Hey. Sorry about all this shit. I haven't been down the road you're on but I've seen it second hand and it sucks. One of the best custom cabinet guys I know, and I've known this guy my whole life, he's a fantastic guy, his work is impeccable, and his design ideas and skills are next level but I would not hire him to work in my house under Any circumstances because he simply can't meet deadlines. He has burned bridges with every top level guy in my area including me and my father has been friends with him since before I was born so... I'm farmiliar with your pain.

My advice is a bit unconventional and it may be a little tricky to pull off but what I would do is find someone to take over for you, to effectively manage the job for you. The reason being he's obviously not listening to you and for whatever reason he's content to bullshit and tap dance around at the expense of your sanity. The danger is that you'll flip the script, step over some line, and blow the whole contract in a way that will reflect badly on you and that's the last thing you need right now.

Inserting an agent, project manager, whatever you want to call it, tasked with seeing this job through to completion can work wonders in this type of situation. The trick is finding the right person without spending too much money. I've seen customers bring in fresh General Contractors to manage their end of ongoing projects to get things back on track but in a situation like this what you really need is a no nonsense businessperson who can keep this guy focused on completing the job period, nothing else. I worked with a property manager who handles several residences for a wealthy client and this dude was hard-core. He was personable, reasonable, but exacting and always projected an appropriate air of power, managerial competence and professionalism. That's what you need. Property managers, real estate people, experienced general contractors, a good family attorney or accountant. Someone fresh, serious, and substantial, a presence. Someone this poor soul wouldn't think of trying to engage in a conversation about his sex life etc. because he'd be too busy worrying about what might happen if he misses another project deadline.