Dealing with general contractor on home renovation/additions

[scootr]

I had 35 yrs experience with this crap. I do miss building stuff but honestly I'm also glad it is behind me. I did tons of small remodel and I framed a school bult flood control, supervised a 200 man $30 mil project twice... and breathed a sigh of relief when I left it for good in 09.
There are 2 sides to every story. I never ended a job in court. Maybe I was lucky. Maybe I was honest and hardworking.
Lately I'm struggling to find anybody worth a chit to fix or do much of anything.
Sign of the times I guess. Everybody wants to be a you tube star. Screw working for a living.

 

[/pine]

Just curious...how old is the craftsman?...
Construction workers (especially carpenters) do a lot of lifting and bending over a career...their backs and legs take a beating and often later can only take so much in a day...

If the OP is happy with the work and time on the job is the biggest complaint...I would sit down with the man and offer to do whatever I could to help expedite the job...i.e., act as a gofer / helper etc...

 

[newbury]

I can tell you that I have to put in deadlines and penalities in contracts at work and it's been a nightmare for the past two years... constantly amending contracts to extend completion dates.

Well as the saying goes
"Winter is coming"
A deadline you should have made was to get all materials under cover ASAP.

Have you at LEAST gotten the structure "water proofed" from rain and snow?
Hopefully you don't have any exposed OSB that is not waterproof. But regardless it would be well worth your while to get cheap plastic sheeting to get everything under cover at least.
I had to help string plastic on one of my additions.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Very insightful posts from you all on this thread.
May I take up the side of the contractor for a moment?

These days, with the observation of "It is so hard to get anything done anymore", is it really such a bad thing to have a good, honest, contractor who is slow?

On a practical side, you mentioned

But, he gets here at 9-9:30 am and leaves around 3-3:30 pm

These are the exact hours a guy would work if he were responsible for dropping off and then picking kids up from school. Has he ever mentioned any family obligations?

It seems that TLJ87 (the OP) and the contractor have a good business relationship and only want to finish the project in a high quality and honest fashion. That means a lot.

This could also be a communication issue. How much better would it have been for the contractor to say at the very beginning:

"Thank you for considering me, and I'll do a good job for you. I'm a one man show, just me and a helper. I also have family obligations. If you hire me, I promise you a successful project from my end, but it will take twice as long as the other guys."

Then the OP could have made an informed decision on what to do.

 

[zoranutt]

Schedule a meeting with your contractor to discuss your concerns and express your expectations clearly. During the meeting, calmly explain your frustrations about the slow progress and the impact it's having on the project timeline. Ask your contractor about the reasons behind the delays and his working schedule.

Emphasize the importance of deadlines and the need to complete certain tasks, like getting the additions dried in before the weather worsens. Mention the storage cost for the cabinets and express that you expect the contractor to cover it. Seek clarification on any obstacles or challenges preventing efficient work and offer assistance if possible.

Brainstorm with the contractor to find solutions. Consider adjusting working hours, bringing in additional labor support, or reevaluating the schedule. Review your contract to ensure you're both aligned on expectations and any penalties for delays.

Approach the conversation with a constructive mindset and aim to maintain a good working relationship. Communicate openly and find mutually agreeable solutions to get the project back on track. Remember, it's important to address the issues while avoiding unnecessary conflicts.

 

[Dftodd]

The right contractor is hard to find. Neighbor is having a home built. GC was paying the sub contractors originally. Then started getting squirrely with the money.

Of course the GC wanted to be able to just tell the neighbor what they needed and didn't expect to show receipts for it.

Subcontractors approached my neighbor because they hadn't been paid

So, when the GC approached the neighbor for more money, they were adamant about seeing where it was going. GC balked at this, so the neighbor started dealing with the subcontractors directly handing out payments when they recieved the invoices.

This ticked the GC off so now the build has slowed way down to a snails pace.

 

[zoranutt]

Schedule a meeting with your contractor to discuss your concerns and express your expectations clearly. During the meeting, calmly explain your frustrations about the slow progress and the impact it's having on the project timeline. Ask your contractor about the reasons behind the delays and his working schedule.

Emphasize the importance of deadlines and the need to complete certain tasks, like getting the additions dried in before the weather worsens. Mention the storage cost for the cabinets and express that you expect the contractor to cover it. Seek clarification on any obstacles or challenges preventing efficient work and offer assistance if possible.

Brainstorm with the contractor to find solutions. Consider adjusting working hours, bringing in additional labor support, or reevaluating the schedule. Review your contract to ensure you're both aligned on expectations and any penalties for delays.

Approach the conversation with a constructive mindset and aim to maintain a good working relationship. Communicate openly and find mutually agreeable solutions to get the project back on track. Remember, it's important to address the issues while avoiding unnecessary conflicts.
However somrtimes contractors are really bad in comunication. When we were chosing a wooden door for kitchen renovation it itook ages to come to a common decision

Thank god we finished the renovation and now I am saified with the result in spite of all difficulties

 

[Dynahinte]

Hey there, it sounds like you're dealing with some frustrations with your contractor's pace. It's important to address your concerns directly but delicately. Maybe try having an open conversation with him, expressing your expectations and the urgency of certain tasks. Emphasize that you value his work and just want to ensure the project stays on track. It's all about finding a balance between pushing for progress and maintaining a positive working relationship.If you're still in need of skirting boards, I recently stumbled upon a great deal with free delivery on skirting boards for my own home renovations.