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My contractor passed away.......

12 years ago

How crazy and sad is this? We are 6 weeks into our total kitchen renovation, this past Monday AM I find out that my GC is very sick and cannot finish the job, he goes into the hospital on Monday and passes away on Tuesday night.

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Comments (16)

suzanne_sl
12 years ago
That is sad. It is a situation we actually considered when we were working with a contractor who was 82. He's still hale and hearty, but he also took on a "partner" who could have stepped up had it been necessary.

Anybody have industry experience on this? I expect that you still owe some money to the GC's estate, but what are you supposed to do about getting the job finished?
dutchaccent
12 years ago
O no!! How sad indeed!
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Pam, I lost my 25-year-old daughter in 2001, and came to GardenWeb and this forum a year-and-a-half later. One of the frequent poster's had lost her daughter six years earlier. I remember being amazed that she had lived without her daughter for six years. For some reason that seemed almost impossible to me. Now here I am, having lived without my Gillian for 12. The advice you received in this thread is all good. People have different ways of grieving; if someone tells you what you "should" be doing, ignore it. I needed to talk and cry and talk and cry. I was lucky to have friends who were willing to listen. I also saw a therapist friend. A grief counselor is often a good idea. I didn't join Compassionate Friends, but it might be a good move for you. A friend told me it really helped him get through the worst of it. I'm not at all religious, but I believe without a doubt that we survive after death in another form. I have been beyond lucky that my daughter has sent many signs to me and others. I hope you will be open to this possibility. And I hope your daughter will visit you in a dream. It is the most comforting of experiences. One night--I don't know when--you'll get ready for bed and realize you didn't cry that day. You might cry the next day, but it'll gradually happen less often. I still give myself a nudge once in awhile to have a good (wholehearted) cry. It's healthy, and observed that sometimes it relieves physical pain. It helped me to know that others--many others--have gone through this. It helped to realize that life is neither fair nor unfair; it just is. And it helped to not ask "Why me?" or "What if......?" As was mentioned above, try to focus on what Lauren would want for you. And then follow it. Keep us posted.
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Marie, Thank you so much for taking the time to write. I have been doing some research on so good books to read, thank you for the advice. I also called my insurance company today to get the name of a good therapist, I am hoping that will help. I do have 2 sisters, 3 sons and several very close cousins. I just feel so bad calling them and crying all the time. I know they are all there for me as I am for them but like I said I hate getting them upset by hearing me upset. Pictures? I think you mean as in my family that passed? If so yes I have thousands. The only problem I am having is I had to hide all of the pictures as I cannot look at any of them. I feel so bad for doing that, it just hurts so bad to see them. I think a journal would be a good idea thank you for that suggestion. It was so odd that you said "I saw a pretty butterfly", I say this because a few days after my mom passed away I asked her to please come and visit me, I knew that she loved butterflies so I asked her if she could come visit me as a butterfly. I cannot tell you how many times I have been out on my deck or any place where I was thinking or crying about my Mom when out of nowhere a beautiful butterfly appears! I know that sounds crazy but it helps me to think my mom is around me. It does look like I am going to be going through a second divorce, I hate to say that because I am so against them, I just dont know what other choice I have. I have a 2 year old granddaughter and 2 year old grandson that have become my whole world, I dont mind being alone and watching them grow to be wonderful people. Its also interesting that you talked about volunteer work as I have been doing some research for my area on volunteer work, I am hoping that maybe I can keep my mind busy and at the same time help someone else. I just wish I knew how long it will take until I can get by just one day without crying for my family that has passed. I love them all dearly but like I said for some reason when my mom passed I feel like my heart just shattered. Thank you again for your kindness and good advice. I will update on this forum from time to time to let everyone know how I am doing. I was reading other stories this evening and my heart goes out to everyone who is going through the same thing. I tried to write to a few but just as I started the tears started. Just please anyone who knows this feeling or who has lost a loved one, I am thinking of you and understand how bad it hurts. Thank you again... have a wonderful week. Lorene
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So sorry to hear about the loss of your father. And I understand about wanting to keep his little tree going. Some things to help: First, if you're seeing teeny black flies crawling on the soil, and flying around, they most likely are fungus gnats, as Dave has mentioned. Fungus gnats thrive in too moist soil. So, the very first thing I would recommend is to re-pot your little tree in better draining soil. If you search this forum for "511" or "gritty mix", you'll come up with some good potting soil recipes. Or, if you can find bagged Farfard Professional Potting soils in your area, they also will work. Again, search this forum for "farfard" for the best choices. Citrus do not tolerate soggy soils well at all, and will suffer from root rot, besides promoting pests such as fungus gnats, which can damage tender feeder roots. Next, moisture meters (of this caliber) can be pretty inaccurate. You can try using one, but you're better off just using a stick inserted down to the bottom of your pot. Checking the soil moisture down to the bottom, to make sure you're not retaining a puddle of water at the bottom of the pot. As far as fertilizers, most folks on this list use DynaGro Foliage Pro, and you can supplement with Osmocote Plus, which is a time release fertilizer with a good NPK ratio plus all the micros. The Dynamite Select All Purpose will also work. Use the Foliage Pro with every watering. Skip the Tanglewood - your tree is much too small for that, and really, this product is used in citrus culture to keep ants off of outdoor trees. This will not prevent the types of indoor pests that plaque indoor citrus, including fungus gnats. Put your tree outside as much as you can during the year. Most folks will acclimate their trees to the outside slowly, over a couple of weeks as soon as temps allow. Don't do it too early, as you don't want to end up with the tree exposed to temps below freezing, but citrus are outdoor plants, so as much total outdoor time, the better for the tree. Lastly, to treat the fungus gnats. Use Gnatrol. Works extremely well. You might need a few applications as a soil soak, but that will take care of them. Be sure to treat all your indoor plants, as they will spread from plant to plant. Patty S.
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Just came back from the attorney's office and spent a good amount of time reviewing everything that has happened thus far. He said the contract is automatically cancelled as there is no contractor with a valid license(license just expired this morning) to fulfill everything in the contract. The wife can chose to get her own license to help complete and honor the remainder of the build but it is her discretion. The License Board should receive an application with that request and this could take months to get approved. He said most likely, it would be denied. I could chose to sue the estate to recover the money but did not recommend it(likely no money in it anyway). Bottomline, he asked me to cut my losses and move on and work my energy towards hiring a new general contractor. At the very least, i think he asked us to make a claim against the bond amount which is around $20,000. He believed that would be a good idea and probably would be a no contest sort of situation.
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sis2two
12 years ago
That is so sad. I am sorry for you and his family. Hope all will work out with your renovation.
mick2
Original Author
12 years ago
When I found out on Monday that he was very sick and could not finish the job, a guy that has been working with him on my kitchen all along said he would finish it. Thank goodness we are at the point that we are at with it and most of the work they were doing is finished. The plumber and electrican are his subs and they will have final work to do once rest of cabinets and granite are installed. He was not old, apparently 3 weeks ago diagnosed with cancer (he did not tell me). He has done work for my parents, my brother and some other people that I know, very meticulous about his work. Very sad for his family, 3 relatively young kids.
aliris19
12 years ago
Oh my. Condolences all around. oh my, my. ((hugs)) to everyone - it sounds as if he was well-respected by his coworkers as well.

Love every minute...
sudhira
12 years ago
Oh dear, so sorry...very sad...sympathies to you all...
gsciencechick
12 years ago
Oh gosh, sorry to hear. So sad that he had small children. It seems like the subs will work out OK.
mythreesonsnc
12 years ago
Very sorry to hear. What a sad situation...
Adrienne2011
12 years ago
He was diagnosed three weeks ago. Wow. I hope that you are able to figure out what to do now. Speaking as the wife of a small business owner, I would be swamped and lost and clueless if my husband died, regarding clients and contractors.
tinker_2006
12 years ago
That's so sad, and I can almost relate! A few years ago we were building a new home, and our contractor's wife suddenly passed away... it devastated him and his son who both were building our home, the wife was the bookkeeper. They did finish our house and sadly - 3 weeks later contractor suddenly passed away!
aliris19
12 years ago
Oh, Tinker - now that's just horrifying. Golly.
marcolo
12 years ago
Terrible story.

If the project is incomplete, and/or money is owed, I strongly suggest talking to an attorney to protect yourself. You could end up paying the wrong person.
sabjimata
12 years ago
Very sad. I have a friend who's house was halfway complete and then the contractor had a massive (fatal) heart attack.

Good luck with everything.
mick2
Original Author
12 years ago
thank you all. it is very sad and i feel bad for his family.
cplover
12 years ago
So sorry to hear. I hope everything works out for you
dianalo
12 years ago
That is so awful for everyone. I would consult a lawyer as suggested because it is near impossible to know what to do now. I'd make sure you paid the right people and did it all carefully.
I feel so bad for his family. 3 weeks is little time to prepare.

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