He took my money and walked out

What is the name of your state? South Carolina
Hello,
I started a remodel project my retirement condo with a local contractor in November 1004(he said 4 months all together). It was a complete bathroom, kitchen, carpentry, flooring project so it was rather large- nearly a 6 digit bill.

Anyway, I had my neighbor monitoring the progress and it was extremely slow. Excuse after excuse kept rolling in. Sometimes they said he would only come once a week for 3-4 weeks at a time.

Just a couple of weeks ago he stopped showing up and I just let him go after myself and some others saw the type of craftmanship he and his laborers used. I still have about 12% of the total project cost which I am not giving to him and will use to pay another contractor to finish. I at least wanted my washer and dryer and he said he'b bring it by for $4500.00

The contractor I've hired is appalled at some of the things this guy has pulled. He sawed vanities nearly in half to make them fit, gaps in interior and exterior doors so big you can fit a pencil through them, leaking sinks, horribly uneven floor tile. uncentered light fixtures, lines of shower tiles with 1" wide grout lines. Also, I noticed the roof was leaking so I called the subcontractor he used and they informed me that he never even paid them for their work.

I gave this guy money for appliances which were never delivered. It goes on and on.

What the heck can I do to get this guy. He's taken my money and my retirement home from me for over a year. I have calculated that I've travelled 6,000 miles by car to check progress and that doesn't even include the money I had to pay to stay in a hotel.What is the name of your state?

South Carolina has a very strong contractors licensing board. Contact them and file a complaint.

I am HOPING you were dealing with a licensed contractor.

http://www.llr.state.sc.us/pol/ResidentialBuilders/

Also try the states' attorney general's office, which may go after contractors who take money for no work. I know of someone in SC who had a horrible building experience...licensed builder, and the house has to be torn down. In fact her builder is still building and is also a home inspector!

For large remodel projects, all the reputable remodelers I know are HAPPY to have a title company hold the funds, collect the lien waivers, inspect the installation (to be certain the materials are on-site and installed), and where applicable, review the survey after the new foundation has been poured (to be certain any change in footprint does not violate any easement or setback lines). A small fee up front to have the funds held in escrow for the contractor and yourself is well worth it in security and piece of mind. This is too late to help you now, bvut good advice for anyone embarking on such a project.