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Chicks in Construction

Mikki Paradis

You plan your renovation with excitement, trust your contractor, and hope for the best...until things start going sideways. That’s when most homeowners realize they didn’t know what they didn’t know.

From permits that were never pulled to “contractors” who ghost after demo day, the construction world can feel like a maze of hidden costs and shady shortcuts. Too many homeowners end up confused, overwhelmed, and out of a lot of money.

The Chicks in Construction Podcast is here to change that. Hosted by Mikki Paradis, a licensed general contractor with 20+ years of experience, and Jess Abreu, a homeowner turned construction content creator, this show breaks down real renovation horror stories and teaches you how to protect your time, money, and home.

After building a multimillion-dollar drywall business and helping countless homeowners recover from construction nightmares, Mikki is on a mission to make sure you go into your next project informed, not blindsided. And Jess brings the perspective of someone who’s been in your shoes and now knows exactly what questions to ask.

Submit Your Construction Horror Story: https://chicksinconstruction.com/

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  • 22 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 54 min
  • English

Episodes 22

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  • #41
    April 14 · 57 min

    The Cost of Trust: Lessons from Homeowner Nightmares

    On the Chicks in Construction podcast, hosts Mikki Paradis and Jessica Abreu clarify that locking up a contractor’s tools is technically illegal despite past comments. Mikki shares her 200-pound dog Prime’s costly physical therapy and daily driveway walks. They then cover a Florida homeowner horror story involving a contractor operating under Environmental Kindness LLC (later Fortress Fencing Crew LLC) who botched retaining walls, French drains, sod, and fencing, demanded additional payments, caused property damage, and failed to fix issues; one homeowner paid $13,400 for faulty work and $35,000 to rebuild correctly, while another paid over $12,000 amid delays, missing scope items, mismatched materials, driveway and yard damage, and unprofessional behavior. The hosts warn that BBB is not a government bureau, stress getting multiple detailed bids, verifying licenses and insurance coverage for the specific scope, and researching contractors’ prior LLCs. 00:00 Contractor Accountability Rant 00:29 Podcast Intro and Legal Disclaimer 01:23 Tool Lockup Debate 02:38 Possession Proverb Myth 04:20 Prime Dog PT Costs 06:56 Spicy Comments and TikTok 10:59 Horror Story Setup Florida 17:19 BBB Ratings Reality Check 18:13 Retaining Wall Failure Details 23:23 New LLC Name Warning 23:46 Insurance Scope Lesson 26:39 Homeowner Lessons Learned 28:22 Deposits and Upfront Costs 29:10 Quote Seems Too Low 31:42 Delays and Surprise Add Ons 34:20 Incomplete Work and Extra Payment 36:28 Rock Delivery and Ghosting Submit your homeowner horror story: www.chicksinconstruction.com Follow on Social Media: www.instagram.com/chicksinconstructionpodcast www.facebook.com/chicksinconstructionpodcast www.linkedin.com/company/chicksinconstructionpodcast www.youtube.com/@ChicksInConstruction ________________ Love what you hear? Subscribe to Chicks in Construction and share this episode with your friends because every homeowner, builder, contractor, and designer needs to hear this one! 38:05 Property Damage and Excuses 46:38 Commercial vs Residential Chaos 52:16 How to Vet Contractors 57:30 Final Warnings and Wrap Up

    • Transcript
  • #40
    April 8 · 48 min

    Navigating Contractor Chaos: Homeowner Horror Stories

    Hosts Mikki Paradis and Jessica Abreu of Chicks in Construction share a North Carolina homeowner horror story: a bathroom gut remodel budgeted at $75,000 went off the rails after hiring “Marcus,” who quoted $15,000 labor and $30,000 materials, claimed a license wasn’t required under $40,000 labor, and urged the homeowner to pull permits. After multiple failed plumbing and waterproofing inspections, Marcus charged extra for “fixes,” then disappeared once confronted about licensing and insurance, leaving a gutted bathroom and defective work. A lawyer advised recovery was unlikely; a licensed contractor found additional code issues and quoted $31,500 to finish, bringing the final cost to $95,000 and the timeline to nine months. The hosts stress never paying for rework, verifying licenses and insurance, and treating homeowner-pulled permits and repeated inspection failures as red flags. 00:00 Never Pay for Rework 00:18 Welcome to Chicks in Construction 00:50 Calling for Contractor Stories 02:42 Michael B Jordan Moment 03:22 Tourettes Documentary Discussion 06:10 Fidelity Investment Scam Alert 10:18 Fence Repair Update 11:48 North Carolina Horror Story 13:14 Meeting Marcus the Contractor 14:18 License Requirements Lie 14:53 Permit Red Flags 16:09 Demo Begins 16:36 First Failed Inspection 17:52 Waterproofing Membrane Failure 19:21 Stuck at the In-Laws 20:50 Discovering NC Licensing Laws 21:47 License Check Shock 22:30 Confronting the Fake GC 24:20 Worksite Vanishes Overnight 24:35 Tool Leverage Strategy 28:14 Ghosted and Legal Reality 29:04 Damage Assessment Cost Spiral 30:22 Reporting Dead Ends 31:52 Hard Lessons Checklist 33:48 Normalize Verifying Insurance 37:26 Judgments Aren't Proof 42:19 Portfolio and Review Sleuthing 45:28 Secretary of State Checks 46:34 Protect Yourself Next Time 47:47 Share Your Story Outro Submit your homeowner horror story: www.chicksinconstruction.com Follow on Social Media: www.instagram.com/chicksinconstructionpodcast www.facebook.com/chicksinconstructionpodcast www.linkedin.com/company/chicksinconstructionpodcast www.youtube.com/@ChicksInConstruction ________________ Love what you hear? Subscribe to Chicks in Construction and share this episode with your friends because every homeowner, builder, contractor, and designer needs to hear this one!

    • Transcript
Showing 21–22 of 22 episodes