I've had quite the experience with contractors lately. Our first contractor did a terrible job and abandoned the project, leading us to take legal action and win a court case against them. Now, with our new contractor, we faced another issue with the installation of upper cabinets that were left in our garage. I expected them to be arranged differently and when I saw them installed, I was taken aback. I thought they were supposed to be paired for a more cohesive look, but the contractor insisted they followed my instructions to the letter, which seems to contradict my expectation. Now, they're charging me an extra $400 to fix it and I'm really confused about who's right here. How can I resolve this without getting into another legal battle? Also, just for context, we're not living in the house yet and communication with the contractor has been tricky. I just want to figure this out without more hassle.
3 Answers
It might be worth considering that if your original contract didn’t specify exact placements, then you might be out of luck. Contractors really do need clear instructions, especially with tricky setups like cabinets. I'd say pay up and get the layout you want this time around!
Honestly, it sounds like a classic case of miscommunication. If you didn't lay out specific plans for the cabinets, it's tough to fault the contractor entirely. They installed what you told them, so to avoid this headache, you should probably just pay the $400 and make sure to be clear next time. A drawing or a quick chat before installation could save you a lot of trouble!
Exactly! Just a simple plan or even a conversation could have cleared things up. Sometimes, assuming everyone understands your vision leads to these issues.
Being on-site during installations is key. If you're acting as your own general contractor, keep in mind you need to supervise the work closely. If things don’t match how you envisioned them, that’s partly on you for not being there to guide them. Lessons learned, I guess!
Definitely! It can be tempting to take a backseat, but communication is crucial. Better to be present than to deal with this hassle later.
Yeah, that’s a solid point. It’s like you’re both on separate pages, and it’s frustrating when that happens. Next time, I’d suggest drawing a diagram to avoid the confusion.