Dealing with general contractor on home renovation/additions

[3gunr]

I have been a remodeling contractor for 40 yrs and i can tell you that things are going to get worse, I have friends and family all over the country and none of them can find anyone to do anything, Unless they pay outrages prices, I live in a 1600 square ft ranch and got a quote of 95k to do the roof with metal. Thats more than i paid for the house on 5 acres.

 

[Oaktree]

Get a mediator?
Why not just get a pair and confront the guy on his 9-3 work day?

I’ve had 25 years of dealing with unreasonable customers and subcontractors. It can get ugly at times, but hiring a mediator to have a discussion with someone just makes you look like a scared, little man.
Man-up, show the guy you are disappointed, and I bet you get immediate results.

I wouldn't be quite that harsh, but it's clear the "contractor" has a less than stellar work ethic. Gotta feeling he knows he's in over his head on this project.
To a great extent the OP brought this on himself hiring someone who sounds like a glorified handyman to do a job that should have gone to a real contractor. It doesn't help that the homeowner is providing a lot of the materials, in some cases (cabinetry) way in advance of when it'll be needed.

I can sympathize with the difficulty of finding good help, especially in a rural area. Lots of guys who own a hammer and a saw and know where they can borrow a ladder marketing themselves as builders.

 

[Gem99ultra]

TLJ87, I've unfortunately been through exactly the same scene. Not fun. I had a contractor pull similar work hours and minor progress on a workshop build. We'd see those 6 hour irregular workdays, vacation in the middle of the project, and wanting progress payments before milestones were met.
The saving grace was that I demanded progress payments with milestones detailed, and major final payment in the contract. The contractor wanted to quit long before the building was completed. I told him fine - no more money. It was finished when I said it was finished, not before.
Sure - he took me to court. I won. I had plenty of pictures of re-do work, poor craftsmanship, etc..
My Lesson Learned:
Disregard anything the contractor says if not explicitly written in the contract. Get very detailed in what and how, including material specs. That "My word is my bond" crap isn't worth the air he uses.
Set specific start date, milestone dates, and completion date with penalties. (Expect a fight over that, but insist!!!)
Establish that all modification, additions and deletions must be documented with Field Change Orders, signed by both parties.

Understand - everybody is all 'buddies' before the work begins. Once the first shovel is used, it has changed into a business contract.

 

[LouNY]

In this day and age you will never get a contractor with that type of contract unless he is charging 5X what the job should be.
The more demands that you have the the bullcrap factor goes up and if you want it it will cost $$$$$$$$$.

 

[Don1958]

TLJ87, I've unfortunately been through exactly the same scene. Not fun. I had a contractor pull similar work hours and minor progress on a workshop build. We'd see those 6 hour irregular workdays, vacation in the middle of the project, and wanting progress payments before milestones were met.
The saving grace was that I demanded progress payments with milestones detailed, and major final payment in the contract. The contractor wanted to quit long before the building was completed. I told him fine - no more money. It was finished when I said it was finished, not before.
Sure - he took me to court. I won. I had plenty of pictures of re-do work, poor craftsmanship, etc..
My Lesson Learned:
Disregard anything the contractor says if not explicitly written in the contract. Get very detailed in what and how, including material specs. That "My word is my bond" crap isn't worth the air he uses.
Set specific start date, milestone dates, and completion date with penalties. (Expect a fight over that, but insist!!!)
Establish that all modification, additions and deletions must be documented with Field Change Orders, signed by both parties.

Understand - everybody is all 'buddies' before the work begins. Once the first shovel is used, it has changed into a business contract.

Gem99ultra​

I would not work for you. can you control the weather, supply issues, etc., I can't. Then I get hit with penalties if I don't meet you dates. I've done this for 30 years, I start your job, I work your job, barring the small "a tree branch fell on my roof and put a small hole in it and it's going to rain can you help me?"​

tlj87 start looking for someone else

 

[dougtrr2]

..... His work is good and he is a stand-up guy.

Don't lose site of this fact. I would rather take a long time with someone who is doing good work and I trust, than get a job done quick with less than stellar work.

When we built our house the wife had to deal with a workman that took over three years to finish her kitchen. Unfortunately, for her she is married to him. The only thing that saved me was, I was smart enough to get a dishwasher hooked up temporarily for three years.

Doug in SW IA

 

[Gem99ultra]

Gem99ultra​

I would not work for you. can you control the weather, supply issues, etc., I can't. Then I get hit with penalties if I don't meet you dates. I've done this for 30 years, I start your job, I work your job, barring the small "a tree branch fell on my roof and put a small hole in it and it's going to rain can you help me?"​

tlj87 start looking for someone else

yep. You're sure right. Twenty years of construction project planning/management plus five more on NASA project comes with some experience.

 

[EddieWalker]

Interesting thread. As a small, one man contractor, I like hearing what everyone has to say that is hiring contractors.

 

[LouNY]

yep. You're sure right. Twenty years of construction project planning/management plus five more on NASA project comes with some experience.

Sounds like you have lots of experience with high dollar government type projects, just a tad bit different then small farm / homeowner projects.
Your attitude is normal on those big projects with there crazy over runs and expensive corrections to stupid mistakes.
I worked many big expensive industrial projects in my younger day and I found it quite stupid and irritating when errors are found and the management says do it the way it's drawn, we'll fix it later on T&M.
But much of the higher management was to smart to listen to the craftsmen.

 

[crashz]

OP - have you had regular conversations with this guy? Have you told him that you want him to start earlier and end the day later? At least until the additions are weather-tight?

Like other have said, you need to keep communicating with this guy. Maybe he does great work, but he's just too tired to put in 8 hours of hard labor. Maybe he needs an extra hand. Let him know that you don't agree with work hours and that you will be saddled with storage charges for the materials.