All Forum Posts by: Manolo D.

Dustin Frank Why would you give him equity? Either borrow his money or lend him the money. Pay him like a contractor, get paid like an agent, and keep everything plain and simple.

For the readers and from a contractor’s perspective, there are hard contracts, there are easy terms. There are two sides of a coin, if contractor finds that they don’t want to do it, it’s easier to walk, plenty of other clients floating around. Both client and contractor have their own system, and there are lines that we will not cross, one example of this personally is accepting credit cards. We will have to sign up, pay monthly fees, pay the 3% per transaction, have our credit scores checked, and get approved. Yes, 20k is about $600, and guess where it will come from, not me, but even if you pay for that $600 for your 20k protection, there is still a risk of charge backs up to a year, so even if we finish our job january get fully paid, and you can dispute that on december and claim that we did not honor our 1 year guarantee and warranty, then have it taken out of our banks in a blink. So I’d suggest get yourself educated on bonding, or talk to your state’s contractors consumer protection department and talk to them how you get protected. For sure a handyman will walk out on this kind of protection.

Brian M. You have our protection in the world, it is called contractor’s bond. In CA, a client is protected up to 15k. So if I sign a 100k contract, half way and I billed and got 50k, then we end the contract, your next contractor wants 60k for finishing up, most likely you will get the 10k difference. Or if he signs up and collect 15k from you and never shows up, you’ll get that 15k from the surety company. Given of course he is licensed and all that. It takes the same time as disputing a credit card charge and a contractors bond claim. all about 3 months.

John De La Garza Try fiverrr.com or however many Rs there is.

Brian M. Yes, if your building catches fire, and insurance company finds out you touched the electrical without a permit, don’t even bother calling your insurance company. A flood caused by plumbing joint not properly put up, denied. A building inspector passes by and when drywall is up and ready to paint, yup, tear up those new walls coz he needs to inspect every inch of that electrical, plumbing and framing work you just put up. It took me 3 trips to b&s to pull my first residential, all of them over the counter, new construction, yeah, more than 12 weeks, addition or small remodel, over the counter. People who yack about it takes too long don’t know how to do it 90% of the time.l, the other 10% is correct and b&s just takes time. Fun fact, almost all unlicensed sub I talk to is “thinking” or “working on” their license, so they always end up bidding on a fixed number of hours on fixed rate if they really want my money, of course it’s an employee and i have a license.

Brian M. So what protects the contractor from charge backs or if he did good and honest work and you simply decide to call your cc company and dispute the charge? If the contractor has money in their bank and bank decides to just take it and give to whoever disputes it or holds that amount until resolved, what then? The contractor does not accept credit cards, so what’s keeping you from moving on? It’s called terms of an agreement/contract for a reason, each party has their own system and their way of protection/running their business.

There are “fire chasers” in the construction trade, people who offer you a value for your house - for example, while your house is up in flames, they are real estate investors or wholesalers in a sense. if someone is making money out of it, pretty sure anyone can.

Ross Sib The architect should know how to make the construction drawings fit your budget. Of course, an architect’s imaginary or assumed cost per sf does not mean that once you shop, it will come in at the same range. Always put expectation low on construction drawings, they will blow up in price when you shop. This is where experience is worth.

Ronnie S. Call your local housing dept, call a HERO contractor, and call your building and safety. What it really is they make you buy a more efficient equipment and the cover the cost between basic to upgrade. Not that it will cover all of your basic construction costs. Just saying.

James Peters If I take an 8k job for all interior, exterior, doors, trims, and ceiling, I’m bound to lose 2-3k. All the painters right now are demanding $5-7/hr more than what it was 8-12 months ago. If my base pay is 15-20 and out the door rate without profit is 25-30/hr then we add their raise minimum so my out the door becomes 32-37/hr, then it gets pricey. 8k is the least “I” would pay for that work. Next time, when you refer to J Scotts book (yes, i’ve read it), add 25% and that will come close to SoCal rates (except electrical) then to top it off add 10-20% during peak season (these months and last quarter). These months people get their taxes and december bonuses where people wanna impress people.