I hired a local contractor 6 months ago to do the finish trim base and case work(stain grade) on my house (3200 sqr. Ft). He still isn’t done; there are numerous screw ups that need to be fixed; the painters have walked off the job and the trim work has gaps as large as 1/8″ at the joints. Also, the trim carpenter sub has ruined roughly $1000 worth of Brazilian Cherry stair treads that I bought. The contractor is working on the problems one day a week himself, but is mostly just trying to hide the problems by filling the joints with putty (this is stained trim).
It’s been two months since I gave the contractor a written list of all of the problems that need to be addressed – there still not fixed. I’m about out of patience, what’s the next step – short of taking a hammer to the contractor? I don’t want to have to go to court, but things appear to be going that way. Anyone have any advise on the next step?
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TJ
Has he been paid? How much work is undone?
Dez
He's been paid approximately $15K, he's owed a further $8K. The level of incompetence he's displayed is incredible. He allowed the trim sub to install plinth blocks in interior corners instead of coping joints, trim was stained and poly-ed before the nail holes were puttied, and ten stair treads need to be redone because the contractor hired one of the painter's to do that set of stairs after my wife wouldn't let the trim carpenter back in the house because he had showed up at the house drunk - I was out of town working.
Corner plinth blocks are an acceptable method, as long as it's pre-approved by the customer. It's not necessarily how I would do it, and probably not traditional, but it works.
The trim should be stained and varnished before the nail holes are puttied, cuz if you putty first then stain, you will find that some of the putty smeared on the trim and interfered with the stain and/or varnish.
The stairs and the drunk sound like a problem.
Glad to hear you are holding money. Just hope you are being reasonable.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
I'm trying to be reasonable (really, I am). I was out of town for four and a half months after signing the contract with this guy. I had come home three times during that time, and each time I had come home I had to give the contractor a list of things that were done wrong - you'd a thought he'd learn. I don't think I'm being to picky by telling him to not put a butt joint in the baseboard of the master bedroom, in the middle of the wall, or to get the cherry stain that was slathered on the marble tile in the master bathroom cleaned up, or to stain the edges of the casement windows not just the interior faces or to mask off or remove the window hardware before you stain the casement windows - as well as the doors hinges for that matter. I think I've been quite reasonable.
you are way out of line here! pay the 8k you owe and the next time the sub shows up drunk give him a beer and tell him to take the rest of the day off with pay!
no just kidding! sounds like a nightmare to me. I feel sorry for you if that helps any. I wish we could rid ourselves of these fly by the seat of your paints j asses that take work from us an kick dirt on us at the same time.but as far as the trim goes it should have been stained and varnished before it even came to the job site
"I was out of town for four and a half months after signing the contract with this guy."
This reminds me of someone, somewhere said...."The crop grows best in the shadow of the owner."
Get rid of these guys now...cut your losses and start again.
Well, when you list those problems, it seems to swing in your favor. Don't forget, we are reading, not seeing, only one side of the story, and sometimnes the story is biased in favor of the writer.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell'em "Certainly, I can!" Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
I agreeing with Robert. I don't know where you are, but I'll be heading that direction! I agree that something smells foul. The most important thing is that you as the customer are getting the shaft, as in not happy. It matters in the least what we think here. You knew what you would read, this guy should be gone. I still can't get over that dough! Please give more details, even pics for us to gander, might help.
How well known is the contractor or the carpenter in the area. It might be tough to find someone to come in and boot them out. OTOH, these guys might have been there before. References before you started? Contract specifics? Fill us in some more.
I'm still stuck on 23K to trim 3200 sqft. Wow. How much special stuff like built ins and coffered ceilings?
There was also $5400 out that $23K for 540 sqr. ft. of marble tile installed (I supplied the tile). The job consisted of the tile job, base and case trim, window jamb extensions and the basement and second floor finish stairs - 38 stairs total (I supplied the treads), 9 Ft. x 9 Ft of bookshelves in the den and two 4ft x 4ft bookshelves in the livingroom and the staining of all the trim. It sounded like a fair price - if it had been done right.
I've never done any Staining so maybe thats the difference. $5400 for 540 ft Of marble that you supplied?
TJ,
Sounds like you got yourself a real nightmare thing going on. I have to agree with most of the other poster's...if everything is just as you say...don't let the guy back on the job! Geez, if it's been that long, seems like he was avoiding your job anyway. Maybe he was waaaaay over his head.
And 23K to do a millwork package on your house does seem really high...but then again, most production trim guys wouldn't be doing the staining either...but still. I would like to see some pix also.
The guy showed up drunk? That would be it for me! Get the H out! and don't let that poorly hung door hit ya in the a$$ on yer way out!!! Ya bastad.
Sorry for your luck TJ...it's a bummer for all of us in the trades when folks pretend to be skilled and just mess folks up, and take the money and run like hull.
Like David said, get the most you can out of this deal.
Good luck!
Peace
I hope you didn't give him a bunch of money up front.......3200 feet ain't that big......trim job should take a couple weeks or so..........fire the lot of them if you can.........or lock your doors and call a lawyer.
The guys a hacking bumb. Cherry trim should be joined so that there is no sign of a gap, it should look like one piece of wood. A gap about as wide as this can be filled with putty if the guy is careful about wiping off the access.
Don't hit him with your hammer you might break the handle on his coconut head.
Based strictly on your post, and assuming nothing about what the contract (if any) might say about termination and dispute resolution...
...that's not an acceptable rate of performance, and the work sounds terrible. I'd get another finish carpentry contractor to give you a price to complete/fix the job. Ask them to write a letter to whom it may concern explaining that they inspected the job and it's substandard. Take a bunch of good close-up photos. Total up the lost material that you're going to throw away. Add whatever you've paid the guy, and then something for your time and trouble. Write the guy a letter explaining your dissatisfaction and the damage he's done, and name the dollar amount. Tell him you want him off the job and you want your money back, plus money back for the wasted trim. Copy your attorney on it. If the amount is lower than the small claim threshold in your area, maybe go that route. Contact his bonding company (assuming he's a bonded contractor) and see what they say... perhaps they have some liability here. Contact the licensing authority and file a complaint there. Throw the book at him--the more forceful you are the more you're likely to get something.
No matter what you do, expect to take a loss. There's no way to recover 100% in a situation like that, from everything I've heard and read about countless similar situations. Small claims will probably order a 50/50 split.
I agree with davidmeiland's approach; make the guy fork over as much as possible and get some real carpenters on the job. I hear you wanting to take some responsibility for letting the situation go unattended while you were away but that sentiment has nothing to do with recovering as much of the loss as you can.
TJ
I think David Meiland's approach (hope I spelled that correctly) is the most sensible. I am not a contractor, however, having recently finished GC'ing my own house, I have some experience with this situation. I had to fire a plumber for similar incompetence, though it didn't get this far as we were able to be onsite every day. I would notify him immediately over the phone that he's fired, then follow it up with a letter explaining why he was being fired, without any inflamatory language. Get photo's, and a detailed estimate from the new guy. In fact, I always recommend multiple quotes before awarding the job. If you're working off of a construction loan, it's probably worth the $100 or so fee to talk to a lawyer about how to handle the final waiver. I ended up having to post 150% of the disputed amount into a seperate account and it has to sit there for 2 years before I get it back, or one of us has to sue the other. If it's a cash job of course you don't have to worry about it, but may have to worry about a lien. If it gets that far, you'll want a good lawyer to explain to the contractor the consequences of a suit (you both lose) and maybe it can be resolved out of court.
Good Luck - Jack Gill