Is my mom being a paranoid freak or is she right to do this

Question

okay, a year ago, my parents bought this house about 1 mile from our current house. It's huge, and they are remodeling the whole thing, and they have been remodeling since late may.

They first estimated that they were going to spend $60,000 on it, and they were WAY off and have now spent more then $200,000 on it and will probably spend a crapload more.

Anyway, there's this stuff that they use to install the tiles on the floor (idk what it's called), and for some reason they bought 20 giant cans of it (there's a lot of tiles, but they still bought an excess amount). When the tiles were finally installed, there was only 3 cans of the stuff left (each can was $200), so my parents (more so my mom) assumed that the people doing the remodeling stole it because there was no way they could use that much of the stuff....

My parents were suspicious of them since they began working, and now that so many cans of the stuff were missing, they got SUPER suspicious and accused them of stealing it (my dad asked them to show him the empty cans, but they claimed they took them home and washed them out-apparently you can't wash the stuff out once it's turned solid)

Now the freak part: my mom is spending $2000 on hidden cameras she found on Amazon.com and putting them in the house while they are still remodeling....I tried telling her it was a waste of money and possibly illegal, but she doesn't care...

Is she being a paranoid freak or is she right?

Answer 1

Well, when I was having some tile installed, one of the tile guys told me it was pretty common practice for tile installers to rip people off.  Here's what they do:

They come and measure the area and tell you: "okay, it's 1500 square feet, so you'll need 50 boxes of tile and 50 cans of stuff."  So you either go out and buy the stuff yourself, or you give them the money to go get it.  But in reality, the area is only 1000 square feet... and they knew it.  They wanted you to end up with all this extra stuff, so they can return it to the store and keep the money.  And their little trick usually works, because most people assume they used all the materials that were purchased.  

That explained why everyone who came to give me an estimate for tiling my kitchen came up with different measurments!

So yeah.  That could be what's happened in your case.  So I think your parents are right to be suspicous.  If the hidden cameras will make your mom feel better, let her use them.  (They aren't illegal).  Although I doubt they'll catch anyone "stealing"... more likely, they'll just see people sitting around when they should be working!  If your parents want to make sure they aren't getting ripped off, they should get estimates and opinions from several different people before they decide who to use.  

Answer 2

it is completely legal to place cameras in your home for security purposes.  and i really don't blame her, even though i don't think i would spend $2000 on it.  they sell those cameras at places like home depot, lowes and i've even seen them at walmart.  if the contractors are ripping her off, she deserves to know.  if they are stealing tiling grout, then lord knows what else they will take!

Answer 3

I agree with your mom.  Hiring someone to remodel your home can be risky and expensive.   If anything else were to happen, she would have proof by using the camera.  $200 per can is a lot and that would be something worth stealing if they wanted to steal something.

Your mom isn't worried about the money she had to spend on the camera.  It is great that she can afford it.  She needs to know what is going on with her house!!

Answer 4

Well its not illegal cause its home security and I would be a little paranoid to if these people are buying so much and its odd they would wash them out when u can't, I mean who does that. Then 2,000 on hidden cameras u can buy them for a couple hundred at any spy or security store. I would try to stop urmom before shes spends it and check out the stores first or try to see if anythiny is stolen.  

Answer 5

Its perfectly legal to install cameras in her own house to monitor people that are working for her.  Just like a Nanny-cam kinda.

No, she's not being a "paranoid freak".  She has spent a LOT of money and she should do everything in her power to protect her investments.  You even admitted that they bought too many cans only to have 3 left over.  Where else could they have gone?  They most certainly didn't get taken home and washed out by the workers.  Even if they didn't do it, its likely that someone did and she has the right to find out who.

In the big scheme of things, what does it really matter to you anyway?  Its their money.  They can do with it what they please.

Answer 6

It isn't illegal. It is your parents home and you have the right to monitor your own home.

I don't blame your mom. People today have to be very careful in who they trust. There has been tons of stories of contractors scamming money from people and worse.

Contractor fraud:

http://www.contractorfraud.net/

http://www.crimcheck.com/fraud/contracto...

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fem...

Just do a google search & you'll find tons of info on that.

Your mom is doing the right thing.

Plus it strikes me weird that you seem to know the price of all this stuff. You are still a kid (your living at home it seems) so seriously it is none of your business how much your parents spend on stuff. I just find it odd that you know the price of how much they have spend, how much they were quoted, how much the paint was and how much the camera's where. Why should a child or teen need to know this? It is something between a husband & wife.

Now it would be a different story if you were helping your parents cover all this and yes you should have the right to know even if you were giving just a little bit of money. But other that there is no need for you to know the price of this stuff let alone share it online.  

Answer 7

omg she is so being a paranoid freak she is spending way to much money talk to ur dad and tell him that he needs to stop ur mom  

Answer 8

maybe a lil paranoid...but its possible

Answer 9

wow, maybe a little towards the paranoid side, even if they did steal it, 2000 for hidden cameras is a bit much...

they could've used that much, unlikely, but you never know.....  

Answer 10

that sounds pretty paranoid

Answer 11

In comparison to some of our neighbors, your mom is as cool as a cucumber!



A guy a few houses down from ours put surveillance cameras all over his house, around the perimeter of his lot and on the telephone polls across the street during the construction of his house last year. Then, when he was still paranoid, he had this platform built at the front of the lot with a little shack on top where an armed security guard slept overnight!!!! To make it all even more bizarre, just the year before that he'd spent over $900,000 buying the original house on the lot, and then promptly tore it down and spent a whole year working from 7am to 8pm 6 days a week and who knows how much money building this freaking huge monstrosity. And now it's for sale at an asking price of $4.75 mil. That's LA for ya.

Anyhoo, your mom is probably stressed to the max with the remodel, and is going to be a little on edge until it's all wrapped up. My mom actually cried in the car one afternoon when we were looking at WALLPAPER of all things when our house was being remodeled. Seriously, remodels and construction are hard-core stresses to the point where my friend's mom joked that if a couple can survive it with their marriage and sanity intact then they can handle almost anything. SO.....just try to be understanding and supportive, and do your best to not add another knot of stress to her life.

I bet your house will look awesome when it's all over. : )

Answer 12

I think she is a bit out of control, but I don't know what else she would do.

Answer 13

Mmmmm...........yuh most definately!

Answer 14

yup shes paranoid! in the first place why whould she even buy THAT many of those can thingys? and idk it seems pretty extreme to buy some freakin cameras to check on the workers, but thats just me :) haha

Answer 15

paranoid freak  ......for realll

Answer 16

If you don't know the people, why trust em? I'm with your mom on this one.

Answer 17

Paranoid, i dont know how old you are, but i would certainly tell your mother that even if she catches them poking their bottoms, she probably wont be able to use the video proof anyway. Also inform her that these are the risks you take when your trying to flip your house. Should have done a bbb check on them.