"We started interviewing people to come over and we got about three different estimates," Amy Radonis said.
One of the estimates was from Jack Handy, a Fuquay-Varina-based company owned by Duane Kleppe.
"He was like I can do the whole thing for you, pay me in cash. I'll give you better pricing, and he started lowballing everything. It was like, 'Oh, I'll paint for you for eight.' You know? ... Like 'what was your best price? Nine. I'll do it for eight.' Like, 'Oh, you do the whole bathroom for seven; I'll do it for six," Radonis recalled.
The total price for the job was $63,000. According to the contract, the Radonises paid Kleppe $17,000 to start the job.
"He just demoed everything that was supposed to be done the bathrooms, kitchen floors, the stairs, closets," Radonis said.
Amy videotaped what her house looked like after everything was demoed.
"He said, 'When you come back from vacation, everything is going to be rocking and rolling this and that, and your water heater is going to be here your bathtubs, my guys are going to tile. We're going to start painting. Everything's going to be set in motion," she said.
But when she returned from vacation, she walked into a disaster.
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"Nothing was complete. It was just still like a hot mess and he was honestly just making more of a mess than anything else."
Radonis said the contractor told them not to worry the work would get done. The family then paid Kleppe an additional $9,000, but when it was time for them to move into the home, their frustrations continued.
"It was only subfloors upstairs. No toilet bowls, no bathroom, just nothing. Just absolutely a gutted mess," Radonis said.
After giving Kleppe $26,000 of the $63,000 contract, the Radonises said they couldn't believe the lack of work done.
"He had told us he's going to be working for us 24-7 for four days; we're like that's not happening. We want our money back. Get out," she said.
Amy and her husband Peter Radonis reached out to Troubleshooter Diane Wilson. According to the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors, neither Kleppe nor his company is licensed to do any contract for more than $40,000.
It is North Carolina law you must be a licensed contractor to do the work Kleppe promised.
Ryan Cody, the Executive Director of the state Licensing Board for General Contractors said his office continues to see more and more complaints with unlicensed contractors.
"Unlicensed contracting is a problem. It's, it's a big problem, especially with the economy as good as it's been from the building industry. The unlicensed contractors tend to prey on the smaller projects, additions, renovations, things like that, where your large contractors are out building new single-family dwellings and commercial outfits."
Cody said it's important to do your research and hire a licensed contractor if the work is more than $40,000.
"The benefit of someone having to be licensed is they've been vetted. They've went through an application process which includes background checks through our board. They've been approved by our board they've taken an examination of competency and then they have to meet financial requirements that are set in the general statute," Cody said.
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It is easy to check on the website for the board if a contractor is licensed. Cody said it's also NC law that requires all licensed contractors to put their license number on the contract.
Besides verifying the contractor is licensed, Cody also suggests, "I would ensure that if permits are necessary, that they check with the local inspection department or permitting office to make sure that permits are required first and foremost, and if they are, have they been obtained? And if they've not been obtained, then they need to, you know, contact their contractor to make sure that they obtain those permits."
Troubleshooter Diane Wilson got in touch with Kleppe and asked why he did this job if he's not licensed and about the status of the project. He said he felt court is the best way to handle this.
As for the Radonises now that they've had to hire other contractors to finish the work, they recognize that there was a big red flag with Kleppe's contract.
"There was no way he was doing any of it for the price he gave us " and Radonis has this advice for others. "Just be careful. Do you really do your due diligence when you're hiring people? Because this is a real, this is a real loss, a real tough loss."
The Radonises have filed a complaint with the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors, and said they plan to take Kleppe to civil court.
The best advice before hiring anyone: research! You can never do enough research. Again if you want to hire a licensed contractor, ask for their license number and confirm they are licensed. Also, ask for references and speak with those past customers to make sure they are not family but instead actual customers.