It’s not that I’m accusing these contractors of anything. All I am saying that for the sake of clarity and to avoid any misunderstandings, the person who does the work and the person who finances the project should not be connected in any way.
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The smaller the project, the less likely you’ll be asked for a deposit. Now, if you’ve special-ordered a one-of-a-kind fixture that the supplier would never be able to unload on anyone else, and you’ve arranged with the contractor to pay for materials, the contractor might ask for the money up front.
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Acolleague recently asked me if I’d heard the story of the unscrupulous contractor who asked for and received a deposit of $45,000 to build an addition for a desperate young couple expecting a baby.
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He had no place of business, other than his house, which was OK, but had an unlisted home phone number to throw off his creditors. Because of his checkered past, few subcontractors would work with him, and few suppliers would extend him credit for materials.
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I suppose it sounds kind of dumb, but very early on in the contract, you will have to list your name, address, and telephone number and the contractor’s name, address, and telephone number.
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This means that contractor knows all the rules, all the staff—including the assistant answering the telephone—and can run through the permit process and the inspections quickly and easily.
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Melissa Rooney and Vic Gatmaitan faced this problem when they wanted to build a deck. They obtained a good estimate, but the contractor wouldn’t deal with their city’s building department. So Melissa took a long lunch hour and went to the department’s office, prepared to settle in for a long wait.
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