"RicodJour" wrote in message
...
On Oct 13, 10:40 am, "SteveB" wrote:
"RicodJour" wrote in message

Agree with John and Bob. I would also say the contractor is not
responsible for this. As others have pointed out, wiring is supposed
to be run far enough back that a finishing nail from molding can't
reach it or else have a metal plate covering it.

Yep. Even if you had a contract, and the contract was any good,
there'd be a clause in there about "latent and concealed conditions".
The contractor doesn't have X-ray vision, and can't determine what is
behind a wall. He has a reasonable expectation to believe that there
aren't wires too close to the surface.

If the contractor was using unnecessarily long nails - say 3" to
attach some trim - then there's some responsibility there, but it's
basically the owner's.


Say WHAT?

I don't know what that is supposed to mean. If you have a question,
ask it.

R

Your statement that the owner would bear the responsibility for this act
befuddles me. The fact is that no matter what the location of the wire, the
wire was in good shape before the contractor did whatever he did. At the
least, he should have offered to open up a small area just to be safe. He
did not even do that, and gave the person, a layman, advice from an expert
professional that nothing was wrong, and it was safe, which may or may not
be the case. In my opinion, that was not a professional thing to do, and a
reasonable person would have cause to be concerned.

To the OP: Call your local Contractor's Board and the Fire Department and
see what they say. Find out if this man is in fact a licensed contractor.
I believe in your original question, you stated he was. If he is, they will
mediate, and bring on a fair solution. If someone else has to fix this and
open it up for inspection, it goes on him or his surety bond. They may be
interested in the hijinks of this fellow, who may or may not be licensed.
I, like you, would be concerned until I had a final impartial 100% sure
answer. What you got was not the actions and behavior of a "professional
contractor." And now you are living under stress from a potentially deadly
situation.

Steve, a retired contractor