A few weeks ago the Troubleshooters introduced you to a contractor named Pat Ayres, and his company, Award Roofing and Construction from Aransas Pass. He’s trying to repair Charles Thornton and Dallas Helms’ house in Flour Bluff.
Lee Ann Clark lives just a few blocks from Ayres. She hired him to repair what Hurricane Harvey did to her house. And she paints a different picture of Ayres and his crew.
"They would up show up to my work just about everyday and try to talk me into getting loans. High interest loans to fix the house up."
Ayres says that’s not true.
"They’d show up drunk. Smoking marijuana," Clark told the Troubleshooters. "How do you know that ? How do you know that ? Did you see them ? Did you smell the booze ? Did you smell the weed ? "
"Oh yeah."
Clark says she’s already paid Ayres $8000.00 to gut the inside of her house. Repair her roof. And put in new windows.
"Looks like he did, right?"
Well, Clark is not happy, claiming Ayres’ crew stole alot of her stuff or it’s missing.
"My television. My microwave. My 8 foot ladder" among other things.
She called police. Filed reports. But Ayres counters, saying one of his subcontractors is responsible. And besides, he claims some of his items were missing too. But police found some of the stuff in a pawn shop.
To make matters worse for Clark, she says she’s lost her job. Gotten no help from FEMA or her insurance, at least so far.
Fortunately, Texas Windstorm is paying for the hotel room she says she’s been staying in for nearly 6 months. She’s broke.
Ayres says he knows this, and that’s why he’s not hounding her for money, even tho he says he’s got $100,000.00 worth of work in her house.
And as far as he knows, Clark hasn’t fired him.
"I’m still the general contractor over that project. And she still owes me money. I have not filed a lien on her. I don’t know why she’s mad at me. I’ve done nothing to make her mad."
He told the Troubleshooters he thinks Clark’s mad at him because one of his subs filed a $75,000.00 Mechanics Lien against her.
Afterall, he tells us he has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, saying quote ‘I’m not known as just a good roofer. I’m known as an exceptional roofer.’
"What’s the next step ?" we asked Ayres.
"The next step is I’m probably gonna file a lien on her if she’s not going to talk to me. And she’s not going to fire me. I’m technically still the General Contractor there."
By the way, Clark is considering hiring a different contractor. Ayres has moved his rv into Charles Thornton’s backyard in the Bluff. They can stay there while Ayres repairs their home which he estimates will take 3 months.
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