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March 5, 2008
General Contractor Agreement???
I have been working with a general contractor for some time now and we have an arrangement that is not working at all for me. Basically there is no written agreement on jobs or scope of work done to my houses and I basically pay him a small flat fee for each renovation. The catch is I pay all the subs, call for inspections, schedule work to be done then check up on the renovations I have. He basically pulls the permit and drives by once in a blue moon. I recently heard this may be illegal for him to do and I would like to know what I should do to protect my projects? Thanks in advance
Comments
Fire him or insist on a contract and scope. This happens all the time because people think they can handle more than they can and also because people think they'll save money, whatever.
Lesson learned. You're frustrated with the dude and you now have no course of action. It sucks, but I don't see anything "illegal" with what he's doing.
The good thing is that if there is no contract you can tell him to get the "F" out of your house and you're not paying him a dime more. If you are coordinating all the subs AND paying them, why do you even need him anymore?
Posted by: guest at March 5, 2008 7:23 AM
I'd wanna know where you got the subs from. If they're 'your' subs, i.e., you found them, then get rid of the GC. If he brought you all the subs, then they belong to him, and you shouldn't try and cut him out.
Posted by: denton at March 5, 2008 8:16 AM
my contractor gave me and itemized list of the scope of the work. then when the work was completed she would let me know what was done (or what % of it was completed). I would pay her in thirds as long as the work was done. so if only some of the electrical was done she would only charge me for the protion of what was done. very efficient and everything was paid for in 3 easy installments (assuming the work was omcplete). She coordinated all the subs and I didn't need to do any of that. I agree with the others: if the GC isn't doing what they are supposed to do then get rid of them (you may lose the subs if he brought them with him) I'd hire her and get rid of who you have now IF they don't comply with what they are supposed to be doing. keep your standards high and expect them to be met.
Posted by: guest at March 5, 2008 9:10 AM
If there is no contract, not sure there's anything legally binding the GC to do anything, but this allows you to end the relationship whenever you like. Even if you do sign a contract, he may end up pulling the same s$%t, so if you're OK walking away and starting with someone new, you may want to do that. You'd probably want to interview new GCs after hours, in case no one wants to mess around with his work in case there's violations. Once you've found someone new, you can tell the other guy to walk.
Posted by: guest at March 5, 2008 10:08 AM
Sounds like you're doing all the work of a general contractor. Get rid of him. You have a permit, and all he's doing now is stopping by; so what; you're doing that too.
I hate to tell you, you could have pulled the permit yourself also. You didn't need him to do that either. Or the architect who signed and sealed your drawings could have done it.
Posted by: guest at March 5, 2008 10:35 AM
9:10 you actually found a GC who is competent, efficient, AND a woman. Please give her contact info. Sounds ideal.
Posted by: guest at March 5, 2008 10:59 AM
with pleasure. Her name is Ewa Budnick (pronounced eva). her phone # is 917-620-2888.
Posted by: guest at March 5, 2008 11:02 AM
11:02 How big a job did you have her run? Is she a fully licensed/insured GC? I'm starting to solicit bids for a rehab of a 4 story that needs everything. Shockingly few people seems to come out on the other side of these projects willing to recommend their contractor. Everyone seems to have had problems.
Posted by: guest at March 5, 2008 5:16 PM
the 2 biggest problem I had (and I had it with other contractors who I wouldn't recommend) is that i wish they would work cleaner. very few of them clean up ona daily basis and they need to pay attenton to details more. The job was not huge but it required detail and precision. she brought this to the table. I also like that she was accessible and had great follow-up.If i didn't like something i told her and she would correct it. if i wanted her there she would be there. Her dad is the actual, hands on labor person. she is the business head.
If you are starting to solicit bids you have nothing to lose by calling her. you don't have to hire her if it doesn't feel right. best of luck
Posted by: guest at March 6, 2008 5:47 AM
A homeowner or architect CANNOT "pull" a permit themselves. After Department of Buildings (DOB)approval, a construction permit is only issued to a licensed and insured contractor with a "tracking number" issued by the DOB.
Posted by: guest at March 6, 2008 8:56 AM
I hired VIP Batista Constractors, Vinicio and Pedro they are licensed constractors and disappeared after 2 months. When I hired a new contractor I found out all the electrical and plumbing were done wrong and has to be re-done. These guys are terrible never use them, I made a complaint againist them at dept of consumer affairs and at a loss of 20,000.00 now
Posted by: guest at March 24, 2008 2:05 PM
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