Crescent City Construction Corp. v. Monteleone

209 So. 2d 311, 1968 La. App. LEXIS 5417
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 8, 1968
DocketNos. 2909, 2910
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 209 So. 2d 311 (Crescent City Construction Corp. v. Monteleone) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Crescent City Construction Corp. v. Monteleone, 209 So. 2d 311, 1968 La. App. LEXIS 5417 (La. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

TUCKER, Judge.

This case is consolidated with case No. 2910, 209 So.2d 316. Both suits arise out of a residential building contract entered into by the owner Mrs. Dorothy Monteleone and Crescent City Construction Corporation. General Guaranty Insurance Company was the surety on the bond.

On June 23, 1965, Crescent City Construction Corporation filed this suit to recover from Mrs. Monteleone both the final payment on the contract and an award for “extras” it installed not provided for in the plans and specifications. Mrs. Monteleone filed a third party demand against General Guaranty praying that it indemnify her for any amount she might have to pay Crescent. General Guaranty filed an answer to the third party demand together with the reconven-party demand together with the recon-ventional demand alleging that the fourth payment made by Mrs. Monteleone to Crescent was premature and that it was entitled to recover both the fourth payment and the last payment due on the contract. General Guaranty also filed a third party action against Crescent, its president, Arthur L. Dahlman and one Ronald G. Schwary alleging Crescent, Mr. Dahlman and Mr. Schwary entered into an indemnity agreement with General Guaranty and were, therefore, liable for any amount it might have to pay Mrs. Monteleone as well as to laborers, materialmen and subcontractors.

On November 12, 1965' Mrs. Monteleone filed suit against Crescent and General Guaranty for damages for defects in the construction of her home. General Guaranty answered and filed a reconventional demand against Mrs. Monteleone and a third party demand against Crescent, Mr. Dahlman and Mr. Schwary as it had in the earlier suit.

The trial court allowed Crescent $1,294.63 for extras installed in Mrs. Monteleone’s home and allowed Mrs. Monteleone credit for items it was stipulated were deleted from her home in the amount of $786.00. It also allowed her $4,155.50 to correct defects in her home but also decreed that she pay Crescent the final payment of $3,773.00. Because the amount allowed Crescent was $5,067.63 and the amount allowed Mrs. Mon-teleone was $4,941.50, there was judgment in favor of Crescent and against Mrs. Monte-leone for $126.13. There was also judgment in favor of General Guaranty and against Crescent and Mr. Dahlman for $3,476.23, an amount it was stipulated General Guaranty had to pay subcontractors when Crescent defaulted. All rights were reserved to General Guaranty to collect all proper costs and attorneys fees due under its surety contract. The reconventional demand of General Guaranty against Mrs. Monteleone was dismissed. From this judgment all parties have appealed.

First we will consider the contentions of Crescent which claims it should have been awarded $5,943.50 for extras instead of the $1,294.63 it was allowed. Initially we will discuss the largest item claimed by Crescent, i. e., $1,516.76 for extra plumbing fixtures over and above the $1,220.00 allowance for these fixtures in the specifications. The trial judge only allowed $296.76 for this item. There is a discrepancy in the testimony as to just how much is claimed. At first Mr. Dahlman testified in definite language that the figure was the amount allowed by the trial judge. In this regard his testimony is as follows:

“Q. And that is the total amount of the amount you’re claiming as the plumbing extra?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. And this is arrived at strictly by using a gross amount purchased under the heading of plumbing items from the credits allowed in the specifications ?
Yes, sir. >
And taking into account any credits which may be given you by the plumbing suppliers? d
Yes, sir. >
[313]*313“Q. And you are actually claiming as a total of all of these invoices which you have before you, the total amount of two hundred and seventy-six dollars, more or less?
BY THE COURT: And Seventy-six cents.
“A. Yes, sir.

However, later in the trial Mr. Dahlman testified that $1,516.76 was the correct amount for plumbing extras. He actually produced invoices from Southern Pipe and Supply Company, Inc. which totalled $3,-742.06. He testified he knew the material ordered was for the Monteleone home by the shipping address. Therefore we will only consider those invoices which indicate the fixtures were shipped to the site of construction of the Monteleone home. The above described invoices totalled $1,503.63. From this must be subtracted the plumbing allowance of $1,220.00 specified in the construction contract, leaving a total due Crescent of $283.63.

Next we will list those extras which we find should be allowed Crescent because the evidence concerning their installation is convincing:

Air purifier $ 385.00
Range hood 59.00
Vacuum system 284.00
Bathroom mirror 20.00
Grass seed 3.60
Ice maker connection 10.13
Extra kitchen shelves 2.06
Lock set 7.54
Two extra feet of roof overhang 135.00
Partition and dressing room door 100.00
Change of doors in kitchen cabinets 100.00
Shelves side of window 38.00
Extra vinyl floor covering 38.00
Base for oven range 135.00
Special cabinet under tub 95.00
Door lock 35.00
Driveway walk 75.00
Marble sills in solarium 50.00
Kitchen cabinets more expensive than those in plans and specifications 775.00
Brick wall in solarium 475.00
Concrete bottom for planters in solarium 35.00
Ceramic tile on ceiling above bathtub 45.00
Total $2,902.33
Plus plumbing fixtures as described above 283.63
Total $3,185.96

We will disallow the following items for the following reasons:

The white concrete mix for the outside steps — Crescent claims $30.00 for this extra. However, Mr. Dahlman admitted that Mrs. Monteleone gave him $30.00 to pay for the mix. At first Mr. Dahlman claimed the cost of the mix was $60.00 but later on in his testimony admitted it was only $30.00.

Extra lighting fixtures and relocation of two hall lights — $189.67 for these two items. However, there was a lighting fix[314]*314ture allowance in the contract for $250.00 and Mr. Dahlman was unable to testify as to the total amount spent on lighting fixtures for the home. Therefore these extras have not been proven.

Louvered doors — $85.00. Mr. Dahlman testified that Mrs. Monteleone decided she would like to have louvered doors on the second floor instead of hollow birch flush doors called for in the plans and specifications.

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Crescent City Construction Corp. v. Monteleone
211 So. 2d 330 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1968)
Monteleone v. Crescent City Construction Corp.
209 So. 2d 316 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1968)

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209 So. 2d 311, 1968 La. App. LEXIS 5417, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/crescent-city-construction-corp-v-monteleone-lactapp-1968.