Contractor bails and refuses to refund for work not performed
I entered into a contract with Par-tek Construction 1 year ago after finding the contractor using this very site. The reviews were good and his responses by e-mail or phone were quick. We signed an agreement to begin wprk on converting a carport into a garage, for design work and the permit, and I made several payments. Due to various delays no work was completed other than getting a permit, and construction was pushed to the spring.
This is where my problems began to get worse. Not getting anything built per our original timeline was a setback, but I was still confident in the contractor. Andrew (who is owner) still seemed willing to complete the work, but continually delayed the start. First it was pushed to March, then May, and when we finally seemed close to starting, he abruptly terminated our arrangement. He said we did not have a signed contract for this part of the work, and specifically "Get somebody else to build your garage." My mistake was trusting him on his word and paying more than what was outlined initially to continue the work.
Obviously this left me in a tough spot. No work has started, and I was out the several thousand dollars I paid him for essentially the promise of work to come. My attempts to get a refund were not met well. His response to me was to claim that his costs were mysteriously much higher than what I had paid. So much in fact that I now owed HIM money! There was no mention of these mystery costs prior to my request, nor any dollar values provided.
There are all kinds of words to describe a man like this, but I'm not interested in venting. I hope my story guides you to a better contractor than I found.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $24,000.00
- Company Response
Response from ParTex Design Build Ltd.
It is remarkable how convenient clients' memories can be, after a little time passes.
The delays were due to two main issues. The existing carport had a 65 ft. Blue Spruce immediately beside the affected area. Lots and lots of tree roots, close to the surface, which would prevent the typical type of footing and foundation construction. After several visits by our Arborist and Engineer (and myself) we arrived at a unique system of Sonotubes with a steel beam over, new to all of us. It took several attempts, plus visits, for the city to accept our design, despite the several stamped drawings by our engineer. We did eventually receive the permit, after some effort.
AFTER the permit was received the client then decided to start initiating changes.
Changing the garage exterior to brick (brick is much heavier that vinyl) caused more engineering time, thicker beams, more and larger Sonotubes and more cost. Ditto with additional lighting, electrical outlets and charger for a possible future electric car. The clients existing panel was full and would require more work to free up the required three circuits. The client did not see why he should pay more for any of these upgrades. Totally unreasonable, from our point of view. I could see that we were not going to be able to work it out, so gave him a great carpenter and mason I know, with a much smaller company and overhead. They couldn't work it out either. Unreasonable expectations. Would not budge from the original budget.
Last time I drove by the house, the carport was still as it was.
I imagine that he has not been able to find anyone to build what he wants, at the price that he wants.
Imagine my surprise.
Some renos are hard on contractors, not just homeowners.
The pendulum swings both ways.