Customer wants to trim out house...

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sparkydon

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Hey guys and gals. Some of you may remember I posted a thread a couple weeks back about starting a new job in commercial coming from resi. I found all your input was quite valuable. Thanks again..

I haven't quite moved yet and started my new job, as I am closing out all of my current jobs for the GC I work for now, and polishing up the house for sale a bit on weekends. I'm winding up my last three houses, and on one of them, the customer wants to do his own trim out!!?

I have never been in this situation before, but am a bit thrown off as to what my liability or responsibility is here...I am a payrolee of a GC. I perform everything electrical, no one else touches the work. Can any of you shed light on any potential repercussion to myself for knowingly allowing the homeowner to complete the job? All permits were filed through my boss and his name is on everyhing.

My boss is fine with the homeowner doing the work. I think it's rediculous and personally don't care for the idea too much, but at this point could care less if it's not on me. Lets just say this is the last trim house I haven't started yet, and essentially the last obstacle keeping me from being with my wife and kids who are 300 miles away...
 
Not your license on the line, not your name on the permit, and not your customer. You're nothing more than the guy who was assigned to do the ruff. You don't have a dog in that fight. I feel the same as you, in that the customer's potential for a good result is going to be limited, but who cares? Enjoy your new job, and forget all about this one.
 
Straight up, huh? Works for me.

It's funny. Part of me wants to finish my own job regardless. But like you point out, it's not and never really was MY job. Kinda bizarre when you put it in that perspective.

Thanks Marc...
 
It is generally a good trait in a workman when he takes "ownership" of a job. It shows you care and are interested in doing a good job. In this case, waving goodbye is a good thing too. :cool:
 
Maybe the boss struck a deal with the owner and is coming out ahead a little bit. Think of all of the T&M he might have arranged to clean up the three ways and the GFIs that are going to be miswired.
 
Thats an interesting question that came up in my 15 hour class the other night. And what the AHJ said was that if something does happen to the house you speak of and it burns down or whatever not only will your boss be in trouble but they will go after your license as well. So just to cover butt why not tell the AHJ that the HO did his/her own finish that way he is aware of the situation and your covering your butt. I thought that it was crazy how they could go after your license as well since your working for a guy and your doing what he/she is ordering you too do. But I guess that does not matter anymore that is :mad: . Makes me second guess everything that my boss tells me to do and make sure its all good and nothing bad could ever come of it because you never know...
 
If the homeowner paid my lawyer's fee to draw up a document voiding the warranty and releasing me from liability, and signed the document, I wouldn't have any problem with it. I'd also send a copy of that document informing the building department.

Dave
 
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You can say, write, cry, whatever. It will not matter one bit if something goes awry. It matters not what lawyers write up and what documentation you have, I can guarantee you that you will be included in the lawsuit along with your boss and anybody else that was involved.

So if thinking about these kinds of things keeps you up at night, don't do it.
If you, like me, don't worry about such things, let them do what ever they want.
 
dSilanskas said:
Thats an interesting question that came up in my 15 hour class the other night. And what the AHJ said was that if something does happen to the house you speak of and it burns down or whatever not only will your boss be in trouble but they will go after your license as well. So just to cover butt why not tell the AHJ that the HO did his/her own finish that way he is aware of the situation and your covering your butt. I thought that it was crazy how they could go after your license as well since your working for a guy and your doing what he/she is ordering you too do. But I guess that does not matter anymore that is :mad: . Makes me second guess everything that my boss tells me to do and make sure its all good and nothing bad could ever come of it because you never know...
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I believe there is language in the Mass code that basically says that the boss is not responsible for what the employees do.
 
sparkydon said:
All permits were filed through my boss and his name is on everyhing.
My boss is fine with the homeowner doing the work. I think it's rediculous and personally don't care for the idea too much.
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If you are going to work in commercial then you had better get used to the idea of not finishing everything you start. I have run miles of conduit on jobs and never pulled the first wire. I have subbed out of the ground then went on to another job and never had any idea of who took over that particular job. At other times you will trim out work that you have no idea who started.

If your boss wants to let the homeowner do the trim, that's his problem. I am assumming that you don't work in MA since a GC is pulling the permits.
Unless your license is used to sponsor the company don't worry about it. Enjoy the new job. :smile:
 
If a license is required to do work in your area (as it is in most areas) whose license was used to do the job? That is the person with the majority of the liability for the work. If that person wishes to let the homeowner trim out the job, that is up to them. My opinion is that they would be an idiot to allow such a thing, but we are free to be idiots in this country. If it is your license, then you are the electrician of record and you will be held responsible. The burden would be on you to prove you did not do the work in question. Somebody is getting screwed in this equation, I'm just not sure who it is...
 
your boss is the qualifier for the work in that house--- how can anyone hold you responsible for work preformed after your termination date??? enjoy your new job!
 
I am confused, GC filed for and has, electrical permits, is this GC also a licensed contractor? are you a licensed contractor?
 
sparkydon said:
...I am a payrolee of a GC.
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I don't care if you're on parole or not....sounds like you are an "employee".

I think I hear you wife and kids calling your name ~ go be with them.
 
I am an employee and like it when someone takes personal responsibility for them selves..it is a good work ethic..Now I would saddle up the horse and head on home, your boss will survive the after shock..Good luck on your next job..oh having the home owner trim out there house is cool just have inspector notified so he can come do one more walk through to clear your permit and cancel it so HO can draw their own permit to finish it..
 
In Hawaii only licensed electricians are allowed to work on electrical systems. That sorta slows down the requests for that stuff from homeowners. Most of them don't know clockwise from counterclockwise let alone have an electrical license.
 
I had a home owner want me to rough in his home and let him trim it out. I figured complete price and charged him 70% of that for rough in. He pulled his own permit ( legal in NC) however in contract at trim out if their was something wrong and it was on my part I would take care of it, if it was something he could not figure out it was a $70.00 trip charge and $40.00 per opening charge. His wife made me some good money $$$:grin: :grin: :grin: with all the three and four ways she wanted
 
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