To tell Building Company to take a hike

[Greentablet]

Hi,

Looking for some advice/perspective as I am a bit too involved.

Essentially hired a building company ( reasonable size, not sole trader) to do renovation works on my house in July 2021.

Target finish Oct 2021.

Habitable but not finished by Jan 2022 when I moved back in. At which point I had paid 75% of the cost.

Over the last year numerous issues identified that need redoing, electrics, plastering, kitchen etc.

I hired a surveyor of my own in Feb 2022 who wrote a report that highlighted issues that needed fixing.

By October 2022 very little done, so I formally told building company that if the work was not complete to a reasonable standard by end of December 2022 I would cancel contract and go elsewhere. Not pay the 25% remaining but use it to cover rest of work and go elsewhere for builders, likely the 25% retention I hold will not cover all the work.

December 2022 they did 2 days work and asked for an extension as their builders merchants shut for xmas and needed materials.

I reluctantly agreed, and said by 16th February 2023.

You can guess the rest, no work done since, a few emails from them to say coming next week, they never do.

So today, a day before we agreed they would finish, get an email saying they might come next week!!!

If I say FO, I need new builders ( in short supply) and will have to pay extra and then recover from original builders possibly by court. Original builders quite aggressive when challenged.

So stressed and don't know what to do!

The answer's in your post: the day before they said they would finish they've emailed saying they might come next week.

Bin them. They're substandard and unreliable.

Bin them!

I would imagine that they're in financial difficulty if they aren't reliable. And perhaps they'll leave the job unfinished anyway but they're trying to get as much cash out of you as possible first.

Talking from bitter experience!!

I'm not sure you're going to get money out of the old builders..

No, I don't think I will get any money out of the old builders either!

Which is why I wonder if I should get them to do as much as possible of the work.

Never pay for building works of any sort up front.

They do not need to pay their builders merchants until they get paid.

Ive had 2 new bathrooms and a new kitchen installed over the last few years, none of those were paid for until the work was finished, at my builders suggestion.

I had new carpet laid throughout the house, I paid the carpet fitter cash as each room was done, (huge house over three floors with multiple stairs etc) two bedrooms were left unfinished but he had started, I paid him and it was about 3 months before he returned to finish that job.

Never pay up front.

Im sorry you’re going through this, it’s incredibly stressful, as tempting as it is to tell them to fuck off, get them in and try to get the job finished, no final payment for them until you’re happy. Fingers crossed.

Do you have a written contract with the builders? If so you'll need to follow what it says there about sacking them.

If it makes you feel better I have heard several similar stories recently. I think lots of building firms can't find enough skilled people to do the work they have signed up for.

Thank you, every time I see an email from them now I get anxious🙄

Yes a fixed price written contract

A delay of nearly 18 months clearly un reasonable, got advice from EAP at work, and then went down formal route of telling them finish by end of Dec 22 or contract cancelled.