Mary Beth Maier wanted the aging pool at her Plano, Texas, home repaired. Instead, the 94-year-old widow of a decorated Vietnam Air Force pilot says the project turned into a $70,000 loss and left her with a backyard she could not use.
Maier told CBS Texas she hired an independent contractor after finding a leak in the nearly 60-year-old swimming pool at the home she had shared with her late husband, Nick Maier.
The job was supposed to cost $35,000, according to the station. Within weeks, Maier said the price had grown to $70,000.
Her son, Robert Maier, told CBS Texas he later reviewed the books and invoices and found “no progress in 3 months.” Mary Beth Maier said the experience was devastating.
The Pool Job Started At $35,000 And Doubled Within Weeks
Maier has lived in the Plano home since before her husband died in 2011. CBS Texas described Nick Maier as a decorated Air Force pilot who served in Vietnam.
His widow had continued managing the home for years, but the old pool became the repair she needed help handling. She told the station she hired someone to renovate and repair it after discovering the leak.
The reported cost increase was the first blow. The lack of visible progress became the second.
Robert Maier told CBS Texas he began checking invoices after the project stalled. He said there had been no progress after three months and said he later learned the contractor was “a convicted felon.”
The CBS report did not identify the contractor by name, list criminal charges tied to the pool job, or say whether police or prosecutors have filed a case.
A Veteran-Owned Pool Company Came To The House The Next Day
The story changed when Ryan Wade Hoffman, with Veteran’s Pool Company, heard what had happened.
Hoffman told CBS Texas he went to Maier’s home the next day and offered to renovate the pool and surrounding area at no charge to the veteran’s widow.
He told the station he could not walk away after hearing her story. Hoffman also said that, as someone whose spouse is often home alone, he hated the idea of someone taking advantage of Maier while her family was not there.
Hoffman has since brought in help from about a dozen other companies, according to CBS Texas. The goal is to finish the pool and surrounding area in the next few months.
She Got To Thank The Veteran Helping Rebuild Her Backyard
Maier, who is temporarily staying in a physical rehab facility, got to thank Hoffman in person Monday.
She told CBS Texas she is looking forward to coming home and stepping back into her backyard once the work is finished.
The rescue effort gives the story a second act, but it does not erase the financial warning at the center of the case. A repair that started with a leak and a $35,000 estimate became, in Maier’s telling, a $70,000 loss before a veteran-owned company and local businesses stepped in.
Contractor Problems Can Hit Older Homeowners Hard
The Federal Trade Commission warns that home improvement scammers may promise repairs, then leave homeowners worse off through shoddy work, overcharging, property damage, or taking money without performing services.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office advises homeowners to get written estimates from several contractors, check references, and be cautious about paying large amounts before work is complete.
Those steps matter most on expensive projects such as pool repairs, roof work, driveway jobs, HVAC replacements, and storm repairs, where the homeowner may not be able to quickly judge the cost of materials or the quality of the work.
For families helping an older relative, the paperwork can be as important as the contractor’s sales pitch. A written contract should spell out the scope of work, materials, payment schedule, start date, completion expectations, warranty, and who is responsible for permits or inspections.
Payment Records Can Matter If A Repair Job Falls Apart
Large upfront payments create risk when the work has not started or when visible progress does not match the invoices. Homeowners can reduce that risk by tying payments to completed stages, keeping copies of checks or electronic payments, photographing the work site, and saving texts, emails, contracts, invoices, and receipts.
If a contractor has already taken money and failed to complete the work, those records can help when filing a police report, contacting a local consumer-protection office, disputing a payment, or submitting a complaint to the Texas Attorney General’s consumer protection division or the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Maier’s case has not been reported as a criminal prosecution against the contractor. What has been reported is her family’s account of a stalled $70,000 pool project, and the veterans and local companies now trying to make sure a pilot’s widow gets her backyard back.