getting the builder to finish his work

[Gina82478]

What is the name of your state? New Hampshire

We started having our house built a year ago, and after the builder procrastinating for 10 months it was finally finished enough that we were able to move in 2 months ago. We had a nice shower built in our master bathroom and it was supposed to be tiled, the tile job is falling apart and looks really horrible. We've been trying to get him to come out and fix it for the last 2 months and he finally showed up yesterday, and all he did was tear the tile off the seat and the floor(the whole thing needs redone) and leave. When I asked him about redoing the whole thing he told me that he was only doing what he tore out. Plus he was supposed to show up today and didn't show up or call like we've been dealing with the whole time. Is there anything we can do to get him to come in and finish the rest of the job, or get our money back for it since he was already paid. He also needs to come in and fix walls, and paint and some leaks in the basement.

 

[lwpat]

The first thing you need to do is to notify the builder in writing of the defective work and list the corrections that you require. You need to be very specific. Include pictures of the defective work and give him a reasonable timeframe to complete the work. Send it CRRR.

If he does not make the corrections send him a notice that you are hiring another contactor to complete the work and obtain two or three estimates to forward to the original contactor. Notify him that you will expect him to pay for the corrections.

If he still fails to do the work then you can proceed with the corrections and sue the orginal contactor for the costs. If you go this route you will need the testimony of a professional home inspector. Depending on the cost of the corrections you may also need to retain an attorney.

In addition you should never have started something as important as building a home without the advice of an attorney.

 

[HomeGuru]

I agree.