I have no idea what discussions took place between you and your contractor but I would think this is what your patio should look like.

I think I presumed this is the default.... isn't it....

This will cost the contractor a lot to replace if your contract included specs on layout of design.. Don't want to judge, but looks like you have other things to address around this patio and home. I suggest you ask for a full refund, don't do a redo and do greenery around the edges to create the illusion it's at right angles. Put patio furniture on it. You'll get the funds back to do other things that need to be done.

But your brain is your brain, only you can decide what is most important. If the contract didn't specify layout of design, then it was a big learning experience. Use a border and furniture to obscure the lines.

This is poor workmanship. Do not sign off on this. Get a full refund/replacement. Report and post reviews to all business bureaus and contractor marketing sites if they ignore you. I would not settle for this because when you sell the house the buyer will notice this was poorly installed. Contractors need to be held accountable especially with the cost of these improvements.

Good advice already- I’d also check to make sure the patio is graded properly to move water away from the house

Thanks to everyone for the advice. Things just got more complicated...

I discovered that the contractor saved my payment info from the first deposit without my authorization, and made two more payments as if the project was complete. I've called my bank to report the fraud. At this point, the trust is broken, and asking them to redo the work is no longer an option.

A full refund and cleanup is the minimum fair resolution. However, as craftlr mentioned, it hurts the resale prices with such a bag installation. Hiring another contractor to redo the work will probably cost about $2000 more than the original contract. Would it be possible to request extra compensation, or would that backfire and lead to more time, stress, and uncertainty?

I would not request extra compensation, probably too difficult to recover. But I would definitely be stopping payment with bank, reporting fraud etc. So this contractor knows you are serious and willing to do what it takes to get what you paid for. Let the contractor know replacement or refund is much easier and cheaper than going to small claims court. However, they could always put a lien on your property for the unpaid portion of work. It really should be handled outside the court if possible.

I understand your frustration but once you place some furniture on the patio, you can also cover partly with an outdoor rug, it won't be as noticeable.

This will not impact your resale value. Aim for a full refund for the many reasons you list and consider yourself lucky you didn't get into bigger trouble with this untrustworthy contractor. Was this the lowest bid?

What will hurt your resale is the patio door and foundation with obvious signs of moisture and mildew. Focus on that. That could be a huge problem if it's black mold.

Why are you worried about resale? Is this is a flip? If so, oh well.

Yes, you should get the amount refunded, plus the additional money paid to you that it will take for a redo of the terrible work. There is no reason that you should have to pay extra to remedy their mistake. I'm so sorry this happened. I get why you are upset. The work sucks and on top of it they committed fraud.

I would not even bother.

get nice sitting outdoor furniture plus decor and make cozy bohemian style patio

or lush garden launch

I would be extremely unhappy with the way the patio has been stamped. Plus, it does make me question whether the patio was built correctly (including correct slope as la_la Girl has commented).

The provided information below is general, not specific advice, and should not be relied upon as professional legal advice. You should contact an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction in order to receive specific legal advice vs. general information (as provided below).

As far as whether you could recover the extra costs you will incur to have the patio removed in order to have a new one installed, those are damages may be recoverable. Compensatory damages (= actual damages) are one type of damages that you can recover from breach of contract. General damages compensate you for direct losses you've suffered due to a breach of contract. The extra cost to have the patio installation done correctly would include the extra money spent to remove the current patio.

I don't know how much money your patio was or in what jurisdiction you reside - small claims court has a wide range of the amount of money that can be awarded (depending on the state). Some states may limit the amount at $20,000 - while others might be limited to $2,500.

There are statutes that have been enacted in *most states covering improvements/services provided at a residential property. The statutes are all a little bit different - many require providing the contractor with a right of remediation (allowing the contractor the ability to remedy the issue before you can engage another contractor to do the work). If you live in a state with a right of remediation - and don't provide one to your contractor, you won't be able to file any type of lawsuit against your contractor. Some of these statutes also provide for a homeowner to recover attorneys' fees. The specific statute that has been enacted in your state will determine the above.

*it may be all statutes - however, I haven't researched all states related to this issue. However, every state that I have researched this issue, I have found a statute covering work/services performed by contractors on residential properties.

You also have a a special situation where your cc was charged without being authorized. I can't remember if you have disputed the charge already with your cc company - if not, I would do so ASAP. You also should contact the consumer protection agency in your state in order to ask some questions about the issue(s) that have occurred with this contractor. Many state and federal consumer protection laws include provisions that allow a court to award reasonable attorneys' fees and costs to the prevailing party. This would allow you to sue the contractor in limited actions or regular civil court using an attorney and be awarded the fees paid to the attorney as part of your damages.

I also had a very bad concrete job happen. It was equally problematic, uneven, etc, bad dye, a weird pattern of divots I did not request on the steps. Plus steps which were skewed as you note in your job- the crazy skewing- plus they contracted to replace the original railings ( espensive original wrought iron) and then said they couldn't because of course they had buit different stairs entirely.

My solution worked only for me though. My son in law who is also a contractor called the contractor and had a discussion in no uncertain terms. He was actually diplomatic to a degree ( "It is very hard to supervise all of your crews in the field when you are running a lot of crews. BUT this is not a good job and we both know it"). ..." You and I both know that you need to redo it". So they did. We had quite a lot of back and forth over the railings. They wanted $900 to " adjust them. I said , and paid $400 more. But not $900.

I can also say from another experience many years later that was worse, really, really worse, that suing will do no good on a small homeowner level job. I hope that you have either had if fixed or adjusted your expectations.