Home renovation disaster in Oakville, Ontario
12/7/2017 at 6:53:49 PM
I hired contractor from "kijiji" and he collected all project money from me but he didn't finish the job. Its been 3 months since he started work. He has collected $28,840 from but he has finished hardly 20% of job. Most of his work is unusable & unsafe (e.g he has done electric wiring for basement stove and passed through the hot surface of furnace area, which is fire hazard ) and new contractor will have to re-do and will charge me extra money. All work was done with unlicensed electrician and unlicensed plumber. Once he collected all money and extras, he started to give excuses not to come to work like my daughter is sick or in hospital or I have personal problem so i can not come.
My home is full of dust and mess. My all main floor living area is full of appliances. Me & my family is living in a very unhygienic and dusty environment. Me & my family is going through worst phase of our life. We are in our financial crisis. Me & my wife put all my savings in basement renovation & contractor ripped me off & left in worst situation of the life. Contractor collected 50% of money in the first week of project in the name of material and labor & he set payment terms that i would keep paying him $2500 for each week. On last payment , he didn't come whole week and when he came on Friday, He mentioned that I would need to pay him weekly payment whether he comes or not & said that he would not come to job if I would not make weekly payment. He used to threatened me that he has law back ground & he would take me to court if I will not make weekly payments whether he comes to work or not. As soon as he realized that I am relatively new to Canada (2+ years) he started giving me more trouble. He used to disconnect the call in between while talking, sometime shouts and scream. He was very rude and short tempered. He also took french doors from my basement & put on sale on "Kijiji" without my permission. He also improperly installed eaves thru and its leaking from all joints and damaging my property. I have more to say but words are not enough. I am so much in pain that I dont remember last time , when i had sound sleep. I checked all authorities & no one is coming forward to help me out.Finally, I am taking him to "Small Claim Court" to take my money back.
Please let me know if you can assist me in this matter, or provide advice.
Here is quick snap shot of payments made by me. All payments I made via Interac e-transfer & Cheque.
Original Contract payment = $23500
Extras:
Plumbing for Main floor Laundry = $690
Eavestrough = $1700
R20 Insulation = $1250
Electrical wiring = $1700
Total amount paid including extras = $ 28840
12/8/2017 at 2:13:05 PM
It appears you have made some bad choices in hiring this contractor, what's done is done you need to move on you either hire a lawyer and fight for your money, or you hire a reputable contractor and have him fix and finish your dream project. Lesson learnt
12/8/2017 at 2:44:44 PM
It's actually sad and common story in these days market.
You can always try with a lawyer and the small claim court but it's long term process and results are not grunted but you still have to fight and of course you have to spend some more money for the lawyer without any confirmation to get any money back from this contractor. The other thing is you have to move on and hire another good contractor that he can complete the job and now you have more experience on how to handle the situation with the new guy. All the best!
12/8/2017 at 5:58:53 PM
Sorry this happened to you.
I would sue for all the money paid out as it was inadequate, the money you lost while being absent from work due to loss of sleep and mental illness from this whole ordeal. You should also sue for the money it will cost for the repairs. Get plenty of photos of the work done, document all your conversations with him (date and time), all the requests and verbal abuse he has made, and get quotes from three different companys to have the work repaired so you know how much you can sue for. Most contractors request a deposit for materials, but you shouldn't make any payments unless work is completed. If you are paying in phases, pay when the phase is complete.
12/8/2017 at 9:08:58 PM
My father how has been developing and building in Ontario since the 1970s taught me that in this business "Cheap" can be very expensive and you just proved it.
I do not know the scope of work but I get the impression you are or where finishing a basement . I will also make the assumption that he set the price based on what he felt you would pay out.. NOT what the actual work would cost.
I can not tell you how many projects I turn down because it cant be done... this guy is a criminal and fraudster and gives our industry a very bad name for all of use working hard and legit... I wish consumers where tougher
My advise and I have alot of experience. if you have another $10 K to burn - take the small claims rout but I believe your costs and loses will push your case into Supreme court - 28 K taken - Cost to remedy - $ 7500 - cost to do the job right $ 50 k - cost to clean entire home - $ 5 K -- do the math.
Sorry if I come across harsh but I have seen this too many times. My advice - lived and learned - move on do the job phase by phase as you can afford it and hire PROS - they cost money but you sleep at night.
12/8/2017 at 9:35:05 PM
You need to contact a lawyer immediately and sue his ass. Try to get referrals next time don't go on Kijiji everybody and their brother says their contractors on there. I feel bad for your situation big time. Please take my advice and get a hold of a lawyer and call BBB Better Business Bureau and report him. Most contractors get draws upon work completed never pay them up front that much money pay them in drawers as the work is completed only. I wish you the best
12/9/2017 at 3:04:07 PM
I am sorry for your problems and understand your stress but i believe you tried to get basement completed cheap and that is the root of the issue ! unlicensed plumber and electrician no permits???? im sorry to be harsh but you will have to take a lot of the blame for this and move on with a licensed , recommended and above all professional contractor . 28k would not finish any basement in our past projects and would lean towards 50k minimum . Sorry again
12/10/2017 at 3:32:03 PM
$50 per square foot for basic basement renovations. If you tried to go cheap that explains the problems you had. Never hire from Kajiji. That's like trying to buy a new Ferrari from a wreckers.
12/12/2017 at 7:51:51 AM
I would also call the ESA (electrical safety authority) and get them to come and look at the electrical.
They can also go after him or the electrician he hired. From what you are stating he most likely didn't get inspections from ESA either.
1/8/2018 at 8:58:11 PM
We have had this exact thing happen to us but for us we lost $100 000. I wonder if they are the same contractors. Everything that was said here was very similar to our own experience.
1/8/2018 at 9:14:18 PM
"Deb in Freelton" When did this happen with you? Is there any medium /channel we can connect?
Search the TrustedPros directory and discover the best contractors in your area.
Find your home service pro
