Question: Robert, you’ve been so helpful in the past, plus the great job you did for us in 2018, I thought I’d run by a construction question to you. We hired a contractor to paint our trim and resurface our balconies last year, 2024. The trim in some areas has started to bubble, peel and crack. The work was done, unfortunately, during a time when it was misty, and we had rain on and off during this project.
We keep noticing other areas popping up with these problems and are concerned that it may happen after our warranty expires. The contractor is aware and has said they will be out to do these repairs. We’ve hired them before, the management company has said she hasn’t had issues before with them, and he’s a licensed general contractor. We are hopeful he will stand behind his work and get this taken care of.
We will be sending out a notice to homeowners in case they have any concerns we can’t see. The warranty that was given is for one year. We didn’t receive that information until October 2024. They started in January and finished around August/September 2024. Would you understand that it wouldn’t expire until October 2025?
Would the repairs be covered for another year? We had to take out a loan for this project, and still owe him approximately $30,000, giving him monthly payments. Can we legally hold payments until the project is corrected to our satisfaction?
Looking for your opinion on this since you have been in the business for so long. Do we need a construction lawyer if he doesn’t stand behind his work? Do you have a recommendation? Maybe we could talk to them to see what our options are regarding the loan and his work. I may be overreacting, but I’m on the board and I just want to have all my ducks in order. Thank you, Robert, so much!
– Bobbi C.
Answer: Roberta, thank you for writing in. If you still owe him $30,000, I’d use this for leverage and until the job is complete to your satisfaction I’d hold onto it. I wouldn’t make any payments until you are satisfied. Once it’s completed, then pay him. I’d put all of this in writing to him, so he understands what’s coming his way.
On another note, one year is not a long warranty. Typically, a warranty is two years labor and five years materials. I’d handle this between you and the contractor as there is no reason to spend money on attorneys if he has been good about warranty. Best of luck.
Robert Lamoureux has more than 40 years of experience as a general contractor, with separate licenses in electrical and plumbing contracting. He owns IMS Construction Inc. in Valencia. His opinions are his own, not necessarily those of The Signal. Opinions expressed in this column are not meant to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after that contractor has made a thorough visual inspection. Email questions to Robert at [email protected].
