Contracting - Customer Backed Out.

AJAX

That's excatly right. A gutter contractor. Which you DON'T NEED A LICENSE IN MINNESOTA FOR!! We keep telling you and telling you and telling you! Why can't you understand that? Pay attention Pompass Ass!


That's excatly right. Who are you to say he shouldn't be operating as a gutter contractor when you don't need to be licensed as a gutter contractor in your state either. You have no point. so, stop making comments about who or who shouldn't be a contractor when you yourself don't know you own city and state laws.

bwalley

Apparently they let anyone in minnesota get a contractors license, I wonder how well you guys would do in Florida where you have to actually know what you are doing to get licensed and pass a lenghthy test and application process.

AJAX

Man, you really are dumb huh?

Read the link that was posted earlier about our requirements http://www.dli.mn.gov/CCLD/RBCWho.asp

mics_54

wow three whole inspectors with millions of residences...hehehe. I guess there is one born every minute.

Zinsco

Here in California you need a contractors license just to clean rubbish from a job site.

AJAX

It's just all about the money isn't it? In some states you can't do shat with out paying some fee. But, some states it's still the wild wild west anything goes.

mics_54

duh! Some states assume people can determine value for themselves. Other states think people are too stupid to do that. The issue is debatable on that criteria alone however when LIBERTY is tossed into the mix it becomes a totally different debate.

bwalley

In Florida we have to renew our contractors licenses every 2 years, Certified on the even number, Registered on the odd number.

The renewal is $209, I don't think the state is making much money at $104.50 per year for a contractors license.

I think the state is more concerened about making sure the contractors are qualified to do the work they are licensed for, they require 14 CEU's every renewal cycle and to be honest, that is not much.

The individual counties require a registration and in Hillsborough county it is $70 per year per license, other counties charge more, some less.

Zinsco

Here in California a contractors license is also good for 2 years and costs $300 to renew. The test is very easy and we have no continuing education requirements. There are appx 330,000 licensed contractors so at $150 per year this earns the state a sweet $49,500,000 each year.

Although inept, ineffective and staffed by lazy people, the CSLB manages to spend far more each year than it takes in. Considering they work 4 day work weeks and no one answers the phone, this is quite an achievement.

bwalley

I talked to a guy who said he had a California GC license, he said the test was only 4 hours but it was a closed book exam, he said it was not an easy test.

49.5 million seems like a lot of money but how much overhead does the CSLB have?

Apparently they have more overhead than they collect which is typical of a government agency, so I doubt California licenses contractors to make money.

Zinsco

He was a dummy.

Probably the reason, years ago was to protect consumers from shady contractors, but now it's just another bloated, ineffective bureaucracy.
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Framer53

I always find discussions about contractor licensing interesting. In NY, we have no statewide licensing laws. In some municipalities it is required.
I have been told by some oldtimers that we had state laws at one time, which have been eliminated as they are very hard to enforce.

I also think that most of you live in states that reqire licensing. It appears from the conversation here, that all of you see unlicensed contracting. Then you point out that it is the hacks. I find that extreemly funny.
If NY a long time ago realized it was unworkable, why haven't other states realized the same?
Florida is a case where the licensing laws as I was told when I lived there, were enacted to keep Yankee contractors at bay. Didn't work real well, but the laws have become much more strict.
Do the licensing laws work? I really don't know. From the responses on here, I have come to the conclusion they do not.

I think if the states were interested in helping their constituents, they would be more concerned with whether contractors had insurance to cover consumers. We have requirements that in order to get permits, you must prove insurance. To me, that is the way it should be.
Licensing, in my view, is just a way for states to tax you.

AJAX

It is interesting...
As I stated before, it's the money. Even if the state runs a deficit (I don't know if MN is or not) that just means that they can ask for more money next year. They just past a new law hear requiring January 1st, 2009, ALL subs to be registered by the state and you have to be an LLC. or INC. etc. That's there way of getting more money in. Can't forget to mention the obvious permit costs and est. tax values for home owners.

But, policing to keep codes up is a sham. Some of the inspectors are a joke, a lot of great ones though. And we have so much legislation and laws changing people can't keep up. On new laws one inspector has a different story then the other. In the end there not liable though. When a homeowner has a problem with a builder that messed up, the state can pull there license but, all these builders just close shop file bankruptcy and open shop in new name very next day! WTF, so who's really to blame? Comes down to civil and criminal matters and the state doesn't look at it as criminal.

Then you have states like Montana. We went out to look at a log home company, 10years ago. 2 codes, concrete and plumbing, only because plumbing is in concrete. So, if you want a new line in the living room, just grab your skill saw and throw some romex through the wall. Just crazy.

Btw, Here your licensed by the state and the county sends out the inspectors but, the state has the electrical side, state inspectors.

BattleRidge

I probably wouldn't do that well. I dont have to worry about that though. Why? Because I would never want to live in Florida or California, I have the certs I need to work in my area. You have no point. We couldnt be licensed in your state so we shouldnt work in ours?

I wonder how you would do in Montana talking to people like that? Probably get smacked right in the head.

And there are way more codes then concrete in Montana Ajax. We have foundation inspection, then framing/ structural, plumbing, electrical, insulation, and sheetrock. Its not that lengthy but covers what matters most.

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buddy110

Agreed. Deposits after 3 days are non refundable for any reason. My contracts clearly spell this out. If yours don't then change them.

AJAX

Sheetrock too huh? Well, I guess I was misinformed. I should have mentioned this was in rural, West Yellowstone. We met some people there who where building a home and there address was literally Jon Smith West Yellowstone, MT 59758. They invited us out and it was "go N on 87 and take a Left at the first dirt road, (which has no sign but now as I see on a map it's called US first service road 610 or Rainbow point Rd) then take your second left and where on the left, can't miss us.

They where building a slab on grade home and where using a pre-manufactured(can't remember name) OSB type of walls. 2 Sheets of OSB whatever size you want and 8" of foam between them. So, 4 of those and 2 for roof, which was 10" of foam. With a simple log frame on the inside. Walls had holes every 36" for elec. I've never seen it before or since. Just cut holes for door and windows and hot knife the foam.

I looked up the Town http://www.townofwestyellowstone.com...plate=building but, it says, "The Town of West Yellowstone enforces the International Building Code (IBC) within the Town limits." What does that mean it your out of town limits?

Boy, has this thread gone way off course. I suggested a state by state forum to talk about codes and such but......

buckleyclan

I don't mean this to be divisive. I respectfully submit that an understanding of semantics/jargon, would go along way in our attempt to have more civil discourse...




Main Entry: se·man·tics
Pronunciation: \si-ˈman-tiks\
Function: noun plural but singular or plural in construction
Date: 1893
1 : the study of meanings: a : the historical and psychological study and the classification of changes in the signification of words or forms viewed as factors in linguistic development b (1) : semiotic (2) : a branch of semiotic dealing with the relations between signs and what they refer to and including theories of denotation, extension, naming, and truth
2 : general semantics
3 a : the meaning or relationship of meanings of a sign or set of signs; especially : connotative meaning b : the language used (as in advertising or political propaganda) to achieve a desired effect on an audience especially through the use of words with novel or dual meanings

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BattleRidge

yeah the sheetrock one is neW, mainly they actually give the inspector 48 hours and they just dont come if its in the middle of nowhere. Like west yellowstone in the winter.

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