contractor broke our boiler...advice needed!

[Anonymous]

We are having a total kitchen reno done, including removal of an old iron radiator and replacing it with something smaller in a different location. When the contractors removed the radiator and were refilling the line with water, they cracked the cast iron piping in our boiler. It's done for. It was also 75 years old and every time we had it serviced people warned us that it was on its last legs.

I am waiting for the contractor to call me back w/info on replacement...but he didn't seem willing to foot the whole bill. He mentioned perhaps they could pay for the labor and we pay for the new boiler. Does that sound fair? I believe they are insured, so should I insist that they pay for the whole thing? I am slightly sympathetic because the thing was truly ancient, though we did not have issues with it until now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are having a total kitchen reno done, including removal of an old iron radiator and replacing it with something smaller in a different location. When the contractors removed the radiator and were refilling the line with water, they cracked the cast iron piping in our boiler. It's done for. It was also 75 years old and every time we had it serviced people warned us that it was on its last legs.

I am waiting for the contractor to call me back w/info on replacement...but he didn't seem willing to foot the whole bill. He mentioned perhaps they could pay for the labor and we pay for the new boiler. Does that sound fair? I believe they are insured, so should I insist that they pay for the whole thing? I am slightly sympathetic because the thing was truly ancient, though we did not have issues with it until now.

You cannot charge him for the whole cost for a 75-yo radiator that was admittedly on its last legs. If he offered as much as 25% I would think you got a good deal. Probably about 15-20% is reasonable. Also, reasonable for them to offer to handle the labor of replacing the radiator if you pay for the new radiator. That's a pretty standard offer. If this is a vendor that I plan to use again in the future, I'd negotiate around that (if you really feel you should get more, suggest 5-10% plus labor). If you don't think you'll use this vendor again, just negotiated a dollar amount and have someone else replace the radiator.

[Anonymous]

You are fortunate that he was willing to pay anything on failure of a 75 year old boiler. I've had similar situations and the contractor said it was just part of doing renovations (in my case it was electrical wiring). New boiler will be much more efficient.

[Anonymous]

There may also be tax incentives and rebates. If it were new or even under 15 years old, it would be different but it was time to replace it and for safety reasons I'd go ahead and do it. It really needed to be done regardless.

[Anonymous]

I'd ask whether the bonded and insurance policy the contractor holds provides for replacement value.

To the pps: The boiler didn't "fail" - it was broken. That it was 75 yo is immaterial.

I'd demand to talk to the insurance company.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd ask whether the bonded and insurance policy the contractor holds provides for replacement value.

To the pps: The boiler didn't "fail" - it was broken. That it was 75 yo is immaterial.

I'd demand to talk to the insurance company.

That it was broken and didn't fail is irrelevant. Even talking with insurance, all they will offer is the fair market value, not the replacement value. With depreciation, you'll find that what the contractor offered is reasonable because essentially the boiler was worth nothing. It was working, but it had long since lost all of its value. You can argue, but you won't get anywhere. I've been in similar situations and you get very little but a lot of headache. You'll get more negotiating with the contractor to have it replaced.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you for the advice. I think we have agreed with the contractor that we'll pay for a new boiler and half the labor cost (they are paying the other half). We're also getting it at cost, so all in all I think it's a fair deal. It still hurts to have to fork over unexpected $$ in the midst of a costly renovation, but we were going to have to do it at some point anyways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you for the advice. I think we have agreed with the contractor that we'll pay for a new boiler and half the labor cost (they are paying the other half). We're also getting it at cost, so all in all I think it's a fair deal. It still hurts to have to fork over unexpected $$ in the midst of a costly renovation, but we were going to have to do it at some point anyways.

How much did you kitchen reno cost? This proves my point that contractors RIP US OFF. It was no skin off his back to pay for a boiler and he still made a ton of money on your kitchen reno.

I have seen quotes for kitchen renos at 30k-40k. I ended up managing it myself using subs, homedepot and was able to do it for 10k. Home owners need to ban together and STOP getting ripped off by these blue collar scam artists.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't be paying for any of the labor costs (you wouldn't have any labor costs to put in a new boiler if they hadn't broken it!). I would also expect the contractor to chip in on the cost of the boiler, not pay the whole thing by myself. It was working fine before they broke it.

[Anonymous]

If he had backed into your 20 year old beater car, would you expect him to buy you a new car?

[Anonymous]

How much did you kitchen reno cost? This proves my point that contractors RIP US OFF. It was no skin off his back to pay for a boiler and he still made a ton of money on your kitchen reno.

I have seen quotes for kitchen renos at 30k-40k. I ended up managing it myself using subs, homedepot and was able to do it for 10k. Home owners need to ban together and STOP getting ripped off by these blue collar scam artists.

If you don't shop around or know what you are talking about, you can overpay. HOWEVER, managing a project by yourself requires free time and knowledge and ability to manage subs. Hiring a contractor can make the whole process run more smoothly without needing your constant oversight (said by someone whose husband NEVER hires contractors)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If he had backed into your 20 year old beater car, would you expect him to buy you a new car?

No but I'd expect fair market value, even if it's only a few hundred bucks.

Agree with pp's who say you should ask contractor to at least cover the cost of the labor. It was ancient, but it was still working before they broke it.