My experience with Colin Keenan of Keenan Construction was as bad as it gets.

On 1/31/2010, I contracted with Colin Keenan of Keenan Construction for a home renovation. The total quote for this project was $46, 450. To date, Keenan is paid in full. The project was financed with a $24, 000 Philadelphia Home Improvement loan from Citizens Bank and the rest with cash from my personal Commerce Bank account.

On the 1/31/10, Colin was given $9, 700 to start this project. $700 was for the necessary permits and the rest was for labor and materials. For the next several months, I was giving Colin disbursements for this project and all along was reassured by Colin that permits were in the work and that it would "be any day" when the permits were acquired. Permits were very significant because Colin had started major plumbing, electrical, and HVAC work and permits are required for this work by the city of Philadelphia. In June, I learned from Colin that permits still hadnt been acquired. Colin never obtained the permits. I was very worried and at my expense, I obtained all three permits for a cost of $1, 100. This amount included fines from Philadelphia License and Inspections for starting the work without the necessary permits.

At this point in time, Colin had received roughly $37, 000 which included his quote for the plumbing, electrical, and HVAC work. Because new contractors were obtaining the permits, I was forced to hire them the finish the plumbing, electrical, and HVAC work. The cost to obtain the plumbing permit and install the fixtures was $1, 700. The cost to obtain the electrical permits and finish the electric was $850. The HVAC permit and work cost $2300. The HVAC system that Keenan's company installed was neither functional nor done according to code and had to be replaced in its entirety. This is because Keenan hired an unlicensed and unqualified contractor to perform the work. I had purchased $250 of ductwork for this project. Instead of using it, Keenan's company stole the ductwork from my property and used the existing and faulty ductwork that I was paying him to replace. I therefore had to purchase the ductwork for a second time to be used by the new contractor.

In addition to problems with permits, Colin Keenan showed up to work only sporadically. This is obvious because the date of Keenan's contract was 1/31/2010 and as of early November, only roughly 75% of the work was completed. Oftentimes, 5-7 days would pass by and Keenan couldn't be reached. In fact, I received several phone calls from Keenan's workers inquiring about Keenan's whereabouts. I was especially concerned when I learned that Keenan hadn't paid his workers in several weeks.

In August and September, we had license and inspections perform inspections on the property. This inspection allowed us to complete the project. This work included refinishing and installing the hardwood floors, installing the doors, trim, and baseboard molding, painting the house, installing a shower door, and finishing the shower tile work.A few weeks went by and little if any work was getting done. On October 19th, I asked Colin if he still even had the $3, 500 I gave him and his response was "I must admit. No." Colin then informed me that we only had $1, 000 left despite not having purchased any of the materials we needed to finish. At this time, Keenan mentioned that he was attempting to obtain a loan to finish this project. I asked Colin for an accounting of the $3, 500 but my requests were ignored. On 10/23/10, Colin packed his tools and left my property with no explanation. On October 26, 2010, I made an attempt to resolve this issue. I offered to, for a second time, purchase the finishing materials, if Colin would agree to honor his contractual agreement with me and finish this project. Colin agreed to this and indicated he would work every day except Wednesdays until the job was finished. I purchased all of the finishing materials and Colin never gave me his half. Colin showed up to work only sporadically and during this time incorrectly hung 8 doors, all of which needed to be taken down because they were not to code and didn't close property. It was obvious that Colin was doing more harm than good and was damaging the materials I purchased for a second time. Fearing more of the same, I gave Colin his tools and asked him to leave. I also asked him to return the money for the unfinished items. Keenan responded to this by saying "Your lawsuit is all you're getting."

At this time, Colin indicated that the fixed contract he drafted was actually a "time and materials" contract. This is absolute fraud! Our contract says nothing of this. Colin also mentioned that the project simply went over budget, even though as of October 20th, we had all the financial resources we needed to finish. Furthermore, never once did Colin mention that we were over budget and never once would he provide an accounting of where my money was being spent despite repeated requests. He couldn't because he stole alot of it!!!

In addition to the financial loss from having to hire new electricians, plumber, and HVAC contractors, Ive been forced to hire new contractors to finish this project and repay for all the necessary materials. The costs are as follows:

The finishing materials cost $2, 000.
* Cost to finish drywall was $1, 300(I have no receipt for this item).
* To correct the doors and rehang them to code and install the baseboard molding and trim cost me $1, 025.
*To have the first floor floors refinished and hardwood floors installed on the second floor cost $3, 000.
* Shower door cost and installation was $800..
* Keenan was paid $1, 800 to paint my house. He primed the first floor only. I couldn't afford a painting contractor and will do this myself.

On 12/13/2010, I filed a police report for the $3, 500 for materials that Keenan refused to return. I also reported a light fixture I bought for roughly $50 as stolen also.

I would caution anyone against using this contractor. He is a lying thief. I'm doing everything I can think to do to hold this contractor responsible. I've reported Keenan to the BBB of Pennsylvania, the PA Attorney General, and I plan to pursue legal action.