Knock a few zeroes off the figure and you'll have a closer estimate for the layout I'm working on........ If I were the one with enough money to burn a wet mule, I'd retire & build the darn thing myself.
Someone mentioned change orders. The customer most definately should have been on top of all expenses the builder was adding up. Since our house fire, I meet with the contractor daily and check the balance sheet once a week for cost overruns. This whole thing could have been avoided if builder and customer had been communicating all along.
I've often seen an undocumented cost of about $100/sq. ft. for a custom built layout of workman-like quality. When you get to museum quality, the price rises quickly. Without knowing the size or seeing the quality of work, this is a case I can't possibly call one way or the other. I'm fairly sure, though, that they'll settle, probably on the courthouse stairs a few minutes before any trial.
We'll see what happens. Chances are it'll settle out of court and we won't hear about it. I'm sure the builder made sure to have everything documented. Even an email from a client is a document. You wonder if the guy has a million little emails like this... "Make sure to paint the pupils into the eyes of all the figures." "Can you just rebuild that scratch built custom engine house? The hue on the paint is just a tiny bit too green." "Rocks not rocky enough... make rocks rockier." "water is not watery enough..." "Is it possible to make trains slide over rails instead of roll?" "Everything looks too dirty. Can you make it look clean?" I'm sure it's endless. he he
