When your contractor will not finish the job...

Need the advice of the Browstoner community. After a gut reno, we had an electrical signoff 5 months ago and have been waiting for the DOB/final inspection/completion of job. Our contractor still has a punch list, including a basement staircase, which must be in for us to pass inspection. BUT HE WILL NOT FINISH THE JOB! He’s ignored us now for far too many months and I need to know what my recourse is. We don’t owe him much in terms of final payment (10K — a mistake on our part) but having unfinished items and more importantly no C of O is as bad as his pretending this job will just go away. Expeditor fees were part of our design/build contract, too. Any suggestions?

pemco-supply

in General Discussion 9 years and 4 months ago

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carolinet | 9 years and 4 months ago

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Always have a retainage clause in your construction contract. Keep a little bit of each progress payment (usually 10%) that will be released at final payment. It’s meant to protect the Owner in cases like this. Money always helps to motivate the Contractor to finish.

Lurker | 9 years and 4 months ago

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Leave a message saying you’re going to call the Dept of Consumer Affairs and file a complaint if he doesn’t respond in 24 hours to negotiate a schedule. If he doesn’ respond, then go ahead and file. It takes some paperwork, but after in about 30 days they’ll get in touch, then call the contractor directly to give him a chance to complete. If he doesn’t or won’t they then consider whether you have a case, and if you do they’ll schedule a hearing with a judge. Again that’s another few months. But while that happens you get another contractor to finish the job, and then pursue the cost of that with the old GC. The DCA has the power to sanction, fine and even revoke the license of contractors, so it’s not joke. It just takes a while.

stevecym | 9 years and 4 months ago

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he should carry a completion bond. why not call that into play?

arwindsharma007 | 9 years and 4 months ago

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All depends what there is on the contract – if there is one. Sound like a clause stipulating date of renovation completion is missing – very common. If the contractor is licensed I would contact licensing authority and ask for mediation.

mykonos | 9 years and 4 months ago

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Move on. Control the quality and completion date on your own. I’m in the same boat. Once a DB, always a DB.

Guest User | 9 years and 4 months ago

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You should move on. He isn’t going to give you the best job. I recommend, Park Slope Brownstone Restoration. One o f the longstanding, reputable, companies left in Park Slope.

neweco | 9 years and 4 months ago

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Best advice is to work it out with him.

newtomehouse | 9 years and 4 months ago

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Assuming you are in Brooklyn, winding your way through DOB for a new C of O can take too much time unfortunately. Always your best bet to have your existing contractor finish and get the sign offs as bringing in new professionals to supercede permits and sign offs will only end up taking much longer. Call your contractor and speak to him is your best bet.

slopefarm | 9 years and 4 months ago

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Cut your losses as best you can. Your problem is you owe too little and your contractor has already spent the money you’ve paid, so he doesn’t want to finish the job for less than it will cost him to do it. Find someone who can finish the job, get an estimate. That, minus what you owe, is more or less your damages against your contractor. Potentially you have damages in the form of lost rent if this is holding yup your ability to rent out a unit (not sure, you;d need to consult an attorney). Your damages may be a lot or it may be too little to worry about.

Perhaps your contractor will agree to arrange/show up for an inspection for a commensurate price once the necessary work is done (and not everything is necessary). That is money worth spending. Get your sign-off and then be rid of the contractor, and decide alter whether to sue. Keep very good records of what you have someone else do and what you paid.

My comment is subject to what a professional (architect, construction lawyer, etc) may tell you, but you need to find a pr.actical way to get this done and minimize your losses.