I know most guys here are real pros but everyone doesn’t work like you guys all do. I’ll probably have some say well that’s not the type of guy you should have hired and you get what you paid for (not my house). Unfortunately in the real world things don’t work that way all the time. There are cases where you need to get someone in and can’t wait months (although she is now) for them to start or can’t afford to pay top dollar.
Friend of mine was having some work done on her roof and can’t get the contractor to finish what they started. I don’t know what type of contract they had. My guess is none. Guy/crew came in in Jan started the work but never finished it. Stopped when the weather turned to hell (not sure what she meant by this). Had to replace some framing and left the job with the wood partially exposed. Apparently it’s closed up enough to avoid causing a mess/damage but they were getting it done so they could sell the house and now can’t even take pictures yet because of the work in progress.
Question is how do they get the contractor back in to finish? Every time they call he has an excuse. They never paid for the finished job (I think they held back about 5K) but the guy just won’t come back. They had another friend that held back 20K on another job and that guy wouldn’t come back (so how much is enough). People say don’t pay them but some of these guys don’t seem to care, they have enough work and seem to move on.
I know get references and have a contract to avoid these types of messes but what can she do now. This isn’t my house but I told her I’d ask and see if you guys had any good recommendations or ideas.
Thanks in advance.
Tom
Replies
Hopefully the 5K will come close to covering the cost of having someone else finish the job. Sometimes just letting the contractor know if they don't wrap it up in 30 days--you are hiring their competition--really jump starts things.
I looked at a kitchen remodel project last month where the owners had not heard from nor seen their original contractor in seven months. A week after they had me look at wraping it up, their contractor showed up to finally finish. I had mentioned it at the lumberyard and word traveled fast. In this case the owners never actually called their contractor, the grapevine lit a fire under 'em.
January!? Face it, he's not coming back. Hire out whats left to do and get on with your life.
Even if the guy found out you gave away the remaining portion of the work and threatened to sue for the balance there's not a court in the land that would side with him
Send them a letter stating that they have 7 days to start work on the job and 30 days to finish or the balance will be paid to others to finish. Make sure the time window is reasonable.
As was already mentioned find their favorite supplier/sub/client and call them up and inquire about their status. For some people this peer pressure will get them moving.
Jon Blakemore
RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
ok
you worried about taking flax
Im gonna on this reply
you want someone to finish, be an asphole, get nasty, get loud
I give in a lot. but I have a project now , that everyone bid in the winter, and here in Oregon , we have had the worst economy in years
we are in a small area wher its not " screw them , their are others out there"
all of a sudden things turn around, and all the good ol boys are bailing, jacking costs, off schedule
im not some spring chicken, but its never been like this
had to break down, get nasty, yak and not back down,and then send an attorney approved letter to all my subs.
after all these years, of supporting each other, the electrician, the hardwood floor guy and painter are gone
everyone else stuck to their bid, and schedule
If you know me, then you know , its not me
so now , a few weeks later, the electricain calls and asks, hey got any thing you want me to bid...........
As others have said, get somebody else to finish the job.
As anybody in this field knows, there are a lot of unreliable people out there. There are almost as many reasons for this as people but two come to mind.
First, contractors are just like everyone else. They have health problems, drug and alcohol problems, family breakups, and the list goes on. The main problem for the customer is that this guy is not an employee. He is the business and if his personal life implodes, so does the business.
Second, many contractors are competent tradesmen and terrible businessmen. They hop on the treadmill of accepting work and a down payment, starting a job and not having quite enough money to finish. It is on to the next job with its upfront money which will hopefully allow the first job to be completed. This obviously cannot go on for very long. When the contractor can no longer afford to finish the jobs, he falls into a worse situation because now he lacks the final payment to help him get on track.
And this treadmill starts because the contractor was so affordable. or simply disorganized.
Hire somebody else.
marry him. There was a skit done locally based upon personal ads : 'single mom with own house would like to meet caring, sensitve drywaller' followed a year later by similar ad, only finish carpenter.
Sorry abt being facetious. I recall a tilesetter writing in FHB about not quite getting to do the job - he came home one day to find it done. Paid for by his wife to his major competitor, and there in the showroom a large glossy photo of his wife handing the comp a cheque.
Do you think something like that would work?
cheers
***I'm a contractor - but I'm trying to go straight!***
Edited 6/14/2005 1:49 am ET by pikopete
Although most folks here are telling you to hire someone else to finish the project-----that may not be easy.
I am a roofing contractor also----and I get several calls a year from people in a similar situation------which I decline.
First----I am not interested in getting in the middle of someone elses mess---
Second----in the back of my mind I figure people don't walk off a job without a reason----maybe the contractor is an idiot---or MAYBE the customer is the source of the problem
Third------ People frequently try to hold the last guy on the roof liable for the entire project---ha, ha,ha,ha
Fourth----not getting involved is my way of punishing the "customer" for not contracting with me in the first place. I know it's petty----but why should I bale them out from their poor choices and make my GOOD customers wait?
Best of luck to you, Stephen
80% chance that the contractor underbid the job to start with and once he realized he was loosing his azz, he bailed. Everyone knows the "right thing to do" is to finish the job and eat the loss, but sometimes guys with less options have to make the choice between putting food on the table (literally) and not doing the "right thing" by the customer but doing the "right thing" by his family. Often even low bid low quality contractors have a bit of pride, and the guy doesn't want to say "sorry mam, but I can't finish the job for $5k. I'm gonna need $8k." cause he knows that the HO will at least wonder if he's trying to cheat them. Not saying the HO should necessarily try to get the guy back, just saying that getting someone to finish for $5k probably won't happen.
A few other possible reasons this happened: 1) $5k was held back on a 20k job and only 50% of the work has been completed, or, 2) the customer is unbariable to work with. 3) a combination of the above.
The bottom line is the customer is gonna have to buy their way out of this mess - one way or the other.
A letter from a lawyer might get them motivated.
Is there a contract in place? If so, what does it say?
Call the Better Business Bereau. This is what they do. people feel alot more comfortable talkin to them and they know how to get things resolved.
Can't hurt!
When I was roofing foreman, about 25% or more of our work was in finishing or fixing others' work, often after damages to the interior. We documented our work and warranted only our work, which often in turn meant a tear and redo. This was occasionaly after an insurance company was involved. We would then backcharge, and sue if necessary, the original contractor. Contractor is a salient term here, does your friend have a contract? If the original contractor fails to finish after a reasonable amount of time, he may (and should) be liable for the costs of having another finish the job. A roof isn't a decorative item and is requisite for the habitability of the home. As such, small claims judges usually decided against the original contractor, including lawyer fees. We often had cases where the first roofer ended up paying for the drywall repairs, paperhangers and painters and even a new mattress in the bedroom!
Life throws us tradesmen plenty of curves but that's no excuse. If you can't finish a job, sub out the rest and "git'er done!"