All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

@Darius Howell  I'm afraid there is no "system"; you simply have to get estimates from contractors.  Each house and situation is different and no book or method can  substitute for an actual assessment by those who do the work.  I'd suggest you develop a relationship with a good GC. 

@Nick O. Why make things so complicated?  You give me a scope of work and I give you a fixed price to perform it along with an expected date of completion. 

Honesty is the best policy.  :)

@Meghan McCallum  He may be a terrible contractor but you hired him and therefore bear some of the blame for the messy situation you're in.  You could have easily hired someone of a higher caliber but, of course, they cost more.  

Your contract with him should have very clearly stated the scope of work; that's also largely your responsibility. 

It's all well and good that you won't be "pushed around" but the wiser course is to avoid these problems to begin with by being more judicious in your hiring and practices. 

As it stands now, do whatever you have to do to get your project finished, then move on.  Pursuing legal action is very costly and seldom worth the effort. 

@Christine G. Do the right thing and get the permits. Any lumps you receive from doing so will be the cost of your education.  Your contractor should not have started any work until there was a permit posted on site. Is he licensed?

@Ray S. Without knowing more of the situation, it's hard to say specifically. But in general, you should try to work things out with this contractor, especially since you are so close to finishing.  You can fire him and bring in another contractor but that has it's own problems i.e. you still will have a payment dispute with the original contractor and his subs...plus most contractors do not want to step into a mess and make themselves responsible for work they haven't done. 

It's most important to get the project completed and move on.  Going forward: you'll know who not to use. 

Your contractor should be able to give you a fixed price for the entire project: no hourly stuff.  He should be licensed and pull permits for the structural, electrical and plumbing work.  For a quality job, altogether probably 3-4 weeks.

I made this table using 100 yr old wood salvaged from another project.  

 You should check the laws in your state. In NC it is illegal to practice general contracting without a license, i.e. overseeing, managing and performing the duties of a GC, on a house that you do not intend to live in for at least 12 months after the work is complete.  Where I live, you would not even be able to pull a permit yourself for such work.  I think it's a good policy, not because I'm a GC and think people should be forced to use me but because it provides a measure of protection to the end buyer of the home that the work was performed by a licensed and duly qualified person.