Twoply 0 #1 August 17, 2009 I just got back from the police dept in the city where I built a deck for a GC. I fronted the cash to pay for materials and builot the deck. He collected $$ from the owner and split. I talked with the owner's lawyer and he knows the lein is coming. Gotta love people. Funny thing is, he sold this deck for twice what I'd charge for it. If he can sell them like this, I'd be happy making what I do and he'd be raking in some real dough to just do some saleswork. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 2 #2 August 17, 2009 You obviously know about mechanics' liens. That's good. In most states (I don't know Ohio law), deadlines are very short and very strict, and specific form is also strictly required. One little slip, and your claim could be screwed. If you've done it before, and you're 101% sure you'll do everything exactly correctly, exactly within statutory deadlines, you might not need a lawyer in the earlier stages. Anything less than 100% certainty, you'd be well advised to at least speak with a lawyer to make sure you don't screw the pooch. Good luck. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davjohns 1 #3 August 17, 2009 Sorry to hear about your troubles. Lots of bad GCs out there.I know it just wouldnt be right to kill all the stupid people that we meet.. But do you think it would be appropriate to just remove all of the warning labels and let nature take its course. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #4 August 17, 2009 Any chance of chasing that GC down? I'd love to see you take your nail gun to that jerk.I caught one of them robbing me to pay off other jobs, and nipped that in the bud. I don't trust those guys much anymore. Good luck to you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Twoply 0 #5 August 17, 2009 The cop who took all my info down is trying to comvince the procecuter to go after this guy for criminal charges. He's got a track record and false addresses. They seem motivated. Small town, big news... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jdthomas 0 #6 August 17, 2009 another reason I try to aviod GC's for home projects. I just don't trust many of them after a few experiences with them. Good luck in getting your cash back!www.greenboxphotography.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heatmiser 0 #7 August 17, 2009 The sorry thing is in the long run the homeowner is the one that will be screwed. Sucks man. We had a GC take the money and run on approximately 30 new home projects when the morgtage bubble popped. A former partner of mine was doing his painting contracting, took him for approx 25000. He was robbing from Peter to pay Paul. Got into the lumber company for about a million. Almost put them under. Goes without saying that the prosecutors are persuing the matter. What you say is reflective of your knowledge...HOW ya say it is reflective of your experience. Airtwardo Someone's going to be spanked! Hopefully, it will be me. Skymama Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,589 #8 August 17, 2009 Yeah, the homeowner does get screwed also. I never made it to lien, because when I got the bill from the sub that had been screwed I called them, whined a lot, and then paid. We tried to get the contractor to come to their office for a confrontation, but he wouldn't show. Later I figured out that he had appropriated the name (with an extremely minor change) and logo (with an equally minor change) of a well-thought-of local contractor. More the fool me, huh. Wendy P.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Misternatural 0 #9 August 17, 2009 it was a long time ago and I worked for a contractor who was paying people with rubber checks including me, SO Since I had a key to one of the jobs I simply showed up and collected a little more than my share of nice ceramic floor tile and installed them in a spec house which I later sold for a tidy profit- hehehehehe.........problem solved Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 35 #10 August 17, 2009 I have heard the horror stories of corrupt GCs, and opted to go with one who works for Home Depot. He was very nice and did a great job on my roof last year. Sure I paid a premium, but it was worth the peace of mind. I have called back the independent structural home repair and remodel guy he recommended, a couple times for other projects and have no complaints. It's a land mine out there. Cover your ass."Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #11 August 17, 2009 It sounds more like you're dealing straight with the sub contractors, the actual hammer and nails guys. I've had better luck with that. Always withhold complete payment until the job is done, get releases of lien. Even then, I've had a few bad experiences, especially hiring a "friend" to do some sheetrock work. When building a house years ago, our lawyer caught my GC robbing Paul to pay Peter with my money. I told th GC no more cash until I started getting releases of lien from my subs, which I went out and collected myself. Of course, this meant I had to insure they got paid, which I did. I was dismayed with the system at how grateful some of them were to get paid for the job they did for me. It just seemed so wrong how crooked some GC's are. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flynghllfsh22 0 #12 August 17, 2009 If he is a licensed with the State as a GC, you can file a complaint with the licensing board as well as the local BBB. Almost all states have a mechanism to file complaints and to check GC's license history before you do any work with them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 35 #13 August 17, 2009 Quote It sounds more like you're dealing straight with the sub contractors, the actual hammer and nails guys. I've had better luck with that. Always withhold complete payment until the job is done, get releases of lien. Even then, I've had a few bad experiences, especially hiring a "friend" to do some sheetrock work. When I had the roof done, I dealt directly with the GC, who lined up all the subs for me. After that big project was done, I knew who to contact directly for smaller projects. "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tigra 0 #14 August 17, 2009 QuoteYeah, the homeowner does get screwed also. I never made it to lien, because when I got the bill from the sub that had been screwed I called them, whined a lot, and then paid. We tried to get the contractor to come to their office for a confrontation, but he wouldn't show. Later I figured out that he had appropriated the name (with an extremely minor change) and logo (with an equally minor change) of a well-thought-of local contractor. More the fool me, huh. Wendy P. You wouldn't think a homeowner would need to worry about sworn statements, releases and lien waivers for a small project like a deck, but even the people who supply materials can file liens. Even if the lien wasn't filed correctly, it will show up on a routine title search and try selling or refinancing your home without paying it. Paying the supplier or sub contractor can be less expensive than hiring an attorney. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turtlespeed 226 #15 August 17, 2009 Ironic story. Walking out of Home Depot, about 2 hours ago, I got stopped by a frantic home owner that was dealing with the "hammer and Nails Guy". Long story - short, I ended up going over to his house and explained that I am a GC, not a handyman and in laymans terms I manage or broker the work to be done. He was so tired of so called "contractors" showing up and then having to deal with shoddy, sub par work, all the paperwork, and all the headaches, I ended up with a handshake deal to manage the remodeling of his house. Unfortunately, it sounds like the OP is dealing with one of those that give us a bad name. We are not all bad.Oh, and just FYI . . . it always helps to be able to go to the BBB website and view the rating of the contractor you are interested in. If the contractor does NOT have a BBB membership, I would definately wonder why, and ask for several other sources of recommendation and/or references. I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,589 #16 August 17, 2009 Quote it always helps to be able to go to the BBB website and view the rating of the contractor you are interested in And (ahem) DO be careful about how the company name is laid out. For example, John Doe's Remodeling is not necessarily the same as John Doe's Remodelers . I was not careful enough. Wendy P.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 35 #17 August 17, 2009 Quote Quote it always helps to be able to go to the BBB website and view the rating of the contractor you are interested in And (ahem) DO be careful about how the company name is laid out. For example, John Doe's Remodeling is not necessarily the same as John Doe's Remodelers . I was not careful enough. Wendy P. Yeah, Skyride does that all the time. "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turtlespeed 226 #18 August 17, 2009 Quote Quote it always helps to be able to go to the BBB website and view the rating of the contractor you are interested in And (ahem) DO be careful about how the company name is laid out. For example, John Doe's Remodeling is not necessarily the same as John Doe's Remodelers . I was not careful enough. Wendy P. Yes it is. What was the name of the company that you used vs. who they might have been trying to impersonate?I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 16 #19 August 18, 2009 I would have a hard time expecting fast work from anyone named Turtlespeed.Thanks for the advice. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
