Avoid Rich Brooks, Semper Fi STL Flips at all cost!!! We just fired him yesterday. I do not know why he isn't in jail, his negligence is at a criminal level. We have a flip in Tower Grove going on which involves an addition of 600 sq ft, removal of a load bearing wall, and building a carport. Those three major things require permits and structural involvement. I verified with him several times on his bid that permits were included, and yes they are in print signed by him. He sent us an invoice to get drawings and permits pulled and we paid him for it. He gives me an update that he has them in hand, I keep asking for copies and he keeps "forgetting." He even sends me pictures of dug footings with his text reading "Footings dug, inspector is coming out today, we'll get sign off and pour." He also removed a load bearing wall from the first floor to open up the floor plan. I ask him, "what size beam did the architect have you put in?" He tells me he's put a GLB, blah, blah in and I think great. BUT, still keeps forgetting to give me copies. It's a long story, it involves a lot of digging and research and I'm skipping to the important parts. Long story short I get suspicious, I call the city to confirm if permits had ever been pulled, and not a single permit even has an application in process!!! After I again started telling Rich that the lender is requiring copies of them (the lender didn't really ask, but I told him that to light a fire under him).
I happened to have the contact information of his architect he said was doing the drawings and I call him. I have pulled my own permits I am in architecture and construction management myself so I know when you apply for a permit they might not show up in the system right away. So I called the architect to verify he did the work giving Rich the benefit of the doubt. The architect informs me that Rich just called him the day before!!! Now mind you he began this job November 1, 2017 and I just found this out from the architect January 5, 2018. He had NO intention ever of pulling them, he was going to pocket the money and keep going. The only reason he began the process is because I told him the lender wanted them and wouldn't release any more money until they had them.
Did a lot of research on him and I can tell you if you go to
https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/base/welcome.do
this is the database for all cases in MO, and let me tell you, Rich (and several versions of his business Semper Fi or STL Flips) has almost 400 cases against him, breech of contract, small claims, lawsuits, restraining orders, possession of controlled substances, siezed bank accounts, etc. dating back to the early 90s. He has been a crook his entire life, this is nothing new for him.
Called the building department and also found out that Rich is incapable of pulling permits himself because his business license is suspended. If you go to MO Secretary of State business search and put in Either his name or his companies you will find that he's had about 12-15 businesses all with variations of the same name and only one or two are active. The rest have been dissolved or inactivated. He has complaints against him on BBB.
We went with him as a recommendation because he shows up at REIs in the area and throws around names of the bigger flippers/investors in the area and sells himself like he's the one that "takes care of them." He gives addresses to properties claiming he did the work, so when you look photos up on zillow or maris it looks legit.
Since I went down the rabbit hole I have found out that there are a number of local lenders who will not lend on a project if Rich is the contractor. I put a post on a few Facebook investor groups asking for recommendations for contractors, never once did I mention his name. And I can't tell you how many people PMed me telling me to avoid him and that he did the same to them. One woman (I will keep her name private), told me he did three houses for her at once all three with additions. He actually finished all three jobs and when she went to sell the properties the buyers obviously got title reports with smaller square footages than what she was selling them at. The buyers asked her for permits and on all three that's when she found out he never pulled them. She had to rip out the additions on all three and was upside down a couple hundred thousand dollars on it!
And about that load bearing wall he pulled out of our house. I sent the architect over there myself to walk the property and I asked him about the beam if it was okay, the architect said, "what beam? there is no beam supporting the second floor!" The entire time he's had people there with a second floor only being held up at the two ends of the wall.
He is a crook, and this is who he has been his entire life. His facebook profile talks about him being in the marines and having honor pride yada yada, another way he sells himself. And he is none of that. Everything out of his mouth is a lie, you cant trust him, he is a disgrace to marines if he ever really was one.
And one last thing others have warned me about. He doesn't pay his subs he has on his jobs! People have paid him for completed work, he has signed release of liens, and later unpaid subs have put liens on properties so the owners had to pay twice for the work.
Spread the word, he should be in jail. Save someone else from bankrupting their business because of this guy.
