Sanity check needed! Backyard reno frustrations

Backyard renovation nightmare — first major reno, Bay Area, ~$200k. Is this normal?

Sorry this is a novel, but hoping even just a couple replies could help.

This is our first large-scale renovation, and we’re in the Bay Area. We’re mid-project on a backyard renovation totaling just under $200k, and we’re struggling to understand whether this experience is typical or full of red flags.

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TL;DR:

First big Bay Area backyard reno (~$200k). GC provided no real plans, doesn’t document decisions, and mistakes are only caught when we spot them. Crews even used my rough Photoshop renderings as stand-ins for actual drawings. Repeated execution issues and a constant “we’ll fix it later” approach. Work we hired directly went smoothly. Normal chaos or major red flags?

Scope includes full demo of a house-attached wooden pergola and old concrete, new subsurface/base work, poured concrete, oversized concrete pavers, TimberTech decking, automatic louvered pergolas, electrical, and a full outdoor kitchen.

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Some context:

• We’re first-time renovators, trying to stay open-minded.

• For the customized automatic louvered pergolas, we used Pergolux’s manufacturer-recommended install techs.

• The portions where we hired vendors directly (Pergolux installers, countertop fabricator) have been the smoothest and most professional parts of the project.

• I’m a graphic designer and very detail-oriented, with a strong eye for planning, clearances, sequencing, and minimizing visual clutter.

Ongoing issues with our primary contractor:

• No comprehensive plans or construction drawings were ever produced. In-person decisions are often lost or misinterpreted, and we later discovered the crew was using my own rough Photoshop renderings (meant only as conceptual visuals) due to the absence of contractor-generated, measured plans.

• We frequently have to send annotated photos or circle dimensions on partial plans to flag mistakes.

• A kitchen plan was eventually drafted, but without measuring onsite.

• When we insisted on an in-person visit, my husband and I mocked up layouts with painter’s tape while the contractor held a tape measure — and several dimensions were still wrong afterward.

• One outdoor kitchen counter was framed at \~20” instead of the planned 24”, only caught when the fabricator arrived.

• Electrical work was completed, but the circuit was never turned on. We discovered it ourselves.

• Proposed solutions often prioritize speed over finish (exposed conduit in visible areas, raw openings, minimal trim).

• New concrete pavers have chipped corners and we’re told they’ll be “fixed later,” while work continues around them.

• A built-in kegerator opening was framed to the exact appliance size and forced into raw stucco, causing crumbling and damage.

• Finish details are rarely discussed or documented ahead of time.

A major scope/finish concern:

• After demolishing the original house-attached pergola, visible siding damage was left behind.

• We assumed siding repair was included at this project scale.

• Instead, the contractor was prepared to leave an exposed structural header beam across nearly half the width of our house until we pushed back.

Final straw (for now):

• For a decorative tile backsplash, we were texted at 10pm that installers were coming at 7am the next morning and needed a layout.

• The layout required careful math and leveling and had never been planned.

• I stayed up until 2am trying to solve it, and we ultimately had to cancel the install.

The pattern that concerns us:

• Issues are only addressed after we catch them.

• There’s little proactive planning or quality control.

• Mistakes are acknowledged but not paused and corrected.

• We feel like we’re acting as project manager, inspector, and documentation system.

For those with renovation experience, especially in the Bay Area:

• Is this level of homeowner oversight normal?

• Are these common hiccups, or legitimate red flags?

• Is “we’ll fix it later” standard practice, or something we should push back on harder?

Trying to sanity-check before moving forward. Any perspective is appreciated.