Should I pay half up front.

The Virginian

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Mar 16, 2007
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Every time I have a project that requires a contractor to perform work at my home, they ALWAYS ask for half of the money up front. I of course give it to them. I've only been burned once. The guy never showed up. It took me 4 months to get my money back. Is this common practice here?
 

Rocky

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Apr 4, 2002
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Every time I have a project that requires a contractor to perform work at my home, they ALWAYS ask for half of the money up front. I of course give it to them. I've only been burned once. The guy never showed up. It took me 4 months to get my money back. Is this common practice here?
It sure is common and there's no real solution.
Part of the reason that they demand half up front is that they know you might be displeased with the work/product and they don't want to be the ones holding the bag.
It's one of those things that takes time, many many years, until you know who you can really trust.
 

suarezn

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Feb 3, 2002
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You pay some up front, but not half. They way it is done is in "partidas". These are milestones that they will get paid for once they are achieved (just like any job cost in The US). So for instance you are building a house, they will get paid a certain amount once they pour the foundation, another percent when they put up the walls, etc...
 

gamana

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Apr 24, 2006
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Ask for an estimate with material and labor separate. You have the ability to verify the cost of material and should only advance same. Once the contractor shows up with the material then you can start paying advances in the labor part of the job.
 

Rocky

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Ask for an estimate with material and labor separate. You have the ability to verify the cost of material and should only advance same. Once the contractor shows up with the material then you can start paying advances in the labor part of the job.
If only it were that simple.
Finding the products is not quite that easy.
In North America, you make your shopping list, let's say for 6 items, then you find one store that sells them all.
In the DR, you make the same list, then you go to six stores and only find one of them.
Your suggestion in theory would work, but this is the DR, and it just don't work that way around here.
 

gamana

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Well, how is the contractor going to get the material then if it does not exist??

I am talking about basic construction material, nothing exotic here. For example, for a paint job, get the material cost and call any Ferreteria (ie: Linares, Libre, OchoA).

Verifying the price is only an add on but not the main intent. To go back to the Op's concern, you are now able to advance only for material first and make installments on the labor as it goes.

it worked for me.
 

Rocky

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Well, how is the contractor going to get the material then if it does not exist??

I am talking about basic construction material, nothing exotic here. For example, for a paint job, get the material cost and call any Ferreteria (ie: Linares, Libre, OchoA).

Verifying the price is only an add on but not the main intent. To go back to the Op's concern, you are now able to advance only for material first and make installments on the labor as it goes.

it worked for me.
I didn't say it didn't exist, but some stuff is hard to find.
I'm glad it worked for you, but maybe you weren't seeking items that are that difficult to find.
That's part of the reason one uses contractors, becuse they know where to get the needed items.
 

gamana

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I built homes ground up. The material was indeed basic construction material.

With regards to material difficult to find, I would not even recommend getting it through a contractor. They probably don't even know what you would be talking about and say otherwise. Best is to try to get it yourself. The rest, get the material cost disclosed up front.
 

Rocky

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I built homes ground up. The material was indeed basic construction material.

With regards to material difficult to find, I would not even recommend getting it through a contractor. They probably don't even know what you would be talking about and say otherwise. Best is to try to get it yourself. The rest, get the material cost disclosed up front.
I understand, and if I was building houses from the ground up, I would learn where to get all the materials too and probably work the way you do, but I do believe what the OP and I are talking about is windows.
I'm not a builder, and I don't think the OP is either, so it's not quite that simple, given the product needed and our circumstances.
You know what I mean?
 

Lambada

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Mar 4, 2004
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Unlike small firms in some expats' countries of origin, one of the reasons small contractors in DR ask for materials money upfront is because they themselves live on a tight budget & cannot afford a large outlay from their own/the company's pocket.
 

Chris

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Oct 21, 2002
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It is common practice but there are ways to work with it depending on the relationship. You could go with the contractor to buy the materials required for the next phase and pay for the materials. Just make sure that they have on hand what they need. In this way, you could split the materials cost from the labor costs and pay labor at the end of the week or whatever the arrangement it. It goes for tighter management, but again, depends on the relationship.
 

fightfish

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One way to control material cost is to set up an account with a hardware store. That way your contractor simply gets the materails from them as he needs, but the facturas go to you as well as the pricing. This illiminates the ability of your contractor to +add+
to the existing pricing, keeps your from giving cash for supplies and generally helps in keeping track of material. Any hardware shop should be happy to oblidge..
 

Rocky

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One way to control material cost is to set up an account with a hardware store. That way your contractor simply gets the materails from them as he needs, but the facturas go to you as well as the pricing. This illiminates the ability of your contractor to +add+
to the existing pricing, keeps your from giving cash for supplies and generally helps in keeping track of material. Any hardware shop should be happy to oblidge..
Again, the concept is good, but this is the DR.
It's a common practice for the guy at the hardware store to be in league with the contractor, padding the bill, etc.
 

gamana

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Again, the concept is good, but this is the DR.
It's a common practice for the guy at the hardware store to be in league with the contractor, padding the bill, etc.

It might be the case with some ferreteria but you can't generalize. I know you have been around for years (not my case) but I don't think this generalization is accurate. I have found that some owners of Ferreteria are actually savvy and honest entrepreneurs. They would rather create a profitable long term business relationship with you than helping one of their buddies make few extra bucks by bumping up prices.
 

Rocky

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It might be the case with some ferreteria but you can't generalize. I know you have been around for years (not my case) but I don't think this generalization is accurate. I have found that some owners of Ferreteria are actually savvy and honest entrepreneurs. They would rather create a profitable long term business relationship with you than helping one of their buddies make few extra bucks by bumping up prices.
If you say so.
 

Chris

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I have found that some owners of Ferreteria are actually savvy and honest entrepreneurs. They would rather create a profitable long term business relationship with you than helping one of their buddies make few extra bucks by bumping up prices.

Profitable long term business relationship? Huh? Small Ferreteria owners? In the DR? No way .. you must be kidding.
 

fightfish

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My idea about the ferreteria comes from experience, and in my case it worked out well at a small store west of Isabella. I totally agree, there are multitudes of cases where it hasn?t, and supply theft on site is common, a rebar here, half bag of cement there. Control what you can and cross your fingers.
 

gamana

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Profitable long term business relationship? Huh? Small Ferreteria owners? In the DR? No way .. you must be kidding.

I don't know why you guys are painting such a negative picture to the users of this forum. I have worked with Ferreteria Linares (Cabarete) and Llibre (Sabaneta). They have been very accommodating and willing to work out various discount rates depending on the material purchased. They have opened 30 day accounts for me. They have always replaced damaged items (more Linares than Llibre). They have often called all over the North Coast and Santiago to find items they did not have for me in stock.

I have started with one home with them and now going on my third.

"No way"?