I recently had my kitchen renovated, where I paid for the tiles, and my contractor was supposed to cover all other materials, then bill me afterwards. He initially estimated the material cost around $1,000 to $1,500, but his bill just came in at a whopping $5,800. He claims he used six buckets of epoxy grout (A-B-C parts), each costing $300, for a 140 sq ft floor and a 65 sq ft backsplash. I checked with a store employee about how much grout would be needed, and they said I only needed two buckets. On top of that, he's charging for cleaning supplies, plastic sheets, and other items that he supposedly used. It seems like he's billing me for materials beyond what's necessary or hasn't even been used. How should I address this issue?
3 Answers
You should definitely ask him for an itemized list of everything he used along with receipts. Since he gave you an initial quote, it’s worth checking what he estimated for the actual installation and comparing that to this new bill. It’s also bizarre that he won’t provide the receipts until you pay up; that’s a major red flag! If he can’t justify the costs with proof, that’s a problem.
It's odd for a contractor not to give you receipts. I'd keep insisting on that!
Four to five times the estimated cost is ridiculous! I’d confront him and point out that you know he didn’t need that much grout. Ask for specifics on how the estimated costs differ from what he’s trying to charge you now, and why he didn’t get any prior approval for this increase. Maybe offer to pay a max of about $2,000 and see what he says—if he wants to take it to court, let him!
Exactly, this is so inflated, I wish I could upvote this twice!
Totally with you on that. Call him out on those costs!
Communication is key here. Sometimes these things can just be a simple misunderstanding, so it might be worth trying to resolve it directly with him first. However, you mentioned he’s insisting on charging for everything he 'actually' used. When you questioned him about the huge price difference, he said it was for premium materials and some extra work? That sounds off to me, especially if you just wanted standard tiles. This could require a little more discussion to make it clear what you actually agreed on.
We did talk, and he claimed he's charging for everything used. He explained the high estimate by saying premium materials were necessary, but we only asked for basic tiles.
He did show us the receipts, but said he couldn't give them until we settled the bill.