You find your contractor has stumbled, and you are not in a financial or legal position to replace it. Your first instinct is to get even with the individuals that are causing you to lose sleep. Revenge is sweet, for that first ten minutes. Then it gets expensive.

Time to throw out your original expectations and establish new priorities to finish the project. 

Ask yourself: What are the “musts” for the project? Possible answers could be:

• Do not exceed the budget (not necessarily the contract amount)
• Finish on time (when you need the project, not the contract end date)
• Have a quality project (structurally sound, functional)
• Final appearance

Once you have your new goals for completing the project, assemble your team for final completion. Team members include the architect and/or engineer, general contractor, key subcontractors and suppliers, and maybe a consultant familiar with completing projects in adverse environments. 

Review your goals with your project team to ensure that everyone is on board. Discuss how your goals will be met and how you can determine if progress is being made. Meet with all team members bi-monthly to review progress, and address any concerns. Meet all team members prior to approving any and all progress invoices to ensure that you are paying only for work that has been completed, material that has been delivered to your project, and for work that meets the contract requirements.