All of the contractors who bid on our project and my architect (and friends with experience) estimated that it would take 3-4 months to complete a simple addition to our house. 435 sq. ft. Master bedroom, plus a straightforward reconfiguration of two existing bedrooms adjacent to the addition. At first, our general contractor was great. Work was moving along rapidly, and we had a structure with roof and walls up, plus the piping and electrical wiring. Then something happened. The contractor probably got a new project or two and decided to give others higher priority than us. They stopped work for over a month, before and during our vacation. We paid every invoice the day after we received it, even when we knew the related work wouldn't be done until the end of that week or even the week after. Unfortunately, we did not put in firm dates and penalties into our contract, and our architect failed to advise us newbies to do so. Lesson learned. In any case, after five months, the interior of the addition is still incomplete. The exterior stucco is 1/3 done. The existing rooms won't be touched until after the addition. And we have been sleeping in two bedrooms with no windows for five months to save money, since moving out would break us.

If our contractor had done his job continuously, at a reasonable pace, how long should this project have taken? Believe me when I say there is nothing special or complex about our project. Thanks in advance for your answers and condolences.