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Military couple wants answers after home renovation goes wrong

Posted at 6:26 PM, Jul 25, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-23 12:54:34-05

A military couple wants justice after their home renovation went terribly wrong.

Arleen Benavidez has been in the United States Army for eight years and was stationed at Fort Hood in December.

She and her spouse Jessica Benavidez said they looked at 20 homes in Central Texas before finding their dream home, but seven months and thousands of dollars later, their home is in shambles.

Because the home had old carpet and tile, the Benavidez's bought their home less than a year ago with the condition that they would receive a $4,000 flooring allowance to make the changes they wanted.

"It was mid-February towards the end of February when we actually started with the stained concrete when we had hired the contractor to come do our flooring for us," Jessica Benavidez said.

It was a dream the couple started with His and Hers Renovations, but that dream didn't take long to become a nightmare.

"When we finally came to the house the day that it was done, the floor was still wet from the sealer they had put on it so we couldn't come inside and he promised 'Hey you will love it, I swear it looks great,' but obviously he hadn't been here for it because he didn't know what it looked like," Jessica said. "When we were able to walk in the house, we said we are not moving anything into the house because this is not what we paid for."

The Benavidez's said, not only were their floors dirty and the wrong color, they weren't even leveled.

"The overlay actually changed the level of the floor from the hallway into the kitchen and into the bathroom, it was like a slope up and on top of that they didn't smooth it, they left it textured," Jessica said.

So, they immediately contacted the contractor of His and Hers Renovations.

"He said that he couldn't be proud of it and said he completely understood why we felt the way we did, you know apologized over and over and said he wanted to fix it because this was not who he was or the kind of business that he ran," Jessica said.

With no more money to put into a new floor, the Benavidez's said they had to trust the same contractor to try again, but this time with tile.

That's when the nightmare continued.

"All of the baseboards are covered with stain and grout and there is a stain on the walls," Jessica said.

In addition to uneven tiles, there are gaps between the wall and flooring throughout the entire house, missing tiles and destroyed baseboards, all things the company said they would fix, but the contractor never went back to their home.

"The guest bathroom is still not finished, there is still tons of areas in the house that don't have grout," Jessica said.

The Benavidez's have not heard from the contractor since, which has left them with few options.  

"We have filed with the Better Business Bureau, we have filed with the consumer protection with the attorney general in Texas, we have also filed to go to small claims court with Bell County," Jessica said.

The Bell County Constables Office confirmed there is a pending lawsuit through the Justice Civil Court in Bell County against the owner of His and Hers Renovations.

The Bell County Constables Office said deputies have made eight different attempts to serve the owner of the company a Civil Citation, with no luck. 

The couple said they are just looking to get the money they spent on their floor returned so they can move forward with someone new to get a floor they are happy with.

On Nov. 23, the family said that the owner of His and Hers Renovations did not show up to small claims court on Monday. The judge awarded the Benevidez family a portion of what they were asking, plus filing fees. 

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