Legal Question in Construction Law in Florida

dispute with general contractor

Next door neighbor andd friend as GC to remodel inside and do outside addition. Tour up half of our house in June-down to 1 bath, kids in livingroom in bunkbeds-his wife sold house and moved family to MASS he sold his business and got a job there itending to come and finish inside on weekends and turn over outside to friend GC- framed out inside-got new septic started-still hasnt passed inspect- and now he is gone- no GC- we had given him two checks of 25000 each for septic, permits etc and supposedly to deposit on tresses and tile which as it turns out were not ordered-now with repeated phone conversations and requests for itemized list and refund of difference- no response-verbally agrees to do it but never does-we figure he owes back about 20-25000 what legal options do we have?

Here comes the stupidity on our part-he did an estimate and we had many meetings over it and verbally approved it but never signed any formal contract (next door neighbors!)

we are willing to let him go and get our own GC and start over but we need the money. We got an owner's permit for the inside project. Without a signed paper are we out of luck? Despite the fact that several people could attest to the fact that we had a handshake agreement?


Asked on 11/04/05, 11:14 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Randall Gilbert Gilbert & Caddy P.A.

Re: dispute with general contractor

You have a lot of potential issues. I cannot tell who pulled the permit. It sounds like you said you did. You also say that the contract was oral, therefore it is difficult to say that he did not perform what he agreed to do, unless someone witnessed your agreement.

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Answered on 11/04/05, 11:31 am


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