A River Falls area contractor is again facing felony charges related to accusations of failing to complete contracted home remodels, misusing customers funds and failing to provide proper contracts.

Bret Aron VanBlaircom, 62, posted a $5,000 signature bond Aug. 27 in St. Croix County Circuit Court on two felony theft movable property > $10,000-$100,000, two felony theft by contractor > $10,000-$100,000, felony theft movable property > $5,000-$10,000, theft by contractor < $2,500, misappropriate buyer prepayments under home improvement contract and fail/list dates/times on home improvement contract charges. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and fines up to $25,000.

According to the complaint:

The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) began an investigation April 25, 2024, into the business practices of VanBlaircom, operating as Artisan Builders, LLC and Artisan Home Kitchen and Bath, LLC. The DATCP received 10 consumer complaints about VanBlaircom’s work from consumers in St. Croix and Pierce counties. The investigation revealed that three families who hired VanBlaircom to complete work in River Falls and Hudson collectively lost $45,075.

In July 2022, a River Falls couple hired VanBlaircom to remodel their master bathroom and kitchen. The alleged he told them the work would take 6-8 weeks to complete. By March 14, 2023, though down payments had been made, no work had started. Though VanBlaircom started work on the master bathroom remodel in Summer 2023, the homeowners decided to cancel the kitchen contract due to the delays and poor communication. They told the DATCP that by May 2024, VanBlaircom had only completed 75-80% of the bathroom remodel, leaving the glass shower, electrical and plumbing work unfinished. The homeowner said VanBlaircom gave her excuses and told her they were overbudget but failed to provide any receipts for work completed or materials purchased. They had to hire a subcontractor to complete the work, resulting in an $11,335 loss, which included VanBlaircom’s failure to refund the kitchen down payment and a promised $1,000 credit for the homeowners doing the bathroom demo themselves.

On Feb. 2, 2023, a Hudson couple hired VanBlaircom to build an exercise room in their basement with a start date of July 15 and a contract price of $15,000. They decided to scale the work down in April with a new contract price of $11,350; up until that date, they had made $7,000 in payments. VanBlaircom completed the framing work in late April but failed to do anything further. When asked for a refund in July (minus $1,000-$1,700 for the framing), VanBlaircom allegedly refused. The couple filed a small claims case against him, in which they were awarded $7,45.55 in December. The amount has not been paid by VanBlaircom.

In June 2023, another Hudson couple hired VanBlaircom to remodel their upstairs, HVAC, drywall, garage and garage floor for a $100,000 budget. They made a down payment of $10,000, followed by $1,500 and $20,000 payments that summer. VanBlaircom finished the garage work, including a boiler, by September or October 2023.

The homeowners paid him an additional $13,000 that fall as he began the HVAC work on October. However, J&N Heating and Cooling, who was doing the HVAC work, informed the homeowners that VanBlaircom had not paid them and they would not be finishing the job until they received payment. In total, the homeowners had to pay J&N $27,550 directly to get the HVAC completed, after VanBlaircom promised to fix the issue but didn’t.

On Feb. 5, 2024, the family filed a civil lawsuit against VanBlaircom; on Nov. 4, 2024, a default judgment awarded them $118,111.67, which VanBlaircom never paid.

In all cases, mediation and non-compliance letters sent to VanBlaircom by the DATCP went unanswered.

When the DATCP interviewed VanBlaircom in June 2024, he said he hadn’t responded to most of his customers’ complaints because everything “crumbled and he was overwhelmed.” He also said he was trying to make things right but people who used to work for him took advantage of him.

The DATCP’s report stated that the evidence obtained during the investigation supports allegations that VanBlarcom failed to complete home improvement projects as agreed upon, failed to provide a written home improvement contract listing the date or time periods on or within which the work was to begin or be completed, failed to provide a written home improvement contract with a description of the work to be done and the principal products and materials to be used or installed in performance of the contract; and failed to provide proper notice of the right to request lien waivers at or prior to the time payment was made. It also stated that he misappropriated buyer’s prepayments and failed to provide a refund for work not completed or materials not delivered.

A pre-trial/scheduling conference is set for 9:30 a.m. Oct. 1 in St. Croix County Courtroom 2.

In separate theft by contractor cases, VanBlaircom was convicted theft – movable property Sept. 19, 2025 and ordered to pay almost $20,000 in restitution. He also pleaded no contest to a felony theft – false representation > $5,000-$10,000 charge and entered into a two-year deferred judgment of conviction agreement. He was also sentenced to two years of probation.