Well guys, thought I would share my misfortune with you. Linda and I did a job before we went to Italy. Right before we left we called to collect the balance of the job $14,500.00. She said there had been a death in the family and could we do this another time. After we got back from Italy, we tried to contact her, but never could. Called her about 2 weeks ago and her phone got disconnected. So the next day we took a drive and could not believe what we saw. The house had a for sale sign out front and the inside was completely empty. She had only lived in the brand new house for less than 3 months. Monday I was at the court house filing a lien. Also called the designer who was completely shocked. The client had built her dream house. We had already gotten 25K the balance was only 14.5K. The designer found out she had lost her job and been arrested for a white collar crime. A week later her husband called and said he could not sell the house with the lien on there, he talked to Linda (I was teaching a class) Linda told him we could not remove the lien until we were paid. I talked to him and told him we would get paid at closing, that's how it worked. This is the same client who, with tears in her eyes gave Linda a hug for a job well done and said she would never move.
Hopefully the house will sell soon and I'm grateful that the 14K hit did not put us in the poor house. (there was a time it would have)
This is the first time while we have been doing the plasters that anything like this has happened and hopefully the last.
Doyle

Very sorry!!!
sometimes it is almost impossible to understand such things in advance

Ouch!

Funny I just read this, I may be filing a mechanics lein on a "new" client. This kind of thing is going to happen to any contractor. Sometimes the bigger the house, the less money they have.

Not suprised,Doyle in drywall constrution we do a 40% 40% 20% draw. This will safeguard you some.You can never tell who his going to burn you. Chris

Scott,
I agree, we go back into houses 6 months later to do customer service and still see lawn furniture in there house from the day they bought it.They will have a 6000sqf house and only have a bed to sleep on.CRAZY!
Chris

Argggg, your freaky me out now Nancy, the house I am in now fits exactly, well almost. A young professional cuople, he is an orthadontist she works in hospital, they have a nice new home with very little furniture. Well they are adding furniture, wall paints and hopefully ventian plaster onr room at a time. I got my eye on the entertainment center wall for something really nice,now to get them to see it.

Gosh I hope I sleep tonite, I ate dinner with them too

Wow, sorry to hear that happening to you and Linda. You work so hard. I just finished a pool-house here for 12,500 stucco veniziano on the ceiling and Aquerello walls. They loved it. I go to get paid and they said they thought it was 8,500. I had no written contract. I was lucky though and did some quick thinking. I told them that I was sorry for the mis-understanding and that if they did more plastering in their home I would give them veniziano on their kitchen ceiling for only 400 a day. So they agreed and paid me. But I find the larger the home the more they want to hold on to the money.

Contracts are amazing things. At first I felt funny doing it. What contractor does a contract, isn't an estimate a contract? Well, no, an estimate is a brief statement of work. The contract says, I'm doing this and this is what I expect from you and what you should expect from me. If fido eats plaster and dies, I point to my contract stating you should keep fido away from work area, I also state the colors, price, finish, plaster, areas to be done, areas not to be done, diagram of sticking points like archways where the plaster starts and stops.

I always get the look of, what's this?? I sit there and explain the details(which has cleared miscommunication that would of cost me more material and time.

OH! Patrick, I'm sure Doyle and Linda are way over the misfortune. It was posted 11/2003.

Glad you were able to reconcile the misunderstanding to your benefit.

Not taking anything away from your misfortune, but at least you stand a chance of getting your money and from what I gather, if necessary you can absorb it if necessary.

I've heard of horror stories where in a young lady ( starving artist ) did a job for a middle eastern couple whom were both attorneys and they flat out robbed her. She completed the job as per agreement; walls match sample boards, and they did not pay her. She did not have a contractors license and they told her that and told her to get lost.She didn't even have a deposit.