RenovationPLUS

As a legal professional and REALTOR®, I feel it is my duty to warn people about the pitfalls of hiring John Babcock, Century Renovations or renovationPLUS for any work. He has multiple judgments against him and has had numerous complaints with the BBB. John was hired in May of 2020 to install LP SmartSide on my house, correct some errors from a previous contactor, including of replacement of two windows, and paint. He indicated that his start date would be June 15, but he did not start the job until July. While on the job (July – September), John seemed capable, knowledgeable and trustworthy, even though he received the first draw check in May at contract signing. On July 31, John indicated that he needed the next draw to be made payable directly to him because he claimed that his bank account had been compromised. After paying John in full for the work (September 18, 2020), I started asking when the painters would come (September 22). On September 29, I wrote to him that I was concerned about the temps getting too low to do the paint, which I had to send again on September 30. He claimed that his lead painter had a baby in the hospital and he had to find a new crew. I offered to have him pay my painter because I was worried about the temperatures and he said that we were not even close to a weather window because the paint could be applied to a surface temp of 39 degrees. It is now May 14, and the work is STILL not complete.

As a Real Estate Professional, and absolutely most-importantly, an advocate for my clients, I would without any doubt NEVER recommend John Babcock/RevovationPlus (or any other name he's advertised under...there are a few...look them up) do any renovations or repair or any type of work on your home. Personally, John was not fully honest with me and my husband while we where going through the MOST traumatic structural experience one could have with their 9 year old home. It all seemed so well in the beginning....but he continued to request more money than was contracted for to the point of absurdity. I had (during this time) recommended John to SEVERAL of my great clients and friends and family....and that is the worst part of it for me BY FAR!. I stand by my reputation as a professional. So, to put my name on the line and then hear that this person has totally screwed over my clients, family, and friends,.....is just beyond words. I do not recommend John to anyone under any circumstances..and I feel the need to apologize to anyone that I did. Utter embarrassment and total humiliation. If you are going on hard times and can't fulfill your end of the deal, (as I discussed with John MANY times), let me know..be HONEST......let's stop the dishonesty and be real........but that never happened with him....and it's a shame. Our project was never completed by John. He was our GM. I ended up having to deal with his brick contractor (whom he didn't pay), his painter(whom he didn't pay) and others.... If I wasn't a little experienced in dealing with contractors, I don't know how this would have turned out. I do know though, that hopefully John Babcock is not in business anymore under any other disguised names.

I don't know how he got best of 2019 or 2020. His last review was in January 2019. John Babcock is a crook. He charged us $25,000 and did nothing. We were completely duped by him. He was set to design and build a house for us. He kept asking for additional money, stating it was for permits. The architectural design was never completed. When we got a new builder we had to pay $7500 to redraw and finish the design. We were suppose to get a complete set of plans for $7500 but got a hand drawn picture with dimensions that could never have worked. We were going throught the construction loan approval process with the bank when we found out that he has horrible credit. We were $25,000 in and the bank would not let us use him as a builder. When we asked for the plans to be completed and the permits, he had NONE. He gave us a itemized list of things that included words like site feasibility, site consultation, admin and overhead, plans/edits and revisions. When we asked for our money back, he gave us the itemized list and blamed us for him not having a job to do for 2020. He said next time, he will charge a 10% clause in his contract for [ayment to vacate the contract. Completely absurd! Look into him. He has been litigated multiple times for not completing projects that he was paid for. It seems his dad may have been the same way. DO NOT USE THIS CONTRACTOR!!

John did a great job of installing our front door. He was on time, communicated well, and the job was done perfectly. I would highly recommend, and will use again.

We had RenovationPlus install SmartSide (siding) to our lake house (and garage) in Rochester, Indiana. They got off to a slow start due to the weather, however we are extremely satisfied with the end product. During installation they addressed any issue or concerns that I had. It has positively changed the appearance of our lake home. I would recommend RenovationPLUS and SmartSide

I had hired John for several projects in the past. While communication was always lacking, I liked the quality of work. Most recently we hired him for a project in our basement. He didn't keep commitments regarding appointments, did a shoddy job with the work that was completed, and hasn't even completed the most pressing part of the project, a sump pump replacement. We've paid for services not rendered and I have attempted to contact him for weeks via email, text and phone with no response. Buyer beware!

Our house is over 30 years old and time and weather has taken it's toll. We decided to replace all of the siding, trim, soffits and gutters.We decided to choose LP Smartside because we perceived it to carry a lot of pluses over Hardie Plank. It carries a superior 50 year warranty. It is a wood product which is lighter in weight and comes in 16 foot lengths vs 12 foot on Hardie, so it installs faster with fewer seams for a much cleaner look. It also has a much better impact resistance. We also liked the look of the LP Smartside vs Hardie Plank. Then we needed a contractor. In the end is also came down to which contractor you feel will do the better job and we chose John Babcock and RenovationPlus. We felt more comfortable with John than we did with the other contractors we had talked to. We are always leery about contractors having had six bad experiences with remodeling guys in the past. No remodeling job runs smooth and there were some set backs and weather delays, but in the end everything work out well. We had the windows and doors replace by another contractor 5 years ago who didn't install them properly resulting in a lot of structural damage and carpenter ant infiltration. John replaced all of the damaged wood, removed the carpenter ant nests, and resealed all of the windows and doors to factory specifications. John also worked with me on adding shingles over the half dome window at the front of the house to increase the curb appeal. He did all of the extra work and kept to the original budget. Every contractor has problems, weather happens, mistakes happen and there are always surprises. It's how the contractor reacts to those events that makes the difference. John did it for me and I hope he has the opportunity to do it for you. My wife Teri and I would definitely recommend LP Smartside and RenovationPus.

This company responded back to me very quickly after I emailed them about a few projects I needed to have done. John and his staff are very professional, knowledgeable and reasonably priced. They started and completed our project in a timely manner.

This company is very affordable. They take their time and make sure that they get the job done right or they will fix it.

John and his crew did a great job! They took the time to do the project the right way. I was sold on the LP siding, and it came out great. Thanks

We had several “problem projects” and received quotes and unaccurate information from several companies before finding John at renovation plus. We replaced our floors through the entrance, kitchen and hallways after having ceramic cracking due to settling.We are so happy with our new floors. Bigger problem, we had mold in the sub walls of our fireplace due to a cracked chimney cap. The entire fireplace was taken apart, floor replaced, sub walls treated and new tile installed around the frame. They did a rush on a new chimney cap and our house was back in shape within a weeks time. The men who did the work were great, cleaned and took care with our property and our dogs loved them. I highly recommend them for any home project.

I have used Renovation PLUS over a period of 9+ years from the time I lived in a large historic home (6,000+ sq ft) to a now much smaller condominium. They have replaced plaster ceilings, crown moldings, walls, and refinished wood floors. They are professional, knowledgeable, and they do quality work. I recommended them to friends who hired them and they were pleased as well.