A Rochester nonprofit and a Foxboro-based construction company are at odds over the nonprofit’s claims that the construction company left a new addition nearly a ruin and still owes them $7,500.

Pam and Oren Robinson of It's All About the Animals, at 103 Marion Road in Rochester, sought contractors in 2016 to build a "catio" addition onto their house. The "catio" was intended to be an enclosed space for some of the many cats and kittens that the rescue cares for and rehomes every year.

The owners state that they could not find a local contractor to build the addition, forcing them to look elsewhere. When Steve Coote, the owner of Square Foot Management and Consulting, Inc., made them what they considered a "very reasonable" estimate, they jumped.

It seemed like a dream come true, but the dream quickly soured. The Robinsons claim that Square Foot Management made massive errors in construction - and still owes them $7,500 for roofing materials that were never delivered.

“I want to watch out for the guy behind me, so that nobody else has to go through the same thing,” Pam Robinson said.

Coote sees the story somewhat differently, noting that he would be happy to refund the money if a formal legal agreement was reached.

The Robinsons and Square Foot parted ways in February of 2017. It's All About the Animals brought a legal case against the construction company, which they later dropped. "It cost too much to continue with it," Pam explained. "We were already out so much money on this addition, it was impossible to continue."

Coote explained via phone from his office in Foxborough that he was willing to refund the $7,500 for roof shingles that were never delivered, but wanted a formal legal closure to the matter before returning the funds. "There was paperwork that they were asked to sign, which said that they would be refunded the full amount if they would refrain from social media attacks and bring about full legal closure to the case. They chose not to sign that paperwork," he said.

Present contractors at the addition site say that errors were rife. They estimated that at least 30 percent of what was built had to be taken down and rebuilt. One employee noted that Square Foot's employees had neglected to take the shingling off the side of the original house before tacking the addition onto it, leaving space for moisture to seep between the two buildings.

A frame report done on March 20, 2017 and signed by Building Inspector Jim Buckles, records that particular flaw as well as several others, including joist headers and rafter headers improperly supported, inadequate sheathing nailing, and a roofline that was not parallel to the original, as the plans had indicated.

Buckles did note that "...the contractor did not bring the job to the point of readiness for a frame inspection. Therefore at this time these cannot be considered violations."

“We were not allowed to explain why we chose to deviate from the original plans,” Coote said by phone from his office in Foxboro.  “I haven’t disappeared. I’m still in my office in Foxboro, and I am happy to talk with anyone about the situation at hand.”

Coote says he is still agreeable to working out a legal settlement, but all channels are blocked. “I don’t have a way to contact the Robinsons.”