How... frustrating (understatement!)... I am so sorry to hear about the lack of work going on. It does sound like he is overcommitted (or possibly not interested? Or distracted by personal issues?). Whatever the case, it is not professional of him to conduct business this way. What kind of contract do you have with him? The only experience I have is with a contractor who works on only one job at a time, so his subs know that when he says he is ready, he is, and they show up. Most of our delays have been because of our slow decision-making. Is it possible to find another GC who is more attentive and ready to work just for you? Get an itemized bill from this one, get his work evaluated, pay him for what has been done correctly and fire him? I've never had to do anything like that before so I don't know what is involved, but I do know you should expect better for your money.

What you are experiencing, although personally frustrating, is par for the course for a busy contractor who is working more than one job. Your job will not always be at the top of his list, and with more than one job going, he may sometimes have difficulty remembering details that have been verbally discussed. That's why it's important to have a written contract with a scope of the work in that contract as well as writen change orders to refer back to. It's also important when discussing your project that you give him enough of a "heads up" for him to gather his paperwork to refer to when talking to you.

Call him and tell him, "Mr. X, I want to talk to you about my project this afternoon around 3. Is that convenient for you to come by with our contract?" That allows him and you to be prepared.

Larger contractors who are busy don't always have your project on the front burner. They get chosen for jobs because they are usually a bit less expensve than smaller contractors who don't do as good a volume or have as good an access to trades in the business. They can offer a lot of services for the money, but you will pay for it in the normal scheduling delays. If you expect them to be on the job everyday from 9-5 with every trade in the book working on jus your job, you're going to be disappointed. That doesn't even happen on jobs where a smaller firm is working on your job as the only job. First of all, jobs have to be done in sequence, and trades can't work on top of each other. Delays are normal, because even if a GC only has your job to deal with, his subcontractors don't. Or, at least they don't if they are competent. Good guys are busy, and that translates into scheduling delays. Scheduling delays are a normal part of any renovation and should be pre built into your own expectations and schedule. Getting frustrated about them is normal, but it does you no good in either the short or long term.

Set up that appointment to talk with your contractor about the delays, but don't expect him to make them go away. They're normal. However, if you can't get him to make an appointment to talk with you about your specific project with his paperwork in hand to refer to, that's a warning sign. If workmen disappear off the job and don't return, that's another bad sign. If he comes to you to ask prepayment for a job that isn't at the point in the contract to pay him, that's a bad sign. If subs or supply houses call you about being paid, that's a WORSE sign.

Bottom line is that yes, you're being a bit (normally) demanding because it's YOUR job, and you don't have another one to concentrate on. But, part of a contractor's job is to communicate about the inevitable delays, and it sounds like this guy doesn't do well in the communication department. Some contractors don't. But, it's going to be up to to you to be proactive and fill in that information gap. Yes, it's frustrating. Yes, it's pretty normal. Drink some wine!

Thank you for the advice.
I will try to initiate communication more frequently. And I will try to get a "plan schedule" for the week so I know what to expect.
I will also ask to be kept informed of changes.
I would like to be onsite for certain jobs and I will tell them that so they can tell me when those (best guess) will occur.
Here is what I think I should be on site for:
 Hardwood floor patching so I can get them to use the older pieces in certain "more visible" areas and use the new planks (will not match) in the other areas.
 Knobs, handles installation
 Counter measuring, templating, sink/faucet placement, and final installation
Is there anything else I should be present for?
Thank you

I would add cabinet installation. That's when the measuring mistakes were discovered in our kitchen and had to be dealt with. I'm glad my DH and I were able to tag-team and be there for most days, especially when the cabinets were installed. We were able to put a stop to the installation until we could decide what to do (they were thinking of just installing as-is...putting the sink several inches out of place and eliminating my pantry to accommodate the mistakes...no way!)

Live-wire-oak,
Said it all perfectly.
Hang in there your reno will be done soon. : )
And on that note I will take LWO's advice and
have a glass of wine.
~boxer

I guess what is so frustrating is that the gc estimated 3 weeks for this project. So using the twice as long rule-I thought 6 weeks with counter install. Now I figure 6 weeks without counter install.....

Buehl Thank you I will add cabinet installation. My kitchen is a galley style, no corners, leading right into DR. I do not anticipate any problems and if we go an 2-3 inches into the DR- no biggie. However I do have a drop ceiling area where things must fit because the next cabinets are different hts etc. So I will be on site for that section so if anything has to stretch down a little I can decide what to do.
Boxerpups, I did have some wine last night! Definitely part of my routine these days.

Certainly we have the same GC!?! When discussing the design of the deck, the great sub (who has been my main go-to on site for foundation and framing) actually turned to the spaced out GC and said, "C_, focus."

But we are getting a good price.

Oh well.

In an ideal world, a good/smart contractor should give you a call once a day to let you know what the schedule will be.
If they can't call you themselves they should have someone to do it for them.
Disorganization is not a good sign.
You should not have to hunt them down.
You should feel that your job is the only job, not feel like you are being ignored because they have too many jobs on their plate.
Does the contractor want a referral or not?
If he can't contact you every day tell him you want an updated schedule so that you know what to expect for the week.
Why are there delays? Are inspectors causing the delays?
Are subcontractors causing the delays?

I always find a ego boost helps communications.
Perhaps a conversation about the neighbors or relatives admiring his work, being interested in having him do their work might light a fire under his butt.
(Have a neighbor call and tell him they were referred to him by you). Soon you will end up being his favorite client.
Sometimes you have to play a game and stroke their ego.
Coffee and donuts help also :)

Thanks for the suggestions sunnyd
Midwifekim, maybe our gcs are cousins!
Hopefully tomorrow will be better. I left 2 messages today to call me (trying to set up a meeting). He hasn't called me back or answered my last nights email.....

I had plenty "down time" when I thought certain things could have been done but no one was on site. But at least my GC called me and let me know what was going on. That made me feel ALOT better. He would call on Monday and say "I have the electricians coming Thursday and so-and-so coming on Friday". So at least on Tuesday and Wednesday when no one was working, I wasn't stewing about where everyone was. I knew they would be there the next day and they always did come when he said they would. I always thought he could have timed things better, but after reading livewire's comment, I realize that mine isnt the only schedule he is dealing with. All in all, I would say the biggest thing is that as long as he comminicates with you and lets you know what's happening and when, then all should be well. Good luck.

If you haven't heard from him by close of business today, then something's definately wrong. That's not just poor communication skills. When a customer calls you and you can't call them back within 24 hours, even to say, "I'm swamped right now, I'll get with you after hours." then an elephant of a different sort is in the room. Either he sees you as too demanding and he's not making enough money from the job to deal with you as as that type of customer, or he has some financ:al issues elsewhere that are consuming his time and effort. Or, (being generous here) he or an immediate family member is in the hospital. Either way, he should just come right out and tell you what the issue is rather than ducking your communication.

However, some contractors are worse at conflict than they are at communications. Sort of, "If I ignore it, the conflict won't exist." If you have one of those, then there is precious little that you can do except part ways. Conflicts and problems always arise in a project. That's the #1 reason you hire a contractor. YOu want him to use his knowledge base to deal with those issues. It's just babysitting on a larger scale and with more expensive toys. If a contractor can't make the boys and girls share and get along and follow mommy's rules, then he shouldn't be a contractor. And if you have that guy, then it's time to legally separate yourself from him and move on.

He did finally call me yesterday. He will meet me next week on Tuesday. I am pretty sure he will show up. (another payment due)
Yesterdays call wasn't the best, see other post,
"gc contract terminology".
I am at home today "on site" for the hardwood. I had to organize this myself but hopefully all for the best! (again see other post"gc contract terminology")

I think he is just a terrible communicator.

Thank you for all the advice and support....sometimes I feel like I am losing it.
And someimes I have lost it!