Troubleshooters help local first responder with contractor problem

Mike Garvin is a Pennsylvania state constable, deputy chief of his fire department in Delaware County, and a proud brother, son, and father.

So when he came to the Action News Troubleshooters, we knew we had to step up.

Garvin told us his home is a very old house that was built in the early 1900s.

"We knew it was going to need a lot of work," he said.

So the Garvins had a plan.

"To raise our daughter and get her through school, and then turn around and start working on the home," he said. "The last big project was the porch. And that's where we had the big problem. Big project, big problem."

In March 2024, Mike Garvin hired Ellis Building Works, LLC, out of Kempton, Berks County, to take down the old porch and build a new one.

It was a project close to Garvin's heart.

"My mom and my daughter spent a lot of time out in that porch, and that porch was important to my mom," he said.

Garvin used some of the retirement funds from his firefighter job and money his mother had given him.

He tells the Action News Troubleshooters, "My brother was killed in Vietnam and my mom had gotten some money. She wanted me to use that money to rebuild the porch."

Garvin gave Joe Ellis $24,000, two-thirds of the total payment. Ellis did the demo and framing. Garvin says then the work stopped and the excuses began.

"So now we're into 2025," he tells Action News. A year after hiring Ellis, Garvin fired him, telling us, "because I started feeling like something was not right. A job that takes maybe a week, maybe seven days if there's a problem, we're talking months here."

Garvin also did some digging, and so did the Troubleshooters. We learned Joe Ellis of Ellis Building Works, LLC, is a convicted criminal, entering a guilty plea last year for making a "False Statement to Induce Agreement for Home Improvement Services" in Schuylkill County.

He also has a number of civil judgments against him in Lehigh County. Courts ordered Ellis and his company to pay nearly $8,400, $6,500, and $9,000 to other customers.

"He's done this numerous, numerous times. And my jaw just dropped because now I know that I'm out this money," Garvin said.

A court has now awarded Garvin a judgment of $12,000, but he has yet to see a dime.

"So that's what really hurts me because I lost that money," he said.

Garvin says he wants to warn others about Ellis and the importance of checking a contractor's background before you hire or pay.

The Troubleshooters reached out to Joe Ellis. He referred us to his lawyer and then hung up. We have yet to hear from his attorney.

Ellis is appealing the judgment awarded to Garvin. An arbitration between the two is now scheduled for December.

CONSUMER ADVICE:

Pennsylvania has a law called the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act and it is designed to protect consumers by requiring a number of things.

-A contractor must be registered with the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office so check for that registration.

-Do a thorough internet search for complaints and bad reviews.

-Get at least three recommendations.

-Pay a deposit that is only one-third or less of the total contract price.

-Make sure your contract includes the total price of the project; estimated start and completion dates; and a detailed description of the work.

-The contract must be signed by the consumer and the contractor.

-It must also contain a 3-day cancellation notice. If not, the entire contract may be voidable even after the three days have passed.

For more advice when hiring a contractor, check out these resource pages provided by the PA Attorney General's office and the New Jersey Attorney General's office.