My experience was that I paid too much for the work that was done. Get at least a couple of estimates for the job you want done and see if you can find anything about the contractor's reputation. After the work was done and paid for i noticed the contractor had cheated by taking a couple of shortcuts in his work. Maybe you could sneak around with your camera to get pictures of the work in progress.
Nope. Although not a horror story, the guy who did my kitchen stills needs to replace a light that failed. I guess he is hiding out like the rest of us.
Yes. Clients who suddenly think you are making too much money and think they get to just decide not to pay you the agreed on amount. We used to do concrete flatwork and basements. We could get a job done in days that was expected to take more than a week. People would get mad and think we over charged.
No. I would like to suggest that you pay no more than 1/3 before the work is started and do not pay the last 1/3 until it is finished and you are completely satisfied. I was given that advice and it has proved to be good. My last project was done like this: I was given a detailed itemized estimate. If that item ended up costing less, then my cost was less. If it ended up costing more, the excess was on the contractor. This encourages contractors provide realistic estimates. If you are to purchase all supplies make contractor give you receipts for each and every thing he bought. I drove my contractor a little nuts because I had an opinion about everything, including the supplies and materials.
You should check the law in your state regarding abandonment to be knowledgeable in case your guy disappears or is gone longer than you think he should.
These are my personal opinions.
This post was edited by Thriftymaid at July 5, 2020 7:55 AM MDT
Thriftymaid 