I need to sack the builder. Any thoughts?

The carport drags on. A month or so ago, I took the bull by the horns finally, which I should have done in the first place, and started chasing up the permit. I was gobsmacked at the number of administrative mistakes this youngster made, and how long it has taken to sort it out. I never saw a copy of the plans; I got them yesterday when council finally allowed us to have our chosen setback. If I had seen the plans prior, I'd have told him that I was totally dissatisfied with them and refused to pay for them. They are not working drawings, there are NO details whatsoever on them: no timber sizes, no footing detail, no section. The roofing material notation is incorrect. There is no mention of the roof extenda bracket attachment. The person who drew them is meant to be a registered builder but he didn't even know (or communicate) the rules about setbacks. The permit cost is $750, so the plans were also $750. I see them as a sketch, and not worth $750.

The built carport has no diagonal bracing on the uprights, no knee braces. There is speed bracing and battens to the roof members. Council emailed me a copy of marked-up plans, which are completely not what we expected. While I understand diagonal bracing is needed, there has been NO consultation between the builder and us in the interim about what will need to happen re bracing. We don't want the big diagonals right at the front of the carport, rather halfway along (it's 16m long,) with knee braces at each post (there are 9 posts,) or as required. I can of course run this past the certifier, who now has the final say.

After he started building the carport (without permit) he asked for a progress payment to buy the roofing materials. In my ignorance, not knowing the permit was not issued, I paid him $4000. We have not yet seen any materials. I don't doubt we will see them but I truly am now not sure if I even want him here. And then there's the mess with the concrete. We arranged the post hole digging and concrete pour in late July, and asked to have the holes inspected. "There's no permit yet, so you can't fill the holes." Not only do I have nine, metre deep holes along the edge of the driveway I now have to pay a lot more to have them filled. In hindsight, should have filled the damn holes and had an engineer certify them. Would have cost the same as a second concrete pour.

Ted and I are both furious about the situation. I'm more angry with myself not being more proactive, for trusting him to get the plans and permit in a timely fashion (initial deposit was paid three months ago, and I work fulltime so allowed him to arrange things.) I have absolutely no confidence in this carpenter any more. He's a good chippie but very young and unskilled in any sort of building/administrative matters, and I suspect is so embarrassed by it he doesn't know how to approach me. I now simply want him to give me an itemised invoice showing the actual dollars/labour incurred, refund me the balance, and let me have it finished by a builder I DO trust. Neither of us likes confrontation, and I'm worried I will lose my $h!t with him in a very loud fashion.

Aside from telling me I'm an idiot, what would you say about the situation?


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