Questions tagged [contractors]
For questions relating to the subject of general contractors for home construction, including soliciting or making bids, working with or under a general contractor, handling payment, and warranty considerations.
117
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Failing Finish on Resurfaced Hardwood Floor Renovation: What's the correct course of action?
Background
My wife and I recently purchased a 1250 sq. ft. condo that needed some simple renovations. The first floor is entirely Number 1 Common Red Oak, which had likely last been installed 10-15 ...
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0
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65
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GC installed new front door that was significantly smaller than what we were led to believe [duplicate]
We hired a contractor to measure and build a custom exterior door for us. When it was time to install the door, we noticed that the door frame was 5" shorter and 5" narrower than the space ...
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1
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91
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GC installed new front door with huge beads of sealant that is dripping
Just as my title suggests, we hired contractors to measure, fabricate, and install doors for us. We want to know if we should demand that they fix the issue? We also want to know if it is a simple fix?...
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2
answers
123
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Partially constructed ADU too close to power lines
My family has hired a contractor to construct a two-story ADU; the initial plans have been okayed by the city and the wood for the entire first floor has been assembled and the concrete laid. After ...
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1
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47
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Who do I hire to repair damage from a leak from the deck into the house?
Backstory: we bought a ~130 year old wood-framed house a year ago in MA. The previous owners maybe 10 years ago added a two car garage to the back of the house and a large deck on the roof of the ...
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1
answer
68
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Is the J-channel in my siding installed correctly?
I am looking to find out if the trim on my currently-being-re-sided house is being done correctly or if it is as wacky as it looks.
One piece looks like it's installed upside down. Wait, wait, are ...
- 11
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votes
2
answers
71
views
Wood floor over carpet underlay
Had a contractor 3 years ago install new wood engineered floor over carpet underlayment. I was told that it was done all the time, and foolishly took him at his word.
Now, the flooring isn’t level and ...
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0
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0
answers
40
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Excessive "shiners" and holes in OSB exterior wall
I have a home addition being built and the contractor recently put up the exterior OSB to the studs. I noticed a ton of nails that missed or "shiners", as well as holes in the OSB created ...
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3
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271
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Switch loop with continuing power to supply an outlet
Attached is a diagram of what I’m trying to make sure I wire correctly.
I have 12/2 wire coming from panel to light fixture,
12/3 wire with red going from light fixture to a double toggle switch,
12/...
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2
answers
121
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Do contractors expect a tip and if so how much? [closed]
I’m having an electrician upgrade my subpanel. The cost will probably be $1500 for labor and materials.
Should I tip them? If so what is expected?
(Note: I live in the US)
- 4,902
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1
answer
159
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Why am I having difficulty getting contractors to provide written estimates? [closed]
Recently, I have had three different contractors in to sister a joist in my house. All three said that they would get me a written estimate by today. One gave me an oral estimate which I told him to ...
- 351
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answer
44
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Window Replacement Contract Question [closed]
I ordered 16 Window replacement to a company. I paid the advance 4 weeks back. After few days one of their tech tells me that they would install window in 4 to 10 weeks and I would need to take off ...
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0
votes
2
answers
337
views
Who's the right person to hire for exterior door repair?
I have an old(ish) house with a door that no longer seals tight against the frame. This is the door between my house and my uninsulated garage, so it's effectively an external door. (Also, it's ...
- 127
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1
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130
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I-beam removal from garage ceiling a structural concern?
I'm purchasing a cape cod built in 1949 that has only a partial I-beam in basement ceiling. It appears 10' has been cut and removed from the garage that is under the back of the home. I currently own ...
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45
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Forms on a Slope—Contractor wants more money to reinforce them after a rainy week
We are having a patio poured on a slope. The forms are complete and have been sitting for two weeks. Over the time period, it has rained here just under an inch. We are in the Texas Hill Country, so ...
13
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2
answers
4k
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Should I be disappointed about this quality of craftsmanship in new front door? [closed]
I recently had a new front door and doorframe constructed an installed in my Victorian terraced house. The old frame and door were ripped out, and a new frame and door installed. On inspection, I ...
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3
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4k
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Should my contractor have installed a new concrete patio on top of sod and an existing patio?
Contractor added concrete patio around the back of my house, but its already cracking after less than 6 months.
I believe that there should be cuts and expansion seams throughout the slab to allow for ...
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8
votes
1
answer
3k
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Contrator made Concrete parallelogram for shed foundation
I hired a contractor to make me a shed foundation from concrete for a tuffshed. I wanted a 10x20 foundation but instead of making it a rectangle he made it as a parallelogram. When tuffshed got here ...
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2
votes
1
answer
220
views
Do I need a new roof to install ridge vents?
I wanted to have a ridge vent installed across the top of my roof to improve ventilation.
Roof is about 40ft long with a ridge board in the middle and 5/12 pitch.
Roofer came out saying he can't ...
- 149
0
votes
1
answer
157
views
Leak from contractor work on toilet damaging plaster ceiling below (US)
We had a full bathroom renovation start while we were out of town. We just came home to discover that our contractor installed our toilet with the supply line leaking. The tile floor beneath the ...
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2
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176
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Did my contractor install these windows correctly?
I had a contractor come install 4 of these windows for me.
He’s an older guy who I believe just does this to keep busy post retirement. The labor costs were very cheap.
When I went upstairs afterwards ...
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2
answers
246
views
How do I know if a roofing company is using subcontractors? [closed]
My wife and I hired a roofing company, but I think the person we contracted with just put the work onto his crews back. He only came out to the job site twice: once to provide an estimate, and once to ...
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1
answer
65
views
Should a contractor who uses subcontractors carry workers' compensation insurance? [closed]
I'm in the process of hiring a contractor in California for a small masonry project (retaining wall, budget <$20k). I found a contractor I like, with good recommendations and a competitive bid. He ...
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votes
2
answers
921
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Quartz Installer refuses to use a dual mount sink - only undermount?
The company installing my quartz countertops says that the sink I provided, a dual mount ( https://www.elkay.com/products/hddsb33229tr3.html ) is not usable and that I must provide a true undermount. ...
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13
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2
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1k
views
Contractor work caused a water leak in the house - UK
I’m renovating a kitchen, together with small hallway and a cloak room toilet. I hired a company to do all the work although I now realise I don’t have a formal contract with them, only with their ...
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1
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627
views
Would insurance cover water damage due to an improperly installed deck?
My house is an 80 year-old 3-story with a partially finished cinder block basement. I've owned it for about 10 years, and it came with a pair of french doors that opened from the dining room onto a ...
- 133
0
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1
answer
57
views
What would be a fair day rate for a 1-day excavation job involving 1 person and a 24" bucket excavator? [closed]
We're hiring a local company to come move dirt around our 1/10 of an acre property in a small town. The job will be 1-day of work, all by machine (no hand-digging). What would be a normal rate to hire ...
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answers
53
views
Techniques for mitigating pavement ants during gut reno in bathroom on slab foundation?
planning a bathroom renovation in a 1950s ranch on slab. Ants appear in several areas where walls meet the floors.
Is there a specific practice for sealing the passageways, that expands/contracts with ...
- 175
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1
answer
165
views
Radon Levels Remain Elevated
I recently purchased a home. During the inspection there was measured radon levels of 6.3 PiC/L.
After having a professionally installed radon mitigation system, an electronic sensor indicates an ...
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38
views
What kind of license to check for when hiring a builder?
This question is a follow-up to this earlier question.
I found someone with a license to do excavating. They have the license that allows them to operate the equipment. I can confirm that in a ...
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2
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68
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What is the advantage to hiring someone with a license?
Recently many out of work handymen have shown up at my door asking if they can do any work. One quoted me on some work, at a much lower price than if I looked in the phone book for a licensed ...
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2
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60
views
Renovation Planning [closed]
We would like to do the following in our two-family house, ordered by priority
Sound-proofing bedrooms, potentially other living spaces (we are getting woken up at 4-5am from tenants on the second ...
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73
views
Should I have my contractor redo the underlayment?
I’m having my roof redone and on the roof where my roofer is going to install standing seam metal roof he put down Winterguard HT fastened with staples (because it was cold so it didn’t stick well).
...
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2
answers
163
views
Lighting in a Detached Garage
I have a 20'x24' 2-story unfinished, detached garage. The first floor is a two-story garage. The second floor will be living space (kinda like a studio apartment). The ceiling of each floor is about 8 ...
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1
answer
1k
views
Changing a dishwasher from hardwired to cord-and-plug
My dishwasher flooded my kitchen, requiring the removal of the flooring and eventually the lower cabinets. I turned off the water supply to the dishwasher right after the flood, but couldn't unplug it ...
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6
answers
1k
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Handyman working along side general contractor
We are redoing our kitchen, two bathrooms, and a bunch of small stuff (e.g., replacing interior doors) in a house we just purchased.
We have a GC for the kitchen and baths, which are complicated and ...
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1
answer
342
views
How do you stop basement waterproofing sealant that is coming into the sump pump basin from the foundation drain pipe?
I have a very unique and serious problem on my hands concerning the sump pump in my basement and I am very eager to hear of any suggestions or possible solution(s) as soon as possible. The problem I ...
user117409
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0
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59
views
Having doubts about my mason
I have just hired a young mason for a few projects, one of which was to patch a hole in the brick wall and the other to build a low garden wall. I hired him on the basis of pictures that he texted me ...
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1
answer
41
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Hiring a contractor to inspect / survey / analyse my home as a whole
Last summer I hired a general contractor to do some painting, trim, and cabinetry work. During that time he told us a bit about our home, and that in the next 20 - 25 years we may need to do some more ...
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1
answer
152
views
Just got quoted $5000 to service my HVAC system. Is this reasonable? [closed]
I have a 15 year-old York heat pump that gave out at some point during the winter (not sure exactly when as it's a dual-fuel system and nobody noticed until higher than normal gas bills started ...
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3
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Is it reasonable that a contractor has asked for two-thirds of the project cost by start time? [closed]
I'm not sure if this is an appropriate question for this forum. If not, I'll remove it. I need to have some work done on my house and the contractor has asked for 1/3 to schedule and pull permits, ...
- 111
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3
answers
4k
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How do I protect myself from bad contracting jobs?
I've came cross couple recent bad jobs 1 2 and am dealing with a bad electrical job myself.
Before putting down money and letting the people leave, what resources are available to a consumer to ...
- 1,458
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vote
1
answer
152
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My contractor wants to install a different brand of solar panel from what was approved in their permit
I am having solar panels installed on my house. My contractor told me that they are installing 20 Canadian Solar CS3k-325-MS panels. I just got a copy of the plants they sent to the city for their ...
- 496
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1
answer
281
views
What is the fully burdened hourly rate for an HVAC installer? [closed]
While it's pretty simple to get an hourly rate that is paid to an HVAC installer, I have found it more difficult to ascertain what the fully burdened rate is. This is the complete cost a company to ...
- 322
0
votes
2
answers
99
views
Storm-chasing contractors and insurance claims
This is the year we planned to replace our roof. When we bought the house five years ago, the home inspector told us that it was coming up on being due, so it was the next big thing on our list after ...
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1
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136
views
Has anyone acted as your own general contractor for a bathroom remodel? [closed]
We are in the process of renovating one of our two bathrooms with a general contractor. I'm learning a lot through this experience, and am thinking about acting as my own general contractor for the ...
30
votes
3
answers
12k
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Why do Contractor Levels have two vials with the same orientation?
It seems to me that having multiple vials in the same orientation is redundant, but many levels seems to include this feature. What am I missing? There has to be some reason.
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2
answers
249
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Roofing shingle replacement: Hand nailing vs nail-gun [closed]
I live in the North East.
Architectural asphalt shingles (whatever those are) need replacement or might last 4 more years depending on who I talk to.
One roofer tells me hand nailing is what he does....
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vote
0
answers
1k
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Plumbing replacement - Drains, P-traps, and Vents
I'm having a bathroom remodel done that involves replacing the leaky old galvanized steel plumbing with PEX piping. I have zero plumbing experience, but I'm not convinced it's being done properly.
...
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1
answer
212
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Is my contractor doing a botched up job installing the soffit
Is my contractor doing a botched up job installing the soffit with staples?
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