Wii: The PSWs are given a van for Ryan which they drive every day to a town 20 min away. If I take the van to get the work done on it - they have to stay home. They PREFER to do it themselves. Particularly because the oil change place is right by the program he goes to and he doesn't even have to get out of the car. The place where we get the snow tires on & off is in a nice plaza. They can shop for Ryan's clothes while there and they enjoy that. Truth is - no one has ever argued about doing it - she just didn't want to carry the tires to and from the van (about 2 feet in the garage). All she had to do was tell us that - we would have done it.
I don't want to fuel something that isn't there, but your general contractor sounds like he is WAAAAY out of line. Did anything change in the course of construction, or is it being built just as he original bid it? If nothing changed, It was HIS mistake, or lack of ability, that caused him to under estimate your job. He is responsible to get bids from the sub-contractors and hold them to it. If their costs were way over, that is your GC's problem, not yours. That is the whole purpose of a bid, and it is enforceable in court. Where I live, its 20%. He can only go 20% over his original bid, barring any change orders. HE is supposed be the professional. HE is supposed to know what it takes and what the costs will be, and by providing a bid, he is giving you a written word. This sort of thing just ruffles my feathers.
SP: It sure ruffles my feathers too. It is also draining MY bank account. I just don't think he got all his bids in. There is very little changed from the original estimate. I have not added fancy extras. This is for a very small room. For instance - the custom wood siding - manufactured coloured - to match the rest of the house if $2,000 for a room that is less than 100 sq feet and almost all window but it is an additional $2000 in labour to install. Unbelievable!
You need to discuss this with someone local, who can go over the bid and the additional costs. It sounds like your contractor is playing the classic bait and switch. "some" amount of overage is to be tolerated, but it sounds like he didn't just blow his bid. The amounts you are describing sound like complete negligence. It's not fair, and it is not legal to do business this way. I would put my foot down.
Please, tell me that you have held back on paying him until the job is completed.
Well, now I've got the flu...it just keeps getting better lol. First the sensor on my camera blew (4-8 weeks to fix), then a few days later my car dies and is scrapped, and now I have the flu...after travelling back and forth for an hour each way on public transit in -10-20 C temperatures. I texted Pastor this morning and told him not to pick me up and it's a good thing I did. I feel like crap. Also the heater in my living room just died and somebody ripped off my heater at work. I'm just waiting for my turtle to say "why don't you just curse God and die". Seriously though, I can't imagine how the homeless could live in this...it's beyond me. Anyway, if you're still with me, I have a question. I have a co-worker who lives about two minutes away from me and people keep asking why I don't ask her to drop me off after work. She knows my situation, where I live and it's barely out of her way. Part of the reason I don't ask is that I'm stubborn and don't want to depend on someone else. The other reason is I don't want to put someone in a position by asking where they have to say yes whether they want to or not. She's not responsible for my transportation, I am. I also don't want a co-worker resenting me as a pain. My boss asked me why I didn't ask her and I said that if my co-worker wants to offer she will, if she doesn't she won't and I don't want to put her in an uncomfortable situation by asking... and so far she hasn't offered. Am I correct in my thinking or am I being a stubborn old mule?
