Home Improvement → Re: Firing a contractor

They started the work and completed a part of it before the inspector came in. He did pass the work that was done, but all work from this point needs a different permit, so he advised them to shut it down and get a proper permit.

if the initial permit was approved...why would the city inspector pass the work done it and then only to require a new permit moving forward?

there must have been changes in the plans that made the inspector shut it down and require a new and or proper permit.

have you talked to the inspector?

Call the inspector and get it in writing (if he didn't leave a stop-work order). That would be awesome evidence to take to court when you get the lien discharged.

I think this would make sense if I explain what we are talking about here

The work in question is a sewer line replacement. My contract specifies replacing the pipe all the way to the curb. There is a logical stop point in the curve of the pipe, where the pipe was replaced to. The inspector approved the work from the house to that point. Now they can't dig any further because aside from the plumbing permits, they needed a sidewalk permit (or something similar to that), which they neglected to get. The inspector told them to connect to the older portion of the pipe, backfill, and get a proper permit. (i'm skipping over the part where the excavation crew decided to lecture the inspector on permits ) That was 2 weeks ago. Since that point their fence collapsed and I had to call them back to fix it, they've lied to me on several occasions which resulted in me taking time off work to wait for them to show up and now are just plain refusing to return my calls. Additionally they didn't even follow the old pipe as they were supposed to, because they didn't feel like it, so now I have a new portion of the pipe and the old one still buried where it was, just cut off on both ends.

I'm ranting a bit as I'm super annoyed right now.

I would get a copy of this report from the inspector, hire a lawyer and then have your lawyer write up a letter firing them for the unfinished work.

And a demand for a full refund of any money paid. He might also be able to collect money for any expenses to correct any mistakes they had made.

I agree he should hire a lawyer. And I agree with nunya that he should get an inspector's report or a stop work order as it can be used against the contractor.

A few years ago, a local amusement park went to build an indoor roller coaster and they never pulled a permit. They had been advertising the coaster all along since the last season. The building inspector issued a stop work order on the project so I think of that when I think of stop work orders. That coaster never came.

Hate to be the one to tell you this, but the city permit process can be a real pain -- even for professionals who do it all the time. I recently had a sewer line replaced by a friend who is a good plumber and has been licensed for over 30 years. During the replacement process the rules actually changed on how they wanted it plumbed and what was required to pass inspection. So if I were you I wouldn't pile all of the blame on the contractor.

I don't understand your rant that they left part of the old pipe in the ground. How does that affect you, your investment or the functionality of the new sewer line? Rerouting a sewer line is often done at time of replacement due to various factors.

Honestly, considering it has only been two weeks and there is some problem with the permit process I really don't think you have any legal standing in firing them.

Because of how it was presented to me:
1) they were supposed to do mostly trenchless through the old pipe, instead they dug up my whole yard and bypassed the old pipe entirely. This was not what was discussed. Wouldn't care much, but this is just where the lies started.
2) 2nd cleanout was supposed to be installed by the curb, instead it's 10 fee away from where it was supposed to be. Probably not the problem, but again, not what was discussed.
3) they specifically told me (did a whole shpiel) on how going to the curb would not require a sidewalk / street permit. And they know since they have 40 years of experience in this area don't you know.
4) They specifically asked me if there are sprinklers in the yard, and asked where all the heads are. There is also an agreement that if they cut a sprinkler line, they will fix it. End result NOT fixed and it's not in the area where they need to continue digging.
5) Twice they told me that they are delaying due to weather, until a clear day came and I pressed the issue, which turned out that there is no permit. It's not the delay that bothers me, it's the lying.
6) And last but not least, their entire management staff has been avoiding me for the past 2 days claiming that they are in meetings.

I understand delays happen, weather, bureaucracy, etc, but lying I can't tolerate at all.

I am hearing a lot of verbal "told me" but not seeing "the contract states". Forget what was discussed and focus on exactly what both agreed to in writing (the contract).

+1 If it's not in writing in a contract agreed to by both parties and signed by both it doesn't exist.