ᐅ Mold in the bathroom: the general contractor refuses to take action
Created on: 21 Sep 2021 22:48
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MP12345
Good evening, we have the following problem:
After the screed dried, we noticed mold. We are building with a general contractor (GC), and we do not have a key (the GC builds many houses on the street and has a key for all of them, so no homeowner receives a key). Now we have mold growing especially in the bathroom and on some drywall panels throughout the house. The GC claims this is normal, not a big deal, and says he has been doing this for 30 years; the mold can be removed with mold remover. We have repeatedly asked him, both verbally and in writing, to replace the affected panels. Verbally, he always downplays the issue, and he does not respond to written requests. What do you think about the photos / how can we proceed further?
After the screed dried, we noticed mold. We are building with a general contractor (GC), and we do not have a key (the GC builds many houses on the street and has a key for all of them, so no homeowner receives a key). Now we have mold growing especially in the bathroom and on some drywall panels throughout the house. The GC claims this is normal, not a big deal, and says he has been doing this for 30 years; the mold can be removed with mold remover. We have repeatedly asked him, both verbally and in writing, to replace the affected panels. Verbally, he always downplays the issue, and he does not respond to written requests. What do you think about the photos / how can we proceed further?
Tom1978 schrieb:
Maybe there is some confusion here between a developer and a general contractor / main contractor? A developer is not obliged to allow anyone access, as the property belongs to them until full payment is made. With a GC/MC, the situation is different.Our main contractor does the same: a master key for the front door... each tradesperson gets one. Why the homeowner doesn’t get one: often the contractor is building several houses in the same area. If they gave keys to the homeowners, they would have unauthorized access to other houses. The tradespeople are authorized and move between houses based on logistics and construction progress. As a homeowner, you can visit the construction site during the day... this is what the main contractor explained when questioned.We received a key from the main contractor because our build was independent and separate from other sites.
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Alessandro22 Sep 2021 12:37As a homeowner, I wouldn't care about that at all. What if I want to contribute my own labor?
ypg schrieb:
As a client, you can visit the construction site during the day... this was mentioned in response to the general contractor’s objection.
We received a key from the general contractor: we built independently, separate from other construction sites.This is an argument, but not really acceptable from the clients’ perspective.
The larger general contractors I know (in the prefabricated house sector) hand over the keys to the clients on the very first day, even though the addresses of all other sites are theoretically known.
However, it is obviously not allowed to enter other construction sites without permission, even if you have a key.
For example, landlords also hold keys to the rented properties but, of course, may not enter them without the tenant’s permission.
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FoxMulder2423 Sep 2021 09:23We built with a local general contractor (GC) and immediately received the key to the construction site (our house). Our GC used the same lock for every house. All subcontractors had a key so they could access every site.
We could have entered any construction site the same way.
Where is the problem? Expensive tools or similar items were never left lying around; the subcontractors packed them up at the end of each workday. I doubt there is a significant risk of homeowners stealing equipment from their own or other construction sites.
I would not accept limited access to my own house. After all, in the evening you want to calmly walk through the construction site and review, document, photograph, and check what happened during the day.
Doing personal work on the house is also not possible under such restrictions. Maybe the GC wants to prevent this; simple tasks are often sold at high prices here (such as pulling network cables).
We could have entered any construction site the same way.
Where is the problem? Expensive tools or similar items were never left lying around; the subcontractors packed them up at the end of each workday. I doubt there is a significant risk of homeowners stealing equipment from their own or other construction sites.
I would not accept limited access to my own house. After all, in the evening you want to calmly walk through the construction site and review, document, photograph, and check what happened during the day.
Doing personal work on the house is also not possible under such restrictions. Maybe the GC wants to prevent this; simple tasks are often sold at high prices here (such as pulling network cables).
Schimi179123 Sep 2021 10:14FoxMulder24 schrieb:
...
After all, in the evening you want to calmly walk through the construction sites and appreciate (inspect, document, photograph, ...) what has happened during the day.
...Seeing the issues we have had to raise—or at least discuss—during our renovations over the past months alone, I don’t even want to imagine (actually, I do) what challenges arise with new builds. In my opinion, someone impartial and knowledgeable from the field should supervise and document the entire process daily.
Our general contractor used the same key for all houses. Nevertheless, each homeowner had their own key.
(I believe I still have the construction lock and key today, even though our general contractor no longer exists)
What surprises me is that general contractors haven’t switched to electronic locks. With those, only the homeowner can access their own house, while the builders can enter all houses. This also provides a record of when each person enters and leaves, which can be useful in liability cases.
The locks can be taken along and reused.
Maybe it’s also related to the construction dust, which could make such locks unsuitable.
(I believe I still have the construction lock and key today, even though our general contractor no longer exists)
What surprises me is that general contractors haven’t switched to electronic locks. With those, only the homeowner can access their own house, while the builders can enter all houses. This also provides a record of when each person enters and leaves, which can be useful in liability cases.
The locks can be taken along and reused.
Maybe it’s also related to the construction dust, which could make such locks unsuitable.