How much do you tolerate with contractors?

[winnietucker]

So I’m finally getting my fence installed after about 6 mo of researching and pinpointing what I want (
simple 6’ cedar privacy fencing with metal posts).

This contractor was supposed be done last week but hasn’t even started. He does good work (have seen it, he’s done stuff for a friend) and is well priced (but not cheap). I’ve fronted $2250 (part of it was the deposit and part was just cause he needed cash and offered to install a gate for free in return) and paid about $5500 for materials that he’s supposed to pick up.

My husband is starting to get annoyed and I’m started to feel iffy. He’s had a lot of setbacks due to being delayed on other jobs. He asked me to front him some money today so he could get an auger today but texted me about half an hour ago saying he could get it.

I need a reality check. Am I being an impatient brat? I feel like on one hand none of my projects ever finish on time either, but on the other hand I’m not a professional and since I’m paying for this I want it done.

 

[Alexiszoe]

I get it. He should have stuck to his contract and completed his work on time. It's only normal that you are annoyed by him not keeping to what was agreed. I am a stickler for timelines so I know I would definitely be pissed too.

At the same time, we are living in unusual times right now. The pandemic has probably hurt his business, causing delays to his other jobs, as you mentioned. And this most likely has a multiplier effect on him losing other jobs. DH sees a lot of new homeless people everyday in LA and it's scary and sad. It does seem like your contractor is trying - he's finding ways to pay for the augur even though he initially asked if you could front the money.

Can you have a frank and open conversation with him to get a sense of what's going on and a more realistic time line? That might help you and him manage the expectations and room to breathe.

 

[winnietucker]

I get it. He should have stuck to his contract and completed his work on time. It's only normal that you are annoyed by him not keeping to what was agreed. I am a stickler for timelines so I know I would definitely be pissed too.

At the same time, we are living in unusual times right now. The pandemic has probably hurt his business, causing delays to his other jobs, as you mentioned. And this most likely has a multiplier effect on him losing other jobs. DH sees a lot of new homeless people everyday in LA and it's scary and sad. It does seem like your contractor is trying - he's finding ways to pay for the augur even though he initially asked if you could front the money.

Can you have a frank and open conversation with him to get a sense of what's going on and a more realistic time line? That might help you and him manage the expectations and room to breathe.

In his case I think the pandemic has boosted business. He was discounting some work to drum up business. He’s gotten my job & two others because of it I know for sure. I know he takes care of his wife (was told she has a disability) which limits his working hours but I’m starting to get to the point where I kind of don’t want to front him any more money. I want to be understanding and give him the benefit of the doubt... my husband is out of patience at this point. At this point we couldn’t get our money back anyway, except for maybe what we’ve paid for the materials, so I guess no sense being stressed out about it

 

[JPie]

Do not front him more money! He shouldn’t get a penny more until the job is done.

As for timing, do have a frank conversation with him so you can align your expectations to his reality.

 

[winnietucker]

Do not front him more money! He shouldn’t get a penny more until the job is done.

As for timing, do have a frank conversation with him so you can align your expectations to his reality.

Thanks. I’m not going to. I was reading online that you should expect to pay half upfront but given I bought my own materials I wasn’t sure if that was true here... plus there’s the lack of progress which is another issue...

I’ll chat with him tomorrow about timing. He said he’ll be here early tomorrow and texted my friend that he’s also planning on finishing her project tomorrow so you’re right, I need to confirm what’s going on.

 

[JPie]

Thanks. I’m not going to. I was reading online that you should expect to pay half upfront but given I bought my own materials I wasn’t sure if that was true here... plus there’s the lack of progress which is another issue...

I’ll chat with him tomorrow about timing. He said he’ll be here early tomorrow and texted my friend that he’s also planning on finishing her project tomorrow so you’re right, I need to confirm what’s going on.

I hope the conversation goes well and he gets the job done! It’s one thing to be kind and understanding, and quite another to keep shelling out money with nothing to show for it besides a pile of building materials.

 

[winnietucker]

I hope the conversation goes well and he gets the job done! It’s one thing to be kind and understanding, and quite another to keep shelling out money with nothing to show for it besides a pile of building materials.

Oh yeah... we actually don’t have those. He was supposed to bring those today too and it didn’t show. I suppose we could try and pick up ourselves but my husband is 100% against it.

 

[bespokecarmel]

I’ve been known to pay people just to leave...

 

[kenny]

I don't tolerate any garbage from contractors.
Why?
I don't hire them.

My 90+ yr old house was a run down fixer upper when I bought it over 20 years ago.
It still is.

Why?
I hate contractors.
I'd rather live in a dump than drop my drawers and bend over for them.

 

[dk168]

Under the current circumstances, I would give contractors a bit of slack, as long as I do not feel I am being strung along, and am not financially disadvantaged.

I made the mistake ages ago by paying all the money for the work, for the contractor to go AWOL without finishing the last 10% of the job.

Never again.

DK

 

[bludiva]

i've learned after losing $ to a shady contractor a few years ago never to hire one that requires a deposit. i don't care if it costs more, i'm not paying anything until the work starts. sorry this is happening to you, hope that person comes through in the end. timelines always get pushed back, even with good contractors.

 

[Elizabeth35]

What does your written contract state as far as deposit and timeline.
Does he have liability insurance? Is he licensed in your city/town/county?
To be frank--this sounds extremely iffy.

"part was just cause he needed cash and offered to install a gate for free in return) and paid about $5500 for materials that he’s supposed to pick up.
He asked me to front him some money today so he could get an auger today"

I would not be fronting money to a contractor that can't afford to rent an auger. You are talking maybe $50-200 tops at Home Depot.
While I understand that times are tough---if you have pay for materials, they should be delivered to your house.
We are landlords and flip houses. We pay for materials all the time for our self-employed contractors but the materials go on our credit card and are delivered to our property.

 

[Elizabeth35]

And with all due respect--you have given this contractor almost $8000 for a fence, and he is now asking for more money?
How long is the fence and what is the per foot cost? That should be relatively easy to compare to local costs.

 

[Tekate]

I too ended up with a horrid, unscrupulous contractor, please don't give him any more money, I am sorry this is happening to you and your husband. I can say from my experience that his asking for money like he did means he's having cash flow problems, and yes I do think some contractors have increased business but many have had cancels also. I sincerely hope your fence is built, is wonderful and if you can, post a pix!

ETA: I didn't mean YOUR contractor is unscrupulous I was referring to a poster above who said they had experienced a bad contractor. sorry if it sounded bad.

 

[winnietucker]

Thanks all for the feedback! Sometimes it’s nice to get feedback on when I’m being unreasonable vs when my feelings are justified. I know contractor are notorious for not being exact with their schedules.

And with all due respect--you have given this contractor almost $8000 for a fence, and he is now asking for more money?
How long is the fence and what is the per foot cost? That should be relatively easy to compare to local costs.

He’s $23/ foot. It’s about 515 ft. Luckily we’re not doing the entire property cause that would have felt worse. He’s on the lower end of other contractors in the area. Not the cheapest, but not on the high end either. We’ve got quite a few quotes at this point.

To this guy’s benefit he is a referral from a friend of a friend who is apparently a realtor and uses him regularly. He does nice work from the photos I’ve seen (including photos I’ve gotten from my friend on her own project).

 

[winnietucker]

What does your written contract state as far as deposit and timeline.
Does he have liability insurance? Is he licensed in your city/town/county?
To be frank--this sounds extremely iffy.

"part was just cause he needed cash and offered to install a gate for free in return) and paid about $5500 for materials that he’s supposed to pick up.
He asked me to front him some money today so he could get an auger today"

I would not be fronting money to a contractor that can't afford to rent an auger. You are talking maybe $50-200 tops at Home Depot.
While I understand that times are tough---if you have pay for materials, they should be delivered to your house.
We are landlords and flip houses. We pay for materials all the time for our self-employed contractors but the materials go on our credit card and are delivered to our property.

He is! Thankfully.

 

[Rfisher]

Don’t want to beat a dead horse, but did you check his license and insurance status on your own or take your realtor friend of a friends word for it?
You have a contract /agreement, and you wrote a check to a business name, not his personal name?
Did the materials you buy, would they be the same price as if you yourself walked in and bought them?

Hopefully this works out for you and this person is a better craftsman than he is a business man.
It happens.

 

[winnietucker]

Don’t want to beat a dead horse, but did you check his license and insurance status on your own or take your realtor friend of a friends word for it?
You have a contract /agreement, and you wrote a check to a business name, not his personal name?
Did the materials you buy, would they be the same price as if you yourself walked in and bought them?

Hopefully this works out for you and this person is a better craftsman than he is a business man.
It happens.

My friend checked and I took her word for it... I trust her 100% so if she said he is, I believe her. We do have a bid but not a contract. And no, I priced materials out when we decided to pay someone to do it. My cost is decently higher thanks to 10% tax and no contractor discount. He gets it tax free per the vendor.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

I have never had a contractor that didn't start up well, end up well. You have a significant amount invested so I think you will have to see it through, but I think he has already shown he is not reliable.

 

[asscherisme]

The idea of needing work done on my house gives me anxiety. I have had a very hard time finding reliable people to work on my home. And I have been ripped off more than once. Or been overcharged for something only to have to hire someone else to fix what the first person messed up.

As Kenny stated so well, this seems to be a universal problem.

I am dealing with this now. I am trying to get someone to fix what someone else messed up.

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I have been a property manager for hotels. Our policy was you give them one-third up front which is supposed to be for materials. At the half-way mark you give them another one-third. Upon completion the last third is paid out. Never had a contractor who complained. This should be in the contract or PO order.
Do not give him another penny. Be cautious here. He has money troubles. Sometimes stuff happens even when people mean well.

Annette

 

[winnietucker]

They’re here and working if anyone was wondering how this panned out. The laborer working with our contractor is amazing. They couldn’t get the auger... again... so the guy decided he’s just going to spend today digging almost 70 holes by hand. He’s more than halfway done too.

 

[prs]

I'd start feeling a lot more comfortable when the $5,000 of materials showed up on site.

 

[cmd2014]

I'm so glad. I was worried when I was reading your story. With the benefit of a written contract with a licensed company, I have paid a deposit on a job, but never bought my own materials (contractors get them at a significant discount) or fronted money because someone was short. So I'm super relieved to hear that they are there doing the job.

In the future, insist on a written contract with timelines and make sure they are registered and insured. It will save you a LOT of pain down the road if something doesn't go well.

 

[asscherisme]

They’re here and working if anyone was wondering how this panned out. The laborer working with our contractor is amazing. They couldn’t get the auger... again... so the guy decided he’s just going to spend today digging almost 70 holes by hand. He’s more than halfway done too.

Glad they showed. But I agree with others, not one penny more until the job is complete. Yes, the standard is 1/3 up front, 1/3 at half way point, 1/3 at completion. You paid more than that up front. Please let us know when the job is complete. Good luck!