u/ClassicDefiant2659

Where we started, screenshots and pictures of the work so far are in a comment thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/homeowners/s/uaSBt5WTSP

Here are a few thoughts:

He's arguing more work time, more dump fees, heavier and not debris than he estimated. His contract did not specify how much time it would take, how much debris he expected, nor how many trips to the dump there would be.

He's claiming that he thought it was decorative features and I always said it was concrete. He's saying something about thinking it was partially Styrofoam??? I have no idea why he would think there was Styrofoam or if there was any.

The debris pile is very honestly matching what I would have expected from the original structure.

I looked up dump fees are $35/ton for residential customers (it included concrete). So at the high estimate of 40 tons, that's $1400 ($1,050 after including what he claims he was estimating originally.

I messaged him, "It sounds like you are saying that you do not plan to continue work/ complete the project as per the contract we have. Am I understanding this correctly?"

His response:

"No, that is not what I am saying.

I fully intend to complete the project. My email was meant to notify you of the unforeseen concealed conditions we encountered during demolition and the resulting increase in debris volume, hauling, labor, and disposal requirements beyond what was reasonably visible at the time of the original estimate.

As demolition progressed, the actual construction and buried fill material turned out to be substantially heavier and more extensive than anticipated based on the visible conditions during the walkthrough. Because of this, the project has expanded well beyond the original scope and hauling quantities included in the estimate.

I am simply requesting approval for the change order associated with the additional work and disposal now required to complete the project properly.

I appreciate your understanding and am happy to discuss the details further if needed."

What are your thoughts redditors?

---

He has responded to my message that I didn't accept the change order:

"I completely understand your position. Unfortunately, situations like this happen in demolition projects, especially with older structures where the actual construction and buried materials are not fully visible until demolition begins.

What I would like to offer as a compromise is this:

If you can cover the additional equipment costs only, which total approximately $850, I will remove the original estimated debris quantity of approximately 10 tons that was included in my original estimate.

I have already removed approximately 3 tons of material, so this would bring the total removed material to approximately 13 tons overall. I would focus on removing the largest and heaviest material first, which would likely be approximately 2 to 3 additional dump trailer loads.

I am trying to work toward a fair solution for both of us given the unforeseen conditions encountered during demolition.

Please let me know your thoughts."

Edit: I added a comment thread with the contract, change request and pictures of the work.

Extra edit: update in new post: https://www.reddit.com/r/homeowners/s/raDLmzPMwp

I had this pond structure in my back yard. It was big (and ugly). It was mostly a pile of dirt with concrete basically 'paper mached' over it to look like boulders. I didn't know really what was under it and I made that clear to the guys that came to look at it.

I had several people quote it out. I went with the guy that actually wrote out what he was going to do. He's licensed as a demo guy in my state and had active insurance.

The job was billed as $4500. He started on Thursday. Early afternoon on Friday (yesterday) he points out to me that hidden in the dirt pile are some concrete chunks that used to be the walkway in front of the house. He says that he may have to add on some dump fees because of it.

This evening he sends me an email that says he is issuing a change order to add $3200 to the contract because he thought it was a one day job and it may take 4, and he says he estimated for 10 tons of material, but it's more like 20-30 tons.

When he mentioned possible extra dump fees yesterday, I thought he was talking about like $500 more, not almost doubling the entire project cost.

Am I insane? How do I deal with this? I've given him a $2,250 deposit on the $4,500 contract.

I have a quote that is reasonable and I got a good vibe from the guy that came out to quote.

I am almost ready to go forward with the project.

There is no info on the quote about licence or insurance. How do I ask for that, as in what are the right words?

Also, what should I expect them to give me to prove it and how do I word asking for the proof?