We just finished the house for our flood-survivor family. It came out beautifully—but took a bit longer than expected. I ran into some problems in mid-December: The contractor I hired, and who I had really gotten to like, turned out to be dishonest and a thief. About halfway through construction he started diverting resources, materials, and manpower. Then, the crew quit because he was not paying them. Finally, he abandoned the project—stealing some of our budget—but all the