A New Caney homeowner says a contractor left her with an unfinished project after she paid nearly $10,000 for work that was never completed.
Angela Fine tells KPRC 2 she signed a contract with Five Star Foundation and Construction in Oct. 2023 to pour a new concrete slab, build an approach, and fix drainage issues on her property. She says the company required a 50% deposit upfront, totaling $9,925, which she paid by check.
Fine says the company quickly cashed her payment but delayed scheduling the project for months. When subcontractors finally showed up, they only worked for two days before disappearing.
“They dug out under the slab and did a little framing,” Fine said. “Then they said they needed rebar delivered. They left — and never came back.”
Despite repeated calls and text messages, Fine says Five Star’s contactor, a man named Cody, either delayed communication or stopped responding entirely. She said the few permits she obtained for the work eventually expired.
“We had permits for six months that expired. He said he would get them renewed. They didn’t do that either,” Fine said.
Fine said she eventually hired another contractor to finish the work, paying an additional $17,000 out of pocket.
“The work that Five Star’s subcontractors did had to be completely redone,” Fine said.
Fine said she originally found Five Star through Google and, at the time, did not see any negative reviews.
“The website looked legit. They had good reviews and serviced the area,” she said. “There wasn’t anything in question when we hired them.”
After seeing a similar story air on KPRC 2 a month ago involving another Five Star customer, Fine said she realized she wasn’t alone. She began posting negative reviews online — something she believes triggered a phone call from the company last week.
Fine says the contractor contacted her and offered to set up a payment plan to refund part of the money, but no agreement has been finalized.
“He said, ‘It’s not going to be $100 or $200, maybe $1,500 or $2,000,’” Fine said. “But we had to redo everything. We should get all of our money back.”
Fine also discovered the address Five Star registered with the City of Roman Forest came back undeliverable when she tried to send a certified termination letter for breach of contract.
As a warning to others, Fine urges homeowners to do extra research before hiring contractors.
“Contact everyone, post reviews, talk to news outlets if you have to,” she said. “And make sure the contract includes a physical address — not just a P.O. box.”
When asked what message she would send to Five Star’s owner, Fine said, “Do the right thing. Refund our money and don’t do this to anybody else.”
