Nightmare contractor...need an attorney

[Derrick G.]

Well, on my first rehab i've had the nightmare contractor.   Long story short, this job has taken much too long and the work is not good.   What type of attorney should i search for and anyone have any recommendations in the Atlanta, GA area?   Thanks!

[Marcus Auerbach]

@Derrick G. - sounds like you are a bit under pressure; I am sorry to read that.

I also don't think that a lawyer will get you very far on this - first there is a pretty steep cost to hiring an attorney; probably a couple thousand just to get started. Second, you will need reports and expert opinions (more $$) to prove your point. And third, the contractor may not even have any money you can take from him. In other words, you win and still have nothing but expenses.

What is the nature of the structural issue? Are we talking basement or framing? Either one of them can often be taken care of quite easily if you know what you are doing. If your contractor does not really know how to address the issue, hire a structural engineer to evaluate the issue and come up with a solution. 

A contractor is not a structural engineer and while some of the guys have enough experience to guess right, you can't expect them too know everything. Also, sometimes you just can't tell before you are half way through the project.

I had a large two story SF last year and we found that the second floor was sagging down because the load points where not on the joists, but between them on OSB. Had to jack up the center of the house by 1.5" and frame propper supports. At the end of the day it was about a 4k issue including certified engineering, so not the end of the world.

Consider it your real estate college education!