What Would You Do?

[cmjust0]

If you're making steaks, you must be happy! Sounds like you made the right decision.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Woohoo! Congrats on your porch!!

 

[WingingIt]

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Wow, pretty dramatic and self-righteous on behalf of a concrete guy you don't even know. I don't see what you said in there applying to them, though. They WERE waiting on the concrete guy, they WERE understanding and accepting delays. The problem came in when he gave a date (repeatedly) and never showed up AND never contacted them to let them know what was going on. He can bluster about individuals hiring him, but GCs certainly won't stand for that work ethic, either. If you don't do the work and if you don't communicate to reschedule, you don't get the opportunity to work with those GCs again and they'll tell their friends, too. Let the guy try to meet his purchase discount quotas then.

Shafting one job for another is also a REALLY good way to get yourself put out of business, too. Nothing saying you can't juggle, but if you accept jobs and blow them off (ESPECIALLY with a contract in place) for another job leaving either a GC or an individual in the air, you've made your name and you deserve every bit of that reputation and loss of work it'll earn you. You can't have it both ways, you can't say there's a contract so that the customer (either GC or individual) can't fire them but that the contractor can walk away if the GC/customer isn't happy. Nope, you're both bound by it. Keeps EVERYONE protected that way. I don't see them shafting the concrete guy and yes, I've got experience in this area. The last job we worked on the GC fired two sheetrock crews and a plumbing crew for not showing up and not letting them know what was going on. This was not a small job and it was the first of 10 big customs lined up. Apparently those folks have plenty of money in the bank because they just guaranteed they'll never go back to building these custom houses with this GC and we're talking 'McMansion' type homes.

About the only thing you said I think is spot on is that contractors know each other - and I'd bet you dollars to donuts that if the OP had asked around, the others would have told them to avoid that guy in the first place.

Funny about the porch!

 

[herfrds]

Sonoran here is the pumper truck.

They deliver the cement to this truck and it pumps it to where it is needed in the form by way of the hose. Much easier then a wheel barrow or using the cement trucks chute. Less waste.
Going to use him again to do the floor too.

Those guys brought sandwiches with them because they thought I was kidding about the steaks. Boy were they surprised.

My BBQ grill quit so I broiled the steaks instead.
Had beans, watermelon, potato casserole and biscuits. Forgot the dessert.

They didn't mind though.

Oh I heard from the contractor who found us this new guy. Said if we needed any help or needed someone to finish some part of the house to let him know. His daughter got a big kick out of the Thank You card I made him.
After we butcher this fall I'm going send him a couple pkgs of steaks. We are now out as of today or I would have already.

 

[Boyd]

I completely understand why you want folks to hire a GC... But do you both know how easy it is to get your GC license? I got mine at 16... Have I used it? Once or twice. Took me a 3 hour class and 75$ for the test. Shucks, my neighbor got her dog a GC license.

You guys, I'm sure you're both good enough and have done enough jobs that you have no problems finding work, probably have a waiting list to even get on your schedule etc.. But there are plenty of competent builders and GC's who are hungry for work, willing to work with homeowners, and will get the job done without any problems.

I ran into a GC such as you two when I was doing an entire house remodel. Wasn't comfortable with me being so involved. In the end I exercised a clause in my contract, paid him what was due that moment, and fired him. He lost out on the other $80k worth of remodeling. I ended up GC'ing the rest of it myself (although I did not want to, going to school full time, working full time, kids yadda yadda yadda) but ended up saving a ton of money and got the job done on time. From a 3 hour class and a 75$ test.........

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