A Kaleden couple has a massive headache after a renovation nightmare,
Last year, Sue and Bill Lenox decided to undergo a $70,000 renovation to their retirement home.
They hired RONA in Penticton to install a new kitchen, new doors and windows throughout the house.
But the Lennox’s say problems began on day one, with every upgrade going awry and with doors sometimes having to be reinstalled five times.
“It just breaks my heart because we had no problems before. I wanted to modernize it. It’s been hell,” said Sue Lennox.
The problems escalated to the point where the Lennox’s told RONA to stop all work. Now RONA is going to court for the remaining $40,000 owed. It’s an amount the Lennox’s refuse to pay.
“We brought RONA in as a contractor. They subtrade everything. They bring subtrades and we went with them. We felt we could fall back on them if we had a problem and [RONA] totally shunned their responsibility,” Bill Lenox said.
CHBC News brought in independent home inspectors from Maccid Consulting to look at the renovations. After a quick inspection, they agree there was some poor workmanship on the job.
No one from RONA would go on camera with CHBC News to speak about the matter. However, the Penticton branch owner admits to CHBC News that there is no doubt some of the work on the project wasn’t great. He says every effort was made to fix the problems but he says the Lennox’s refused.
Maccid Consulting says the renovations were a very complicated project and changes in the home most likely led to the mold and condensation. But that could have been mitigated if a general contractor had been hired.
“A general contractor should have taken over the project and coordinated all the trades,” said Grant MacDonald with Maccid Consulting.
RONA says it was not the general contractor despite Lennox’s belief that they were.
The Okanagan couple will likely have to shell out thousands more to repair their dream home.
According to the Better Business Bureau, there have been 64 complaints about RONA in B.C. over the past three years. In Penticton, there have been three complaints; two of which have been resolved.
Last year, Sue and Bill Lenox decided to undergo a $70,000 renovation to their retirement home.
They hired RONA in Penticton to install a new kitchen, new doors and windows throughout the house.
But the Lennox’s say problems began on day one, with every upgrade going awry and with doors sometimes having to be reinstalled five times.
“It just breaks my heart because we had no problems before. I wanted to modernize it. It’s been hell,” said Sue Lennox.
The problems escalated to the point where the Lennox’s told RONA to stop all work. Now RONA is going to court for the remaining $40,000 owed. It’s an amount the Lennox’s refuse to pay.
“We brought RONA in as a contractor. They subtrade everything. They bring subtrades and we went with them. We felt we could fall back on them if we had a problem and [RONA] totally shunned their responsibility,” Bill Lenox said.
CHBC News brought in independent home inspectors from Maccid Consulting to look at the renovations. After a quick inspection, they agree there was some poor workmanship on the job.
No one from RONA would go on camera with CHBC News to speak about the matter. However, the Penticton branch owner admits to CHBC News that there is no doubt some of the work on the project wasn’t great. He says every effort was made to fix the problems but he says the Lennox’s refused.
Maccid Consulting says the renovations were a very complicated project and changes in the home most likely led to the mold and condensation. But that could have been mitigated if a general contractor had been hired.
“A general contractor should have taken over the project and coordinated all the trades,” said Grant MacDonald with Maccid Consulting.
RONA says it was not the general contractor despite Lennox’s belief that they were.
The Okanagan couple will likely have to shell out thousands more to repair their dream home.
According to the Better Business Bureau, there have been 64 complaints about RONA in B.C. over the past three years. In Penticton, there have been three complaints; two of which have been resolved.
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