Lawyer time. There may be several things you can do, but a lawyer initiating(by writing a letter) action may be the impetus you need.

Put in writing a lawyerly sounding letter and send it via certified mail. It is a lot cheaper than using a lawyer. Create a new timeline by which the work must be completed. Also, how much do you still owe on the job?

Words of wisdom after the fact ALWAYS be sure there is a financial penalty for the contractor written into any contract if project is not done on time.

Put a 'Project Completion Overdue' sign 'X# of Days' in your front yard alongside the contractor's sign??

You have given little detail, Ed. Thirty K can be a lot of things. What is "nearly finished"? I would call this guy, stop worrying about perception.

On the call you express the frustration and ask specifically :

"I need to meet with you. At that time I will bring a list of incomplete tasks for my now three month over schedule project. I need from you the EXACT dates these items will be completed, and a signature. " I'm certain you can provide these dates, and failing this resolution, my very unfortunate next call will have to be to my attorney" I am sure we would both like to avoid that"

I've given him a list. It's probably less than 5 hours worth of work. That's the most frustrating thing. I'd rather not get a lawyer involved. The whole project has moved along in stops and starts and moving at a snail's pace but it's getting done and my guess is that it will be finished at some point. It's just incredibly frustrating that there doesn't seem to be much i can do (other than a lawyer). i've spoken to him on the phone several times and he says his guys are coming that day but then they don't show up or they show up for like an hour. It just seems like from an efficiency standpoint it would be easier for his guys to just come out and get the work done and it'd be done. The project is a bathroom remodel. I still owe him about $10K so he's going to want to get paid at some point but apparently he doesn't care when.

You don't NEED the lawyer yet. Make the call as above, to HIM with the very veiled threat to work this out or you shall have no recourse but attorney. The guy is probably simply swamped in a robust remodel /build economy. Just press the issue, or sit here on Houzz and whine. The squeaky wheel shall get the oil, and someone else IS squeaking, getting finished, and it isn't YOU.

And a lot of GREAT workers do not even appear on a BBB SITE, for good or bad. Those days are history, and the BBB not what it used to be. Probably overtaken by Yelp.

Unfortunately, sounds like ...

-the company took on more than they can handle with lack of people to finish job

-job is on hold waiting for supplies.

-the company got greedy & oversold jobs which took on more than they can handle at once.

-some bigger construction companies have managers who's job is to sell more jobs with no true set plan to complete in time. More like, they'll take $ & lock into contracts & drag their feet completing when they get to it in between selling more jobs & contracts.

I would flat out ask them in person their business philosophy & find out the real reason it's taking so long. Listen to what they say while watching their body language.

There is a reason, you need to find out the real reason to address it correctly.

10 k left on the table, is a lot more than "less than FIVE hours" of work, kiddo

Jan I’m not following your point- yes 10k is more than 5 hours of work, so what?

(and not sure why you’re calling me kiddo)

The point is you still have no details in question or response. What exactly IS the work left to be completed? Screwing on hardware, tile, what exactly? Hanging lights? Recessed have no baffles ? You owe him 10k ON A 30 K project. What is left to be done? If you have been as vague with him as you are here, he will finish in some very vague future point and you will be vaguely happy when he finally does just that ? Like next year??

Relax . IMO we can’t comment with no info. I had a job once that continued to take forever because my client kept adding and changing things and then complained because the job took longer than promised.I agree 10K hold back is more than a few hours of work left. There are always 2 sides to a story .You have not even shared waht the 30K was for

I've given him a list. It's probably less than 5 hours worth of work.

So, what is on the list? And is any of it preventing you from using the room?

At this point you just want the job done. Give the guy some kind of deadline like my MIL is coming to live with us and you don't want to be around if she is here, so can you finish before.......

Believe me, i tried all of that. He doesn't give a crap.

Find out what it would cost to hire someone else to complete the work and deduct that from what you owe him. That is what I was asked to do after hiring an attorney and going to court.

While it can be very frustrating to deal with those delays, in this case Jan is right. All the trades are very busy. Firing him and hiring someone else? No way. The qualified contractors wouldn't even look at it. Hire an attorney? No, way over-kill at this stage. Send him an e-mail and outline the final work to be done. Tell him how much you appreciate what he's done so far and would like a timeline for completion so you can properly compensate for the finish work and reclaim your space. Threaten nothing at this point. Better to be the people the busy and qualified contractors want to work with than the PITA folks they'd just as soon avoid. That's been my experience anyway.

> the BBB not what it used to be. Probably overtaken by Yelp.

Not a chance. Neither Yelp nor any of the others is worth a hoot these days.

Review sites were great 15-20 years ago when the net was young and lots of tradespeople didn't even yet know it existed. Today everybody's web-savvy. The review websites are loaded down with bogus positive reviews posted by the contractor's friends, and bogus negative ones posted by his competitors. What's more, the review sites will quietly make negative reviews go away for any business that buys their advertising.

The BBB may not be what they once were, but they're the only review resource I trust any more.

We're back to the way it was before the net even existed. Today, your best bet for finding a good tradesperson is asking friends, family, and co-workers who's done good work for them.

I get several calls a year from the BBB asking me to join (I think it's around $500/yr). I have a hard time believing they don't "help" their paid members based on the sales pitches.

What type of project is it? Have you had any convos with him about how long it’s taking? Our small bathroom remodel, which was about 20K, seemed to take an eternity- the planning stages anyway. We were constantly hounding the project manager. And I do know for a fact that he was concurrently working on a multi-million dollar home at the time and our project was not a priority. I hope you can speed things up without a lawyer or anything like that- it’s so frustrating though.

I agree with Revolutionary Gardens, especially since the BBB is funded by paying members. HERE is an interesting Times article about BBB practices.

Thanks for the BBB article - interesting read.

Stephanie, my situation is very similar. Also a bathroom remodel and some other work. I'm sure he has bigger projects than mine and i'm low on the priority list. I have talked to him and he says he's going to show up but then doesn't or shows up for like an hour.

SQUEAK Loudly Or whine.

I guarantee you someone else is. The hour he shows and leaves?

That is spelled: "appeasement."

Until the next time for an hour.

Squeak, make the list, get dates, he signs or forfeits 10k.

The bath won't get finished? We'll it isn't getting finished NOW is it?

I agree with the others, no lawyer needed yet but a full list, signed by you and ask him to sign, would be a good next step. Write it up nicely and present it to him with dates and without any emotion. Maybe a nudge and “threat of a threat” is just what’s needed.

Kiddo, I have BEEN there!!! In fact, I feel like this must be the rule, not the exception. We had a guy we hired because we knew we could at least trust him to tell the truth (construction is a side job and he works with and grew up with my husband) dodge us and make crap up for years. It is the nature of the game, I am afraid. I would tell him that you have someone lined up to complete the 5h job for 5 of his 10k if it is started and finished in a day. Don't make threats. Do it. Give him one week heads up to get it done before your sub takes half of his money.