I don't have any experience but it feels to me like this kind of stuff should be dealt with before you get to a punch list too. I'd be worried about more unacceptible work being completed and I would want to prevent that from happening.

As far as I know it's not your place to deal directly with the subs and tell them how to do their job so stopping til the Gc returns sounds reaosnable to me.

I'm sorry this is happening though :(

I can't believe your GC went on vacation and left no one in charge to handle stuff like this. Because she didn't, you absolutly did the right thing stopping work. The stuff you listed is not acceptible at all. Sorry for the added stress you just had heaped on.

You did the right thing, imo. I agree that your GC should NOT have gone on vacation when wrapping up a house. There are too many details finished the last few weeks. Someone, besides the homeowners, should be in charge of overseeing during this time!

By the same token if its not your place to be managing the subs you shouldn't be talking, directing or stopping their work. Granted they might be doing things that are unacceptable to you but that is up to the GC to fix.

If the subs were contracted out based on time and you just sent them home for two weeks well I can see where the gc can claim you directly interfered with his or her ability to finish the project on schedule. It could even be debatable that you could be liable for extra work and time since the gc could be.

Just thoughts to consider when you aren't the gc and are are instructing subs without consent. However justified you feel.

Anthem, We asked the GC to have all of the work stopped. We are not comfortable controlling the project while she is gone. We don't have the time or knowledge to handle all of these last minute details anyway.

She advised us that it will get several weeks behind but we don't care. We didn't talk directly to any of the subs but thanks for the warning. We will be out about 1200.00 due to the extra interest pay't but feel that will be well worth it in the end.

It's such a hard call to make because she is gone and can't see it. I'm sure she wouldn't want the tub finished out only to come back and have it all ripped apart because the tub needs to be replaced. She's already aggravated that the wire shelves were put up in unpainted closets and those have to be taken down.......

In the long run, you'll be glad you did...

We let too many things go in the last few weeks because we were just exhausted and wanted it to be over.

Good call. I suggest you "take a vacation" too. That way ALL of you will be fresh and ready to tackle the project in two weeks.

It's OK. We can wait a little longer to hear how your entertainment room, er, MBR, turns out.

You did the best thing and you did it the right way. It's a shame builders don't cover for each other's absences like doctors do. Guess they figure it's not life and death; just pick up the pieces when you get back.

What a freakin' nightmare. Hope you can take a breather.

You did the smart thing. What is a few weeks compared to years of living in a house that you are not happy with? You've sent a strong message to your GC that you want things done right. I applaud you!
Susan

I would have done the same thing in your shoes.

We did not have all work shut down but we made several trades finish working early as they were taking too many shortcuts and making mistakes.

I then waited for the builder to take it up with them or hire someone else to come in and do it right. We had situations where our builder did both.

At least your builder told you she was going on vacation, Ours did not and would have his phone shut off the whole week each time he was gone.

You did the right thing.

You absolutely did the right thing! These are not small issues that can be solved with a punchlist. Your drywall and trim sound horrible! It's not like they will suddenly get better after you're in the house...they need to be fixed. FWIW, I'm not my own GC, and I try to limit my involvement with the subs (although my GC likes me to talk to the subs, which is really annoying!), but I would absolutely, 100% feel comfortable making the call to have the subs take a walk-even if my GC was out of town.

Name that sound.

POP

SZSZSZSZSZSZSZSZSSZ

GULP, GULP, GULP!

Good girl, charlie. Good call on the request to stop work, and good call on the cold beer. Measure twice and cut once applies to many things, this included. Do it right the first time....

Hang in there!

I agree it was the right thing to do. Why let work go on that is substandard. After all your paying the bill

As if it isn't stressfull enough! You did the right thing. You would not be happy living with cracked and dented trim or a chipped counter. Every time you looked at it, it would probably make you angry all over again. Sorry you're having this problem. : (

Dang, Charlie! That is not good! You did do the right thing & I, like Anthem, thought you just went to the house one day, saw that stuff wasn't right & told the subs to leave. You totally went about it the right way 'tho. We're @ the drywall stage now & getting ready to start the trim next week..... I hope ours will turn out nice, smooth & everything even!

So sorry this is happening to you, but you absolutely must be satisfied w/ the end result & it doesn't matter if it puts everything behind by several weeks. That's YOUR house!

You absolutely did the right thing.

The builder is at fault for leaving her subs unsupervised. That has been one the biggest problems in our construction - both during my contractor's (frequent and objected to) vacations and day-to-day. At one point, my contractor asked, "What am I supposed to go, get a lawn chair and sit and watch them all day?" My answer - "Yes, unless and until you hire someone else who can do it." Over and over and over again, we've had to fight tooth and nail to get subpar work done by unsupervised subs corrected. I think our GC finally got the message, but we're now almost two months late on the schedule that he originally thought he was padding by two months anyway.

Unless you waived incidental and consequential damages for your builder's breach in your contract with her, I would consider taking the extra interest costs out of the final draw.

Back to Topic: The Stop Work order is just as appropriate as the "Everybody Out of the Pool" when the lifeguard leaves. Building a house shouldn't be undertaken with the same cavalier attitude as "Swim At Your Own Risk".

Charliedawg, I feel like a heel. I didn't realize this was your thread until just now. Here I am gloating on the other thread about cutting the tree limbs just right....

Bless your heart.

One of my biggest frustrations with our build was that my builders attitude was to just get things done and come back and make them right later. I, on the other hand, prefer getting things right the first time.

However, towards the end I started to learn his process and on a few occasions let things get done wrong because I realized making them right would take less time than starting from scratch.

I'm not sure I would have stopped all work. But, would have insisted on padding laid across the hardwoods and all scaffolding to have padded legs, etc. Also would have made it very clear, in writing, what I expected as a final product.

I started very thorough "punchlists" about a month out from closing and would revise them about every third day. I know I frustrated people, but it was also clear what I expected to be fixed.

I'm sure you did the right thing, just not sure I would have done the right thing :)

Few comments to help ease your mind slightly.

1. We had chips in a fiberglass shower, they fixed them with an epoxy after the fact and you would never know it.

2. Our builder had a paint crew come in just prior to closing and they did nothing but touch up and fixing small blimishes in sheetrock. They mudded at least 100 spots around the house that I never even noticed. Maybe your builder has a similar "last eyes crew". Or maybe what your describing is much worse than small blimishes.

3. Bath counter chip can be quickly repaired as well (if its cultured marble, heck, they even did a small chip in our granite and you'd never know).

4. Uneven lights....had those too. I watched the guys fix this in less than an hour. On a couple, we went ahead and closed and they did come a week later and fix them.

I know I can't make it better, and I'm not trying to make small of any of this, but I was shocked at how many little things got "right" at the last minute. If they built the whole house at the pace of the last 2 weeks, we could have built it in about 8 weeks! :)

Hang in there. Refer to my other thread if you need a pick-me-up. One day, soon, you'll be watering the flowers and trimming that tree to get a perfect view!

Keep us posted. We'll all ride this thing to the end with you. It is worth it!

Your friend,
Tony

Charliedawg, you still there? Don't make us nervous now...

I agree, tragusa3. Check in with us, charlie...

amyks: Please email me again

amyks: I just sent you an email through the forum

amyks: and the rest of it in a separate email. Oops! Duh.

amyks: Have you checked to make sure your My Page here has your correct email address? I can't send anything to you any other way right now.

bj, this is really strange. I double checked my email address here, then tried to send myself a test email, and I didn't get it. Hmmmmm. But that is my correct email address. I thought email was FASTER than snail mail!:-) In any event, I'll keep checking, and thanks so much for continuing to try.

Amy

Charlie, I've admired photos of your home. It is so beautiful! It's certainly understandable that you would want the finish work and details to be comparable!
Your GC wants a satisfied client who will recommend her to others. Your nice, new home will be a reflection of her work. Since she wasn't available, and you saw the train wreck coming, you did what any of us would have done. You stopped that train! And, you did it with grace and tact.

Hi guys! No, I didn't finally jump over the ledge :) I just took a small hiatus.

I boarded "charliedawg" in a kennel, packed the suitcases, got the family in the car and got the heck out of here. WHEW!

If I ever build a house again (which I highly doubt I will) I will definitely put mental health vacation $$$$ in my budget. LOL

Tragusa, I'm not glad that you had all of the problems but I'm glad to know that it worked out for you so I know it will all be ok fo me too.

GC will be back tomorrow. She has ALWAYS made things perfect so I'm not sure why I doubted it now. I think I just felt out of control because she is gone. I'm not the type that needs to be in control of such a big project, I guess ya'll figured that out by now.

charliedawg, I'm glad to "see" your face. I was ready to ask for a head count after last week. Good for you taking a break, we are doing the same thing this sunday. We are to the limit with the house. It will be worth it, but I can't keep all the balls in the air and I need time with my kids and DH without having to run down to the house to answer questions or straighten something out or fetch more tiling grout and tile because the gc is busy or out of town. Argh.

Well, that was a bit more longwinded than I meant it to be....point is, glad you went, and glad you're back.

Amy

Good for you!

I'll be looking for a post this evening saying that your builder appreciated what you did and is now taking the bull by the horns.