What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? AL
I'm not sure if this should be under business contracts or here. I apologize if it is in the wrong forum.
I recently signed a contract with a "general contractor" to do some house repair work. It is now two and a half weeks into the 5 week contract and very little has been done. He required 25% upfront. There is a clause in the contract allowing for modifications of the work. I have given him modifications twice (it was the same thing, but first I mailed it to him and he did not respond, and the second time I gave it to him in person). The modification necessitates a change in the contract price because some of the work is being eliminated due to a change in the intended usage of one of the areas he was to work on.
He is very hesitant to give me the new contract price even though this last time he said he would refigure it. I am having a difficult time determining just what I want him to do because he will not tell me the charge for the changes. He said recently he doesn't want me bringing someone else "on his site" so to prevent that he won't tell what he will charge for a particular activity.
He also became very upset when I told him that I would like him to let me know what he is doing and what is happening at the house (basically keep me up to date every day). He said he would not allow me to "have my thumb on his neck like that". Basically, he seems only interested in talking to me to get more money and threatened to quit.
This is a major renovation job and so far in two weeks he has only cut some of the grass and cut some trees and cleaned some of the debris out of the house. No major work done and no materials purchased. He keeps bringing his son and girlfriend over to work at the house (free labor) instead of hiring someone like he said he would so that the job can get completed. He told me he was going to get a dumpster to haul away the debris, but recently he was trying to push me to pay the city to take it away. Debris removal was part of his contract. He says I shouldn't be concerned about the dumpster or his family members since he is an independant contractor and is allowed to work in any fashion he pleases. I agree that independant contractors have latitude, but I refuse to pay any more for something that's already in the contract just because he is trying to save money.
Last week when I went over he had my antique furniture outdoors and said he was ready to take it to a storage facility. It was raining and he had an open bed trailer. I told him to put it back in the house. I was not going to allow the furniture to be transported in the rain in an open trailer.
He brings to my attention the fact that he has three weeks left and I should look at this in terms of a completed job rather than each activity that he is supposed to do. I am looking at it in terms of I have already paid him thousands and he has done virtually nothing.
I am supposed to pay him weekly, but he still has not given me a new contract price, so I am unsure just what he expects to be paid (it is a percentage of the balance, and I don't know what the balance is with some of the work being eliminated). So yesterday he didn't get paid and I suspect he will not work until he is paid.
Please advise as to this situation, especially the modifications and new contract pricing and payment (evidently he expects payment to follow the old contract even though the work has changed). What recourse do I have? Thanks in advance.
I'm not sure if this should be under business contracts or here. I apologize if it is in the wrong forum.
I recently signed a contract with a "general contractor" to do some house repair work. It is now two and a half weeks into the 5 week contract and very little has been done. He required 25% upfront. There is a clause in the contract allowing for modifications of the work. I have given him modifications twice (it was the same thing, but first I mailed it to him and he did not respond, and the second time I gave it to him in person). The modification necessitates a change in the contract price because some of the work is being eliminated due to a change in the intended usage of one of the areas he was to work on.
He is very hesitant to give me the new contract price even though this last time he said he would refigure it. I am having a difficult time determining just what I want him to do because he will not tell me the charge for the changes. He said recently he doesn't want me bringing someone else "on his site" so to prevent that he won't tell what he will charge for a particular activity.
He also became very upset when I told him that I would like him to let me know what he is doing and what is happening at the house (basically keep me up to date every day). He said he would not allow me to "have my thumb on his neck like that". Basically, he seems only interested in talking to me to get more money and threatened to quit.
This is a major renovation job and so far in two weeks he has only cut some of the grass and cut some trees and cleaned some of the debris out of the house. No major work done and no materials purchased. He keeps bringing his son and girlfriend over to work at the house (free labor) instead of hiring someone like he said he would so that the job can get completed. He told me he was going to get a dumpster to haul away the debris, but recently he was trying to push me to pay the city to take it away. Debris removal was part of his contract. He says I shouldn't be concerned about the dumpster or his family members since he is an independant contractor and is allowed to work in any fashion he pleases. I agree that independant contractors have latitude, but I refuse to pay any more for something that's already in the contract just because he is trying to save money.
Last week when I went over he had my antique furniture outdoors and said he was ready to take it to a storage facility. It was raining and he had an open bed trailer. I told him to put it back in the house. I was not going to allow the furniture to be transported in the rain in an open trailer.
He brings to my attention the fact that he has three weeks left and I should look at this in terms of a completed job rather than each activity that he is supposed to do. I am looking at it in terms of I have already paid him thousands and he has done virtually nothing.
I am supposed to pay him weekly, but he still has not given me a new contract price, so I am unsure just what he expects to be paid (it is a percentage of the balance, and I don't know what the balance is with some of the work being eliminated). So yesterday he didn't get paid and I suspect he will not work until he is paid.
Please advise as to this situation, especially the modifications and new contract pricing and payment (evidently he expects payment to follow the old contract even though the work has changed). What recourse do I have? Thanks in advance.