I hired a home improvement contractor to restore the damage done to my house after a fire, in addition to remodeling parts of the kitchen and bathroom that were not as severely damaged. I was out of town while much of the last part of the work was supposed to be completed. When the contractor was done, we were unable to do a final walk through together but we both agreed that I would leave him the final payment at the house and upon my return I could inspect the "completed" work and let him know of any issues. At the same time, he would retain the key to the front door to access the home to complete any issues I found. There were a few issues including a major problem with an electrical socket close to where the fire initially broke out that had to be fixed, which he originally had an electrician come in and ok. We spoke about it over the phone and he said that he would fix them. It has been several months and the seasons have changed. I have noticed an additional problem with the air conditioning, which he also said was fixed, when the winter months came. I have phoned and emailed. I have yet to hear from him. If I have someone else come in and fix these issues can I sue the contractor to reimburse me for the cost I had to pay to another company to fix the lingering issues from his work?
