NC homeowner gets back thousands after contractor stops work on sunroom: 'Made a muddy mess.'

A Fayetteville woman paid thousands of dollars for an addition to her home only to be left with a muddy mess.

"He showed up, he tore the roof down, the steps off and made a muddy mess and he was gone," Georgia Spriggs said about contractor's work.

Spriggs hired Joel Strickland to build a sunroom behind her home. She said Strickland did a great job on the first part of the job when it came to painting the deck.

"He did a beautiful deck. We were very happy."

That happiness didn't last long when it came to the sunroom construction. Spriggs said she only saw Strickland a few times on the job, and very little work was done despite paying him $6,600.

"Each time we tried to reach him, we got a lot of excuses, a lot of no-shows."

She sent a certified letter to Strickland but it was returned as undeliverable. Six months later, Spriggs said the project was still just a muddy mess and that's when she decided to call ABC11 Troubleshooter, Diane Wilson.

After contacting Strickland, he told ABC11 there was a misunderstanding with the brick for the job, and it would not be in until spring. He said if Spriggs couldn't wait, he would refund her money.

"If he would have just communicated it and said something, anything, but not any communication at all, not answering the phone, not even sending a note?" Spriggs said didn't want to wait any longer and opted for a refund and got her $6,600 back.

"I'm just happy. I got my money and I thank you so much."

Now is the time many people are doing home improvements. Here are some tips to protect your money:

• Get everything in writing, including a start and estimated finish date.

• Negotiate making payments as work progresses as opposed to a lump sum upfront

• For any work over $30,000, you need to make sure they are licensed to do that work

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