I Need Some Help!

[CaE]

It is with the utmost humility that I come to the AGF for help. My wife and I have found ourselves in a very unpleasant situation. We are adding on to our home to make room for the addition we have coming to our family. We hired a contractor to do the work. The project was supposed to last 6-8 weeks. 14 weeks later, he quit- taking a large amount of our money and leaving us with a disaster. The work he did is not up to code and has to be ripped down. Not only that, he cause some severe damage to the original structure. I fear what it is going to take to fix that mess. Now I am left with a large financial burden and project that I have to start over. I am in the process of finding a new contractor and find myself struggling to find a good and trustworthy one who can get the work done in time. Needless-to-say, we need some help. So for that reason, I am running a super sale on my currently in-stock guitars- $1000 off plus free shipping in the continental US.

You can see the guitars that I have for sale on my website. Please check them out. The prices listed there don't reflect the discount.

Please help anyway you can. Even if you aren't able to buy a guitar, please pass this story along to everyone you know. Thank you for taking time to read my story and for any help you can afford.

Sincerely,
Chris Ensor

[ewh2]

Man that sucks.

Contractors (we use the term 'builder' in England) can be a absolute pain.

Good luck getting it sorted Chris and with selling the guitars.

[Deft Tungsman]

What he said. (Not ALL contractors suck, however.)

Best of luck, man, you deserve it.

[fazool]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Good luck with your sale - those are gorgeous guitars!

[CoolerKing]

Beautiful sapele! Good luck with your sale and I hope things work out for you.

[Rod True]

Chris, while I'm not in the market for a guitar, I certainly hope yours sell quick and for their real value, not the discounted price.

I sincerely wish you and your wife the best of fortune finding a new contractor. That the work will get done quickly and fully compliant.

I also wish you all the best with "the new addition" which I assume means a child.

Cheers

[Aubade Acoustics]

Chris,
I hate to hear that. Life can be tough enough minus those kind of things happening. Hoping and praying it works out for you.

[Gitfiddlemann]

That's a really terrible situation, unfortunately one that happens quite a bit. But as someone said above, there are good and honest contractors out there.
I hope that you contacted the Attorney General's office in your state to file a formal complaint. That might trigger a longer process than what might help you in the short run, but it's the important thing to do in these cases. Get the State behind you on this. There are laws on the books to protect you and your family.
Good luck with you sale. Really nice guitars.

[cattzap]

Seen it a bunch around here. Guys with a pile of tools from Lowes and the DIY channel. I helped a lady who's husband passed away rebuild an addition . Great man. We chose his name for our oldest son's name. She was in the same situation. She paid a guy some money. He did some of the work, with used materials, then talked her into paying the rest before the project was done and moved to Florida the next day. He made a bad mess. Rain came in from above and below.

Rule 1, never pay all up front. Rule 2 you buy the materials. If a contractor buys materials and doesn't pay, the seller of the materials can place a lien on your home till it's paid.

When we built our house, we paid for all the material used. Also nobody stepped foot on the job without a notarized letter stating they will not place a lien for any reason, and an undated release of lien. In Texas, it's $30 to file a lien on any home or business under construction for any amount or reason. It then becomes up to the owner to prove that there is no reason for a lien or prove that no money is owed. Someone did that on our fist building project. A painters helper that we here 30 minutes and refused to work. We ran him off and he went strait to the county clerks office. A few days later I got a notice. I talked to them and they said thats how this guy makes his living. Files multiple liens a week. Most people just pay him. We went and found a crooked lawyer to deal with him. 100 bucks later and a call from one of his "friends" and a release was hand delivered to the clerks office.

Hopefully whoever did this had permits, and some inspections were already done. I'm thinking maybe not. Step one would be contacting local building authorities. The person needs to be reported and stopped from working if he's still around.

A real building inspector needs to be brought in so you can get proper advice on how to proceed and what to do. Probably don't have to say that you wouldn't want your home to fall in on top of you.

And before anyone else touches it, you need to see their credentials and insurance.

[The Bard Rocks]

I think it is time to speak to an attorney. Right now. If you can't afford one, let them work on a contingency basis (they may take 1/3 to 1/2) where they get paid only if successful. I have had this happen with an electrical contractor who declared bankruptcy before I could take any action.

If you are in the SL area, I have a good friend there who is honest, careful, and skilled - it's his sole living - and I can put you in touch with him if you wish.

I have quite a bit of experience now with contractors as restoring distressed homes is part of my living and there are all kinds out there, some shysters, some that cut corners, some that refuse to do something they don't feel is "right", some that earn and protect their good reputation.... When you run across one of the good ones, hang on to them and establish a good relationship as you may need him again in the future. And don't think that just because they are expensive they are better (and vice versa); it's not always that way.

Consider: you have a reputation for fine guitars. There is a strong probability that you are a perfectionist and that this carries over to other things - your addition, perhaps. Is there a chance a Court will think you had unreasonable expectations over the contractor you had?

[CaE]

Thanks everyone for the support and advice.

Earlier this week we started putting every wheel into motion that we can against the contractor. I have talked with an attorney, have the sheriff's department working on a case for the prosecutor, will be presenting a case to the attorney general, going after his insurance policy/company, etc. I wish it didn't have to come to this, but here we are. I also have a legal background check in my possession that proves that he lied about multiple things he told us including how long he has been in business. It also shows that he just got out of prison and fled to Missouri from Oklahoma. A real character this one is.

Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks

Consider: you have a reputation for fine guitars. There is a strong probability that you are a perfectionist and that this carries over to other things - your addition, perhaps. Is there a chance a Court will think you had unreasonable expectations over the contractor you had?

I had considered this and had even backed off a bit. Having now talked to many other, reputable contractors, every one of them has said that I wasn't being hard enough on him. I have an inspector coming out to help me with my legal case, but so far, it looks like not a single thing above the concrete foundation was done right or up to code....

Thanks again for all the support. Please keep spreading this story.

[Larry Pattis]

Is he a licensed contractor...I mean, licensed with the State of Missouri?

If so, you will have recourse in that direction...contact your State's contractor board.

[lizzard]

I sympathize with you on this one. I have already had an EXPENSIVE 2015, or the cedar would be on it's way to my guitar closet.

Nice work and good luck.

Chris

[CaE]

I met with the county building inspector yesterday. He confirmed that all the carpentry on the job is not up to code and gave me a full report to use for legal purposes. We have gathered almost all the evidence we need for our case(s) against him.

We are moving forward in this project and I have a few contractors that are bidding the job. I am even hopeful that the project may be completed before the new baby arrives.

[islandguitar]

That's certainly good news Chris!