I refer to this post because I’ve fallen victim to the same tactic and wish to share so others don't experience the same. My reconstruction nightmare started 2 years ago and it’s still ongoing because of SL. He sells himself as a specialist contractor/ builder armed with an engineering degree seemingly honest and sincere but is the most unscrupulous person we’ve crossed paths with. Two years for a housing project is very painful because most homeowners have job and family responsibilities to fulfill and so lack the time and expertise to oversee the construction works.
My land is 1,300sq ft which for a landed house is pretty small but it took 2 years to reconstruct because SL refused to adhere to the work schedule despite our many repeated chasing. Even my neighbours were chasing him because they had to put up with 2 years of construction work at our intermediate terrace which creates noise, dust and obstruction to road access.
One may wonder why he can drag for so long. It’s because the LD clause was not included in our contract due to our naivety. He said that with the LD clause, it’ll be substantially more expensive and for such a small house, 12 months is enough. We figured that there’s no reason for a builder to delay since he’ll be paid as soon as he builds but on hindsight, a builder can delay because of manpower and financial constraints, lack of expertise to coordinate and optimise due to inexperience. We found this out over the span of 2 agonising years. This was a huge mistake on our part for trusting a local grad who appeared more sincere and genuine than typical contractors. Instead, work was carried out intermittently throughout the 2 years to our greatest frustration. We had considered changing builder along the way but it is not as straightforward because one has to explain to the conveyancing lawyer and bank and go through a lot of paperwork as it pertains to your construction loan. Most importantly, the next builder who comes along to pick up the mess of a half-built home will quote you a high price to continue because the house is obviously distressed. We’ve explored all these possibilities before deciding to tolerate and continue with SL.
The two years were painful because it led to a lot of mental anguish and loss of time as we had to turn up at the site daily to make sure work is in progress after we realised that he had no qualms in delaying as long as he can. Turns out our nightmare took a worse turn when a dispute over variation works saw him throwing a fit out of the blue and completely abandoning work at the tail-end of completion. We had to find general contractors to tie up the loose ends, incur a lot of extra costs, only for him to send a lawyer's letter demanding payment of outstanding amount. He had stopped all communication with us and did not seek any avenues to negotiate or mediate despite the 2 year working relationship, but promptly issued a writ of summon to us. A writ of summon means the case has gone to court and not just a threat to sue.
Notably, because of this "dispute", he’s absolved himself of all responsibility of rectifying all defects in the next 12 months which was part of the contract because he’s turned the table by accusing us of non-payment so our contract is nullified.
Meanwhile, 2 months after moving in, my walls started to seep water and the false ceiling in my bedroom started to leak water because the toilet above was leaking. But we have no recourse because our main con has ran off and so there's no warranty on the defects so we have to look for new contractors to break down the ceiling and repair the leaks, incurring further financial losses.
After reading the posts on Renotalk of others' experience, it dawned on us this is a common tactic. This is our first private property and we hope the horrible experience of our 2.5 years journey be a cautionary tale for others. After dealing with such a massive slimeball for more than 2 years (construction was 2 years, followed by legal suit), we just want to settle because it’s time consuming, inconvenient and frustrating to deal with him. To have a court case hanging over your head and escalating legal fees forces one to weigh between pursuing the injustice or moving on. My experience mirrors leechaorui’s post exactly and we want to share all these pitfalls with others so they go into home reconstruction with eyes wide open.
Instead of pouring his heart and attention onto our project, he busied himself with marketing by making the rounds in seminars and workshops and updating his Facebook, Instagram and Carousell so he can scale his business. I believe a strong business which can withstand the test of time are those who devote their skills and time into doing a job well because a good product would sell itself through word of mouth and good karma.
Do PM me for further queries.
