Wood fence - is this a bad job or I am just too picky?

The fence is not done yet. He has yet to finish the back and front gate. Yesterday I went to take a look at the wood posts he erected for the gate. I looked at it and can see with my eyes the post is not plumb, he actually has to cut the wood board unevenly so it would be flush with the post. I put a level up against it and it's off about an inch over 24 inches. So at a six foot height it's leaning away from the gate 3 inches at the top.

I told him if he mount a gate on this the gate will be tilted. I demanded that he redo the post and make it plumb. He said he knows what he is doing and that once he mounts the gate the gate's weight will pull the post inward and eventually after a year or so it will be plumb. I told him he should wait for the concrete to set on the post and it shouldn't really drag 3 inches into the gate. If it does, what does that do to the corner post which is now plumb? Will the corner posts be pulled along with it?

I am struggling whether to stop this job now or let him finish and get someone else to remedy it. Either way it will cost me money.

MC

Reply to
MiamiCuse
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I think I would take him to small claims court.

Max

Reply to
Max

I would cut my losses right now. Fire this guy. It's not going to get any better. What's the point of continuing to pay him for something that is going to need to be redone anyway? Yes, it's going to cost you to have it replaced but why put more money into a loosing situation?

Reply to
CW

On Mar 18, 1:37 pm, "Max"

Reply to
Robatoy

I don't know which is the bigger piece of work - you or the fence! The time to stop the work was a week ago when _everybody_ said the fence was a total POS. You're digging yourself into a deeper hole by letting him proceed.

As I said before, if you don't know what you're doing and aren't up to the task of supervising the work, hire someone who is. It would have been _cheaper_ than what you're going to be going through now.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

Providing you do your business correctly, any cost at this stage should be minimized by how well you did that.

Have you paid up front?

I build a couple of houses a year and handle most "turn key" subcontractor work by paying a maximum of 50% upfront, the remainder to be paid at the end of the job and only after it passes inspection ... both mine, and the local building department's.

Folks gripe and moan about municipal building regulations and codes, but as a builder I welcome them wholeheartedly. It forces _everyone_ in the process to do what they say they will do, and ultimately makes life easier for all but those who do shoddy work.

In many locales these days fences are covered by municipal regulation. If this is the case in yours, and even though you may not have a permit, it may pay in the long run to pay additional fees and get that regulatory body behind you.

One of the real tight ropes that you have to watch with many in the building industry these days is "retribution" ... it pays to be both careful, and diplomatic, about how you handle this ... another benefit of having the "code enforcement" guys to fall back on.

What ever you do, take the last above to heart, even though it may cost you a bit more. Advice on how to proceed may be tempered by whether you have already paid for the project.

Good luck.

Reply to
Swingman

Can you expand on this a bit? What kind of retribution?

Reply to
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

He should be carrying around and using an 8' plumb level like it was his third arm. Nothing gets nailed down unless the level says it's dead on. Posts get sunk below the frostline (36" in the northeast). Posts will not "plumb themselves;" in fact, they shouldn't move at all once the concrete sets. If he says they'll move, that's a BIG clue that something isn't right. Defective planks can be avoided by buying from a reputable dealer. Who was his? Necessary gaps are established by setting the pickets tight against each other and letting them dry. If you can get a thumb in between, that's a hazard that *you* might get sued for later on.

Reply to
Father Haskell

Figure what you *do* owe him, pay him not one penny more, and get the f*ck out.

Reply to
Father Haskell

Maybe I do... I'm passive aggressive. I can f*ck up anything... accidentally of course.

Reply to
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

If you think he's ticked off now, wait until you call the local newspaper guy over for a look-see.

Bill

Reply to
Bill in Detroit

How 'bout, figure what you owe him, subtract what it's gonna cost you to fix the mess he created, and pay him the difference.

Renata

Reply to
Renata

Removing and rebuilding the fence entirely would no doubt cost more than what it cost just building that thing.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

If the posts are set to proper depth, yes. By Miami's description, apparently they're not.

Reply to
Father Haskell

Any demo work at all will cost extra. Any rubbish removal will cost extra, and it's all rubbish.

Pay for it once the right way, or pay for it three times the wrong way. Once to build the hack job, once to have the hack job removed and hauled away, and once to have the job done the right way.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

Shame then that nothing could be salvaged and reused.

Dumping fee is $65 / ton at my nearest landfill. That doesn't count the guy with the pickup.

Which starts with references.

Reply to
Father Haskell

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