Yes unfortunately finding good painters isn't as easy as it should be. My biggest problem is a lot of the crews around here tend to be Spanish-speaking. I have no opinion/judgment about that in general, but it's important to me to hire painters who I can communicate with easily. I'm super picky, and I've had too many times where I try to tell the crew something, they act like they understand what I'm saying, and then my request goes ignored. I liked these subs because they seemed to do a good job, my contractor has used them a lot, and they speak perfect English. Paintguy22-- I didn't even know contractors try to keep that secret! This is the only one I've ever worked with, and when I get his bill, I literally get the bill or timesheet he received from his sub plus a charge for 20%. I have no problem with the arrangement for hard-to-find subs and jobs that require coordinating multiple types of labor. Plus it's important to me that the contractor's insurance is available to cover any issues that arise. I just don't love paying the fee for single-sub jobs. Anyway, I appreciate the input! I just had a new guy I found on Angie's List come out and he's supposed to give me a quote soon. (Don't even get me started on Angie's List...I'm well aware of how flawed it is.)

No. No one should be onsite ( even adults ) unless they’re working on the project. Example: while having work done on my house years ago I happened to come home from work at noon to get something. While walking down the hallway to my bedroom I was surprised by a woman exiting our bedroom, who introduced herself as the contractor’s fiancé. She stated that our contractor wanted her to see our house (?). While getting ready to go out to a function less than a week later I went to retrieve a ring to wear from a jewelry box ( a large solitaire diamond that I rarely wore other than for dressy occasions ). It was gone. I know, it should have been placed in a safe or elsewhere but I was young & naive. I always suspected that she took ( no one else had access to the house other than her & the contractor ) it but of course couldn’t prove it. Lesson learned.

Wow, now people who don't just immediately recognize the genius of a contractor are implied to be "not the right class"? Rath-er..... I'm glad this gentleman has so many devotees but in fairness to the OP the original question was about timely communication and professional behavior. I can assure you that even the "delicate geniuses" (to quote Seinfeld) of any profession need to return calls. It only takes a moment to say that they aren't available. im SO glad I lucked out with an absolute gem of a GC. Amazing quality of work (and im picky and experienced with renos) honest as the day is long, and no ego...actually listens and does not dictate. When you find someone like this you make major life decisions based on their availability. We have purchased or passed on flips based on his schedule. At this point in our relationship I would not bid out jobs but even if I did I am sure he would react professionally and not sever a long term association. This has absolutely zero to do with being cost-driven. I could not even tell you if he's low middle or high compared to others. But at one point, before I met him, I was looking. I had many people bid on a kitchen for example. I was new to the area. Believe it or not there were people who thought their reputation preceeded them but it was Greek to me as id only been in town a hot second. As a woman meeting these folks. there was also a fair bit of "mansplaining" about how things should work or why they were the obvious choice, or even the subtle shaming another poster also engaged in if i questioned costs. That's a turn off for me and I would guess many others. At the end of the day, no matter how talented a service provider may be, they still have to make you comfortable enough to give them the job. For me, its an equally bad sign if they don't return calls as if the proclaim "you aren't good enough for me if you talk to anyone else about this job " Again its business.

Just my 2 cents... Advice on what the OP should have done in the beginning is a bit useless now. My advice is to focus on getting the best result from where you are right now and ignore where you think you should be. You should also ignore the results other people are getting. I suspect your best option is to incentivize your current builder and/or make arrangements for the schedule to work for you. I would consider having a meeting to set a timetable for the remaining stages of the home. If this is a custom build or small builder, I might consider a completion bonus. I wouldn't file a complaint or write a review until your house is finished. Remember you have to live in the house when it is finished, so pick the battles that are going to get you a better house, not the ones that prove to the builder you are not to be messed with. --- A word on contracts, clauses, and attorneys. Great builders typically build great houses. Don't get so hung up on the perfect contract that you overlook the perfect builder. I recommend finding the right builder and seeing if you can work with their contract, rather than having specific contract requirements. An attorney is a great tool for understanding the contract and possibly making a few small suggestions.