Basement Remodeling

We hired Howell for our basement finish project with the expectation that our project would be managed professionally and completed in a timely manner.
As the homeowners, we originally intended to manage the project ourselves and hired Howell for carpentry work. While we had no problems coordinating the trades we managed directly, Howell eventually assumed more of a general contractor role, with Caleb recommending bringing certain subcontractors under his management. We agreed because initially Caleb seemed responsive, responsible, and trustworthy. Unfortunately, that shift marked the beginning of the problems.
Our experience was marked by consistent lack of communication, poor project management, and ultimately, an incomplete job. Throughout the project, we had to chase down Caleb for updates and eventually coordinate directly with subs under Caleb’s management. The only time we received prompt communication was when a new invoice was being sent. When we raised concerns about incomplete work and withheld payment as leverage to encourage progress, we were immediately threatened with collections (just one day after an invoice was due).
Caleb has even admitted what we had suspected, which was that he had taken on too much work and our project was not a priority because it wasn’t as profitable (or large) as others he had later taken on. As a result, our job remains incomplete and has ultimately been abandoned by Howell. Howell’s intention to abandon the project was further evidenced by Caleb’s attempt to pass us off to another local contractor (but not as a sub and with no intention of honoring our agreed-upon price).
Despite having a signed agreement and multiple written requests to finish the work, Caleb has refused to schedule the remainder of our project and has argued (wrongly, in our opinion) that the signed estimate doesn’t constitute a binding contract. He now refuses to return our calls since receiving final payment. Ironically, the only portion of work that remains incomplete is Howell’s self-perform piece of finish carpentry work.
We have no complaints regarding the quality of carpentry work started by Howell, but we are deeply disappointed by the lack of professionalism and accountability. We typically like to support local business, but we would not recommend Howell to others based on our experience.