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Yes it is the same company with the same logo on their truck "Higa Construction". The father is David Higa and the son is Edward Higa (the one who was resonsible for taking the clients money under Higa Construction). They are still advertising in the newspapers too. A quarter of my walls were done and they took off with $9,700.00 and they said I wish you the best of luck.
With the stress of being left with building our home I just can't bear going to court and they know this too. Because he said the amount of money that I will spend on lawyers fees will outway what I'm asking for back. I believe that what you do to others will come back to you but worse. They are simply digging their own grave.
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It would seem to me that given the amount of your money that the Higas walked off with, you have something criminal going on and not just a "contractual dispute." I seem to remember the police being mentioned in reference to all this. What was their response? Fraud charges could be in order, but the local police are not held in high regard and have a reputation for looking the other way when "local" characters are involved in business rip-offs. Yes, a civil suit might not be worth the trouble, but filing criminal charges could stop these guys. If you and Makuu222 both made police complaints, they might not be able to ignore it. Kharma is great, but sometimes we have to help it along.
Edited by - Chunkster on 05/30/2007 18:18:11
Edited by - Chunkster on 05/30/2007 21:10:14
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Chunkster, you said "If you and Toucano both made police complaints...". I've never dealt with Higa. So it would be hard for me to file a police complaint.
It sounds like mountainview has come to accept that monetary compensation is probably not going to be easy to get. But perhaps he can badger the criminal justice system here to take a hard look. Will they? I have no idea what their priorities here are.
But I'll tell you what, mountainview, you have my admiration. I have a bit of left-over 5/4 x 4" cedar decking that might be enough for you to do a nice 6X10 or 12 deck. If you want it, it is your gratis. Email me and we can set a time for you to get it.
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It sounds like these guys may be headed to jail, but in Hawaii it could take a very long time, and they could still get off, depending on the judge. The probation violation might actually get quicker attention, that is if the elder Higa has no prior convictions. Please diligently pursue the police angle for the good of the next potential victims. Good luck, and I hope justice is done.
Apologies, Toucano. I got it wrong and went back and corrected it. At least I got you on the side of the good guys. Sorry.
Edited by - Chunkster on 05/30/2007 21:19:24
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mountainview, I too had a less than competent/ethical contractor do a bit of site prep for me. Wasn't worth getting into a pissin' contest over. So been there, done that. No fun when you expect Aloha and get crapped on.
Chunkster, no offense taken.
The bottom-line for anyone reading this board is to be very, very careful before you hire anyone. CHECK THEM OUT THOROUGHLY! As much as Cat cringes when I praise her here
, I think anyone thinking of building would do well to talk to her and see what she can do to to minimize potential problems. They can creep up at times and in ways you would not believe. FWIW, I didn't, and I wish that I had.
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Thanks Toucano I appreciate the wood. I'm just not sure how to build a deck. We have not even started the stairs yet and I'm hoping my husband has it under control. I've been trying to take a look at how everyone else did their steps while I'm driving around. I think it would be kind of crazy for me to take pictures of their steps to make sure which piece of wood goes where.
I'm really hoping no one else gets taken in by this company. It is really sad. I wanted to put a classified ad right next to there's and write "concrete/framing- before hiring Higa Construction to do work please call me for references."
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Mountainview, this site has a nice 'How to' on outside deck stairs:
http://www.hometime.com/Howto/projects/d...eck_11.htm
For inside stairs:
http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/...rcase.aspx
For very fancy inside stairs, some use notch & wedges to eliminate exposed attachments, but is much the same. You can buy pre-cut stringers, but they are not hard to cut, and you can then customize the riser & run to your use (building a custom sized stair to replace a very odd sized riser/tread was my first home-owner project almost 30 years ago... memories!)
I have taken photos of many different projects on others houses, most people take it as a compliment to the work they have done.
Edited by - carey on 05/31/2007 08:33:47
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Thanks for the tip. It will come in very handy in building the stairs.
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More stair design info:
http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/frame...utdoor.htm
Decks are actually pretty simple. You can see how I did mine. The offer for the wood is there!
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It seems very simple in the pictures. I think we will do just fine.
Thanks Toucano- Do you think the wood, would fit in a car?
Edited by - mountainview on 05/31/2007 10:39:15
