The Contractor Saga – The Rest of The Story

I shared this story on Instagram tales per week or so in the past, however I understand that a complete lot of you don’t comply with me on Instagram and solely learn my weblog, so let me fill y’all in on what has occurred with our bed room suite and the contractor I employed to get that undertaking began.

I do know the final time I up to date y’all, I shared that I used to be annoyed. Whereas I hoped the contractor’s a part of the undertaking would solely take per week, permitting me to get began on putting in the flooring final month, illness and different circumstances (the contractor’s, not ours) had delayed the undertaking. I used to be annoyed, and I shared that right here, and I do know that a few of you thought I used to be being ungracious for getting upset at somebody being sick. However simply know that I used to be actually holding again with among the information as a result of, at the moment, he was nonetheless working right here (type of), and I had excessive hopes that he would really end the work and be on his method.

Nicely, it didn’t prove that method. I ended up firing him, and now I’m left with a much bigger mess than I had anticipated. It’s tremendous, actually. I’m totally able to doing the work that he didn’t get accomplished. However I’m nonetheless shocked at how every part transpired, so right here’s the remainder of the story that I used to be holding again final time I wrote about it.

First, let me clarify that the individual I employed has accomplished a lot of work at our home previously. He was one of many guys who constructed the carport, after which he got here again and completed the carport final yr. He did the drywall in my studio. He was one of many guys who labored on the bedroom-to-master rest room conversion. And I’m positive there’s way more than I’m leaving out. When he first began working right here, he was really working for an additional contractor. And that different contractor stored his guys in line and on schedule. They’d be at my home every morning at 7:50am to be prepared to start out work at 8:00am. They stayed all day, with an hour break for lunch, and labored till round 4:00 every day. When he was working for that different contractor, issues acquired accomplished, they usually had been accomplished on schedule.

So when this man and one other one determined that they needed to go off on their very own and begin their very own enterprise, I made a decision to stay with them since they’re those who had accomplished the precise work on my home. I knew their work, and I trusted the standard of their work. Nicely, that was an enormous mistake. Some individuals are minimize out to personal companies and be self-employed. Others are minimize out to work for an additional individual and wish that oversight. This man falls squarely into that second class.

The primary day he was supposed to point out as much as work, he mentioned that he wasn’t feeling nicely due to allergy symptoms. Since we not have a scuttle gap to the crawl area (a brand new one shall be added to the hallway flooring within the close to future), he minimize a gap within the flooring of the visitor bed room (i.e., our future walk-in closet and laundry room) to get a have a look at the plumbing. He mentioned he was going to buy the required provides, go to the physician for an allergy shot, and present up the following day to work.

No less than, that’s what he instructed me. He really didn’t present up the remainder of the week. So we had been left with this gap within the flooring for per week.

On Friday of that first week, I texted him at 9:38a to see if he was coming since I hadn’t heard from him, and I didn’t hear from him till 11:13 once we had the next textual content change:

So the second week, he assured me that he can be right here shiny and early on Monday to work. He didn’t get right here at 8:00am, however he did at the least present up that day. However even that day was a large number. He introduced helpers with him that day. They confirmed up round 10:00, after which at 10:30 they mentioned they wanted to go to Residence Depot to purchase mud masks. I do not know why it takes a couple of individual to make that journey, however all of them left. Residence Depot is a 15-minute drive from our home, and stepping into to purchase mud masks takes about one other quarter-hour. In order that activity, which evidently took all three of them, ought to have taken 45 minutes on the most. However they acquired again round 11:45. Then they left at 12:30 for lunch, and didn’t come again till after 2:30! They labored for an additional half-hour, after which left for the day. And on the finish of the day, as he was leaving, he mentioned he’d be right here early Tuesday morning to proceed the work.

Tuesday morning, I he didn’t present, and I didn’t hear from him. So at 11:13am, I despatched the next textual content:

I didn’t hear again from him till 1:59pm. He mentioned that he had overslept (what?!). He apologized and requested me to offer him one other likelihood, saying that he’d have the work accomplished by that Friday. I received’t bore you with all the main points of the entire timeline however suffice it to say that the work wasn’t completed by Friday, and such a factor was par for the course for the remainder of the time he labored right here.

He begged me to offer him one other likelihood, and since I’ve identified him for a very long time now, I very stupidly gave him that second likelihood. However then after that, he didn’t present up on one other day when he mentioned he’d be right here.

On Friday of the following week, he requested if he might work on Saturday to complete up the work. He instructed me that he was going to work from 8:30 to 4:30. He confirmed up late on Saturday, after which at 2:30, he requested if he might work a half day on Sunday. I mentioned sure (as a result of I simply needed it accomplished!), after which HE LEFT for the day at 2:30 as an alternative of working till 4:30 like he mentioned he would.

I wasn’t right here that Sunday morning, however I left a key for him. Matt mentioned he did come and work for a few hours. I believe that was the tip of the second week. So by the third week, I used to be past annoyed. I simply needed the work DONE. The third week went about such as you’d count on, though they had been right here greater than that they had been the earlier week. However as soon as once more, he was alleged to be right here on Saturday to complete up the job, and that didn’t occur.

At 10:37am on that Saturday, after I nonetheless hadn’t heard from him, I texted him to see if he was coming. I didn’t hear again from him till 1:43pm when he instructed me that he was on his method to decide up the trailer and head to my home. Then 45 minutes later, I acquired one other textual content from him saying that he couldn’t discover his keys, however and as quickly as he discovered them, he’d head my method. That’s the very last thing I heard from him that day. I didn’t get a textual content. No cellphone name. Nothing. Simply…silence.

By that time, I used to be match to be tied. So on Sunday night, I gathered up all of his instruments, piled them on the sidewalk in entrance of our home by the entrance porch steps, and despatched him the next textual content…

I actually don’t understand how he has any enterprise at this level. If that’s the best way he treats a long-time buyer, I can’t think about that he treats new clients with any extra respect. And what a horrible enterprise choice to deal with a long-time, repeat buyer with such disrespect! I simply can’t wrap my head round it.

The craziest factor is that he responded to that textual content saying, “Okay, I’ll have my spouse convey me within the morning to select them up.” IN THE MORNING?! He had left nearly each device he owns at my home, they usually had been now piled in entrance of my home, and he responded that he’d be there the following morning? He was keen to go away the literal instruments of his commerce out in a single day, the place anybody might have stolen them? That response was simply as unbelievable as his habits had been the earlier three weeks. If somebody had instructed me that each device I personal had been piled in entrance of their home, I might have been there inside minutes to select them up!

Evidently, he did find yourself coming that night to select them up as a result of by the point we went to mattress at 10:00pm, they had been gone. Nicely, most of them had been gone. He really left behind a ladder and an enormous fan that he makes use of to dry drywall mud. He simply left them!

They usually’re nonetheless there, two weeks later, proper subsequent to the pile of stuff he was alleged to haul away on his trailer! I actually don’t know what to do with them. I don’t need them, however I additionally don’t need to transfer them as a result of I don’t need to be accused of protecting his ladder and fan and never letting him have them.

In order that’s the remainder of the saga. Hopefully, my irritation at him makes much more sense now. I wasn’t irritated as a result of his and his youngsters had been sick. I used to be irritated on the lack of communication, and the dearth of exhibiting up when he mentioned he’d be right here. All it could have taken is communication. In case you can’t be at my home if you say you’re going to be there as a result of you’ve sick youngsters, simply textual content me and let me know! However in case you’re alleged to be right here by 8:30, and it’s important to take sick youngsters to the physician, don’t wait till 11:30 to let me know! Don’t hold me guessing for hours…or days…whereas I’m anticipating you to be right here. I simply can’t think about what had triggered him to go from being and dependable employee to this.

It’s unhappy that he’s burned this bridge as a result of, with all the undertaking now we have deliberate within the close to future, I alone might have stored him in enterprise for a great deal of this yr. And I’m extremely annoyed that I not have a go-to individual to name after I want work accomplished. Discovering a brand new, dependable contractor to do small to medium jobs isn’t any straightforward activity. So this will likely actually be a “again to my DIY roots” type of yr.

(FYI, I edited the unique submit for extra accuracy after I realized I nonetheless had our texts.)