Front Page Forum: Contractor Hell in Bed Stuy
Dear Brownstoner, Like probably everyone who’s done renovation, I am having a pretty much impossible time finding a decent, timely contractor who is affordable. Two months ago I hired a contractor by the name of Randy Blair at the recommendation of Dalila at Smiling realty in Bed Stuy. We signed a contract for renovation of…
Dear Brownstoner,
Like probably everyone who’s done renovation, I am having a pretty much impossible time finding a decent, timely contractor who is affordable. Two months ago I hired a contractor by the name of Randy Blair at the recommendation of Dalila at Smiling realty in Bed Stuy. We signed a contract for renovation of two floors in my house in Bed Stuy, to be finished in 10 weeks. He required me to get all the materials needed for the job up front because he said he wanted to move fast on this project and didn’t want waiting for materials to hold him up.
Within that timeframe, he opened up huge holes in the exterior walls, one for a new window and one for french doors to the backyard- these were left open for two weeks. It rained a few times and damaged the inlaid mahogany wood floors. This is just the beginning: Three weeks after signing the contract, he left for a one month vacation. Before he left he originally told me it would be for two weeks and that he would have a crew working at the house while he was away. Instead, his brother-in-law did two days worth of framing total blaming the no show electrician. It’s been two months and several thousand dollars in supplies and 1/3 the contract price up front–and basically only 1/8 of the work has been done. Help!!! Hiring contractors is such a nightmare! Can anyone help me find a better contractor or give me advice on how to legally deal with the one I hired/get a lawyer to help me deal with this. I can’t afford to float the mortgage while no work is being done. Any advice at this point is desperately needed.
Signed,
Bedstuy Bedlam
It is not true that all big jobs require a deposit. I’ve done two big jobs and I never paid a deposit.
The fact is there are not that many consistently solid contractors out there. Even prior great work is no indication that your job is going to go smoothly. Many people burn out or break down. And if you are lucky to find someone who is healthy and highly skilled they usually will quit to start there own company. As someone who has been involved with hiring contractors for 12 years, my belief is that many people working as contractors never meant to get into the profession in the first place. I used to hire recent art/music school graduates because if they showed up on time, they took great pride in their work, were bright fast learners, and knew how to act in front of the customers. Contractors may not be all criminals, just drug addicted mental patients.
Hi everyone,
Thank you so much for all the responses!
Yes I did sign a contract, unfortunately in the rush, it was not
dated when work was scheduled to start and projected to be completed, though in the contract it states 10 weeks and I put the date (6/7/05) on the first page..
I agree with the opinion that most Brooklyn contractors were once (still are) criminals, or something like it!
Would anyone have a copy of a ‘standard AIA contract that calls for billing to be done on a percentage of completion formula with a 10% hold back until punch list items are completed’-?
So daunting, this process!
What is the best way to fire a contractor properly?
Does anyone have any good contractors they could recommend?
Thank you..
Bed Stewed.
I had a very good experience with an unlicenced contrator… I checked the references, etc, and got a great result for a great price.
I’ve been hiring contractors for years. All big jobs require deposits. If you’re getting something small fixed and the contractor trusts you, you can usually pay when the job’s finished. On big jobs, especially ones where many employees or substantial building materials are required, why on earth would a contractor risk not demanding a deposit?
Nobody should ever trust a broker. Brokers are salesmen. All they know is how to sell. They usually know nothing at all about construction except the few phrases they repeat like parrots every day like “the windows are double paned” or some other stupid sales crap.
If I were looking for a new contractor, I would walk around neighborhoods where there’s lots of construction and meet as many contractors as possible. I’d try to follow the due dilligence suggested by the previous poster once I narrowed down my choices a bit.
For better prices, I suggest using recent immigrants who speak decent English and understand the permit process in New York. Once you find the right guy, you won’t have the types of problems the letter writer is experiencing.
And don’t necessarily go with the cheapest price.
If you do, most likely you’ll get “cheap” work.
There’s a fine price/quality relationship. Unless money is no object, I’d search for somewhere in the middle. When it comes to high end contractors, their prices are usually so high, you could practically do another renovation with the savings from hiring a cheaper guy and the difference in workmanship, in my opionion, is usually never worth the mark up.
Nice post BigBubba, and thanks
Judging what is standard by two jobs is a bit of a stretch. There is a doc used by apartment management companies that includes a typical pay sked for a contractor based on percentage completion – and includes a deposit. Maybe you were not using licensed folks, but in my world, an upfront deposit is usually requested, then perhaps a draw or 2, then the job is only paid in full upon completion.
A contractor can get ripped off by a client if there is no deposit –this is why they ask for it.
Lots of great comments from a variety of view points. Just to be clear, I hired over two dozen different trades/contractors during my renovation. Most of them did not require upfront deposits. The ones that did, only required no more than 10%. However, when it came to hiring a General Contractor, this is where the deposit issue became significant. To a man, each GC required a significant (i.e. up to 20-25% deposit). For what I will affectionately call “high-end” GC’s, this appears to be the norm. That was my experience and that is what other professionals led me to believe. If your experience is different, then more power to yah. I don’t doubt there are GC’s who will work without a deposit – I simply have not encountered them.
The issue of deposits is obviously an ugly one. Being slightly older and wiser post-renovation, I would fight like heck to avoid providing a deposit unless I knew beyond a reasonable doubt that I was dealing with someone who would deliver the goods.
BTW, I tihink the advice from Alo is dead on target. I was thorough, but I wish I had actually gone the extra mile on due diligence as Alo suggests. No doubt, there are some folks I never would have never hired (and had to fire). All in all, because we kept tight control of the outflow of funds, and because we monitored the work on a daily basis, we avoided most of the pitfalls. We have friends and neighbors who are not so fortunate. And sometimes, despite the best diligence, you just get a good guy who is going through a rough patch and your project happens to be the one where he hits that rough path. People are human and these are small businesses, so their personal crap becomes your prsonal crap too and you have to deal with it – sometimes compassionately, sometimes harshly.
I’ve done two major renovations (300k+ on two different properties) in the past 7 years. One in Manhattan and one recently in Park Slope.
Deposits are not standard and not all contractors ask for it. People thinking of doing a renovation should not be made to think that it is the only way to do business. By all means if you want to pre-pay someone for a job – go ahead and do it. Just don’t forget Bedstuy Bedlam’s story though.