I need some serious advice on how to handle a terrible construction job that just wrapped up on my property. I hired a local handyman service to rebuild the wooden steps leading from my back door down to the grass yard. It’s only a flight of four stairs, so I thought it would be a simple one-day project.
Well, they finished up yesterday while I was at work, and when I got home and actually walked down the stairs, I immediately felt dizzy.
I pulled out a level tool and checked the steps. Every single tread is sloping downward toward the left side by almost an entire inch! It feels like you’re walking on a ramp, and it’s an absolute slipping hazard if the wood gets wet or icy. When I called the guy to complain, he told me my house foundation must be crooked and that he just followed the slope of the ground.
That sounds like total garbage to me because you’re supposed to cut the stair stringers to make the steps level regardless of the dirt underneath, right? He is demanding the final cash payment today but I want him to tear it out and fix it first. Am I within my rights to hold back the money until the stairs are physically safe to use?