HELP! Contractor Issue

6 years ago

Hi there,

I am asking for my sister, who is in the midst of a big master bathroom renovation -- moving walls/toilet, installing two vanities, huge 2-person shower, free-standing bath tub, etc. Her contractor had given her a breakdown of the job and the quote for the tiler was approximately $8K. It's now time for the tiling to start and he says he mis-calculated the cost and it is now $10K more! There was no change in design or anything. So, she and her husband suggested to the contractor that they will get their own tiler. They knew the contractor would not be happy w/ the decision but they were surprised how upset he was. And furthermore, he said that getting their own tiler would cause delays in the project and how he can't guarantee the work if there are leaks or breakage -- in a roundabout way, suggesting he would make things difficult for them if they were to get their own tiler. My sister is furious -- she feels that the contractor is not working with them and a $10K increase is unreasonable -- how can he misquote by that much?! But on the other hand, if the contractor drags his feet or leaves the job unfinished, it would be a major headache for them. She feels like they are at the contractor's mercy. What would you suggest? Thanks!

Featured Answer

AJCN

6 years ago

Your sister should stop work, schedule a meeting, and ask the contractor to provide his plan to finish the project within the parameters of the contract. If they refuse, it means they are quitting and breaching the contract. In that case, they probably owe your sister a partial refund. No way should your sister hire a different tiler. That’s just asking for trouble. The GC is responsible for the whole job. Stop work and schedule a meeting to discuss.

From this point forward ALL communication is by email, not verbal.

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Comments (11)

PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago
8K or take a hike.
Katie thanked Joseph Corlett, LLC
Katie
Original Author
6 years ago
@J Corlett - would it be easy to find another contractor to finish the job?
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Mrs. S
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
The point is that they have a contract, and both parties need to stick to the contract--that's the whole idea of coming to an agreement ahead of time and signing it.

In case she is still trying to decide whether to go along with this person, then let her know that a contractor who claims he underestimated something by less than half the actual cost, is not a contractor who can be trusted to do a job correctly. Next week, he'll say he underestimated again. Then he'll say he couldn't get the grout your sister wanted. Etc.

You know what the biggest clue is? That he was so upset at his clients after his own "mistake."
Katie thanked Mrs. S
AJCN
6 years ago
And as long as we’re talking about the shower, how was the waterproofing done?

Does your sister have any in-progress photos that show all the layers from the wall studs out?
Katie
Original Author
6 years ago
AJCN: I asked my sister. Hopefully the contractor knows that the cement board needs to be waterproofed. Thanks!
Jo
6 years ago
I had the same thing happen to me but it was the electrical charges. I had a contract that outlined everything including the electrical. My contractor told me that the electrician invoiced him for double the amount that was in our contract. I referred to the contract and paid only that amount as that was what we agreed on. Then there were other issues with the contractor and what I saw was that he quoted the prices for the contract and then hired untrained people to do some of the work so he could make more money. The electrician was qualified but the tiler did not know what he was doing. After lengthy discussion we parted ways. My advice is to pay only what is in the contract but make sure they are qualified to do the work. She needs to have a good discussion with the contractor,
Katie thanked Jo
AJCN
6 years ago
Same here: Very expensive, premier GC with stellar local reputation hired unqualified hacks to increase his margin. Plumber didn’t know water, given the oppotuunity, will go in a downward direction.
Katie thanked AJCN
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago
"@J Corlett - would it be easy to find another contractor to finish the job?"

No. It will be very difficult and if this guy underbid your project as I suspect he did, you may end up paying 18K to a guy that does know how to estimate. The difference is that the word will go out that you're not a pushover and that you expect a deal to be deal.
Katie thanked Joseph Corlett, LLC
Katie
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you for your advice!