Two incomplete bathroom renovations forced a BC homeowner to take matters into his own hands, suing the contractor who undertook the project.
Benedict Chua Lim was the applicant in a BC Civil Resolution Tribunal hearing, and he told the tribunal that Vamos Kapanidis failed to complete the renovation work and claimed a partial refund of $4,000.
Kapanidis claimed Lim changed the scope of the work required and failed to provide adequate instructions, as Lim was out of the country while the work was being done.
Kapanidis added that Lim should be paying him over $12,000 for the work completed, which would have amounted to a set-off based on how much Lim had already paid.
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Both parties entered into a written agreement regarding two of Lim’s bathrooms. The bathrooms needed to be renovated “fully.”
All the work had to be done by July 15 and the contract specified a price of $21,500. Kapanidis began work on June 10.
Lim left the country in the first week of July 2022 and didn’t return until the last week of August. During that time, a family member was paying Kapanidis in installments, partly so Kapanidis would finish work quicker before Lim returned.
According to Lim, only 90% of the work was complete when he returned.
The tribunal decision states, “Photos of the first bathroom show that Mr. Kapanidis largely completed work on it, but there were still some visible issues. A light switch was missing a cover. The transition point between the bathroom tiles and entryway flooring showed a large amount of tile grout that I find was messy and inconsistently thick as compared to the grout showing around the surrounding tiles. A part of the wall close to the bathroom ceiling fan was also uneven instead of flat.”
The second bathroom sounded even more incomplete, with exposed studs and insulation, among other issues.
Lim had paid $15,000 for the work, but the tribunal suggested that the work completed only amounted to around $10,750, forcing the tribunal to award Lim $4,000 in damages.
Kapandis was forced to pay Lim $4,303.19 for breach of contract for the incomplete bathroom renovations and tribunal fees.