[sweet_diane]

"Certainly there are fly-by-night builders who make a quick buck and leave town, but this is not representative of 99.99% of the building industry."

You get what you pay for. An honest contractor has a right to earn a fair living as much as anyone.

Hubby helps people overcome their inate distrust of contractors by being totally transparent. If your contractor isn't willing to show you exactly where all the money is going, including their own salary, then they are hiding something from you for a reason.

[goldstategop]

No honest contractor will object to an independent inspection of the property. After all he wants to sell it and should be able to stand by his work. My condo in Colorado had a problem with drainage on the pathway that made it a walking hazard in the winter due to slippery ice. That was noted in the inspector's report in February before I considered buying it since I liked it. I contacted the Realtor and he told me the problem would addressed. So I bought the place and earlier this summer it was finally corrected by having the drainage gutter go underground. So basically, give the contractor a chance first. Only if they leave you unsatisfied, then take action to protect your rights.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[ran20]

You get what you pay for. An honest contractor has a right to earn a fair living as much as anyone.

Good point my parents are always upgrading their house or hiring people to do the usual like roofing or painting. Anyway they always shop around then buy 'the best', or someone highly respected that they like his work. The cost is very high, but the work is incredible.

Anyway a talented contractor has just as much right to make good money as anyone else. And hes got to earn a lot per hour because the work isn't as consistent as say a career job. Some people seem to think that even skilled tradesmen should work for a pittance, but then the work should also be high quality.