Threat from House contractor - Please help

[sahu.mgse]

Dear Forum Member;
I am next victim of another contractor. His name is Nataraj (KNS consultants). He is demanding more money but however i have paid him more than the work done. also the project is delayed by six month and still 3 months work is pending. As per agreement he agreed to complete in one year. the work at site is stopped for last 2-3 weeks. when we asked for pending work cost estimate, he gave almost 60% less the actual price. Since in between lot of hot argument and i also lost confidence on him i want to get rid of him. Based on my estimate (taken from different people like electrician, plumber and carpenter etc.) The contractor has to pay back about 4-5 lakh (without considering delay) . I also need money to finish my work at the earliest.

Looking opinion from member regarding option what should i do. The project is in Murugeshpalya old air port road. i am also looking for any good contractor who can finish (pending work) major work like electrical, wood work,painting and some minor works related to civil, plumbing etc. the building is G+2 floors.

Sahu

[msananthu]

We did have a same problem with a contractor who was very nice in the begining and as the project started to wind up his work his behaviour all changed and he wanted excess of 3L more than what was agreed upon in the agreement. However we approached the police and the inspector called the contractor and warned him not to threaten people and if any complaint comes so, he would be arrested. The inspector also made him write at the back of the agreement that he is handing over the building as in where is condition and he does not have any dues in balance. This happened in 2000.

Approaching the police is a good way but should approach senior police officers rather than at police station. This would help with a much quicker solution. If the contractor has similar complaints on him in the past then that makes your case much more stronger. Hope this helps.

[msananthu]

We did have a same problem with a contractor who was very nice in the beginning and as the project started to wind up his work his behaviour all changed and he wanted excess of 3L more than what was agreed upon in the agreement. However we approached the police and the inspector called the contractor and warned him not to threaten people and if any complaint comes so, he would be arrested. The inspector also made him write at the back of the agreement that he is handing over the building as in where is condition and he does not have any dues in balance. This happened in 2000.

Approaching the police is a good way but should approach senior police officers rather than at police station. This would help with a much quicker solution. If the contractor has similar complaints on him in the past then that makes your case much more stronger. Hope this helps.

[sahu.mgse]

thanks for reply and suggestion.
What do you mean by senior police officer. Is area police station in-charge not enough?

Sahu

[ardesarchitects]

Hi,
My sincere suggestion to all the new home building owners,please spend some time on contract writing .Many times though we know later stages we end up in confusion state ,still we go with out contract details.
As i suggested earlier in my posts you can approach an architect for specific scope of work too, like only design ,only contract agreement etc.
Contract is not just about mentioning per sft price rather you should meticulously write all details including screw,nut & bolt.
I am sure many people would never spoke to contractor about what brand or cost of door handles he would provide, what would be price of any upgrade, do he charge extra for fixing - up graded main door lock, how many plumbing chambers will be built around the house, does the cost of plumbing will be high if you want one more tank extra ?
About workmanship is the least any one write in many contracts ,no one talks about retainer with the fear of total cost of project shooting up.

Many cases problem with contractors is not that they are cheaters but they don't convey extra cost things upfront in fear of loosing contract .We should get all details before we ask them to start work.
I suggest other members dealing with problematic contractors to go for settlement with some mediator ( with decent knowledge in construction ).

All the best

Regards
Ar.Praveen.N
Ardes Architects and Interior designers
ardesarchitects@gmail.com
www.ardesarchitects.com
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