Dealing with contractors

[Mojo88]

A couple weeks ago we decided to take the deck off of our house and put in a poured patio. We did the demo ourselves and the area is ready to go, all the contractor has to do is pour the concrete. I have called several contractors that I have been personally referred to and they haven't returned the calls. I finally got hold of one that came highly recommended and made an appointment for 10 am. He didn't show or call and I was unable to contact him. Having been in the commercial painting and flooring business, I know problems come up on jobs sites that require immediate attention. However, not to call cost this contractor a very nice job. If you can't find a job and want to make a good living, become a responsible contractor. All you need to do is show up for estimates and do quality work. With so many people retiring from the trades there will be a shortage of contractors in the next few years to do work. When I worked as a contractor we were booked year round for work and usually turned down several jobs as we were too busy to handle all the work. My dad was great with the customers and he had a long list of satisfied customers that always recommended us, we never had to look for work and we were never the least expensive.

 

[Cedar]

I'm sorry to hear you are having a difficult time getting a contractor. As a licensed tradesman/contractor I find it a terrible practice to not show up without making a call in advance.

Over the years things have changed a great deal. With the down turn in the economy, big box stores, the internet, and the DIY push it has brought changes, good and bad.

One of the biggest changes is estimates. As a contractor, you get a call for a "free estimate" and when you show up they want you to look over the work they done and then tell them how "you" would fix a certain issue they have. You give the estimate, never hear back only to find out they took your advice and did it themselves.

Although you recommended that people get into being a contractor to make a good living, I do not. I wish I would have followed the advice of my mom and went to college instead of trade school. I now work on the lake homes of classmates I went to school with.

One tip I would give you is to tell the contractor who recommended them. Good birds often flock together.

 

[auk1124]

Don't know how big or complex your patio project is, but one of the problems you may be having is that the contractors think there isn't enough work there to fool with. A lot of those guys seem to look for jobs that take a week or two as opposed to a day or two.

If you really don't want to tackle it yourself, you may have to lower your search down from "contractor" types to "handyman" types, who have experience pouring concrete.

 

[RondeB]

I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully someone will take the job. It took me several phone calls to get someone to do my patio last fall.

 

[Bobbers]

I had a similar problem a few years back with cement contractors. I needed 2 projects done a 14x16 pad for a shed and a 20x16 extension on the driveway. After several calls finally got 3 estimates. I went with the middle estimate he seemed the most professional and a good price. The work was done and everything was great for the first 6 month then the driveway cracked and the crack was about an 1" wide and 8' long. After more phone calls then I care to remember and fighting with a secretary 5 months later they came and replaced the bad section. Then 6 months later the gas compnay was running a new gas line and I told them not to run the line under the driveway but the did and in the process they cracked it. They then replaced it the following spring. When talking to the crew that replaced it they told me that no rebar was used, that the slab was not an even thickness and the thickness was not what it should have been. All of these things were in the contract.
I learned a few things from this and other contractors I have dealt with. Get everything in writing, the scope of the work, what they will do and will not do, what the warranty is on the work they do, etc. Then watch them do the work, stay out of the way of the work, or at least do random checks on the work they are doing so that corners do not get cut.
Hopefully you will have better luck with the contractor you find.

 

[gegarrenton]

Although you recommended that people get into being a contractor to make a good living, I do not. I wish I would have followed the advice of my mom and went to college instead of trade school. I now work on the lake homes of classmates I went to school with.

One tip I would give you is to tell the contractor who recommended them. Good birds often flock together.

Amen. The relative wage of a construction worker has gone down so far it's not even funny. One of my old superintendent's and I always joked "tell the kids not to be silly like us, go to college".

Last bit is right as well.

 

[Mick]

Concrete contractors and Masonry contractors are the hardest to work with. Something about moving tons of material on a daily basis seems to make them a little "odd"

that said, I am personal friends with several concrete contractors and a couple of masons, I even hunt with 2 of them.

I do get the "good buddy" pricing and treatment when I need work done. But when I do concrete work around here.... I DO CONCRETE WORK.

Yes that is 3 full 9 yard load trucks waiting to unload

 

[Argonaut]

Don't know how big or complex your patio project is, but one of the problems you may be having is that the contractors think there isn't enough work there to fool with. A lot of those guys seem to look for jobs that take a week or two as opposed to a day or two.

If you really don't want to tackle it yourself, you may have to lower your search down from "contractor" types to "handyman" types, who have experience pouring concrete.

This is most likely your problem. A one day job with the potential for a years worth of complaining from the homeowner. Most concrete guys prefer to work as a sub for a general contractor so they don't have to deal with the customer. I'd find a general contractor, you'll pay a bit more, but if he cares about his reputation he'll make sure it's done right.

 

[smalltank]

have you tried angieslist.com??

 

[cb91710]

Don't know how big or complex your patio project is, but one of the problems you may be having is that the contractors think there isn't enough work there to fool with. A lot of those guys seem to look for jobs that take a week or two as opposed to a day or two.

If you really don't want to tackle it yourself, you may have to lower your search down from "contractor" types to "handyman" types, who have experience pouring concrete.

This. As you said, there was a time when you were booked up for weeks. The economy is turning around and your local contractors are likely in the same boat.
And part of the problem is indeed the amount of work involved. Not only is it a short job, but there's not much room for markup. The cost of the concrete will be the bulk of the cost for the job, and the contractor is likely assuming that you are going to order and pay for the truck yourself since you did the work up to this point. Since he can't charge markup on the concrete if he doesn't pay for it, he's down to pure labor.... take 2 or 3 of his guys off of another job for 2 days for a job that will pay their wages and not much more.

 

[BrianC]

Concrete contractors and Masonry contractors are the hardest to work with. Something about moving tons of material on a daily basis seems to make them a little "odd"

that said, I am personal friends with several concrete contractors and a couple of masons, I even hunt with 2 of them.

I do get the "good buddy" pricing and treatment when I need work done. But when I do concrete work around here.... I DO CONCRETE WORK.

Yes that is 3 full 9 yard load trucks waiting to unload

BS....My concrete and brick guys rock. My Sheetrock guys and framers on the other hand...now those guys are the ones that cause me the most stress.

 

[COHunter]

Contractors can be an odd bunch for sure. I was a superintendent for some time and it's just adult day care basically. You may want to search out specialty companies that like to do "specialty" concrete work since some of those folks bread and butter is the fancy patterned concrete patios and so forth. It's worth a look.