Remodeling Lessons Learned

In This Issue:

•New Articles Update
•Horror Story Blog Up and Running
•New TV Show Looking for Homeowners in Dispute With Their Contractor
•San Diego Rebuilds Events for Wild Fire Victims
•Are You Under Insured
•Teaming Up With CalFinder
•Attorney Directory in the Works

Articles

Ten Biggest Mistakes Homeowners Make When Hiring a Remodeling or Building Contractor

A successful home remodeling or building project is dependent upon finding an ethical, reliable, competent and experienced contractor. Homeowners should heed the following points when hiring a remodeling or building contractor for their project.

The Homeowner:

1. Doesn’t bother to check the remodeling or building contractor’s license status at all, if just to verify that he/she has one and that it is in good standing. Checking the license is a necessary formality but it does not guarantee a favorable outcome. (Not all States require licensing)

2. Assumes that just because a building contractor is licensed in his/her state that they will be ethical, will abide by the contractors laws in their state and perform quality work that meets industry standards. Many homeowners stop here without doing further background checks on the contractor. Finish the article here.

Preliminary Notices and Mechanics Liens: A Contractors’ Right Can Be A Homeowners’ Plight

Every homeowner who embarks on a home remodeling or building project looks forward to their dream home beginning to take shape. They anticipate a flurry of activity at the beginning, first with demolition followed by the arrival of materials and subcontractors ready to work.

Shortly thereafter, certified letters requiring their signature arrive in the mail from suppliers and subcontractors. When they anxiously open the letters to read the words “Preliminary Notice” stating that someone is asserting lien rights against their property – they panic! But they shouldn’t – at least not at this point. The homeowner is simply being alerted to a commonly used legal instrument in construction that ensures payment for services, labor and materials provided for a home remodeling or building project. Finish the article here.

Horror Story Blog

The Horror Story Blog is up and running. Rather than have folks email me their stories waiting for me to post them, they can now simply add their own experience by clicking on “Comments”. Time is a factor for me so now everyone can do it in real time. If you haven’t yet shared your story, please do. Also, contractors are welcome to add there stories as well.

http://www.contractorsfromhell.com/blog

New TV Show Looking For Homeowners In Dispute With Their Contractor

The Casting Producer or Superfine Films, a TV production company based in New York, recently contacted me. They are looking for candidates for their upcoming TV series that helps to mediate disputes between homeowners and their contractors. It is a renovation dispute mediation and resolution show and requires that the renovation project have both the homeowner and contractor on board. Renovation must be on going and currently having problems, issues, or disputes. Since they are a television show, they MUST complete the project in a relatively short amount of time, which will fit nicely with the needs of a homeowner and contractor. They are seeking projects that are large enough in scope to show a good before and after experience, and small enough in scope to be finished in no more than about three weeks. Some examples would be a kitchen expansion, new room, bathroom remodel, garage build, etc. They will consider all sizes of work if the people and the project appear good for the show. Their intention is to make absolutely sure that the dispute is solved to the satisfaction of both parties and that the project gets done right, on time and on budget.

If you know someone who fits the bill, please contact David Levitt Casting Producer Superfine Films 60 Grand Street, 4th Floor New York, NY 10013 O: 212-941-6838 C: 646-784-0779

San Diego Rebuilds Events For Wild Fire Victims

Late last year, I was asked to sit on a panel of experts for the “Don’t Get Ripped Off!” panel as part of the SanDiegoReBuilds! that included the District Attorney, lead Investigator for the Contractors State license Board, a representative from the BBB, a couple of construction attorneys and myself for ContractorsFromHell.com. It was a great event, had a lot of attendance by both homeowners and contractors and was well received by all. As we all shared our experience and cautionary tales I couldn’t help but think how lucky these folks were to have all the important information provided to them before they even began their search for a contractor let alone what to expect during the building process. They had already been burned once as a result of the firestorms in late 2007 and the communities and government agencies did not want to see them harmed again by unscrupulous individuals. Understandable, as the Contractors Board and the DA’s office had a number of problems with unscrupulous contractors in the aftermath of the 2003 Cedar Fires. Too bad this kind of education isn’t available to homeowners on a regular basis. They just might make better choices and decisions regarding their projects. Unfortunately, it’s just an investment of time government agencies don’t care to make but just hope that people will review their materials and website. Half the time they don’t and as a result problems occur. Finding an ethical contractor takes work and folks really don’t take the time to do their research and just rush through it. At any rate, another note that stood out at the event is the fact that most of us are sorely under insured and a disaster could easily ruin a family financially if they haven’t got adequate coverage to rebuild.

Are You Under Insured?

The stories of being under insured in the wake of a disaster such as fires or any other natural disaster were quite sobering. With respect to remodeling, it’s critical to update your insurance coverage. I’ve had it increased twice since and am currently looking at a site that pretty much tackles the question “Am I Covered” and other insurance issues. You might want to take a look for yourself and explore the various topics covered. Here’s the link:

http://www.iii.org/media/publications/brochures/amicovered/

Teaming Up With CalFinder

Last summer I was contacted by a company based out of San Francisco with the idea of teaming up to help homeowners find ethical contractors. After six months of talking and looking at what was missing for the homeowner in their search for a contractor I agreed to work with them for a trial period. The one critical point that both the Contractor’s Board and myself agree on is that homeowners fail to do ALL the necessary background checks. And this company takes care of much of that, with the exception of checking court records for lawsuits and lien history. But it’s better than what most folks ever will do and that’s a start. You can read more about CalFinder here.

Finally:

This year I’m working on developing a Directory of Attorneys specializing in Construction Law. Over the years, the two most commonly asked questions are, can you refer me to an attorney and can you recommend a good contractor. So hopefully I’ll be able to do just that in the future.

Have a great Spring!

Jody@contractorsfromhell.com

http://www.contractorsfromhell.com
"don't get burned...get informed!"