Home improvement contactor breakup
March 6, 2022 1:04 PM Subscribe
I'm doing some major renovations on my house, and the contractor has asked to get out of the contract. What should I be asking for here?
The contractor seems like a good honest guy in very far over his head. I've had a lot of frustration with the subs' very poor workmanship and the contractor's lack of oversight. We've talked about it and I think it's just beyond his skillset. It's not a material cost issue, I've been paying for most of those. So I'm not necessarily opposed to the idea but want avoid too many more problems.
At least here, contactors of any kind are nearly impossible to get to respond and if you can get one they're scheduled really far out. I've moved out for this work and the house is not yet livable. It's framed, with some errors that he's struggled to correct, and roofed. But that's about it. Although I have a good amount of DIY skill and could find subs, I need a GC for a building permit since there's plumbing and electrical work.
The contractor seems like a good honest guy in very far over his head. I've had a lot of frustration with the subs' very poor workmanship and the contractor's lack of oversight. We've talked about it and I think it's just beyond his skillset. It's not a material cost issue, I've been paying for most of those. So I'm not necessarily opposed to the idea but want avoid too many more problems.
At least here, contactors of any kind are nearly impossible to get to respond and if you can get one they're scheduled really far out. I've moved out for this work and the house is not yet livable. It's framed, with some errors that he's struggled to correct, and roofed. But that's about it. Although I have a good amount of DIY skill and could find subs, I need a GC for a building permit since there's plumbing and electrical work.
Best answer: I'd be very wary of this. At least where I live, a builder starting on the job would become responsible for any errors the first contractor made, and most would be unwilling to take it on as a result. I wouldn't agree to break the contract unless I had another contractor lined up, and I would expect the current guy to help me find that person.
posted by Cheese Monster at 11:56 AM on March 8, 2022
posted by Cheese Monster at 11:56 AM on March 8, 2022
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In terms of getting out of the contract, the key risk for you is that a future contractor/sub may not be happy with the work already done and require changes to be made, at your cost of course. If the current contractor is 'beyond his skillset' there may be as-yet-unknown issues that will need to be resolved at some point in the future.
Is it possible for you to get more involved or hire someone to assist and keep the current contractor in place until the house is at least livable and keep the work moving? Changing contractors is going to cause massive delays barring some sort of miracle.
posted by dg at 4:00 PM on March 6, 2022 [1 favorite]