My husband has been remodeling our house himself for the past 5
years. On the 3 occasions we needed someone to do some work, 2 out
of 3 made appointments and didn't show up or call, and one showed up
once, then never showed up again.

Is this the norm?

Pretty much.

As a Southwesterner (California) returning to her ancestral stoping grounds in
the deep South , you have just made me feel much better, although unfortunately
I can't give you a magical formula, This sort of behaviour drives me round
the bend. In three years I have found three craftsman who come when they said
and did what they sign
ned up for. I thought it was maybe cultural difference, as when I lived in and
reported from pre-war Beirut.
There just seems to be a deep streak of larceny ($1,ooo,oo camera and add-ons
lost), laziness and unreliability in the building trades. You have my profound
sympathy and the hope that hope your grandchildren will live and build in a
better world.

Leslie

zemedelec