not so handy handyman

[e150club]

a plumber friend went on a job for a leak in a wall. when he cut out the sheetrock he found a nail in a heating pipe. the home owner told him a friend installed a bigger window for him. he also found a romex splice in the wall no box no wire nuts just tape. the plumber told him you better call an electrician. with the money he spent on the plumber and electrician he didnt save anything he should have called a pro. in the first place.

 

[infinity]

I see stuff like this all of the time. People are too stupid to realize that there are risks involved in hiring someone who has the cheapest price. We once did a store where the "carpenter" was really a restaurant supply salesman but told the owner that he was a carpenter too. He framed the place and none of the doors fit because his rough openings were too small. He had to re-frame many of the rooms. We got a big extra to remove and reinstall boxes and cable that was within his screwed up framing. Not only did it cost the owner a lot more money. It delayed the project by a few weeks which meant less dough in the cash register. You get what you pay for.

Had another client who added a bathroom after we had completely rewired his store. The handyman installed an exhaust fan and could not understand why turning on the switch tripped the CB. The cheapo owner had to have us come and fix it. Seems that besides making splicing errors the guy stripped back 2 feet of the NM jacket an stuck the wire into the fan without a connector. The repair cost more that we would have charged to wire it correctly in the first place.

 

[celtic]

The repair cost more that we would have charged to wire it correctly in the first place.

That's what I'm talking about!

I hope you also told said HO to:

1. - file a complaint over here ~ [COLOR=Blue]http://www.nj.gov/lps/c.../searchentry.pl?searchprofession=1301[/COLOR]
2. - read the Home Improvement Contractor Registration Regulations here ~ [COLOR=Blue]http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/contractor.htm[/COLOR]
3. - and "help" soften the blow here ~ [COLOR=Blue]http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/index.html?prntlpt.htm~mainFrame[/COLOR] (You want form E/A-1)

Many times the HO is duped by fast-talking, BS-slinging "GCs".

 

[bjp_ne_elec]

Celtic - that's interesting - the abatement form. How does this work? Are you actually exempted on a portion of your taxes when you're under construction? It this true for projects, once the house has been built - say you're renovating a bathroom or kitchen?

Not sure if that is an option in NH, but I'll look in to it.

Thanks,


Brett

 

[celtic]

How does this work?
Are you actually exempted on a portion of your taxes when you're under construction?
It this true for projects, once the house has been built - say you're renovating a bathroom or kitchen?

yes
yes
and yes....

...with few stipulations:

5 Year Property Tax Abatements and Exemptions
Abatements and exemptions from property taxation are available to qualified property owners where the municipality has adopted an authorizing ordinance. Under the 5-Year Abatement and Exemption Law, an ordinance may provide for abatement and/or exemption for new construction of dwellings, conversion or conversion alteration into dwelling use, and improvement to an existing dwelling.
Commercial and industrial structures may also be eligible if an appropriate authorizing ordinance has been adopted. The municipal assessor can advise an interested taxpayer whether exemptions and abatements have been authorized by the governing body and to what extent. Form E/A-1 (PDF 112K) (which must be filed within 30 days of completion of the improvement, conversion or construction) may be obtained from the assessor's office.

[COLOR=Blue]http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/index.html?lpt/ea1info.htm~mainFrame[/COLOR]

 

[edamico11]

My town

My town

tax accessor,, did not approve my application because he said the area I live in it not "a blighted area". So the abatement was useless.

 

[celtic]

tax accessor,, did not approve my application because he said the area I live in it not "a blighted area". So the abatement was useless.

I hope you appealed the tax-man's "opinion".

The concept behind the abatement is NOT to save people money (those crafty lawyers )...but rather to inspire people to have the work done and get a short-term break on the tax ramification. The improvements boost the value of the entire neigborhood, not just your humble dwelling.

If you want...PM me your zip code (NO street address PLEASE!)...I'll see what I can find.

 

[petersonra]

OTOH, the vast majority of work done by people you denigrate as "handymen" is quite acceptable.

Personally, I wish the powers that be would come up with some kind of structure to acknowledge that there is a LOT of work being done by these kind of workers and it is either "illegal" or in a very gray area in many jurisdictions.

that would of course reduce the power of the powers that be, plus eat into the profit level of contractors in the area, so it seems unlikely that it will ever happen in most places.

/sarcasm on/ Of course, homeowners/taxpayers would benefit the most from such a reform and those would be the last people on earth any government agency would want to provide a benefit to. /sarcasm off/