Hey everybody. I`m hoping to get some feedback and advice about a project I looked at today. In a nutshell…….. HO hires a builder to build a small 2 story addition (180 sf). HO gives builder 50% down and there is NO contract. Builder begins project in February and as of today (Aug 20th) There is an out of plumb and square foundation, framed and sheathed floor (16” or so o.c./ 1/2″ OSB, curled from weather) and 3 horribly framed walls. One wall hangs 2-3″ off the frostwall. HO has had enough. He calls me and says, CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME? I feel really bad for the HO and his family.I would love to help the guy out and have the man power to do so but there is part of me that doesnt want to get in the middle of HO and original builder. How would you guys handle this. By the way, What already has been built has to be torn down before we can rebuild it. It is worse than bad workmanship and does not meet local code. I look forward to your advice. Thanks.
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I'd start by making sure they could still finance the thing after being taken for 50%.
If the greenbacks are good....I'd take it for sure. With a contract of course.
I got a call similar to that this spring. "Contractor" started a very small addition in November. I got the call in April and it was about 1/4 of the way framed. HO complained it was just taking so long that he finally got in a nasty argument with the contractor and he hadn't been back since. I asked for the contractor's name and phone number. I called him and he told me that he wasn't getting paid, it really wasn't delayed that long, they complained about everything, blah blah blah. He said he'd be glad to cancel the permit and let me have the "nightmare". My gut said that HO was being a little more honest about the situation than the contractor. What did I read here recently? Trust the dealer, but always cut the deck.
I entered into a cost-plus agreement with the homeowner and started on a Tuesday on purpose. We worked it out so that I would invoice him every Thursday for materials and labor with the "plus" being due upon substantial completion. Check was due on Friday AM. Only put two days labor at risk to find out if he was paying or not. I still held ordering the more expensive material for about two weeks in though just in case. Long story short, he's become one of my best customers. Always has a neighbor who needs this or that or other small stuff around his own house. I also did a nice big deck for his sister because of that job. Great guy too, tells me what he wants. I do it. Then I bill him. And he pays. No estimates, no bidding, nice and easy.
One day on that job the other "contractor" sent some of his heavy hittin types over to pick up some equipment that he had on site. I was nice as pie to them and they came around pretty quickly. One of 'em even ran a roll of roofing coils up the ladder to me when I called out to one of my guys.
Do a little research....if it looks clean, go for it.
I built a whole house for somebody who had got further in than that. I was under roof and had a dozen or so horror stories built in.
When the new owners aske dme in to finish the work, they already had a home inspector's report in hand. My answer to them was, "Sure, but the only way I'll touch it is if we tear it all the way down to the top plate, reframe that wall, replace this subflooring, add another set of beams in the crawl space, and then start over.
They said yes.
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We finish jobs started by others. We do so on a T&M basis only. They pay us weekly. We do the T&M because as you already know you don't know what you can use of the other contractors work, if anything, so there is no way to quote it. Also I am unwilling to try to be "competative" in that situation. DanT
Treat this as a whole new job.
What is between the HO and the previous contractor is just that... Between them. You should have absolutely nothing to do with that.
Get a very detailed contract first.
With EVERYTHING specified. Cost. Tearout. The fact that all of the previous stuff has to be torn down and taken away, and start from scratch. The fact that you are not "fixing" anything. The fact that you have absolutely nothing to do with the previous problems, and will in no way be involved in any problems, negotiations, litigation, etc... All of it.
If you can't, then don't do the job.
"Criticism without instruction is little more than abuse." D.Sweet