Looks to me like it broke on its own. Why do you think someone broke it? Pretty hard for someone to what...drop it on the floor and there's just the one clean crack and they put it all back together. Pretty tough to do. Or someone maybe bumped it and didn't notice. What kind of people are you inviting into your house that you think are flaky or unethical?

Glass does contain stress and can just crack. Is there a set screw pushing on the glass? Is the metal at the bottom tight? Metal and glass expand and contract at different rates.

These stresses are especially great at different temperatures...like from say a light bulb.

Does the glass tighten into the sconce? If so that style can crack when over-tightened. I'd say it would be hard to miss for the installer to not notice what happened. I'd speak with the contractor immediately, don't wait.

My guess is they are having fun with you. Forget the punch list. Get them out of there.

I think its possible that it could break without someone noticing.

I had a glass backsplash that cracked when they were installing it. They took it away and fabricated another one.

The second backsplash went in fine, and a few days later there was a crack in the same spot. It was not there when they installed it. Obviously there was the same stressor in each case, but the second time the crack was delayed.

It's possible that some stress caused the crack but it didn't crack all the way until later. Particularly when it happened at the bottom like that. It would be difficult to put it in place that way already broken.

I think someone broke it because it is new. It was not broken when it arrived. Lighting fixtures were one of the few items I was allowed to order myself; the GC said he didn't like to order them because there are so many choices, although that seems applicable to other items (towel bars, for example). When they arrived, I carefully unwrapped and checked each one, then carefully rewrapped and stored them where they couldn't be damaged.

Another reason is that they were installed recently and the room was used only a couple days before we discovered this. I guess it's possible that the crack was right in the part that's hardest to see and that this just happened to be the one sconce that's least exposed to view from other angles. Because of its location, it's also almost impossible to bump accidentally; I think you'd have to climb on the counter it's above.

The kind of people I'm inviting into my house that I think are flaky or unethical are contractors. No one else has been there but 2 adult homeowners.

I see no set screws. Not sure how the glass was installed; it was packaged separately; I gave the fixtures to the contractor right before installation. I think the glass shade just gets set into the metal, and doing so may have caused the crack, but doubtful that it wasn't noticed at the time. Similarly, I found badly damaged floor tile right after the tub was installed. Again, no one told me about it, although I don't see how it wasn't noticed as it occurred. I just happened to be testing the new floor heat and saw it when I bent down to feel the floor. The floor I had complained wasn't being properly protected.

The contractor is essentially gone (finally!!), and we're working on the punch list. (His name is first of people I'd like to punch, but maybe that's not what a punch list is.)

Michelle, I had been biting my tongue and trying to make my requests calmly, but I did lose it a couple times. Like after I saw the scratched and chipped tile. And yes, venting helps. Thanks for asking.

snookums, Do you think they did this on purpose, or did I misunderstand? They ARE out, but there is the punch list, and some of the items aren't cheap. Like, oops, wrong toilet.

What is the name & manufacturer of the sconce? Very pretty!

palimpsest, I suspect they either broke it during installation or after, when working on something nearby. Yes, all kinds of possibilities exist. But given their track record, breaking it knowingly, even if accidental, and not telling me, seems most likely.

snookums, Sconces are Norwell Lighting Richmond sconce. They were not outrageously expensive but certainly not cheap, and they feel substantial. Once they were installed, I noticed that they all bend backward a bit, that is, not plumb. I called build.com, and they won't take them back because they're already installed, but they did give me a nice credit. DH thinks they were installed improperly, so maybe it's fixable. But after I bought them, I saw a complaint about the same problem on another Norwell fixture.

Of all the various light fixtures I got for this remodel, my favorite is actually a cheap little chandelier for the dressing room. It just makes me happy. Of course, I haven't gotten on a ladder to look more closely, so maybe it got accidentally broken, too.

I've been on the other side of this type of issue. I got a call that a candle had etched a 12K kitchen estone countertop job. Turns out the teenagers etched the top with a battery charger and put the candle over it, hoping I'd get the blame. It kinda worked. DuPont flew a rep out twice and we fixed it for free.

I assume the GC installed the glass and bulb after the electrician left?

I don't know whether the GC or his sub installed the bulb or glass shade. On the day the lights were installed, several contractors were working, including the GC and the electrician. What difference does it make? They are all the GC's responsibility.

I doubt it was intentionally broken (if it was broken by someone which is certainly possible). If you're going to mess up something just a little out of spite, you don't mess with glass which can very quickly turn to rubble. You'd scrape the chrome or poop in the walls or something. :P

It should have been noticed and reported, regardless of how it got into that condition. I'd be quite irritated. And then I'd turn it to the wall and try to resolve the more major issues you have with this guy. Good luck!

Fori, Even I didn't think it was broken intentionaly; I thought snookums was implying that. But thanks for giving me new things to worry about. I will check all the chrome and sniff the walls.

It shouldn't be hard to turn the glass back to the wall, where the crack was suspiciously found, in the hardest-to-see (and maybe hardest to break) part, as if it had been turned that way to hide it. But I want the glass replaced.

I need no encouragement to be irritated. In fact, irritated would be my state after a few Valiums.

I think it would be very hard to purposely do that and I really can't see someone doing that even with all the other issues that have went on. I'd say either due to being tightened too tightly (if there is a screw). If no screw and the sconce sits on top a too high of wattage bulb could definitely be a cause.

Given all of the other numerous posts, I think ''flaky'' is the word of the week here.

Whether it was intentional is distracting and not my idea to begin with. There is no screw. The bulb is 60 W (or supposed to be 60W max.; if it's higher, that's another mistake) and was barely on by the time we discovered this. I think it was probably broken when the shade was put on initially or maybe they had to lift it to put in the bulb and broke when replacing it. I just remembered that some lights were covered during floor sanding, so that's another possibility.

There's no way to prove that someone actually noticed this break and tried to hide it. Maybe they did, maybe they didn't.

If it's turned towards the corner is it noticeable at all? If not, I'd probably just use some kind of glue to repair it, then turn it and leave it. You could mention it to your GC and ask that he replace it, but then let him have a 'win' by accepting it as is. Then he might be easier to work with for the rest of your punch list since you've compromised on an item.

Greg, it is noticeable; that's why we noticed it. If I had broken it, I still would try to get a replacement rather than glue it, especially in a brand-new master bath that cost a pretty penny and took more than 6 months to complete. Besides the broken tile noted above, there has been a litany of mistakes and contractor-caused problems, and I have accepted some, such as the cabinet not being built as drawn, the shower drain being inconveniently located (after I was promised I would get to have a say, one of many unkept promises), forgetting that I wanted a medicine cabinet in the powder room, the GC taking over half the garage after we gave him his choice of one of 3 bays, taking more than 3 months longer than promised to finish, with lots of inexcusable excuses, telling me he's "on his way" here to discuss something then making me wait 4 hours or not showing at all, etc. Because DH is handy, he has taken care of some of the problems, and we told the GC so (e.g., going through the GC's trash to find, then install, the backplates to cabinet knobs he threw away for some unknown reason). When the GC gouged the new cabinet while installing it, he carefully placed items in front of it to hide it, and told me about it only after showing up to explain that he would get it fixed. There's been only one way we've gotten action from him, and that's been to threaten not to pay, a lesson we wish we'd learned sooner.

Just talked to the manufacturer and asked about installation and whether any instructions came with it. They said it's threaded, and you just turn it. That would explain why it didn't come up when I tried to lift it gently. Maybe it was turned too tightly.

IF someone did hide it, then the person who broke it is the most likely candidate. It matters who installed it and messed with it since installation because those are the people likely to break it. Your GC may be responsible for it, but that in no way means he was the unethical one that hid it.

Now to answer your question, people often put rational in front of ethical. I don't know how it got broken so whether or not the person felt responsible for the break is unknown.

Well, yes, short of having video, anyone not there cannot know what happened. I guess circumstantial evidence is all to rely on. I'm not saying the GC personally broke it, but he works for me and he is responsible for anything done by his subs.

None of this matters....The time for worrying about whether or not your contractor is unethical is before you hire him. Possibly even during the process it may have some impact, but at the end when you are developing your punch list it is very close to irrelevant. It doesn't matter who broke the light or why they broke the light or what they did after the light was broken...All that matters is how it changes your life. You are the person letting these things bother you in some deeper emotional way. The basis of the relationship with your contractor is business. Put it on the punch list, beside everything else on the punch list, get it fixed and then move on.

It's on the punch list. But I disagree that one shouldn't worry about whether a contractor is ethical once you hire him. You could say that about any employee. Do you not fire or discipline anyone because you found out they are unethical (or maybe became so) after you hired them?

The only reason I'm concerned now is that I expect a battle over every item on the punch list; it would be par for the course.

In a new build I helped design two of the light fixtures that got broken were broken by the painters. In one of my new bathrooms, the bathtub was damaged by an electrician. One of my neighbors had severe damage from a plumbing leak that turned out to be caused by a trim carpenter. Not that it matters who in this specific case, but in my experience it tends to be someone working on something else that causes inadvertent damage, to an aspect of the project that wasn't their responsibility so they were paying less attention to it.

palimpsest, I know that can happen. I don't see why it matters, though. I know who didn't break it--the homeowners. So I know who shouldn't pay to fix it. I'd prefer to do the work (such as it is) to replace it, so I don't have to worry about something else being damaged and dirty footprints through the house. So to the extent that I'm providing free labor, I guess I'm doing the contractor a favor.

That was my original guess with it being screwed on and tightened too far. FYI, you do notice when it cracks, I have done it before.

IIRC, this was the $4100 remodel. I would forget about running over, spending more, due to having to replace glass shades or pretty much anything else. If you are trusting him this much, to do a satisfactory job installing plumbing and lighting fixtures, etc, after all of the problems, then forget about being reimbursed for errors. They happen. You do not have to be compensated for everything that goes wrong. He was not paid enough to begin with, regardless of his own poor estimate. Obviously, you think he can get the job done, because you continue to allow him to work on and in your home. So pay him for the work he does.

If I have the project mixed up with someone else, and you have paid royally for this fiasco, my apologies.

First, whether or not an employee is unethical during his employment is not relevant here. Your contractor is done. And quite frankly ethical discussions are a hell of a lot more complicated than just someone (we have no idea who) covering up a broken light.

You gave him access to your house, your alarm code, and let him do work for which you paid him for 6 months. Now when he is done you want to worry about whether or not he is ethical? Good luck with that...

How does expecting a battle change anything? You will either have a battle or you will not. Preparing for a fight is just begging for a fight...aka, self fulfilling prophecy. You give him the list, he picks items that he thinks are not his responsibility, you will explain why they are. In the end, you will probably get much of what you want, but a few things will fall by the wayside. End of story, without a lot drama. Spending time getting worked up about just seems like a waste. Need drama? Find a Lifetime movie.

So is this post just a venting post that is pretending to be a question? You seem to have already made up your mind on how it happened and how you're going to handle it.

never mind.......

Snookums, you have me mixed up with someone else. Your amount is too low even if you add a zero.

Okay, sorry for mixing threads up. Sounds like you have paid more than enough to an idiot.

I think most everyone is trying to help, one way or another. Commisseration is also helpful. I don't think it is really anyone else's business to decide what is or is not helpful to another, or to limit the type of questions asked, or for what real or imagined or multi purposes an individual has. It's an open forum and people start threads here for their own reasons. Hopefully in the mix, they get what they came for and find some solutions or support that works for them. No one else can decide for them what that is or should be.

GW is not a pro site. It is more of a DIY and general purpose arena. No one is required to follow the advice of anyone who thinks they have the right or best qualified answer.

My guess is that the homeowner is one of those nightmare clients all contractors have to deal with once in awhile. From what I've read, it sounds like the contractor is now "feddup", and has lost all interest in the job. It happens....

Regardless if Feddup is a nightmare client or not, any decent contractor or sub contractor would never leave cracked floor tiles and lighting fixtures. My soon to be ex brother in law is a contractor. He had his own window and door company for years and fabricated kitchen cabinets. For the past 10 years he's been a general contractor building homes. Despite the fact that he can be a jerk, he makes sure the job gets done right. He's told us some nightmare client stories, but would never skimp on workmanship.

If Feddup just wants someone to gripe to, I am ok with that. It was clear to me in the original post that she was frustrated and did feel it was a poor thing for the worker to leave in the broken condition. Perhaps she should have just vented and not phrased it as a question, but I don't understand why people click on posts by members that they have repeated negative interactions with.

I'd just like to say that I am so happy that we DIY everything.

It is within the realm of possibility that the shade had a hidden manufacturing defect which aggravated into a fracture when light bulb heat was introduced for the first time. In which case, no one is at fault, and you are a victim of circumstance. Stress cracks sometimes can be proven if the shard of glass and the remaining shade no longer mate together prefectly; they have warped away from their original/singular form once the stresses were relieved by the breakage. But absence of this phenomenon does not disprove the defect hypothesis.
Casey

Call the authorities, get prints on that shade and find out who touched it last. Then get on with blame and compensation. Or....Get a new shade and screw it on and get over it. lol, I just popped in to see what all the hoopla was about and now I am feddup2 : /

maybe the title of the thread is unfortunate...
as is the user name which tells a story on it's own...
but it seems like OP has some valid concerns.

better she vent here to us & play it chill with
the contractors in her house.
just mho...

and btw...great fixtures! I'd be upset myself.

best of luck.

@Feddup

I am going to give a more complete answer to every question you have about your contractor and the way you should deal with him at this point and in the future. This is my opinion but I feel very confident about this one.

You have posted a lot of questions very recently about your experience and many people here have really tried to help, and others not so much. You can do what you want with this, but do me a favor, take fifteen minutes and think a bit about it before you respond.

You obviously have a contractor with a lot of problems, but apparently he is also someone who has been in the business for a while, so this is not his first trip to the rodeo. As you have posted more and more, the tenor of your posts have changed from the G.C. has some very serious problems, to the G.C. can't do ANYTHING right. On the countertop/faucet thread you were basically told many times that he wasn't at fault and instead of accepting it you kept piling on more and more stuff that the G.C. did wrong, and really seemed to have a tough time accepting that the faucet was not one of them. Then this thread started a little over the top, and pretty presumptive. You have admitted that you dislike him so much that you have a hard time hearing that he did something right.

At this point I think it is very safe to say that you are very emotional about this. That is fine, you have every right to be. I am not telling you to calm down, really, I don't care. Here is what I am telling you. Your responses here are emotionally charged. IF your interactions with your G.C. are also emotionally charged then he will mirror your emotions. If you are angry, he will be too, if you are frustrated, he will be too. It is a proven fact, but just think how you respond to emotions. The problem is, almost every negative emotion hurts you financially, at this point you need to be either very nice or very professional. When he is out of your house then go back to being as angry as you want to be

I think that Snookums would argue that you need a shoulder to cry on, and giving you advice to treat this at business is not what you really need. I am not attempting to make you feel better about yourself, your contractor, or your remodel. I am trying to maximize your benefit.

Put it on the punch list like any
other mundane deficiency.