Complaint Review: Jared Brechot

I hired a General Contractor for a remodel on a 2-bedroom condominium.  The Contractor was recommended by someone I trust.  After we reviewed design objectives, the Contractor suggested we hire Jared Brechot to complete some revit files on the design specs I had created.  We met with Jared Brechot Designs and he agreed to supply a revit model for the condominium. About a week later we received some very simple CAD drawings that only included the first floor.  Those drawings were used by the Contractor to order materials, including some steel beams and columns.  The drawings were wrong in many instances.  The 22' steel beams were too short by 6" in length and could not be used. This cost the Contractor $8,000. Jared corrected those drawings and they were still off, but our structural engineer corrected them by making a site visit.  Another week later Jared delivered some drawings of the electrical plan and bathrooms.  These drawings were inaccurate, too.  Plumbing mistakes required an additional $5,000 in costs to the project.  The location of electrical lighting was a mess.

We never received a revit file, which we were told would allow us to see the condominium in 3-d. The drawings were poorly done, but later corrected by our structural engineer.  These mistakes delayed the project for weeks. We also ordered a piece of marble from one of Jared's friends and gave him the dimensions and a picture of how it should be fabricated for hanging. We received it a week later and it was done exactly opposite of the drawings, upside down - a waste of another $1,200.  Jared decided that was "a better way to present the stone" or something like that.  He didn't follow direction. When we tried to speak to Jared he quit the project and walked out. Eventually the Contractor quit because of the many discprepancies with Jared's work product and overall frustration.  As of January (according to our lawyer) Jared was no longer afilliated with the Contractor. We are going to sue the Contractor because it was his recommendation, even though I'm sure the Contractor lost a lot of money over the careless drawings.

This whole experience with Jared cost us more than $25,000.  He didn't know what he was doing and didn't deliver what he promised. When things went bad, I asked for references or a portfolio and he couldn't furnish one. I have since looked at his website jaredbrechot.com and there is no portfolio there, either. The Contractor refunded the amount we paid Jared, but the damage was much more.

If you want to hire a Designer ask for their portfolio or a few references.