Steve B wrote:
Asking here makes about as much sense as asking us "Do you think it will
rain tomorrow?"

It all depends on where you live.

USUALLY, though, contracts go something like this. One party offers to do
work for a set amount of money. In the proposal, a good contractor says
what work they will do and how much they will charge.

If the work varies, the contractor MUST consult with the owner and discuss
what changes from the original plan are to be made. They then agree on a
CHANGE ORDER and they then do the same thing again. Describe the work and
set a price. Then they both sign it.

Arbitrarily changing prices doesn't fly in most places, whether it's chimney
work or car repairs. At least most jurisdictions have enacted laws that
prevent an owner from being held hostage by repairpeople.

Check with the contractor who did the work.

HE IS A CONTRACTOR, RIGHT?

If not, you may have recourse in your jurisdiction. In some jurisdictions,
you may just have to eat it. In mine, contracting is a felony. AND the law
defines contracting also to include merely offering to do the work, even
though no work was ever started or completed.

Check where you live, and not on the Internet.

BTW, do you think I will get rain tomorrow?

Silly question, isn't it?

Steve

I realize it's a rather general question, but even the information you
gave me is useful. Can you explain more what you mean by "he is a
contractor, right?" I don't know anything about him, but I will pass
everything on to my dad.

What you said about a "change order" makes sense. Like I said, he did
find there was much more extensive damage than we previously thought,
and he and my dad agreed on a new price (which was substantially
higher). He did the work while my dad was in the States, and now he is
claiming he had to do more than he expected and decided to go ahead and
do it since my dad wasn't available to discuss it. It was not
mentioned to anyone else in the house.

Thanks for all your help

Chris

P.S. if you let me know where you are, I can probably tell you whether
it's likely to rain tomorrow :P