Pay Now and Pay Later

Talked to Dave this morning. He wants a payment right away. Ugh. At present, I will owe him around $15K, not including the drywall. But, he wants $12K now. I don’t feel very good about paying this much with so much work that remains to be done, but I did agree to make the payment. Dave has now promised to finish the job by the end of the month. I don’t believe him, but I’m still encouraged to hear him make these promises. By finishing, he will need to hang the siding, frame the porches, frame the balcony, reframe the hallway, finish the drywall, and finish the electrical. Sounds like a lot and the month is already half over.
One bit of good news is that the drywallers have agreed do the entire house for the original bid of $4400, provided I pay them in cash. The cash payment helps them avoid paying taxes. Right now, especially with the way I feel about the federal government, I’m not opposed to guys like these avoiding a tax payment or two.