Underbidding contractors

[j glaze]

We bought a doublewide and set it on some raw land we recently purchased. Since it was raw land we had to get bids (estimates) for water, electric, and septic. All was fine until the driller finished the well and handed us the bill. The estimate was for $8600 dollars. When we got the bill it was for $12000!? The main difference was $2700 for a 42', 8 5/8" surface casing. This casing costs $65 a foot. There was no mention of this casing on the original proposal. We were never told he was going to install it. My question is " Do I have to pay for something that was installed without my approval?" We didn't write this guy a blank check. He looked the area over twice before he drilled so shouldn't he have enough experience to determine within a thousand dollars how much he can do the job for? Had we known the well was going to cost that much we would not have bought the land. Are there any laws that apply to this kind of situation? Could this be settled in small claims court? This is our first home and we need all the help we can get. Thanks.

[rmurray]

OUCH...It is likely that you are going to have to pay him....Most states have very liberal laws protecting the small contractor..allowing him to place a mechanics lien on the property with little or no proof that you own him this amount...

Then...you might be able to sue in small claims court for the difference...For this you might want some legal advise in your state...but...if nothing else you can make him show up in court and waste a day..

[Jon]

J.Glaze:
It is sad such things take place, and believe it or not, we lose business to contractors who routinely submit unrealistically low bids only to charge greater amounts later.
Not being an attorney, I can only expand on Murray's statement. My experience has been that courts frequently allow a "leeway" of 10% to 20% over a written estimate; and if you watched the contractor performing the work and knew or should have known what he was doing, then you will likely have to pay.
But before you do, try searching for free or almost-free help in the phone book. Most states and many counties have agencies or not-for-profit consumer groups to assist with matters like yours.
One more point: Before spending any time and money chasing after the contractor, make sure you completely read the entire estimate. Did you sign anything that may allow for a price escalation?

[Pat]

Good heavens! Our well was 80' deep and cost $2,850.00. Concrete pad and all. It would have been $2,750 but I wanted 1 1/2 hsp. pump instead of 1. I didn't even have it in writing. I probably would have passed out over even $8600. And we're going to run a small pizza shop on part of the property and have already gotten the well permitted to do so. Must be the different parts of the country or maybe the location of the water table.

[Babs]

We went 75 feet and ours was only $1200.00.Our well,septic and electric did not come to $8600.00.

[Dan F]

jglaze You live in CA right?

[j glaze]

No, we live in N.M. The water table where we're at is around 400 ft. The drillers typically charge $12 a foot. Pray you hit water, because you still have to pay if you don't. The water is also VERY hard, about 110 has compared to local city water which is 30. A softner is a must have just to protect appliances. By the way, I took the bid I received from the driller to a lawyer. The wording is very ambiguous, so depending on the judge it could go either way. Please folks, be very cautious with contractors. I know it is impractical to get a degree in well drilling so you know exactly what you need and how much it should cost. The state engineers office is a prime resource. Your best bet is to find someone who has been drilling in the area for a long time (30 plus years) and pick their brain. Always get at least three different bids, and don't be in a hurry to take the lowest. After talking with other drillers in the area, we learned that for sandy soil a casing is always used. In our opinion the driller should have had enough experience to know this and include it on his bid. Our best bet now is to negotiate a fair price, because going to court will cost us both $2500 initially with the loser paying court costs and both lawyers fees.

[Rian]

Unbelievable that he is trying to stick you with that. Unless he discussed that with you. Probably the small fine print. What you need to do, is get a written estimate for the same job which includes the liner from a nearby competitor who is looking to stick it to him. Ask your contractor to settle for the lower amount of the competitors bid. He will be forced to accept it, becuase if he don't the judge will award him less in court for not being reasonable.