Also, I would pay 2 weeks after the job is done so you can have that leverage to have him fix the issues that you’ll find and that will come up after he has left.
This might be more difficult if it isn’t already in the contract but there is probably a stipulation that the balance be paid by x amount of time from work completion and I would use every minute of that.
Not to be a jerk but to make sure that everything is ok.
In reply to nutherjrfan :
We've been documenting as best we can, but unfortunately all of the discussion about the foam was verbal either in person or on the phone- going forward we're getting everything either in text, email, or formal receipt stating what was (ostensibly) done.
Unfortunately from looking into things with the previous contractor we have a pretty good idea that almost anything done in the legal realm is going to cost us more than it is going to be worth, and unfortunately at this point money is definitely a concern as is the fact that while from a technical standpoint the remaining work to be done is not rocket science (and even so- I -AM-, by education, a rocket scientist...) the problem is that there's no way some of it can be done by one person alone and so far our fortune in finding good help is pretty demonstrably terrible.
This week is going to weigh a lot as far as where we end up going with things... if he gets done what he claims he's going to (and we will be stopping by tomorrow evening to check up on sealing everything up with the foam) tomorrow & Wednesday we'll probably stick it out through him finishing the interior walls and flooring which should get us the certificate of occupancy. There's likely to be a fight over a few things, namely 'finishing' the space between the rafters up above the walls where the roof meets the walls. He initially said it would cost $1200 for them to frame up to bring the tongue-in-groove wall material all the way up because of how much cutting they'd have to do. Frankly I think that, again, is BS since that should be included in finishing the interior walls in general (it's not like this was something he couldn't forking see from the get-go....), but after my doing the math and calling him essentially claiming it would take 4 guys 2 full days to do it he changed to tune to that they could do it with a wide barn wood board instead for a lot less (though he's not quoted what it would be yet).
Honestly it would feel QUITE good to just fire his ass, but it would mean a LOOOOT of hard work for us to finish it ourselves, and honestly we worry a lot more about this guy potentially doing something retaliatory to the property than the previous contractor (who basically just disappeared vs. this one just going off the reservation at times...).
In reply to jfryjfry :
The contract simply states 'XXXX is due upon completion of *list of items*' and doesn't lay out a timeline.
We would like to be out there almost all the time checking on things- but it's an hour drive each way and we can't be there during the workday (well, the Dancer could, but she doesn't particularly want to be out there alone with a bunch of guys nor would I want her to be without being armed and knowing how to use said armament well).
On the -GOOD- side of things, ALL of the subs with the exception of the rare things his own crew is doing (like the tiling that was something of a flashpoint here) are being dealt with and paid directly by us. We were completely out of the loop with the subs with the previous contractor and decided that it was better for our sanity and legal safety to be dealing with them directly so we knew exactly what had and hadn't been paid. Ironically at least one of the subs (the electrician I believe) for whatever reason just ignores the contractor's calls and but happily talks with us.
And yeah- we're not planning on paying anything more until the whole thing is finished.
I just stopped at the body shop to check on Gary the Jeep. Apparently the 2019s are just different enough from the 2018s that all the pieces are still being hammered out is some village in Italy. Once again we’ve done things backwards. Our Italian car was made in Mexico and parts were easy to get while our Jeep is Italian and exotic.
The school I attended for one semester in 2014 is still sending me emails about missing financial aid info and my academic standing. Usually notice them during the summer when their offices are closed or when I'm too busy with work and the school I actually am attending to go talk to them about it.
A .252 BAC. The bastard had a .252 BAC when he hit us. That explains a lot. There wasn't a damn thing I could have done either.
That's twice a drunk driver has tried to kill me with a head-on collision. I'm starting to think they are out to get me.
In reply to slefain :
Holy sheepdip! That's more than 300% of the legal limit around here. That should mean jail time, but it won't.
I kind of can't believe drunk driving is still a thing in this day and age.
I'm glad you're not dead.
In reply to slefain :
Buy a crew cab version of this:
Send those drunk berkeleyers to hell.
Duke said:In reply to slefain :
Holy sheepdip! That's more than 300% of the legal limit around here. That should mean jail time, but it won't.
I kind of can't believe drunk driving is still a thing in this day and age.
I'm glad you're not dead.
No jail time for him. I know the BAC because it was on the coroner report.
In reply to slefain :
Ah. Justice self-served, then. For once.
Saw a Fiat 124 Spyder Abarth on the road while riding my bike home from work yesterday. In the rant thread because in a timeline where things actually went RIGHT with the cabin build we'd have the money that I could buy (or lease) one easily...
I'm not sure if it's a rant or a win, but the new sub headings here have made it super easy to ignore all the Challenge conversations and has almost completely snuffed out my interest in participating.
One employee moved on, one was fired, another is out for surgery. We already run a short crew. About ready to revisit the compensation conversation with boss man because the stress level is way too damn high for this flavor of job.
slefain said:Duke said:In reply to slefain :
Holy sheepdip! That's more than 300% of the legal limit around here. That should mean jail time, but it won't.
I kind of can't believe drunk driving is still a thing in this day and age.
I'm glad you're not dead.
No jail time for him. I know the BAC because it was on the coroner report.
Wow, sounds like that was a bad one. Glad you made it out.
Jesus berkeley, I've been in the phone with SWMBO for 28 minutes. I talked for 5 minutes. She has talked for 8 minutes.
Hmmnn.....nnnmn....HHHN.....nnnmn.
Do the math. I put the phone on speaker, set it down, and did other things. Easy to do when there are actual, multiple minutes between spoken words.
Why did you call me again?
This rant is NOT directed at any forum members
Are you sure your hearing aid are broken and not just in backwards? How the berkeley else are you CRUNCHING Jello? It's annoying enough listening to you chew on rocks all the time, but I swear is getting louder and worse. Crunch crunch crunch all the damn time. berkeleying stop. If you can't eat anything at a reasonable volume, put it in the blender first. Crunch crunch crunch.
This just went live on BaT, and I'm still not rich enough to buy one. 
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1993-ford-mustang-svt-cobra-9/
In reply to slowbird :
Honest I'd rather have an LX than a Cobra R. Not gonna leave it stock anyway. That is definitely my favorite fox body color though.
In reply to Daylan C :
Ok I guess I would settle for a clone, but the fanblade wheels are a must.
Appleseed said:Jesus berkeley, I've been in the phone with SWMBO for 28 minutes. I talked for 5 minutes. She has talked for 8 minutes.
Hmmnn.....nnnmn....HHHN.....nnnmn.
Do the math. I put the phone on speaker, set it down, and did other things. Easy to do when there are actual, multiple minutes between spoken words.
Why did you call me again?
There are some books you should probably read... Five Love Languages and His Needs Her Needs give a decent overview of why this happens and what your part of it is. Enjoy!
chandler said:Appleseed said:Jesus berkeley, I've been in the phone with SWMBO for 28 minutes. I talked for 5 minutes. She has talked for 8 minutes.
Hmmnn.....nnnmn....HHHN.....nnnmn.
Do the math. I put the phone on speaker, set it down, and did other things. Easy to do when there are actual, multiple minutes between spoken words.
Why did you call me again?
There are some books you should probably read... Five Love Languages and His Needs Her Needs give a decent overview of why this happens and what your part of it is. Enjoy!
This changed my marriage, though I didn't want to believe it at the time. I still have a little mental warning light that says "she needs a hug" as a result.
Yesterday the builder was supposed to put the last windows (big triangular one in the back and a large rectangular one in the front, both in the upper level of the living area). Drug his feet initially and had to get someplace with good data service to send us pictures of them holding the windows up to confirm where we wanted them- which wasn't a bad thing, but he made a big deal of it. AND THEN after we decided what we wanted to do in general and said to just use his judgment on exact placement of it within the parameters we said- ended up deciding not to do it because he wanted us to actually be out there to see just what it looked like and make it was where we wanted. Which doesn't sound bad- but frankly we don't care THAT MUCH about the exact placement as long as it's structurally sound, doesn't let water in, and gets as much light into the room as possible. The only good thing to come of it? In part, at least, due to his wife being in the car with him when he made the call he ended up agreeing to install it diagonally- which he had earlier said would cost another $2-300- at no charge.
Also largely worked out getting the interior covered in the clear urethane we picked up toward the beginning of this- shockingly the price he came up with for it (that it wasn't included in the main bid is annoying, but it definitely isn't there- just the exterior was) was less than what another place had said when we were getting bids way back when. What IS rant-worthy though is that we got exactly how much he had said we would need back when we got the exterior stain since Sherwin-Williams had a 40% off sale going on- and now it apparently needs almost double because he'd not included the ceiling boards/rafters.
Insurance audits. That's 3 hours gone. What a PITA.
I get annoyed with people and their car purchases and statements about cars. It doesn't impact my life whatsoever (well, it sort of does, but not really), but it still annoys me.
Case in point: I was on a business trip, and one of my colleagues (who drove) had a new Highlander. I was in the 3rd row, and commented that I was surprised how small the third row seat was (not in any way that could have been offensive). She said "yeah, people forget this is a small SUV". I let it drop, but I was intrigued enough to look it up. I compared it to the Sienna, which would have made more sense for this person, and the 4Runner, which I consider a mid-size SUV.
The Sienna is 9 inches longer than the Highlander, 2.4 inches wider, 1 inch taller, and 200 lbs heavier. I mean, yeah, it is smaller... but I was thinking it needed another 9 inches in legroom in the 3rd row, AND another 9 inches in room behind the third row to even come close to being as useful as the Sienna.
The 4Runner length is 1.2 inches less than the Highlander, the same wheelbase and width, and 2.5 inches taller, and depending on options, roughly 100lbs less than to 300lbs more than the Highlander.
In reply to mtn :
My wife was completely resistant to buying a minivan, but now she wonders how our family ever managed without one. For people and cargo hauling, a minivan simply does everything better.
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