I been working on a project for 9 weeks. The homeowner has micromanaged me by having me doing certain areas first and completing them to a finish. Instead of allowing me to do work in stages like hand all the drywall, then finish it, then paint it. Plus adding more work to the list like repairs caused by other contractors. Well I was fired for going over original set time. Now he says he won’t pay me for my work til another contractor completes it and that comes out of my pay or no pay at all.
The contract would have to be reviewed, along with the pay requests and the payments made. If you performed work that was completed, accepted and approved, then you are entitled to receive payment. If you performed extra work, and that extra work was discussed and approved by the homeowner and hopefully documented in writing, you are entitled to be paid for that extra work. If there is a dispute as to whether work was completed or not or complaints about quality, then the dispute resolution procedures in the contract must be followed to resolve the issue. If there are no dispute resolution procedures in the contract, then it is still important to have the discussion and try to reach an agreement. Whether or not the homeowner is entitled to a set-off against any money that you might be owed, depends upon the basis that the owner is claiming. So I would recommend you consult with an attorney to discuss the details and review the contract.