Looks like Iowanian has pointed you in the right direction. My contracts aren't chock full of legalese. They specifically say what I'm doing, by what dates, payment schedule, and have a list of exclusions. They also stipulate that I can't predict unseen problems, that if I tear into a wall full of mold that there will be additional charges.

We are supposed to design the contract ourselves.

no...not what I meant.

Is the contractor(builder) working from an existing design?

Why is this important? Which type of construction will be employed? Are they setting it on posts and concrete? Attaching to house? Where are the steps? What type of railings? Is it in the contract that it will be constructed to the city codes regarding spacing for spindles etc...

I was giving you examples of items that need to be addressed in the scope of work and deliverables.

Who is responsible if you bring a fatty onto the deck and it fails...who is responsible if you get drunk with the contractor and lose a suburban in Mexico?

I guess it's the fault of the guy who rolled the defective fatty.

:LOL:LMAO:LOL:LMAO

That replacement truck was something to see though.

I had a buddy that went out on his own as a siding contractor. He was a hero for asking for nothing up front until the house that bit him in the ass. He had several thousand dollars in materials and labor on a house that ended up not paying. There was nothing he could do about that job since the siding was part of the house and worthless (and expensive) if he tore it off.

Yep, that's the side of the story most people don't get. If I walk into a store and take something without paying for it, it's a crime and I get arrested. If I hire a contractor and don't pay them, it's business and the worst thing that can happen is I can get a judgment against me. Either way it's ****ing stealing if you ask me.