Chicks in Construction

What happens when the person managing your home renovation realizes the contractor is not being honest about where the money is going? In this episode, Mikki Paradis and Jessica Abreu welcome Ashley Nicole, a design and project management professional from Orange County, California, who shares how she went from working in property management and landscape design to helping homeowners protect their...

A massive tree crashes through an Atlanta homeowner’s chimney and into her living room, leaving behind more than $250,000 in estimated damage. What happens next is a homeowner horror story involving a contractor who showed up after the storm, more than $200,000 in insurance payments, unfinished repairs, and a chimney rebuild that was found to have serious construction problems. Mikki Paradis and J...

Before you sign that construction contract, make sure you know exactly what you are agreeing to. Mikki Paradis and Jessica Abreu discuss the costly mistakes homeowners can make when hiring contractors, approving payments, and relying on banks to protect their renovation projects. They share examples of homeowners facing defective work, unexpected legal expenses, strict invoice deadlines, and const...

A construction project intended to expand a local sewer system turned into a nightmare for residents of the Woodland Hills Condominiums in Southgate, Kentucky. After excavation began near the property, residents reported severe foundation cracks, uneven floors, shifting doors, and separating balconies. The damage escalated into a landslide, forcing dozens of residents to leave their homes while co...

Host Mikki Paradis welcomes returning guest Nicole Fella, an interior designer and licensed general contractor who owns Bath Remodeling Center in Cary, North Carolina, specializing in kitchen, bathroom, and walk-in closet renovations. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bathremodelingcenter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bathremodelingcenter Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bathremodeling...

In this episode of Chicks in Construction, Mikki Paradis and Jessica Abreu dive into a homeowner story involving mold, excessive humidity, HVAC problems, poor ventilation, and major construction issues that eventually led to a lawsuit. The homeowner discovered mold appearing throughout the home, including inside cabinets and around areas where water was stagnant. After testing, the source was conn...

In this episode of Chicks in Construction, Mikki Paradis and Jessica Abreu break down a homeowner dispute involving a new construction home, water intrusion, suspected mold, and questions about the home's construction and waterproofing. The episode follows the homeowner's experience after problems reportedly began within six months of moving into the home. When repeated concerns about water intrus...

Mikki Paradise and Jessica Abreu take a closer look at what can go wrong when building or buying a home, including hidden water damage, structural issues, inspections, warranties, and the importance of doing your homework before choosing a builder. The episode explores why passing a building inspection does not necessarily mean a home was built correctly, how rushed construction can lead to major...

In this episode of Chicks in Construction, Mikki Paradise and Jessica Abreu break down one of the wildest homeowner horror stories yet: a Florida custom home builder who collected more than $8.7 million from 15 families while failing to pay subcontractors and suppliers. The homeowners did what most people would consider their due diligence. They hired an established builder, signed contracts, made...

Host Mikki Paradis, a longtime drywall and paint contractor and licensed North Carolina general contractor, and co-host Jessica Abreu explain the purpose of their Chicks in Construction podcast: sharing construction “shenanigans” and teaching homeowners what’s normal, what’s not, and how to protect themselves. After a personal “chickychat” about Mickey’s severe insomnia and strange social media fe...

Mickey Paradise and co-host Jessica Abreu kick off the episode joking about accidentally matching in white button-up shirts, then dive into the realities of owning short-term rentals, including guests stealing a toilet brush and cutting board, rearranging an Airbnb kitchen, and bringing dogs without permission. Mickey shares a major incident where birthday guests without reviews triggered a noise...

This podcast’s goal is to educate homeowners through submitted “homeowner horror stories.” Mikki shares a personal warning after her English mastiff, Optimus Prime, died from a drug interaction: carprofen and progesterone were prescribed together, leading to a catastrophic GI bleed, and she urges viewers to verify medication interactions and pursue accountability through reporting and complaints. ...

In Part 2, Chicks in Construction hosts Mikki Paradis and Jessica Abreu continue examining the ongoing dispute involving Minnesota attorney and content creator Dylan White, known as The Dad Chats, his wife Suzanne, and the builder of their custom home. According to allegations discussed in the lawsuit, the Whites reported recurring drywall cracks, nail pops, floor movement, subfloor deflection, el...

In this episode of Chicks in Construction , Mikki Paradis and Jessica Abreu dig into the ongoing lawsuit involving Minnesota attorney and content creator Dylan White, known online as @ TheDadChats , and the builder of his family's custom home. The episode begins with a bigger question: How much experience should someone need before they're trusted to build a house? Mikki and Jessica discuss contra...

Welcome back to another episode of Chicks in Construction — the true crime podcast, construction edition! This week Mikki and Jessica kick things off with some Chicky Chat: Hector's international gallbladder surgery adventure in El Salvador (complete with translation app fails, gloveless procedures, and Juan Carlos saving the day), plus travel tales from Jess's European cruise. Then it's on to the...

In this episode of Chicks in Construction, Mikki Paradis and Jessica Abreu explain what homeowners insurance actually covers, why construction defects and long-term water intrusion are frequently excluded, and how homeowners can protect themselves before something goes wrong. They also discuss the surprisingly low barrier to becoming a licensed general contractor, the difference between a home ins...

Main Street Plumbing Company: https://mainstplumbingnc.com/ Main Street Plumbing Number: 919-617-0496 Capps Plumbing Company: https://cappsplg.com/ In this episode of Chicks in Construction, Mikki Paradise welcomes Hailey, a plumber with more than 14 years of experience, to share hilarious stories, hard-earned lessons, and practical advice every homeowner should know.  From the strangest things ev...

In this episode of Chicks in Construction, hosts Mikki Paradis and Jessica Abreu discuss an Arizona case in which senior citizens Elizabeth Matthews and her husband hired Settlers West Home Builder in May 2022 to build a $1M custom home in Tucson’s Catalina Foothills, then were persuaded to sign a separate $300,000 guest-house contract and pay large amounts in cash outside their construction loan....

Mikki Paradis and co-host Jessica Abreu introduce the Chicks in Construction podcast, explaining their mission to help homeowners understand what’s normal, spot red flags, and avoid contractor scams by sharing “Homeowner Horror Stories” submitted at chicksinconstruction.com. They discuss how construction failures often come from chained mistakes and share a shocking Atlanta, Georgia incident where...

On this episode of The Chicks in Construction, hosts Mikki Paradis and Jessica Abreu discuss how scammers exploit stress and access to personal information, including a story of a woman in the Raleigh area who was tricked by a caller ID–spoofed “Wake County Sheriff’s Office” into paying $4,000 to “buy out” a fake warrant. They explain why law enforcement doesn’t collect payments over the phone and...

In this episode of Chicks in Construction, Mikki and Jessica unpack another homeowner renovation nightmare — this time from Florida — involving an unlicensed contractor, endless delays, disappearing cabinets, surprise costs, and complete chaos inside a family home for nearly eight months. What started as an exciting kitchen renovation quickly spiraled into stress, financial anxiety, strangers show...

Hosts Mikki Paradis and Jessica Abreu discuss Bay Area reports of groups posing as contractors who target homeowners—especially elderly people—by showing up unsolicited, claiming urgent dangers like failing roofs or unsafe chimneys, and using fear to force quick decisions. They describe how scams often start with small quotes that rapidly escalate into tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, inc...

In this episode of Chicks in Construction, Mikki and Jessica sit down with licensed general contractor and real estate investor Erika Zimandy of Hilltop GC for an honest conversation about what homeowners really need to know before hiring a contractor. Erika shares her journey from public health into real estate investing and construction, offering a unique perspective from both sides of the renov...

In this episode of Chicks in Construction, Mikki and Jessica dive into one of the hottest debates in the construction world right now: who should pay when a contractor fails an inspection? Mikki shares a wild personal story involving a fence contractor, disappearing work crews, and an explosive confrontation that proves shady contractors can target anyone — even experienced construction profession...

Mikki Paradis and Jessica Abreu host an episode of Chicks in Construction about recurring homeowner scams where contractors fail inspections and try to charge homeowners to fix their own mistakes. They share a South Carolina story in which a homeowner hires “Travis” from Facebook to convert two closets into a half bath for $12,000 in three weeks, pays a $4,000 deposit, then gets hit with extra cha...