Remodeling your home is stressful, even if everything goes perfectly. Typically, you won’t have access to the space undergoing changes for several days, if not weeks. The remodel can also impact the critical systems of your home, from plumbing to electrical. That can mean that you can’t use the water in any part of your home or have to go without electricity for several hours at a time.
Most homeowners can push through these stresses by focusing on how excellent their living space will be after the remodel is over. Unfortunately, for some homeowners, the headache doesn’t end when construction does. They may discover that the contractors they hired did a truly poor job. This bad work could impact the livability of the space or even impact the overall value of the home.
For homeowners who hired bad contractors, the end of work is rarely the end of the nightmare. Instead, they have to find a way to fix the damage done to their house. Under law, homeowners who have dealt with contractors not performing a good job do have the right to hold the contractor accountable.
Doing sub-par work may qualify as a breach of contract
Working with contractors usually involves a combination of written and verbal contracts. You may agree to a price and materials over a handshake, or you may sign an itemized estimate and invoice. Obviously, it is better for you, as the homeowner, to have the protection of a written invoice and contract.
In that situation, you will have clear, written expectations regarding the work that the contractor will do. If a contractor’s work does not match the standard set in the contract, the homeowner will have grounds for a breach-of-contract lawsuit.
In fact, even if you worked with the contractor under a verbal agreement, work that rapidly deteriorated or used substandard materials could still provide grounds for a breach of contract lawsuit.
Holding contractors responsible is the only way to undo the damage
The damage caused by bad remodeling work can cost you several times what the initial work did to fix. This is especially true in cases where the contractors actively damaged something in your home, whether it was the wiring or the structure itself by removing a load-bearing wall.
In many cases, your homeowners insurance may not compensate you for damage caused by a bad contractor. They will expect you to hold that contractor liable. If the contractor isn’t willing to come back and fix what is wrong with the work done on your home, it may be time to pursue a civil lawsuit.
Talking with an attorney who understands these kinds of contract issues can help you determine if you have adequate grounds to move forward with the lawsuit against a bad contractor.
