Hale Creek Construction

Fellow Unilocalers, if you wanna avoid Contractor FRAUD, then you wanna avoid this guy — Bryan Temmermand.
We wanted to do kitchen and master bath remodel, and weren’t looking to skimp on hiring a cheaper GC. For the rates Bryan was charging, and based on his previous Unilocal reviews, we thought we could trust him. I was also 7 months pregnant, and we wanted to ensure the remodel went smoothly. Bryan started out very promising, can do everything we wanted to achieve, also put in the contract that he would get the project done in two months time. We figured that gave us a whole month extra to clean up and get ready for baby, perfect.
The contract had his license # and everything looked professional, so we signed and quickly started the demolition. Things were looking great at the beginning, but as we progressed into framing, we started to discover more and more things:
#1. Bryan is rarely at the job site, about the only time we saw him was when he needed money. When we confronted him towards the end, he was tired of finding excuses, saying «I don’t need to be on site.» Instead of monitoring things in person, he relies on phone, instead of being there physically. As a result, the workers made several irreversible mistakes throughout the project.
#2. He always wants «deposits» on materials, before delivery to the job site (which is against California law, and even his own contract). If we refuse, he threatens the schedule will be delayed. We’re often given short notice too, with money being needed the same day.
#3. He disappears for days at a time, with no heads up, and no ability to contact him. Doesn’t respond to phone calls, messages, e-mail’s. Days (sometimes more than a week) later when he finally responds, it’s almost always because of some family emergency which came up.
#4. He lack of planning skills, the worker just wasted so much time and did a bunch things wrong because he never there.
#5. He’s definitely a liar. When asked about some things, he would push it off, making excuses, and then eventually admit he lied about it (like ordering materials, which he hadn’t ordered because he was waiting for us to pay him more).
#6. He never checks the parts he purchased, instead waiting until last minute to realize parts were wrong type or missing pieces. This then causes days (or weeks) more delay. Many of the parts installed were damaged as well, with dings or scratches, even though they’re supposed to be brand new.
#7. He over advertised the skill of his subcontractors. His plumber, who is supposed to have been very experienced with Hansgrohe fixtures, couldn’t even figure out how to make the hot/​cold correct. The painter could not match the original paint correctly, even after we gave him a bucket of the original paint, and he still got things mixed up and was painting the wrong color throughout our house. The vanity cabinet we paid so much for looked like something I would’ve built.
#8. The project was fixed cost, but he was constantly finding ways to blow up the final project cost until it was getting out of hand. The contract made it clear that any changes had to come via change orders, but if something took him longer than he expected, he would just pass the cost on to us (usually of several hundred or thousand dollars) without even getting our consent. By the end, the amount he was asking for was in excess of over 50% more than the original project proposal.
There are so much more to list, but I’m just tired of typing. You get my point.
Anyway, two weeks before the baby was due, Bryan had gone MIA, and the whole house was still a big mess: our bathroom had no mirror, electrical wiring dangling, radiant floor heating not functioning, glass doors missing, no shower faucet handle, etc… So, we had to stop work, hire several professionals to clean up all the mess, and get the house clean. As we started digging deeper, we soon found out that Bryan’s license had expired over a year ago. Meanwhile, he created a new company name and applied for a new license, I can only assume using the money we were paying him.
I get the sense that this isn’t the first time Bryan has pulled these kind of antics, he seems keen to immediately spot a vulnerability and take advantage of it. In our case, I was pregnant, and eager to get a warm home ready for our baby’s arrival. Instead, I had to undergo a great deal of stress, was miserable too, couldn’t sleep well, couldn’t eat well… Now, baby’s two months old, and we have to find new GC to finish the rest of project. According to the dictionary, contractor fraud is an illegal act committed by a contractor involving misrepresentation, involving underperformance, inflating costs, or abandonment. This definitely sums up what we’ve experienced with Bryan.

I hired Bryan to fix a leaky master shower upstairs in my house. The water had started to affect the framing and my original home builder would not help me out.
Bryan came over and was quick to point out how a shower should be properly constructed. He suggested a plan and we went with it.
Once we got into the walls, Bryan and his team worked diligently to repair everything and I was back in business.
Bryan’s pricing was fair and consistent with what I expected to pay. His guys showed up on-​time consistently. I was completely satisfied with my experience.
I would not hesitate to use Bryan and his team at Hale Creek for any future repair or remodel work that I have.

The ongoing remodel project.
I have worked with Bryan and his Hale Creek Construction company for some years now. Some of the jobs were large jobs, and some were small jobs. Regardless of job size, Bryan and his team at Hale Creek Construction are highly recommended.
When we started thinking about remodeling our house, Bryan came over to discuss what my wife and I have envisioned for our house. I was thinking of remodeling just certain areas of the house, and he suggested different ideas /​themes and we came up with our plan. The plan was very well thought out, one that would enhance the look of our house, both inside and outside, as well as saving us money due to the order in which the remodeling jobs took place.
Also for part of the remodel my wife was pregnant. Bryan and his staff were very accommodating, professional and understanding of our unique situation. Also, he suggested ideas for the backyard that would be more «kid friendly», and thank goodness he did, as our children LOVE the space Bryan created for us.
Hale Creek has done the following in no particular order:
Replacement Windows
New Bay Window
New French Doors
New Hardwood Floors (and baseboards)
New Closet Refinishing: floors, wall, texture etc.
New Interior Doors /​pocket door (and painted them also, GORGEOUS!!!)
New Central A/​C
New Back Yard (again, I can not thank him enough for the suggestions)
New Downspout Extensions (move water away from the house to the street)
New Closet (my wife LOVES IT)
New Double oven install
New Coach Lights (20% power with no motion /​100% power — motion detected)
New Security Lighting (Senses 180° out + 360° down for Total Detection)
Bryan is very trustworthy and has over the years become a true friend of the family.

I have had the pleasure of working with Bryan and Hale Creek on two residential projects in the past few months.
One of the projects Hale Creek worked on was the Section One termite work on our triplex in Sunnyvale before we sold it. Hale Creek had to do extensive repair work on the structure during escrow, and thanks to their efficiency and workmanship, all the repair work was cleared and we were able to close escrow early. Bryan and his crew, showed up on time, were clearly dedicated to doing quality work and they came in on budget.
I would highly recommend them for construction and remodeling projects

I didn’t know construction companies like this existed. Bryan, the owner, is very professional — he was on time, did a thorough evaluation, offered suggestions on ways to save money on the job, and provided an accurate quote. A few days later his team showed up exactly on time, did superior quality work, went way beyond the call of duty in clearing the site of an infestation, finished on time, and did not exceed the original quote. I will absolutely use them again.

Bryan and his crew are wonderful to work with. Throughout our remodel, every visit and update we received was clear, concise, helpful and honest. We never had any qualms about timing, scheduling or means. I felt like the whole Hale Creek team became a group of friends.
Bryan went above and beyond in all phases of the work and the end result was even better than our plans and vision to begin with. Bryan used his knowledge of the industry to ensure that we received the best quality we could afford, and he made the most amazing suggestions of ways we could modify our design to make our life easier later.
Though I thought our project would not be worth Bryan’s time, throughout the process, I truly felt like Hale Creek’s most important client.
Thank you Bryan and the entire Hale Creek Construction team for changing my opinion of contractors.