No, you are not expecting too much. This is unprofessional. Unfortunately you have no leverage and no way to fix this.

To be clear, these aren’t product delays...it’s not the supply chain that’s breaking down. Also, COVID was around long before he committed to a timeline. What do you call a GC who doesn’t know how to project manage or communicate??

Having been in a similar boat with a big addition/remodel project, I totally sympathize. Personally I can live with delays; what has driven us completely crazy is the poor communication and the failure to set expectations appropriately. The final punch list has been a circus.

It's a shame because we're generally happy with the finished work - our house is completely transformed - but we are just so fed up that we'll never recommend the contractor. A good project manager (or just regular, reliable communication) would have made all the difference. I guess they don't really care since they have more business than they can possibly handle, and our project while $$$ is hardly their biggest or fanciest, but it does seem like a real missed opportunity.

My GC caught Covid and everything got pushed back. My cabinet maker is swamped and delayed, even the light fixture I ordered is delayed. Everything is taking longer.

Like you, we are having our own electrician, and we are hoping he is available when we need him, as the timeline shifted, if we have to wait on the electrician then the insulation contractor is pushed back, our taper is going out of town in September so the GC may have to bring in one of his subs instead..........delays just snowball.

Hi, Jennifer,

I'm sorry for your experience. With respect to your question, the answer is "it depends." It depends on how well your expectations are aligned with the capabilities and typical practices of your contractor. Misalignment gives rise to "friction" and friction is never in anyone's best interest.

Lead times are always an issue-- and more so in the current environment. Demolition on your project shouldn't begin until the various components--cabinets, appliances, plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, etc. are in the local distributor's warehouse and ready to ship. If there's a 6-8 week order lead time for cabinets, that means nothing will occur on site for at least 6-8 weeks after you've signed a contract and given your remodeler a deposit. That would make lots of folks nervous. I don't know how available trades are in your area, but if the components are at the local distributor's warehouse at the start of demolition in our market, an eight week timeframe for the scope you described is a reasonable expectation for an experienced remodeler.

Personally, I don't think you're expecting too much. Material delays, etc. are out of everyone's control right now, but it seems as though that's less of a factor for you than simple lack of effort and communication. If you have people on site, they should be actively working and making progress each day. The GC should be communicating with you about who is showing up when, and what they will be doing while there. It's pretty typical to have crews working on several jobs at once, I think, so it doesn't surprise me that they'd be on other projects sometimes and not show up every day, especially if a supply chain issue is causing a materials shortage or something, but still - it should not be a surprise whether they'll show up or not.

Do you have a contract with the GC?

🤣🤣 I did a gut remodel of my condo.

Kickoff was the last week of March 2018 when I moved out and the hazmat team moved in to take down the popcorn ceiling which had asbestos.

It is now June 2021 and my GC was just here last week doing some final punch up items like painting the inside of my front door. 🤣

The original contract said 8 to 12 weeks but that was left in the dust. Some of the delays I know were due to blips - the wrong size hood was delivered which delayed final tiling of the wall and installing upper cabinets by the cooktop. Even before COVID there were huge delays waiting for inspection as inspectors would cancel and then everything had to be rescheduled.

I was able to move back into my unit at the end of October 2018 but that meant I had a working bathroom and kitchen but stuff like closet doors were missing and there were delays while those were being constructed and then installed. Bathroom mirror had to be installed - stuff like that.

Of course COVID delayed for over a year as I didn't want any workers in my home until I was fully vaccinated. Nothing in my unit was critical enough that I was willing to risk my health - I could live with an interior door that wasn't painted and other minor aesthetic issues.

I have a good relationship with my GP and when I was physically in my home while they were working they were not shirking or arriving late or leaving early. I recently had my balcony tiled and it took them FIVE days working diligently all day - I know because I could see and hear them. 🤣 What I got were tile setters who did an absolutely meticulous job of cutting the tile and placing it. I wasn't around when they did my bathrooms and kitchen, but I assume they did the same meticulous job on those rooms which meant that it must have taken them a good bit of time since they weren't slapping stuff on the wall and floors willy nilly. And he aiways kelt me cimpletely informed regarding scheduling ajd shiwed uo woth workers when he was supposed to at the time he said he would

We have been building a house since October 2019. It is still not finished but finally close. We could not find a GC so I am doing this job and I have absolutely no experience (another story). Anyway, it has been crazy. I am very used to delays and very patient. However, all I ask for is for honest communication. But when someone tells me they are coming next week to do something and then they don’t show up or call, it is very frustrating. All I ask is for them to let me know. This is just basic courtesy and it does not take that much time to give me a call.

Sorry, Jennifer. Everyone is stretched so thin. Even in years past, the fastest kitchen gut job I had was 16 weeks. Your guy was being unrealistic, i fear. And those subs are probably working seven other jobs.

I have been waiting for my contractor to do some exterior renovations for 18 months. Yep, 18 – and now he is on site, but usually just 1-2 days a week. it has been slllooow. He’s a good guy, done a lot of work here before, and he’s run ragged six days a week minimum. Some days he’s at another site before even arriving here at 8AM. Often, he leaves here at 3PM and has to meet two more clients. New clients? He isn‘t taking any. He can’t get help, can’t get materials. And i know he's being honest. Not saying this is your contractor’s issue. But where we live, it’s a harsh world out there in the construction biz. Good luck.

Things that aren't available or are in very short supply right now:

Microchips for appliances.

Steel for appliances.

Brass for appliances.

Plastics for appliances.

Resins for paint.

Resins for industrial (cabinet and appliance) coatings.

Resins for quartz production.

Shipments of stone from overseas.

Lighting from overseas.

Tile from overseas.

Hinges for cabinets.

Wood for cabinets.

Cabinet grade plywood.

Cabinet installation screws.

Biscuits for joinery.

Truck drivers for transport.

And finally, Carpenters, plumbers, electricians electricians, tilers, designers, project managers, general contractors, and you name it.

Everyone is getting pulled 6 ways to Sunday.

Jennifer are your cabinets on site or in the area and have been inspected? Has the countertop fabricator already secured your slabs and told you what their fabrication time is? Here in Indy that time of the schedule alone has doubled.

Your GC most likely has lots of jobs he is working on simultaneously. He can’t devote too much time on each customer. That is not an excuse, it is a possible explanation. I had my kitchen and 3 smaller bathrooms redone about 2 years ago. Our carpenter, Jim, was our GC who was very experienced, highly recommended and had great reviews. Even my kitchen designer uses him. Jim did a super job, but our renovation, well, it took forever, as he had issues with a divorce and child care. I tried to be nice and understanding, as Jim is a great guy, but after a while, even my kitchen designer got involved in having him complete our renovation. Well, since then I had my stairs redone in oak, all new windows and slider door installed, a hallway redone in porcelain tile and new front door installed. I did not use Jim. I used a stair craftsman who exclusively does stairs, used Jim’s tiler for the hall, and another carpenter ( who had great reviews and was also highly recommended) for the door installation. Lucky for me they all did a beautiful job, and on time❣️Jim lost out on all those other jobs, as I did not want any more delays. Recently I had my wall to wall rugs replaced in my living room and 3 bedrooms, and I used a local carpet store ( highly recommended by my door installer) who use the same highly experienced carpet installers. The carpet installers came on time and did a beautiful job. I am done with my renovation. Oh prior to our carpet install, hubby and I painted our entire inside of our home after fixing cracks and nail pops on walls and ceilings.

I would love to see more young people go into the trades. We need good tradesmen.

@re:modern Design + Architecture,

Providing helpful resources would be more helpful if they didn't serve your own economic interest.

For anyone who has commented about delays being related to materials: that isn’t it. We put everything on order with enough lead time that everything is in - our giant barn is stuffed to the gills. This isn’t a supply chain issue; it is a communication and labor one.

Also, it’s interesting that it’s acceptable for a GC to take on multiple jobs at the same time if he can’t manage them. Yes, if everything is done on time then the number of jobs is his business. But if his customers are living out of one room for twice as long as promised and without any urgency on his part, then there’s a problem. Because here’s the thing - I’m paying $70K whether it gets done in two months or four, and that is BS. There is no accountability - none - and the contract is irrelevant unless someone wants to go to court, which is stupid over delays. Again, this is not a supply chain issue - it’s not lack of materials. It’s a lack of planning and project management, and I find that completely inappropriate for a professional in any trade. Take some pride in delivery, and/or the commitment to your work. We wouldn’t put up with it anywhere else, so why in construction?

@thinkdesignalive, yes. Everything is in, inspected, and just sitting. The fabricator was actually insanely fast to respond and schedule - he is now being delayed by the fact that the contractor hasn’t installed the cabinets and probably won’t even get to it this week.

I’m sure it is so frustrating, but your GC did not do a good job setting expectations. My cousin’s kitchen job sounds very similar to yours (with the addition of redoing the floors in all the public areas) and her GC gave an estimate 3-4 months. So, they moved out into a rental for the duration. I don‘t know what type of corporate job you have, but I am guessing that you are not part of the development side. I used to manage software development and there can be some delays and what you call excuses and, on occasion, we’d have to go back to clients and push back delivery dates. As you mentioned, there shouldn‘t be excuses after the first time, but it does sound like it is the first time he has had these kind of problems. I am assuming when you checked his references that none of his other projects had this kind of delay or you wouldn’t have hired him. Keep in mind that supply chain issues is not just the stuff in your barn, but the consumables and tools that he brings to the job site each day. Things seem more straightforward to those of us not doing the work. If it was so easy, we’d just go out to the barn, move in the cabinets and start hanging them ourselves. It will be more involved and take longer than you think. At this point, since your husband has been talking to him, without any notice of improvement, I would talk to the GC myself and see what can be done about resetting realistic expectations on both your parts. Sometimes people just want to please you so they say what they think you want to hear, especially when they know they are already behind. He wants this to be done too.

It seems like your GC is lacking in communication, planning and project management/sequencing skills to handle an efficient turnaround to your satisfaction. Short of having an architect or other client rep to be on top of your needs, you need to proactively advocate for yourself. (And I agree, going through the courts over contract at this point doesn't get your back into a liveable space.)

The resource links I provided above are genuinely free and meant to help because I see homeowners get taken advantage of way too often. You are always in charge of who you hire and choose to listen to.

Welcome to remodeling and typical contractors, unfortunately. Always double the amount of time they say they will have it done and add at least 20% to the cost. We've dealt with this and unfortunately most of them spread themselves too thin, use your money for other jobs, try to catch up, take on another job then round and round it goes. Don't stop calling/leaving messages/texting, it's all you can do.

Andrea C - I don’t work in app dev but I work with those vendors - I write the contracts. There is always a RACI and risk identification and mitigation process in place, plus we outline what the communication expectations are for delays. I am fine with a few excuses. Like, if the cabinets were ordered on time but delayed - totally understand that’s out of his control. Similarly, if his workers got COVID - also out of his control. What is not out of his control are all of the reasons he’s using - and they happened because he didn’t plan or manage or schedule. We also see him all of an hour a week. I’m sorry, but if you’re that far behind, it’s all hands on deck. He should not be starting new projects when he’s still behind on existing. And the worst part of it is that he refuses to communicate. If we don’t reach out and pester him, we wouldn’t know a thing.

When it’s time for us to are our final payment, do you think he cares if we didn’t budget well, or we weren’t paid on time, or insert any reason here why we couldn’t meet our payment commitment (I.e. an excuse)...would he find it acceptable? We just pay him when we get to it - tell him two weeks then go radio silent and pay him in eight? Yeah, no. That’s not acceptable and neither is this.

@Jennifer Lynn We've done so many projects and have frequently run into the problems you're experiencing and there is no excuse. It's poor planning and lack of organization with no consequences or accountablity whatsoever. The sad truth is that it is what it is. Unless you're into DIY, you need to find a way to roll with it. I'm getting ready to do another kitchen and dreading it! Ugh!

Oh...and to answer the original question...No, you're not expecting too much. If a contractor tells you he can do a job in 8 weeks, it should take 8 weeks. He/she should cushion the time knowing that there will likely be a few hiccups. The excuses listed above would never fly in any other industry except home improvment. SMH!

How much research/ vetting did you do when you were choosing contractor? Did the contractor you chose have a good history of delivering on time?

Aside from that, it is possible that he is dealing with finishing up projects started before yours & clients who have been waiting much longer because of supply/ labor issues having delayed their projects. Like being caught in a traffic jam because there are a half dozen car wrecks blocking traffic.

As it is, you can either wait or look for another contractor. Where you will almost certainly be waiting at the back of the line. Or take on part of the project DIY. Because there is absolutely nothing that we can do.

Ps. FYI to all people ordering materials right now: It's true that Covid has been around awhile...and the supply chain has been fine up until May (at least for us). Things didn't start falling apart for us with the supply chain and lead times until about a month or so ago when 3 of our cabinet manufacturers upped their lead times to 14-16 weeks. One just bumped it again to 20!

Believe me - if the cabinets or material delays were the issue, it would be understandable. It’s a different excuse or two every week - I may have to create a top 20!

our house was badly damaged in a wildfire October 2019. We are months away from the finish line --we are looking at Spring 2022, at best. We are still waiting on delivery of items from the floor to appliances --all ordered many MANY months ago. Delays in the permit process. Wrong windows ordered. Contractor delays ,,,, contractor appears to be putting things off until he can finish in one sweep because even if he moved ahead, he would have to stop and wait. And more houses swept up in other wildfires are now in the queue, etc. It will be years after the fire before we get our house back and we are ahead of other wildfire houses on the street --and this is largely a restoration, not a complete rebuild. Given the state of the house, there is currently no certificate of occupancy and indeed, no one could live there.I never imagined this could take years.

I hired a guy tonight with no experience for 50K a year to start. Loading and unloading a truck and taking notes in between. It's nuts out there.