COPPERAS COVE, Texas — A Copperas Cove couple is out $7,350 dollars and doesn't have the shed they contracted with Premier Metal & Construction Services to show for it after the man they contracted with allegedly abandoned the job.
Jesus Valenzuela Jr. says they invited Christopher Tardif over to their house after he was helping a neighbor down the street and, at first, came with a glowing recommendation.
"He came over and gave us a paper estimate in order to get started and he would need half down for the materials," Valenzuela Jr. said.
From the concrete to the dirt to the metal material and labor, the total came out to around $14,000, but after their initial check was handed in, Valenzuela said the problems began to arise.
"We would call him and ask him on the phone for updates and he would say it's hard to work in the heat, then when the rainy season started he would say he didn't want to work in the rain," Valenzuela said. "Then it was 'I'm having marital problems', 'some of my workers quit' and we said 'no problem.'"
But it's been over a year since the Valenzuelas contracted Tardif, and they still have no shed.
"He said he lost his phone, then got a new one and he wouldn't respond on that and then we put a sign out in our yard (that read Christopher Tardif Premier Metal & Construction Services breach of contract, failure to deliver assets)," Valenzuela said.
After a year passed, Valenzuela said they contacted Tardif and told him they did not want him to finish the job and they said Tardif agreed to process their refund, but in efforts to get back in touch with him, Valenzuela said he has not answered back.
"He didn't have a permit, and I don't even know if he had permission to (construct the shed in our yard)," Valenzuela said.
The couple paid for materials like metal siding that remains in their yard, collecting crab apples fallen from trees. They've now taken bringing Tardif to justice into their own hands, hanging posters and flyers with his face, company seal and the complaints they've filed against him across their neighborhood.
As prices of materials have gone up, and the family's patience has run thin, finishing the shed is becoming more and more of an obstacle. Valenzuela estimates another $50-$60,000 to finish the job they say Tardif abandoned.
The Valenzuelas have since filed complaints for theft and breach of contract with the Copperas Cove Police Department against Tardif. Similar charges have also been filed in both 2018 and 2023 against Tardif in both Lampasas and Coryell County.
Tardif's phone number posted on the Valenzuelas' fliers has been disconnected and he was unable to be reached for comment on this story.
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