What would you do ? Contractor problems

[Low50s]

Hey everyone I need a bit of advise from the fellow GJ members.

I have a Lester building that was scheduled for last Wed it got pushed off until Next Wed which is no issues my contractor with Lester has been fantastic!! with constant communication threw out this entire process

My issues is with my concrete contractor about two months ago when I gave the initial Go ahead he said his crew would be starting the following week no show figured stuff came up I have him a bit and called again then I got the excuse he had skidloader issues, gave him a few more calls and I kept getting that he was starting at the end of the week. etc

long story short I have a building scheduled for this weekend and no concrete to speak of.

would the members here recommend finding new contractor someone who actually cares enough to want the work and not give me the run around or how long does someone stick it out with a bad contractor?

 

[matt_i]

I'd start with your local ready mix yard. They can give you the numbers of some guys who will do what you want.

 

[lakeroadster]

I'd start with your local ready mix yard. They can give you the numbers of some guys who will do what you want.

This^^^ Worked well for me, they know who's good and who isn't in your area.

But Low50's I'm confused... what concrete? Are you speaking about the slab?

Are you building a pole barn? Typically the "Lester Authorized" contractor digs the holes and erects at least the poles and girts before the slab is done.

FWIW.. my Lester Rep was great until they started working on the building. That's when the adventure began. See my build thread below.

 

[Low50s]

This^^^ Worked well for me, they know who's good and who isn't in your area.

But Low50's I'm confused... what concrete? Are you speaking about the slab?

Are you building a pole barn? Typically the "Lester Authorized" contractor digs the holes and erects at least the poles and girts before the slab is done.

FWIW.. my Lester Rep was great until they started working on the building. That's when the adventure began. See my build thread below.

Yes the slab I decided to pour foundation and then have the building constructed on top of the slab as taken from lesters site

https://www.lesterbuildings.com/Materials/Foundations/#Uni II

the local contractor is a Mennonite crew and I have checked out some others they put up and they look great and do a quick job

just doing some looking on BBB I just found another crew in a town thats close I think these are the same guys that just built a coworkers cattle setup they are also a local Mennonite crew I think but Lakeroadster I will do some reading on your thread

 

[Stuart in MN]

Have you talked to the Lester contractor about the issue? He may need to reschedule his work, but also he may be able to point you to a concrete contractor who can get the work done.

 

[Low50s]

Have you talked to the Lester contractor about the issue? He may need to reschedule his work, but also he may be able to point you to a concrete contractor who can get the work done.

Yes him and I have been in frequent contact about it he has also been making multiple calls to the concrete contractor telling him times running out

I will be making a phone call to come other contractors in the morning to see what there backlog is like because if I have to wait I might as well give my business to someone who wants it

 

[Richard Cranium]

I hate contractors who say they want your business, but only after they can't find any thing else to do.

 

[ard]

You have 10 days before building starts- you do not have any slab prep done yet- and you want a slab done before that...and possibly don't have a contractor?

I'd rethink your order there...

I would NOT want folks drilling holes and working around a 'couple days old slab'. Just me...Two weeks? Sure.

 

[Low50s]

You have 10 days before building starts- you do not have any slab prep done yet- and you want a slab done before that...and possibly don't have a contractor?

I'd rethink your order there...

I would NOT want folks drilling holes and working around a 'couple days old slab'. Just me...Two weeks? Sure.

I have 5 days before building is up... yet no concrete so do I push building off find a cement contractor that gives a **** or hope my original guy comes threw ?

I agree 100% I want the slab to be as dry as possible that's why I got excited when the original cement guy said he would have been out at the end of the 1st week for my small job so it would have had 2 months to cure but BS after BS from him every time I call to ask when he's starting

 

[Big Bad Dad]

Original guy aint going to come through....

 

[sberry]

You are not helping yourself without location posted.

 

[gunguy]

Dump him and start over. If the site prep and slab aint right, you'll have nothing but headaches when it cracks, shifts, sinks, etc. So far you've made all the concessions. What has he offered in return for his lack of performance? The fact you here asking questions indicates you have doubts about his ability to perform and follow through.
So far, all you have lost is a little time. Don't compound it by staying with this guy.

Stop, take a breath, and reassess.

My .02 anyway. Good luck

Jim

 

[kmacht]

Good luck. Just went through this myself except I didn't hire the cement guy, the contractor for my building did. All told it added 6 weeks to the project so far. Lots of delays up front because we didn't want to excavate (different contractor) without the concrete guys ready to go. Once the excavation was done they dragged their feet for almost another 3 weeks using the potential for rain as well as not having forms available as excuses. We finally got the footers and walls poured two weeks ago and backfilled this past week. They still need to come back and do the floor but at least the frame of the building can start to go up while we wait. Part of the problem is that we had almost a solid month of rain in the spring. Every afternoon it would pour for an hour or two if not longer. This backed all the construction projects up in the area and now everyone was trying to get things moving again as the weather got better. I was ready to pull the plug on the concrete guy but decided that waiting him out was probably going to be quicker than trying to go through and get some new people out to quote and do the job. The up side is that the building contractor and the guy we hired to do the excavation have both been working hard to try and get the project back on schedule. I would hire them again in a heartbeat but probably not the same concrete guy.

Keith

 

[cdestuck]

Find a concrete guy the help you place a period after each sentence. Very hard to read your post

 

[Jinks]

Your original concrete guy couldn't pour concrete on my property if HE paid ME! One missed appointment with a valid excuse is acceptable. More than that & their done. Put the whole thing on hold, find reliable contractors, & be SERIOUS about what you expect. If it costs more you'll forget the expense a lot sooner than you will the problems created by a bad contractor.