General Contractor Negligence or normal?

[Leo R Arias]

Hello, 

Bought my first home in Chicago and it was/is a rehab. Went with a contractor who is a friend of a friend and this is my first time doing a rehab. This will be my primary residence. 

It is a 2 unit RS-3 that I converted to a 3 unit RM 4.5 because it has a coach house that wasn’t legal which I didn’t know until I basically got to the closing table. 

Anyhow, the contractor had been working on it since 2022 and it still isn’t done. I pay him money but then he disappears for a week at a time and won’t return my calls. Some homeowners told me “this is Norma of contractors” but I’m not buying it. 

He’ll then magically appear one day and have workers do things but he isn’t there to verify the work. My roof is terrible and the wood flooring (new) is already warping. 

The loan is through my bank and I haven’t paid him anymore money until things are fixed. He says he’ll fix them. Is this normal practice for contractors? There many items that need to be redone that he says he will fix but I don’t get what the hold up is if he has the money he needs from me. 

Bank tells me not to give him any until items are completed but he tells me he can’t complete them without money. 

I’ve consulted attorneys and they tell me to “wait and see if he fixes the issues” 

One of his workers told me he was using my money to finish another job and was waiting on that payment to move forward with mine. 

Even the bank is confused and he’s failing a lot of inspections. What are my resources or what course of actions do you recommend? 
Consensus seems to be “wait and see” but I don’t want to if I don’t need to. 

Any advice? Insight? 

Thank you,