(no subject)

[ravena_kade]

Sooo...

I get a call and I find 8:25 PM on a Friday a weird time.

He asked how everything was and I said that we are pleased with the work and it is nice.

He says that we need to true up...

I owe him $200 and I owe the plumber $1500...

I asked if I needed 2 checks. Nope...he paid the plumber...

I asked why didn't he say something 4th of July, or back in June when I asked about truing up.

I thought we were done.

This has me in a knot. I can write the check...

Comments

[gwendraith]

Unless you know this builder well and trust him I'd feel a bit suspicious. Does the plummer say he's owed money? Was the builder responsible for paying for the entire project including all the trades and then he'd pay them?

[ravena_kade]

The reason why I let him in the house is because of trust. He's my first cousin. My Dad helped him when he built my other cousins' house. And we understood that he would pay the trades, but we worked out a deal with the electrician to negotiate a better price.

It bothers me that I asked several times in June to true up...

I don't think he is lying. I just think he is less organized and has poor communications skills than I thought. He did carpentry work for my Dad over the years and things were good. He knows wood... but not scheduling and communications. AS a result I can't recommend him, even though the carpentry work is very very good and I am pleased with how it came out.

I asked several times about the plumber cost and decided not to move a radiator pipe to save on cost... and everyone just thought I was being an nervous panicy woman. I even expressed that we were tight on funds but needed to do this to help with staying in the house without Ma.

[gwendraith]

It sounds a bit complicated. It's a shame that he has good tradesman skills but no decent business acumen by the sounds of it.

[ravena_kade]

It is when you work with family...but I was afraid of just leaving a key with a stranger. Oh well. It is done. The check written and handed over a few minutes ago.

I just have to make the best of it for a time being... and tax refund season really is only 6 months away.

[chris_warrior]

i really wish he'd given you a total before all the work even started. this "you owe me more" AFTER the work is done just stinks. a lot of contractors put the money in a contract. :/

[ravena_kade]

when I go through the figures the point where he was off was with the plumber and electrician. We worked out the electrician...but he never gave me the quote for the plumber. It is irksome as I pressed for it so I would not be surprised, but I could not halt the work because my Dad took out the walls.

It won't happen again.

And I need to be more ambitious about making extra funds until tax refund time.