted for two months. Then, when we thought things were improving, my mom got caught in a fight between two dogs and was severely injured, leaving her with a broken hand, several puncture wounds, and a major wound on one of her forearms. This has left her without the use of both of her hands for several weeks.

Throughout this time, I was able to get my General Contractor’s license, start an LLC, become bonded and insured, and obtain the necessary permits to get back to working on their house. The damage done to their home has been estimated at around $60,000 just to repair what the other contractor did and to make the home livable. Even though civil and criminal charges have been filed against them, we’ve been told there’s almost no chance they will be able to get any money back. We need help! My parents were taken advantage of due to their age, financial circumstances, and belief in the good of humanity! Please don’t let this horrible criminal win!

If you can find it within yourself to donate, it would be greatly appreciated. I will be posting pictures periodically to show the progression. I have been able to find some volunteers to help with some of the labor. Unfortunately, the three major things that require money have to be done by licensed contractors.

My dad is trying to do as much of the work as he can but has fallen several times.

My mom and dad have gone above and beyond to help people their entire lives. The only thing I have to keep me positive is faith and prayer.

Thank you for reading our story, for donating if possible, and for sharing in hopes that someone else will be able to help as well.