I hired Gabriel Garcia to build a metal building for me. It was a terrible experience. I’ve set up this website to hopefully save others from being taken in by him.
I paid him in advance for materials. He provided less than half of the materials before abanonding the project. He left me with a poorly constructed and incomplete frame. It was so poorly constructed that it will have to be taken down.
Feel free to contact my via the email link above.
Background
Gabriel Ray Garcia is a dishonest and incompetent contractor based out of San Marcos, TX. He “works” in the Austin and San Antonio areas. His business is named “Garcia’s Custom Carports and Sheds”. He also runs a catering business called “King of Grills Catering”
I hired him to build a metal building (red iron), and paid him for $21,500 for the construction materials. Before hiring him, I called the references he gave me and visited one of his job sites. Everything looked good.
He spent a total of 3 days working on the frame for the building, then stopped. The quality of work was terrible. I have less than half of the materials I paid for. He refused to make repairs, finish the job, provide the materials I paid for, or return any of the money.
Every contractor I’ve spoken to since Gabriel abandoned the project has said that the work is so poor, they’d have to remove everything he did and start over.
I recently discovered that he has multiple criminal convictions for assault, forgery, and drug possession in Hays and Hale counties. You can find them by search criminal records for Gabriel Ray Garcia at the following links:
And here are a couple mugshots - https://www.mugshotsonline.com/texas/plainview/gabriel-ray-garcia/83629151 - https://mugshots.com/US-Counties/Texas/Hays-County-TX/Gabriel-Ray-Garcia.139831272.html
I wish I’d known all this before hiring him.
Timeline
In August 2019, I started looking for someone to erect a metal building for me. I talked to several contractors and ended up picking Gabriel Garcia. He had a photo album with pictures from previous jobs, gave me references (who I checked out). I went to look at a building that he was working on. Everything seemed good.
In early September, we signed a contract and I paid him a deposit so that he could order materials for the build. The concrete guys were finishing the slab near the end of September and Gabriel was scheduled to start on October 4th and expected to be finished by October 18th. He asked for another draw to pay for the rest of the materials. I believed him and paid, bringing the total paid to $18,500.
He said that he’d start bringing materials to the jobsite on Monday, Ocober 10th and begin construction the next day
Thursday 10-10
Gabriel dropped off a handful of I-beams.
He also asked for another $4,500. I told him that I wouldn’t pay more until all the materials were on site or there was significant progress on the building. When I asked if he’d started, he claimed he’d start the following Monday because he was still waiting for materials.
He said he needed the additional money to rent the scissor lifts, port-a-potty, etc. I agreed to pay another $3,500, bringing the total paid to $21,500 out of a total price of $28,500
Monday 10-14
Gabriel said he delivered the rest of the I-beams and would start the following day.
Tuesday 10-15
I asked if he’d gotten started and he said yes.
Wednesday 10-16
I went to see how things were progressing. Nobody was there, nothing had been built. When I asked Gabriel about it he claimed he had car problems the previous day and had no explanation for why he told me he’d started.
Thursday 10-17
He sent me a picture of some progress. He got 6 of the 8 columns erected and some of the purlins welded in place.
Of course, he also asked for more money. When I asked where the materials were, he said he had everything at his warehouse, but didn’t want to bring it all on site because it would be in his way. Oh and he said he’d finish by the following Friday - October 25.
Friday 10-18
Gabriel asked for more money, again. He said he had the back wall nearly complete and that he’d be working on the building over the weekend.
Sunday 10-20
I ask how much progress he made over the weekend and Gabriel said he’d decided not to work, but would be there on Monday.
Monday 10-21
He sent me a picture of the work he’d done that day, but it showed less progress than he’d claimed was finished by previous week.
I arrived on site around 2:30 PM and nobody was there. I texted Gabriel and he said he’d just left. We arranged to meet there the following morning. He said he’d be there by 8AM.
Tuesday 10-22
I text Gabriel and he says he has to stop on his way out to the job site and will be there at 9AM.
I arrived on site around 9:45 and nobody is there. When I text Gabriel to see where he is, he claims to be there. He shows up about 20 minutes later with 2 helpers. In the past, he’d said he had a crew of 7.
I told him I wanted to get all the materials on site and had a trailer so I could pick it up and deliver it. I planned to go with him when he left at the end of the day, but he said that the place would be closed by the time we got there. I agreed to meet him the next morning. He would get me the address later in the day.
After working a full 4 hour day, Gabriel and his crew left around 2PM. He said he’d text me the name and address of the metal supplier when he got home.
2 hours later, I still hadn’t heard from him. I texted and called and when I finally reached him, he said he’d broken the screen on his phone and couldn’t text. He said he’d call me back in 20 minutes with the name and address. That was the last I heard from him that day.
Wednesday 10-23
I had Gabriel’s address so I went to his house and waited outside. I tried texting and calling Gabriel in the morning, but got no answer.
Around 8AM, someone left the house and drove off. I immediately got a call from Gabriel where he said he was the one in the car and that I could meet him at the steel supplier in San Antonio. He gave me a name. I told him I’d just wait until he returned and we could drive there together.
About an hour later, the car returned, but Gabriel’s wife got out and went inside. A few minutes later Gabriel came out of the house.
He was angry that I was outside his house and didn’t trust him. According to him he’d given me no reason to distrust him. When I said I wanted to go get the materials I’d paid for, he said he didn’t want to since it would take too long, and it wouldn’t leave enough time to get work done on the building.
I offered to go pick up the materials on my own. He’d just have to call the supplier to let them know I’d be getting them. That’s when he finally admitted that there were no materials.
This asshole had been lying to me for weeks about having bought materials and even tried to get me to drive 60 miles away to pick up supplies that didn’t exist.
He had no explantion for his lying but just kept telling me to trust him. At this point I realized that I’d probably never see the money or the materials.
Monday 10-28
Gabriel texts and claims he’s been in the emergency room for the past several days with the flu.
Tuesday 10-29
Gabriel says the building materials are on order and I should trust him. He’ll get restarted on the building later in the week after it stops raining.
I try to confirm the order from his supplier, but they don’t have any orders for the panels he supposedly ordered.
Wedneday 10-30
Gabriel says he will be on site on Friday
Friday 11-1
Around 8AM, I text Gabriel to find out when he will be on site. He says he doesn’t know, “It’s freakin cold”.
At 10:30 he says he’s at a machine shop getting his welder repaired. I tell him that I can provide a welder and meet him there. He drags his feet until 1PM, then finally agrees to get to work. Says he’ll be there by 2 or 3.
I arrive on site at 3PM and he’s not there. When I text him, he says that he changed his mind and would be there the next morning.
Also, the scissor lifts were gone, so he couldn’t have done any work even if he had been there.
I suspect that his welder wasn’t broken - he was just making up an excuse. Probably just like the broken car, being in the hospital, and every other excuse.
At this point I told him I just wanted my money or the materials I’d paid for and didn’t want him to do any more work on the building.
I’ve continued to reach out to him every week or so since then. Every time he says he’ll get me my materials in a day or two and when that time passes has some increasingly ridiculous excuse.
Craftsmanship
Here are some pictures showing how poor the work Gabriel Garcia did.
Welds
Here are some of his terrible welds. These all have to be redone.
Concrete anchors
These anchors weren’t installed correctly. To make it even more fun, the idiot welded the nuts onto the anchors so there’s no chance of trying to fix them.
They will have to be cut off and a new, larger base plate will have to
be made and new anchors installed in a different spot.
This shows how the column is leaning because of the loose anchors.
Crooked frame
Here you can see that the horizontal row of purlins along the top of the back wall are not straight. I guess he spends so much time making excuses, Gabriel never learned how to use a level.
It’s hard to see in the picture, but every one of those columns is a different length.
Gabriel Garcia
Here are some pictures of Gabriel Garcia
Gabriel Garcia
Gabriel Garcia and wife
Driver’s License
