Contractor/subcontractor ordered wrong cabinets
Tya
6 years ago
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beachem
6 years agocpartist
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Hire a general contractor or sub-contractors?
Comments (11)I’ve acted as GC on my last few renovation projects, one which involved three bathroom gut remodels and a brand new kitchen with all new appliances and cabinets, new hardwood floors, doors, and moving walls. Subs I had: (1) paint/general construction/drywall, (2) plumber, (3) tile, (4) floor guy. I did the bulk of this in about a month and a half, with just little aesthetic touch ups later. I saved both money and time. Time, because I found that GCs will schedule one thing after another, not wanting people to work around each other, but because I was on a really tight timeframe that my son and I wouldn’t have a place to live, I scheduled a lot of folks to work at the same time around each other. They grumbled a bit more, but I was there every day to smooth things over, help, and just be a charming friendly person who brought cookies and snacks :). That said, to echo a lot of what folks said, it’s important to (1) be there on site every day to catch things early that are not aesthetically what you’d like, before it becomes more difficult to fix later, (2) have great people skills to motivate folks and work through issues, (3) have great organizational and project management skills (4) make decisions quickly and easily (being willing to do your own research) (5) be efficient about ordering supplies and materials on your own, which really saves time and money. And maybe most importantly (6) have the energy to deal with this all — it takes a lot of energy. I was exhausted. The reason I undertook it is that some GCs I talked to gave me a 4 month estimate on the work, and I just didn’t have that kind of time. All the sub folks were referred by my broker, so they were really responsive and professional and above par. I’ve continued to use them on other renovation projects, and they’ve always been really responsive and great. I may be lucky, because I’ve heard of nightmare stories as well, but it’s just to say that if you get good referrals, I‘ve found it’s not always the case that you can’t get subs to show up or have leverage compared to a GC. In fact, on a current project I have, all my same subs agreed to take on the work for me, right away, when my GC couldn’t get his subs for weeks out. I respectfully don’t agree with the comment that if you can’t tell about running an electrical line you can’t be a GC. If you trust your subs to be good at what they do, they’ll guide you through everything and help you make the best decisions. That’s what they’re there for. I‘ve done several remodels now, and haven’t had any issues later on (I lived in that particular house for 5 years). Anyway, I know it’s been 6 years since this post, but since I always get value from older comments and advice, I thought I’d still share my own experiences for others with this same question....See MoreWrong Cabinet Color Ordered by Contractor
Comments (13)Since you like the color that was ordered by mistake and, as you say, it is growing on you, then why not consider it a "fortunate accident" and go ahead and use the cabinets? Of course, if you don't like the color and have your heart set on what you oringinally ordered, then you should insist on getting what you wanted. Here's what concerns me ... if your contractor has to absorb the full cost of those wrongly ordered cabinets, even if it is HIS FAULT, you may end up suffering for it. He will be doing your job now with a huge cut in his profit, maybe even for NO profit. That is a very costly error on his part. Even if that has nothing to do with you, I'd be concerned that the quality of the rest of the job would suffer. Have you discussed NOT using the cabinets? What was his attitude? I would also want the entire order inspected before deciding ... is everything else satisfactory regarding the condition of the cabinets?...See MoreIs this a job for multiple sub-contractors?
Comments (20)We've (husband and I) done a LOT of work on multiple homes now and I completely agree with greg_2015. You do not need a GC to rip out carpet, do some painting and put up a railing or half wall. I would take out the carpet, first, to see what you are dealing with underneath. I have never paid anyone to remove old carpet/padding. We load it up on our truck and take it to the dump, ourselves. It's a bit of physical work, but it's not complicated. It's always interesting (and that's putting it mildly) to see what's underneath the carpet. If you've never seen what's on the back of used carpet, on the pad, and underneath the pad, be prepared to be shocked. If you don't want to DIY carpet/pad removal, just find someone you think is trustworthy and who has a strong back and a truck. Make sure you are insured, in case anyone gets hurt working on your home. Hopefully, you will be pleasantly surprised at what you find underneath the carpet. But, be prepared to be disappointed. Seriously, be prepared to find some bad stuff under there. A seller isn't usually going to peel up a corner of carpet where they know the floor is bad underneath. They're going to peel up a corner where the floor looks good underneath. Be prepared for the worst, including hardwood that's totally ruined by pets. Whatever is underneath the carpet where the current railing is may help you to decide if you want to go with a half wall or another railing. I'd want the flooring people to come out, look at the job, give estimates, etc. after the carpet is gone. There are often surprises underneath carpeting. After the carpet is removed, your baseboards will probably then be sitting up too high (because the carpet was probably between them and the hardwood floors). So, I'd take off the baseboards. If they come off well, and are in good condition, you can reuse them (if you want). If not, you'll want to replace them. Whatever the case, don't put baseboards back on until the floors are fixed. We do our own baseboards and we've never hired anyone to do them. If you cannot or do not want to DIY, ask the flooring people if there's anyone they'd recommend. But, don't put baseboards back on until the floors are done. While I was waiting for the floor people to come do the floor, I'd start painting (this is when you could get the painter to come out, if you want to hire someone to paint). Like someone else mentioned, you may need to clean and prime the walls before painting. If you want a half wall, you can get someone to put up a half wall and texture it (or not, depending on what you want) at this point. Then, I'd paint that, myself, too, if it were going to be painted. Avoid getting a lot of paint on the hardwood floors if they're going to be refinished because that has the potential to cause gunked up sandpaper and make the floor people unhappy with you. I've painted in every house and apartment I've ever lived in and I do not think painting is complicated, especially in cases (like yours) where there are not vaulted ceilings. Then, the floor people can come and do whatever you want so far as the floors. If you want a railing, talk to the flooring people about when that can go in. If you want a stained railing, I would ask the flooring people if they feel comfortable doing the stain or if they could recommend someone to do it. After the floors were in, I'd put baseboards back and touch up paint (carefully, don't get it on the floors). If using painted baseboards, I paint them before putting them up, then carefully roll them a bit/do touch ups after they are installed. Coordinating this stuff just requires a bit of thought and patience, not a GC. I don't think homeowners should allow themselves to be so helpless that they need a GC to do flooring, painting and a railing. I'm sure that there are a fair amount of folks in construction that would benefit from homeowners allowing themselves to become so helpless, and who would like this to happen, but... Anyway, just start making calls and start talking to people you might like to hire. Find out what their schedules are like, when they could come, how much they would charge, etc. Take the carpet out first, so you can see what you're dealing with. You need to know, so you can decide if you can/want to refinish what's underneath or decide that you need new flooring. Be prepared to live on what's underneath the carpeting for a while, because the flooring people may have busy schedules....See MoreContractor used wrong color grout. Can it be fixed?
Comments (43)Well since so many people replied to this thought i'd provide an update for those who might care. Contractor stepped up and agreed it was his fault and dug out white and replaced the gray. I like it a lot better. It does show the imperfections that you don't see with the white but i prefer the tile definition and think it goes better with the gray walls....See MoreAnglophilia
6 years agoJoseph Corlett, LLC
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6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoJoseph Corlett, LLC
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6 years agoScherr's Cabinets & Doors Inc
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