I get where you're coming from, but honestly, flexibility around inspections can be a double-edged sword. Sure, it sounds great when you're stuck waiting on a delayed inspector (been there myself—super frustrating), but too much wiggle room and suddenly your contractor's got another excuse to drag their feet. Maybe the real trick is clearly defining inspection checkpoints upfront and agreeing on reasonable delays? That way everyone knows what to expect, and nobody gets left hanging...
Totally get your point about inspections—clear checkpoints are key. When I bought my first place, I thought paying in chunks would keep things moving smoothly. Well, turns out my contractor had a different definition of "smoothly." After the second payment, suddenly he was juggling three other jobs and my kitchen renovation slowed to a crawl. I swear, at one point I considered setting up camp next to the unfinished cabinets just to make a point...
In hindsight, I think the real issue wasn't paying in installments itself, but rather not clearly tying those payments to specific milestones. If I'd been more precise—like, "payment two after cabinets installed and inspected"—maybe I'd have avoided weeks of microwave dinners and washing dishes in the bathtub. Lesson learned: flexibility is great, but clarity is king.
Did you have a written agreement outlining those milestones clearly, or was it more of a verbal understanding? I've found that even a simple checklist attached to payments can save a ton of headaches later on... learned that one the hard way myself.
Having a clear checklist is definitely helpful, but even if it's just verbal, you can still protect yourself. What I've found works well is sending a quick follow-up email after each conversation, something like, "Just to confirm, we'll handle X, Y, and Z before the next payment." That way, you've got a written record without making things overly formal or complicated. Saved me from misunderstandings more than once...
I get the logic behind sending follow-up emails, but honestly, I've found they can sometimes backfire. Had a contractor once who took my casual "just confirming" email as me being overly cautious or mistrusting. It made things awkward for a bit. Now I prefer quick texts or even voice notes—still gives you a record, but feels less formal and more conversational. Anyone else had that happen, or was it just my luck...?