Karim Hajee and his wife dreamed of having a bigger home that could fit their family of six. After carefully checking online reviews of contractors and considering several companies, they decided to go with Adam Gardin at GarCon, which had great online reviews, ratings and customer feedback.
Gardin began the work in October — totally uprooting the inside of their house and backyard — took a sum of money as forward payment and then, essentially, quit.
“That was our life’s savings. And there isn’t a whole lot we can do now,” Hajee said in mid-January. “What has affected us [the family] the most was not that we lost money, but that we have to start all over again. Not just finding a contractor, but also finding the financing,” he said.
The Hajees are just one of several families who have been affected by GarCon’s failure. One family is living without a roof, and several others are still displaced. The families received a notice from A Farber and Associates that GarCon had filed for bankruptcy.
In early January the affected families and subcontractors held a protest outside Gardin’s house at Bathurst Street and Lawrence Avenue West. Signs read, “Don’t trust Adam Gardin.”
Miguel Padille is a homeowner that was at the protest. “My savings from over 20 years is gone,” said Padille. “[GarCon] removed the roof of my house … put a very bad tarp, and it got ripped right away and the house was exposed to the weather.”
Hajee said that there is an investigation underway involving 20 homeowners that were impacted by GarCon, but that won’t necessarily lead to anyone getting their money back.
“We are all working together,” he said. “I believe what he has taken is close to about $1.5 million.”
As a result, Hajee — and all the other families disappointed by Gardin — are stuck trying to find new contractors and alternative options.
“There needs to be better regulations in this industry because there is just nothing in place to protect homeowners,” he said.
Hajee said his main concern is now putting back together the pieces of his home but warns anyone looking into homebuilding to be careful.
On renovator rating site Homestars, GarCon has a 9.4 out of 10 rating.