No written contract. No license. No permit. No inspections. No clue. I don't know why you are surprised he is a hack. Ask for your money back, and be thankful if yyou see a dime.

Move on to someone who has all of the above. At about 4-5x the price of the hack. If not more. All of the water damage hs to be repaired after all.

4-5x the price may be cheap if everything he already did has to be redone in addition to the water damage.

I don't know why you're surprised when a guy's doing a $4,000.00 job for $1,600.00.

You say you can't feel any worse than you feel right now, but I'm afraid that it's quite possible for you to feel worse if you allow him to continue. Ask for a refund of your money paid and find someone else the business-like way, rather than the good-ole-boy way. If he refuses to refund your money, take him to small claims court. Don't throw good money after bad.

It sounds like all he's done is demo and uncover problems. And dispose of old tub etc? Shop for parts. How long did that take? The $800 you paid him might be what someone else would charge to get that far anyway. A day's work.

The walls are open now, so get 3 estimates for moving forward. Vet those people thoroughly beforehand. Reading around a bit online will show you why. Try to understand potential problems of your project to avoid them.

Snookums is right. You owe for demo/cleanup. Now, find a licensed, bonded, insured contractor (possibly plumber) and do it right; and legally right with permit. You are in a condo, for pete's sake. You don't get to skip steps here, or you will be the one liable if you mess up anyone else's unit!

This morning, before reading the replies posted here, I went ahead and did what everybody here said to do. Called up the guy and said "You promised me a shower and couldn't deliver, we're two weeks behind schedule and it's costing money to live in two places. So I'm going to have to find somebody else. Hope you don't feel like you are owed any more money than the 800 already paid." And he took it well, since it's in his best interest to remain friendly since the condo complex is a fountain of business for him, being that most units are in dire need of remodel. For the money, he did the demo and haul-away (very neat), he replaced two laundry faucets, and he bought five boxes of tile at $25 each box. (from the big box orange store). Some might say he owes me, others might not. All I know is I feel much better, and yes I did make appointments for estimates with licensed, bonded, professionals. Now we just wait and see who can do it for close to what I would have paid. Unlikely, I know. But peace of mind you really can't put a price on. Thanks to all who responded. I would welcome any further advice or opinion.

"Now we just wait and see who can do it for close to what I would have paid."

No you don't. The marketplace has told you that you were paying too little. Forget about "what you would have paid"; it is fantasy.

congrats on moving on.

best of luck with your project.

This week we will be getting estimates/bids from three companies. They way it looks right now, they are "the good, the bad, and the ugly." The "good" is a local design and remodel company, with their own website, and very professional. I called the owner on Thursday and he said he was very busy (a good sign) and couldn't get to see the bathroom until Monday. The "bad" is a referral I got from one of my neighbors. He purchased an identical unit, but it was all original from 1983 and needed to be completely redone. It sold for around 20% less than mine. He showed me a printout that the contractor had given him, detailing the costs and materials for the job, done on a home word processor. The "ugly" is the contractor who's wife I met in line at the big box store. She was arguing with him on the phone about the the materials he had asked her to pick up. Told me her husband has been doing this for 15 years, does excellent work, and can do it for "real cheap." I gave her my number and was supposed to make appointment for the following day. She called at 10:30 pm to say she was sorry but the day ran long, could be schedule for the next day. The next day came and went and no phone call. So there it is. It is plain as day of course, who should be the one to get the job. It's gonna smart though, when I see the number on the estimate.

So why is the "bad" contractor "bad"? I'd think a detailed cost and material list would be a good thing. Most of the contractors I hire have given me hand written estimates and hand written bills. I've even gotten quotes either verbally, or handwritten on the back of the business card - and those have been some of my best contractors. I'd be thrilled to get a detailed cost done on a word processor.

I think you're looking at the wrong things, appearances. A website, polite, nice truck is not meaningful information for hiring someone to work on your house.

Do some research online for starters.

Duplicate

This post was edited by snookums2 on Mon, Sep 29, 14 at 8:45

The problem is that I just don't know how to choose a contractor. The last time I did a reno was about 8 years ago. I came home from Thanksgiving weekend a day early and found the contractor's nephew/assistant baking fish sticks in the brand new Frigidaire oven that they installed, on my plates. When I called him on it, the nephew had a fit and refused to come back to work. He never came back. His uncle finished the fiberglass bathtub and surround by himself. Eventually the job got finished and I have not had any issues with the tub since, other than the cracking noises because it's not properly supported, but it was a headache. I don't put too much faith in the BBB and reviews. It really makes things hard when you're desperate to get things finished. It has been a month and I still can't move in because there is no bath.

This post was edited by richardlyon33 on Mon, Sep 29, 14 at 11:53

Duplicate

This post was edited by richardlyon33 on Mon, Sep 29, 14 at 11:50

"The "good" is a local design and remodel company, with their own website, and very professional. I called the owner on Thursday and he said he was very busy (a good sign) and couldn't get to see the bathroom until Monday. "

And you zoomed right by the "salesman speak" to the conclusion of good?

Another question along the same lines as the others ... why is providing a detailed bid written on a home word processor a "bad"? I personally know plenty of good, reliable contractors who run their businesses out of home offices.

I do agree that a professional proposal/estimate is important. While I won't hire someone based solely on how their bid is presented, I might weed someone out if they don't provide me with a detailed and accurate proposal, especially if they fail to include details that were specifically discussed.

Your local tile stores should be able to provide you with referrals for contractors whose work they are familiar with. You could start there. They may give you business cards that could include website addresses. Check their license, insurance, and references. Ask if you can see examples of their work.

Perhaps the two posters are right, what makes that "bad"? Just because the contractor typed out his proposal doesn't make him "bad". I was just going by what Holmes On Homes had said regarding contractors. Here's what has happened so far the owner/contractor from the super professional design and remodel company was fifteen minutes late for his appointment. When I called, I was told "oh that was my brother you made the appointment with, he had to go to the hospital." I thought to myself, this cannot be happening, I will never get moved in. "He had an ingrown toenail, I'm very sorry. He will see you tomorrow at the same time." The guy with the word processor is working on a lake house according to my next door neighbor, but should be through with that as of today. I had called and left my name and number on Saturday, but as of today (Monday) I have not heard back from him. I will have to call him again since it is possible he doesn't check his voice mail.

"Here's what has happened so far the owner/contractor from the super professional design"

Having a store front and a website is not an indicator of "professionalism". Behaving in a professional manner goes beyond "appearing" professional.

"I will have to call him again since it is possible he doesn't check his voice mail."

Do you really want to have someone working for you that can't be bothered to check their voice mail? However, you did call him on the weekend, and he may have been too busy with other work on a Monday to get back to you right away. I don't think it's that unusual for a contractor to take a few days to get back to you, especially if he is a "working" contractor.

Why not look a little further than these two? They can't be the only contractors in town and it wouldn't hurt to have another option or two for comparison.

An ingrown toenail caused him to go to the hospital?
I'm sorry, but that isn't an emergency that just pops up. That was planned. So he could have called to cancel the appointment with you.

The other guy not returning a phone call for a few days isn't a big flag for me. I wouldn't consider the weekend into your waiting period. So it's essentially just been a day so far.

Got the estimate from the professional design and remodel company--$1,500 plus materials. I have most of the materials ready to go. They will provide the mortar for setting the tub, thinset, wallboard, and "red guard" a waterproof mastic. He said it's a 2-day job max and he get started in about a week. Twenty percent deposit up front. The other guy, word processor printout dude, I spoke with yesterday and he was to call after getting off the other job but the call never came. Then I had to bite the bullet and let the folks know what was going on, that I had fired the original contractor. They went through the roof. "How could you do that? Why couldn't you be more patient? You must have spoken to him in a very negative tone. What are you going to do now?" I replied that I had been very patient, that he didn't keep his end of the bargain, and that I had treated him with "kid gloves", which was why felt he could take continual advantage of me/us. Keep in mind it has officially been 1 whole month since we began this project, and they just got back from their bi-yearly trip to Las Vegas. I would have told them before their trip but I didn't want to ruin it. So, after all the drama was over and the smoke had settled, I told them that I had a guy that could do it for $1,500, the going rate, not the 50% off rate like the other guy. They didn't mind the cost, but were more bothered by the "50% off" comment. They felt that the original price of $1,600 for the whole job was expensive enough, where the going rate, like an earlier poster mentioned, is $3,000 to $4,000. And that is probably what this last company would have charged to do the whole thing, but since it's halfway done they're only charging $1,500.