BAM Custom Remodeling

My wife and I hired Jesse Carranza (owner of BAM Construction) to do our remodel project back in August 2021. His name was given on the recommendation of a friend, something that I will always regret. He originally quoted, and we agreed upon, the price of $60K to remodel our first floor living space, which included a kitchen, new flooring, new insulation, etc. This was our first time taking on such a large and expensive project. We gave him half down, as we thought that was customary, $30K. I made the huge mistake of not doing a background check on his credentials. Turns out, he does not have a contractor's license. I later checked with the state of Utah and they told me they do not have on record the name of Jesse Carranza. After we gave him the $30K, he came in with a friend to do the d