Living in a construction nightmare?

[HomeMakeover]

Are you living with a CONSTRUCTION NIGHTMARE? Has your contractor left you high and dry? Is the work that has been done falling apart and of poor quality?

Major cable network is casting homeowners for NEW MAKEOVER SHOW. Our qualified team of experts will come in and repair the damage caused by BAD CONTRACTORS and give you the room you always wanted.

In order to be considered you must:
- Live in the greater Los Angeles area
- Have had a bad experience with a contractor
- Have one room in need of serious TLC
- Be available for 1 week of filming in February
- Be outgoing with a great personality

We provide the budget and the experts. Please reply with a brief description of the room’s problems including what your original plan was for the space. In addition please send any before and after pictures along with a photo of your family. Homeowners will be contacted if the project fits the needs of the show.

[Fischer]

Don't you think you guys should be doing this on FOX. Perhaps Sean Hannity could do a fair and balanced take on the Construction Industry as a whole. For that matter is Barack Obama the President? You take a couple of bad seeds and extrapolate it to include the whole industry. There's lots of contractors that make every effort to do the best job possible, and yet we see the worst of the worst.

My positions have included the "Go to Guy" as an independent Contractor , with property management companies. I go in and fix oftentimes what others have screwed up, and yet I'm not fixing every building within a complex, just parts. Granted there are some screw-ups in every business e.g. Politics, Government, Clergy, Law Enforcement, Hollywood, Banking, and Contractors, but you're painting a pretty bleak picture when you concentrate on the bad seeds in our industry.

I'm up in the Tacoma/Seattle area and spent the early years in Minnesota. When I moved out here, there was a definite difference in Constsruction practices, but the overwhelming majority of work is done in a proper manner and should be presented in such a way.

[pushkins]

and don't forget the "client's not always right" scenario.
I just recently removed a huge window (another contractor did the install work) that the client just "had to have" now the client decided the exact position of the window, had plans drawn to show the contractor exactly where it had to be, ordered the window, marked out on the wall with a marking pen where the window would be and supervised the entire process, from cutting through the wall to the frame out and installation and drywall/trim, then didn't like the position (it looked directly into their neighbors bathroom). This client blamed the contractor for not telling her that this window would open up her bedroom to her neighbors bathroom. One thing lead to another and she wanted him to at his cost remove the window. He naturally and rightfully refused. (She bad mouths this contractor as much as she can). Two months down the track with an iron clad contract I removed the window and closed it all back in.

The point being here the old adage of the "client always being right" is a good mantra to work by BUT it's not always the case. I believe that there are many, many more honorable contractors than dishonest ones, likewise most clients are reasonable and understanding when a contractor points out potential problems or advice, but there are clients that I'm sure everyone has come across that are either unwilling or unable to listen to wise advice and like Fischer pointed out, why is that people only want to here about the bad ones?
When I need an electrical contractor for example, I want to know about the "good ones".
The bottom line is that both the contractor and client should have in witting a contract, that clearly sets out just what work is being performed and what work isn't. I'm just finishing up on a 600 f2 addition and the client to save a few bucks wanted to do the painting themselves, well this holds up trim work, electrical and plumbing finishes etc...etc... my contract clearly states that I'm not responsible for delays caused by work not performed or contracted out by my company.
A lot of the contractor related problems I hear about basically come from lack of communication between client and contractor or visa versa, a contract and communication are the best tools in my business.

[scuba_dave]

My wife wants to know if it counts that "I" am the contractor :rofl:

[pushkins]

Nope it sure doesn't !!!!

My wife says when it comes to work around "our" house that she's the CEO, the General Contractor, the contractor, the engineer, the architect, the interior designer and to top it all off the bank manager. I'm the one doing the work so I guess that makes me the subbie !!...ha ha ha :hahaha:

[ozonehole]

Hi HomeMakeover,

I did have one friend in the LA area who bought a new house, only to find that it had the notorious Chinese drywall problem:

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China_Business/KL02Cb01.html

I haven't been in touch with him for a few years, so it's possible that he already got it resolved. I could drop him an email and find out.

And by the way, this is my first post!

cheers,
Oz

[Fischer]

Hi HomeMakeover,

I did have one friend in the LA area who bought a new house, only to find that it had the notorious Chinese drywall problem:

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China_Business/KL02Cb01.html

I haven't been in touch with him for a few years, so it's possible that he already got it resolved. I could drop him an email and find out.

And by the way, this is my first post!

cheers,
Oz

Welcome to the site. Lots of information to be had around here. Would be good to get a little perspective from that side of the world.

Question for you. How's your health care system? Watched a report on health care from around the world, and they seemed to think the Taiwanese was the best system out there. Would be interested in your opinion.

[ozonehole]

Welcome to the site. Lots of information to be had around here. Would be good to get a little perspective from that side of the world.

Question for you. How's your health care system? Watched a report on health care from around the world, and they seemed to think the Taiwanese was the best system out there. Would be interested in your opinion.

Howdy Fischer,

Nice to make your acquaintance, even if from a distance. I'll gladly tell you about Taiwan's health care system, but before I do, about the original topic...My friend's brother got back to me and says he got the drywall thing resolved, but at huge cost. He and his son came down with serious health problems that indicated poisoning. He was suspicious about the house and its odors, and asked the EPA to check it out. They did, and condemned the place, so he and the family had to move into a motel, for a whole year, while the builder had to rip out the interior and replace everything. My friend didn't have to pay for the reconstruction job, but he lost his business from being so sick, and he wasn't compensated for the motel bills. I understand that there are plenty of other people who didn't get it resolved, and I wouldn't be surprised if their contractors went bankrupt from all the claims.

By the way, here in Taiwan, bad drywall is not an issue. You can't even buy drywall here. Homes are constructed from brick, concrete block or sheet metal. Usually there's no insulation in the walls, but with our subtropical climate, this isn't a big issue. It never freezes here, so frozen water pipes are not a problem and a lot of people run their water pipes on the outside of the building. Earthquakes are a big issue - we had a powerful one just last night - so a lot of attention has to be paid to that during construction. As you might have guessed, I'm planning to build a new house myself, which is what drew me to this forum. Also plan to add solar photo-voltaic power, which the Taiwanese government is now subsidizing.

OK, health care. Yes, we've got single-payer government-run National Health Insurance (NHI). Private health insurance is allowed, but hardly anyone bothers with it. Everyone is required to join the NHI, including foreign residents like myself (I am an American, married to a Taiwanese). Hospitals are mostly privately owned, with some government-run clinics in rural areas that otherwise wouldn't be able to support a clinic. But given Taiwan's small size, even residents of small villages are never more than a couple of hours away from a major hospital.

Wikipedia has a page which does a decent job of describing Taiwan's health care system:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Taiwan

Overall, I've got few complaints. Basic cost for visiting a hospital or clinic is about $3, plus a percentage of any prescribed medications (usually no more than $10). Waiting times to see a doctor are very short. If you show up at a hospital asking to see a doctor, you'll get to see him/her the same day. For a few specialists in high demand, you might have to wait a few days. If you need surgery, it can usually be arranged within a week (sooner if it's an emergency). Dental care is also covered by NHI, though not implants. Plastic surgery, of course, is not covered. I've had two major surgeries myself here in Taiwan, and a third one (emergency) in Thailand (not covered by NHI, but it couldn't wait).

The few minor complaints I have with NHI is actually that it's too generous. For example, an ambulance is free. That leads to some abuse - why pay $10 for a taxi to the hospital when you can call an ambulance? I got sick one evening in Taipei and spent a whole night in an emergency room which was right next to the airport, and noticed how the ER filled up with people who promptly left in the morning - I suspect that a number of them were using the ER as a free motel. Not sure what can be done about that, other than locating ERs far from airports and train stations. There is an issue with hypochrondriacs who like to hang out in the hospital all day because it's cheap entertainment - I actually noticed that in the States as well, many years ago at a VA hospital. Again, not sure what you can do about that.

But all things considered, yes, Taiwan could teach the world a lot about how to do medical care. As I watch the slow-motion train wreck going on the USA right now about health care, I can only shake my head. But best of luck to all of you back there in The Old Country (as I call it).

regards,
Oz (actually, "Robert")