Morningside Renovation

Our Journey Through The Renovation Process Of Our Future "Forever Home" In Morningside (Atlanta,GA)


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You Want Us to Pay For Your Mistakes?

Our GC informed us that he isn’t going to pay for a new joist system for the basement which would get us closer to achieving what was on the plan.  Basically he won’t even try to remedy his mistake even though it still wouldn’t be correct.  So he doesn’t dig the basement area deep enough to give us the ceiling height that was written in the plans and now our choice is to either accept his mistake and us have a ceiling that is significantly lower or “WE” have to pay for an alternative?  That makes absolutely no sense.  There was nothing preventing him from digging deep enough he just measured wrong and refuses to admit it or make it right and then he tells Julie that he doesn’t have the funds to dig it up and do it correctly – and how is this fair? How does he not have the funds?  It’s beyond scary that he has already spent all of the money that we fronted him which financially should have taken him through framing and roofing.

I so want to be done with him and would but we would be upside down since we’ve already given him a substantial amount of money that he told Julie he’s already spent on other jobs – we’re his hostage.  We’re stuck and this could have been prevented with a little supervision and probably just “some” knowledge.  And now Julie wants me to have a meeting with him?  I just don’t see a point.


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But It Makes More Sense

I sent an email to our GC today asking for a copy of the mechanical plans, he said that isn’t done with residential construction and they always figure it out on-site?  Damn, that scares me every time he says something about figuring it out on-site. 

I mentioned that water was STILL getting into the back bedroom and that we would not be paying for any damage that this creates and that I’m expecting him to do so. 

Also, showed how it would make more sense financially for him to remove the basement slab that he incorrectly poured and do it the correct way as well as what was in the plans versus the new framing system and all of the other various modifications that will now need to be made.  I asked why he wouldn’t consider it and I’m anxious to receive his answer as it truly does make sense to start over. 

I’m starting to have concerns if the job is even doable financially from the numbers he provided us. I think that I’m going to have a couple of people look at them and give me their thoughts to see if it can be finished.  I just wonder why else he would be stalling? 

More great news – I found out that another completed job of his is unable to receive a Certificate of Occupancy because of code issues, and I heard about ANOTHER judgement in which he is in default.  Not sure if this is one of the ones I previously found out about but damn this is scary – what are we doing?  Julie keeps persuading me to give him an opportunity to let him make it right but I wonder if he has the ability to be able to do so?


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I’m Really Trying

Our GC supplied us with 3 joist/flooring system alternatives since we won’t be able to use the originally designed system.  Still, none of these will give us what was in the plans with regards to ceiling height, why do I feel that I’m getting pressured into settling for something less than what was originally intended as well as highly achievable?  I’m trying to accept these options but it’s hard to get past that fact.


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3 Possible Options

Julie and I had a long discussion today about how we should move forward with the house if we can’t get everything worked out with our GC.   Basically we came up with 3 options: sell the house, redesign the house and make it smaller or not do all of it now and phase some of it.  Even just talking about this gets me upset, we’ve possibly been put in a position where financially none of these make sense.  If we have to pay to fix all of the issues that have been created by our GC and then construct it the way it was supposed to be built then I don’t see how we can justify all of the added expense.  In a perfect world we would ask for our GC to refund what was already paid to him, however he’s already told Julie that the money we advanced him has been spent.  Plus, I found out today about 2 more jobs that he has recently completed where the home owners have been experiencing major issues with his construction.  This just isn’t a good situation and I need to find a way to make it right so we can finally get in our house.


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He’s Been Here Before

Received some unsettling news today that our GC already has judgments against him and is in default on one of them.  Oh, and it gets better, another job also has foundation problems that he’s trying to work through, while another past client of his is in the process of pursuing a claim against him.  I’m more than scared, but he really has us in a bind being that we’ve already paid him more $ than the work he has actually completed. Scarier, I’m only starting to scratch the surface with his past and current clients. 

This is a horror movie, I can clearly see what has happened to those before me but I’m trapped and can’t escape.


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Pull it up and Get it Covered

Julie informed our GC today to go ahead with pulling up the carport slab as well as removing all of the previous concrete debris from past pour failures since he just had piles/chunks of it scattered throughout the backyard which we were concerned was creating a potential safety hazard for neighborhood children.  She also asked him to cover the unused lumber so it wouldn’t get wet.  Hopefully he’ll be able to salvage some of the lumber, I would hate to see it all go to waste.


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So Our GC says that I’m Unreasonable

I received an email today from our GC stating that “while the goal for the basement was to have a ceiling height of 8 feet,  we’re as close to that depth as they could get based on the site”.  Why did he tell us during our on-site meeting with him on March 31st that the ceiling height was correct?  Was he lying, I hope it was more ignorance than deceitfulness.   Side note – I checked on this and this just is not true, there was nothing physically or structurally that would prevent someone from digging any deeper. The subs told me that they dug to the depth of what was told to them by our GC. 

He also informed me that he will not remove the slab, that he can’t afford to remove it because he has already spent what we have given him and that “any reasonable person” that saw the site would agree.  So now I’m unreasonable wanting what was 1) shown in the plan and 2) highly achievable.  He stated that he’s going to put everything on hold until we decide what we want done. 

I guess that means either we accept the slab that was poured at an incorrect depth, at least 8″ too shallow, or he’s walking? 

So he screwed up and we have to accept it or else I’m unreasonable?


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Lack of Communication or Just Incompetent?

I received a rather rude email from our GC today, his response to me asking that the carport slab be pulled up and poured correctly and re-poured as according to the plan.  Basically his feeling is that I’m being unreasonable for asking this and we should be satisfied with it. The slab was poured incorrectly and can definitely present a water issue with the house, it’s not our fault that he did it wrong.  

I also asked about the repeated delays, his crew has yet to work more than 3 days in a row, of course he wouldn’t address that question.  The carrying cost is costing us a lot of money, we were originally supposed to be in the house in May however now we are at least 4 1/2 months away if they hustled. He also chose not to respond to my request for a meeting to discuss how we can prevent further problems and delays – a lot of the issues that have arisen had already been discussed numerous times and should not have occurred.  Really makes me wonder if there is a lack of communication between our GC and his subs or if it is just simple incompetence?