PITTSBURGH — A local woman is out tens of thousands of dollars after she says a contractor promised to build her a bathroom but never finished the job.
The contractor, Ryan Gall, is facing criminal charges.
“I knew him. Nice guy. I never got any negative vibes from him until this all started happening,” the homeowner, Carole, told Channel 11.
She says she knew Gall from previous painting jobs. The two entered into a contract in January 2025. Gall was tasked with building Carole an addition above her kitchen that would include a second-floor bathroom for the 84-year-old.
It was supposed to be finished by April 2025.
“I don’t think there were any red flags. I felt comfortable with him,” she said.
She says delays began shortly after her first payment. Eventually, she was out $30,000 and still the work had barely started.
“Then it started to rain.”
At that point, only demo work had been done and a tarp was left covering her kitchen. It wasn’t enough.
“The rain ruined my kitchen ceiling. It ruined my kitchen floor. It ruined my stove. Then, some of the walls began to get soggy,” she said. “So now I have three-quarters of the budget invested plus thousands of dollars of damage to my kitchen.”
The work was never completed.
“It’s been pretty crushing. I try not to dwell on it because what’s the point. I felt betrayed by him.”
She tells Channel 11 that criminal charges were always the last resort and really just wanted Gall to pay her back.
“He offered me a hundred dollars a month. You said it. I’m in my 80s. I’ll never live to see the end of that,” she said.
We attempted to speak to Gall. We knocked on the door of the address listed for him on court paperwork. A man fitting his description answered the door, told us no one named Ryan lived there, and shut it.
Gall has a court appearance scheduled for later this month. He’s facing several charges.
In the meantime, Carole has a contractor coming out next week to take over the project.
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