The best way for a "Handyman" not go to jail is; watch what you do, do quality work you are proud of Keep the lines of communication open, if there is a unforseen problem, let the homeowner know upfront, before the problem get out of hand. Treat your customer/clients the same way you want to be treated and you will will have a good chance to stay on the "Freedom" side of the iron bars...
I’m a general contractor in calif and no longer do any major projects. I work for several property managers with a bit over 300 houses. Loads of low stress work and if I get an invoice out by noon I have a ck by closing time. Been with them for over 15 yrs. never work weekends and home by 5.
Love the videos- Signed up with my State’s department last night and was approved as an LLC by this morning. Also purchased liability insurance online. It took less than 24 hours for the state of Ohio. Thanks! Popefresh
Found myself watchinng the dog a lot. I lost my best friend on Sunday morning, the same day your dog box video came out. Couldn't watch it until today. Thanks for all you do my friend.
Yes in California, unlicencsed handyman are limited to $500 incluidng material (but you can do multiple projects per day, not limited to only one, also multiple different projects even at single address - watch handyman journey, he is unlicensed handyman operating in northern california), but very few handyman stick to that rule, and very few get caught. But good thing about California is that home owner can pull permit himself and do all the work on virtually everything, including building an entire house by himself. So if you are an industrious home owner who love DIY on your own properties, then it's great place to live.
Turns out that NY State can have an S- Corporation it has some extra regulations and you have to get approved and its not the same as in other stats. Here is a link if you live in NY www.tax.ny.gov/bus/ct/s_corporations.htm California is $500 per job NOT $500 per day. Thanks for the corrections guys.
Really enjoying these videos. In Mass you can get a HIC licence, Home improvement contractor. You can do just about anything aside from a new home, certain wiring etc. Couple hundred bucks online no questions.
Has anybody ever wondered why the $500.00 limit hasn't changed for HANDYMEN for 20 plus years in California? I'll tell you why, because Handymen don't organize, and they don't raise funds to hire a lobby firm to approach State Assemblymen and Senators to change the State law. On the other hand, Contractors are organized, and they do hire lobbying firms to ensure Handymen's rates never increase. Folks wake up its 2019, just based in inflation Handymen in California should be making $1000.00 per job. Wake up!
D. Johnson you are 100% CORRECT; but most Handymen DO NOT WANT TO BE REGULATED ! Most don't want to be on the radar @ all. There will always be a underground market.
Everything you mentioned is correct. You made a good, accurate, informative video. In SC you need State licensing, workman's compensation insurance, workman's liability, a tax number, and a business license for each country or city. If you're discovered working without these requirements, the basic State fine is $2700. There are other penalties for failure to properly register your business. Most work without licensing and permits, but when you're caught, your going to pay big. If you're a repeat offender, the authorities can impounded all your equipment and you won't get it back.
Hey! Just wanted to thank you for all your videos. I hope to start my own company next year, and I feel very confident in the process, and have learned quite a bit from your videos. Keep up the great work!
I am not licensed in plumbing or electrical. I do both as part of my handyman and remodelling work. However, I sub out anything that is beyond my ability and I am realistic about what my abilities are. My goal is to do what's best for the customer both in the workmanship/job results and financially. Unfortunately that's nor the case with a ton of guys in this line of work. Too many are all about money in their pocket and nothing else! I'm in Nebraska by the way. I am registered with the state and insured.
In Arizona any job with a total cost over $1000 has to be done by a licensed contractor. Licensing requires proving 4 years of job/project history in the area you are licensing, references, pass background check, required bond in place, insurance in place, workmens comp in place and pass 2 - 3 hour state tests. This all has to be done just to apply for your license. Real easy. You can be charged both criminally & civilly for doing work for hire without a license in Arizona.
Sole proprietors file at the county level (some states may require filing with the SOS). The beauty about having your own business is your licensing fees, associations fees, and equipment can be deducted. Cough cough you can deduct your trailer, truck, and tools.
Everything from a set of mobile home steps to a 360,000 sq ft Federal (VA) Office Building, and including a $55M elementary school. 550 condos and about 150 new houses. Another 200, or so, renovation projects. Been at it since 1977 counting summer work. Second-generation builder, third-generation construction tradesman. I've been sued, but never jailed, for contracting.
In wisconsin the dwelling contractor license is pretty easy ad far as test. Then again maybe not the test took me 4 1/2 half hours. You then have to get a surety bond and show proof that you have up to $10,000 in credit. I have been doing work for over 10 years not giant size projects kitchens bathrooms and remodeling and I have not pulled one permit. So far that is the case I avoid jobs that need permits but I may get into general contracting here shortly.
3:15 mentions Davis bacon wage limit-which is why you NEED to be fig on getting some kind of fed work! 7:01 bus attorney said that it must be est in court that that the contractor in ? operated w/ “gross negligence” 7:30 breaks down important points for why ins is important! 8:30 *In CA can’t do more than $500 per day???!*
Like the vids man keep them coming and please share the little tips and secrets with us followers. This older generation keeping their knowledge secret only creates corruption and lack of knowledge throughout the industry. I’m was a machinist auto body tech and windshield installer in-house at a very reputable dealer but may try handyman stuff because of lack of security in today’s jobs. Lack of money with no incentive throughout the years. Just dead end jobs left and right. Just want to make honest living with decent pay. I’ve never done baseboard before and after 30min study on TH-cam I became very good. 45 connecting points ran 14’ boards where needed And got nice degree finder. Bam perfect job one day 1150sf 6hrs 1400$ profit. This is the numbers we all want to see. This is what sold me on handyman stuff. The painter here made 1900$ for interior only! Cheaper of the quotes given also.
Here In minnesota you need a general contractors license or residential builder license as they call it to do any handyman work, but can’t touch ANY plumbing, electrical, or HVAC
Loving the videos, fine sir! So, my first week taking my business full time has been going well, but I'm still feeling out my scheduling. I'm scheduled every day through 03/15/18, and am trying to figure out a good strategy for working in estimates and time off to rest. Any chance you could do a video sharing your strategy?
Am in construction 28yrs.have held gc license in pgilly pa..am in nyc now but rather just work as a trademan more solo .insurance is important , i had it in pa vut now in nyc its too expensive like $5 k per yr
The separator creates a contained tornado inside with air sucked in tangetially at the top edge of the upside down cone, and exits out the middle in the top. In optimal flow conditions, the larger and heavier materials spin out of the "tornado" toward the edge, and fall into the debris bin at the bottom, and only the finest, lightest dust goes on to the filters. Generally they allow a MUCH larger amount of debris to be vacuumed up, before the filter clogs up. Wood shop dust collection systems often have a similar device. Same concept is used with many tiny tornadoes in parallel in a Dyson home vaccuum cleaner. There are good videos here on youtube of people making thier own "dust deputy"
In Florida we are required to have a sub chapter S corporation and workers compensation exempt liability insurance is optional which is about $600 a year no plumbing, electrical or structure repair unless general contractor the money here is kitchen replacement which is easy to get a dealership but not allowed to install any new construction.
The thing I wonder about in California is how bad was it with shyster handymen, or other "contractors" to drive the development of those tougg state regs? I grew up in S. FL. Part of the issue is the corruption of city/county/state officials trying to get a cut, but also it's the shady rip off artists who scam people. Because of the climate (population growth driving a huge real estate and construction industry with officials bought by the contractors. Berg and DiVosta is a spawn of Hades!) and weather risks like hurricanes, TONS of shades are attracted to FL.
There are a lot of bad contractors. I've seen a number of people have 2nd story bath remodels put in that leak. This is especially true on the flips that don't get inspections. Also a number of j-boxes buried in walls, once they get opened up, S-traps, interior rated sub-panels installed on patios (an exterior location), ungrounded switches in kitchens and baths, and number of "open floor plan" beams put in without footings.
One more comment in Florida my license was a carpenter there is no handyman license issue, a painting license is a study course and books and fees are about $ 2,500 and a sit down test.
Luckily for me in my state as long as the repair total is under $600 you do not need a license for such small jobs, anything over that at minimum requires a Residential Maintenance and Alteration Contractor license.
We have it pretty good here in North Carolina. We can do jobs up to $30,000 without a license. Anything above that requires a general contractors license.
yea i dont get where guy says up to 30k in North Carolina they want there $$ for everything no freebies!! just try moving here and see how much tax you get hit for your old car!
Sounds like an ass backwards state that does not care about it's citizens. Most states that require licensing have garuntee funds that compensate homeowners for scam work.
and the thing is in California there's so much handyman work that is needed but no license contractors want to take the work because it's not worth taking any job under $5,000 and paying all the fees that come with being licensed and workers comp... so who's supposed to do the jobs that are over $500 and under 5,000? that's why people will always be looking for a handyman in california...
The Handyman yep that's the ticket for me... two of my friends have already got called to a sting and I tell them just do the estimates over the phone plus who wants to drive around doing estimates all day
That is crazy. Its like to catch a predator. You show up to try to make a living and provide for your family and then they jump out of the closet and arrest you. When I get calls I always ask how they found me and its always a referral from a past customer. Often times my customers will send me a text telling me they gave my name to a friend that needs some work done.
Simple solution. Get your GC, pull permits on all projects. This ensures codes get met, and your customers will appreciate your professionalism. ( I generally charge more for permitted jobs)Right next to permit box I put my company sign. You will come to know the inspectors in time, and they too will respect your work if done correctly, and tend to be understanding if an issue comes up. Quality, First impressions, and professionalism... are a recipe for success for me. Btw: California doesn’t want successful small business owners. Hence the regulations. Enjoyed the vid.
Virginia is very strange. I think you need a license to cross the street. At the same time, many 7-11 stores have day laborers waiting out front that you can pickup and have them do work for you for, e.g., $15/hour. Not sure how that works.
In TN it is under $3,000 project, no license (basically a handyman), 3,000-25,000 is home improvement license, over 25,000 is GC license. I am sure though that handyman still can't do work that requires a permit, no matter the cost. I have heard that the state does sting operations to catch handymen that operate outside the law etc.. You bid a job that you aren't legally qualified to do, busted.
You could probably do a whole series on working with your local building inspector, permitting, and that sort of thing. I have an old Seattle house (1952), so I have beat a trail to the city Planner's Office and spoke with countless engineers on different code requirements, where the standard issue-tip doesn't apply. Like you, I have being doing this sort of work for a long time, 35 some years. I get the need for codes, because if you didn't have them, our cities would look like a slum. Have seen plenty of "slum-lords" and their rentals. But some of these city inspectors are so liquored up on having to have insulation and to be energy efficient, that they loose sight of my questions, and I have to bring them back to topic. Rather fed up with the bunch. Had an electrical inspector over when I changed the main panel/mast out a couple years ago. All this guy did was look at the ground screw in the panel, then put a sticker on the meter box, and left. Didn't even bother to look/feel anything else. Didn't even go under the house to check the grounding connections, and I have the nicest crawl space in the city (white plastic, lights, GFI power, very clean). Not so sure I want to even bother with these guys anymore...
Unfortunately ya prolly don't have a choice. Look at things this way; jest cuz some certified A'hole shows up n doesn't do his due diligence of a proper inspection of yer work, rather than get upset, get yer certification n show him the door. He's not gonna tell ya if ya did anything wrong anyways. Jest another lazy person skating thru life.
You know what kills me, licenses and permits required but you have a damn HD or Lowe's at every corner of America where you can buy items like water heaters to replace a water heater, toilets, wiring etc. Just think about what really is a license and a permit.....yup $$$$ for the local government. Renewal costs, testing costs, permits cost, you want to install a garden hose, that will be $300 for your permit. Oh you don't have a license well you have to call license Bob and he will charge you $600. I find it ironic money wise, that licenses is suppose to protect home owners unfair costs but I've seen licensed contractors do just that because they know they can.
You can get around the legal limits in California if you know how to navigate the legal system. Article One, Section Ten of the Constitution says the state cannot impair the obligation of contract.
I don't think it's not sharing 'secrets' it's just that requirements vary a lot as he said from state to state and even from towns that share a border. It's best as he also said to look up requirements for your city, county and state. The 'secrets' people told him not to tell is we all know how things work in our areas. The question is if you want work and follow the laws or if you want to work illegally.
there should be home owner exception rule. Way around that would be buy the house for fair market value and sell it back for your fee + fair market value.
I was washing windows in a 3 story foyer inside a home with polished marble floors. I put my "foam rubber slip pad"down and went up the ladder to wash the second story window. I felt a slight movement but was concentrating in cleaning the window and ignored it than Bamm my ladder and "slip pad" slipped on the smooth floors and I rode down with the ladder. It stopped when the ladder ends penetrated the leaded glass doors at about door knob level breaking the ladders fall and I rolled off the ladder with the wind knocked out of me and a little shaken a few feet from the floor. I was on the floor in pain and he came running in and was only concerned about the damage to the doors and ignored me. The next day we were washing the outside windows and I got into a huge yellow jacket nest. I was swinging my arms by instinct to drive away the hoard but my protective cover to my 6 inch Triumph razor blade had come off while in the thick bushes and each time I flailed my arms I cut them on the exposed blade which was on my tool belt around my waist. Sense I am slightly allergic to bees my partner let me drive myself to the drug store for benadryl. That was end of our business relationship for about 5 years.
My question is how are they going to ask for past customers signatures when your applying to be legally allowed to work for the customers. Sounds like entrapment lol
After a hurricane in Florida years ago under county laws I was only allowed to replace 100 sg ft of drywall and only paint the walls I repaired so I painted 2 living room walls and the customer ask me to paint a 3rd wall to match since the paint was old so I did then the customer went wild because the roof I sold her for a roofing contractor was taking to long like thousands of roofs were being replaced so she had to wait like many others so she contacted the code department which contacted me I was fully licensed and insured and the county enforcement charged me $ 250 fine for painting the third wall, my lesson is watch what you do to help customers they will turn on you .
Hey, if one is doing commercial work, or, a high prfile job,,, where town or state, officials , are involved,, god bless you, and may you come out un-scathed !!!!!
We are a state registered Handyman and insured business in the state of Colorado. As you are pointing out there are handyman people that operate below this responsible business practice. It's too bad that Colorado doesn't require a specific licence for the work that we do - Only a company licence. We elect to cover the insurance and being a smart legitimate business we make sure everything we do is legit and legal. It's sad that customers don't realize that a handyman business that is legit with their residential and commercial coverage, etc. is fairly more expensive. We do a lot of repair work for individuals that do work poorly but it's sad that Colorado doesn't need the work out from the beginning. We are very ethical in our work and will make sure everything is completed with skill and craft standard. Customers may often times not understand quality with quanity... We don't bid jobs to skip corners. We make sure that our work is 100 percent. It's frustrating when I'm working to fix crapy work. I often even find bad work from licenced electricians and plumbers. Shame on the work but we appreciate the calls.
To make my point in a more short way - There are Handyman companies that run as a legitimate business like our own business. I would love to see more requirements or needs for licensing for handyman type of work. I had seen the same very thing with commercial and fire alarm work over a matter of 20 years. They cleaned up the crapy work that was being made to make it more professional. Thanks for the video. Customers that like to seek cost over quality and a legitimate business are asking for trouble and asking for what it will cost in the end.
I disagree, I don't think you can Regulate Quality. you may not have seen it but there are countless shortcuts and bad installation from low Voltage Fire systems to poor Cable and TV installations done by so-called licensed Companies. the Problem is a lack of training and leadership on these Jobs and High Cost of Education. if you were educated on a simple rule that there should be a GFI Plug 6 Feet from Every sink in a home that you put new plugs in. and you went to a job where the Boss was Hounding you to hurry up and finish and all you had left on site was regular Plugs. then the employee will often install an incorrect plug by a sink just to get off early on a Friday. and Often the Business Owner, if not watched, will do the same, especially on cookie cutter Mult-Family Housing.
I'm glad I live in a disfuntional state!!! 😂😂😂 Only 2-5 cities in entire state that bust your balls over codes and regulations. I've seen several cities that lose thousands and thousands of dollars not enforcing permits, codes, and fines. I actually know one city in particular that is a decent size city over 25,000 people. They have one person who runs entire building department by themself oh plus a personal secretary but she isn't the traditional secretary, more like a personal assistant for the guy who runs building department. So read a newspaper article same town say 80 permits were given in a years time. 75 of the 80 we're for commercial and of those same 75 permits 50 we're for electrical. The other left over 5 permits were residential. Basically the guy who runs building department was a electrician with no experience in any other line of work. So he basically ignores all other lines of work maybe because he doesn't know what to look for. The other permits were given only because contractors forced them to get permit for insurance and liability reasons. So since it's been like this for 15-20 years, it's common knowledge in that town that permits aren't needed and won't be enforced. They didn't fine or punish one person in over 10 years which is beyond crazy. That's people who try building new structures without permit. In most cities a person caught building a new structure without permit can get a 10 year ban from pulling any permit from that county. So essentially if enforced it could put a company out of business and keeps people honest. I would love to take over building department and fix it because that particular city has been laying off city workers because they can't afford them when they have lost definitely over $500k in lost money due to the disfuntional building department. I actually think they are losing out on millions but I have no clue without knowing details of all jobs. Not only that but the prices to pull permits is way way outdated compared to other cities. Probably haven't changed prices in 30-40 years. I know 2 different commercial jobs that are over billion dollar projects. That doesn't even include all the other commercial and residential construction going on. I would say of the 80 permits pulled, the majority we're probably just state or city projects. Here is the crazy part, you can go 30 minutes away to different town and it is completely opposite. One of the strictest cities I've ever worked in. The have a encyclopedia of rules, codes, penalties, curfew for working hours. You name it, this city has it. So for someone that is just starting out and trying to learn and run a newer construction or handyman company. It would be better to start in a smaller town at first that doesn't enforce much or less strict. Then once you learn the business, then switch to the bigger more strict cities. What I have found is that the stricter cities generally have higher revenue and the potential to make big money is much higher , however the overhead cost and additional work needed to do a job is much much higher too. So it kinda all evens out but if your just getting going trying to learn the business. I strongly suggest staying away from the strict cities at least for 2-3 years. Working in one of these cities once in a while isn't too bad but wouldn't make a habit of it in the beginning. The reason I say this is that I've seen legitimately good companies fail or get so frustrated they give up and go back to normal jobs because these strict cities will annoy you and triple the amount of time to complete a job just because of all the paperwork and additional run around time. So it's better to not have that additional stress in the beginning and just concentrate on the construction side of things as well as honing your skills with customers. Customer service is just as important as the quality of work. I've seen extremely shitty contractors making money hand over fist just because they are friendly and have excellent customer service. I can think of two different contractors I know personally that make in the millions but are downright shitty scab contractors who take short cut after short cut to Cobble it together. I get paid all the time to fix their fuck ups, so I'm not gonna complain too much 😂. Basically these companies are 100% production based. Me personally, I always put quality over quantity. I work extremely hard all day long and try to put out a good quality product that is worthy of the made in America stamp. I may go overboard with being a perfectionist but I have had zero complaints after the completion of any job I've ever done and I've been doing this line of work for 20 years and actually have a college degree in construction. Communication is huge, without great communication mistakes will happen. I go over everything with customer 2-3 times sometimes more to make sure we're on same page and in sync with each other. Then I usually write up a scope of work list and have customer sign before any work is done. Also a good idea to make up a general contract that can just be edited for each job but basically same contract each time. Trust me, not everyone in this country is honest and I've seen hard working people get screwed bad just because they didn't have anything in writing. I've seen some greedy people actually target contractors who don't sign contracts and they get away with it is the sad part. The state will allow them to steal from you without a contract. Sure you can put a builders lien on house but that won't ever get paid unless they sell property. Sorry so long, just thought I'd throw out some pointers to the newer companies watching and the people thinking about starting a business in this line a work.
maybe they should get rid of all the people who are license to work , but end up doing some shitty jobs. that will help everyone else who does the job correctly . keep up the videos, thanks . learning a lot from this.👍👍
@braulio it would be great if the customer that had a horrible work over took pictures and sent them in to the local BBB, county and state licensing offices etc and a lawyer too, or better yet one place that would do all of that for you. That would weed out the bad ones for sure over time.
Based on a number of your videos it is quite obvious that you are not only talented but ethical in your workmanship. When you were calculating the square inch requirements for vents in a soffit it was obvious that you were concerned about the long term success of the project. Unfortunately, a large number of " Handymen and licensed Contractors " are looking for a quick buck and either don't have the experience or desire to do a job correctly. Hence the need for permitting and inspections. You can spend hours looking at the handyman hacks on you-tube where the home owner got screwed. FYI South Florida is in a world of its own. The rest of Florida is reasonable. Simply put call your local building department and they will guide you. Contractor stings are common place here in Florida as they should be. A " Handyman " should not be hired to renovate a kitchen or bath where electrical or plumbing work is involved.
There is crapy work everywhere. Even a licenced electrical or plumbing contractor is cutting corners. It's a sad place that even regulated companies do shitty work (Yes- big time). I just fixed a job today that represented lazy electrical work from a licenced company to do an occupancy signoff. Shameful work that's being done out there. It's a lack of pride... My company doesn't leave surprises for others. It's that simple. I can see the difference of cutting corners and not understanding what to do with work that we fix.
So the guy that has his Plumbing Journeyman License and all the Training over 30 years working For Companies that do plumbing for a living, should never agree to help a Home Owner with Handyman work to Renovate her kitchen because he will definitely do crappy work and not follow already known electrical and Plumbing Codes???
no the problem is that the law has to be designed to best protect the customer. Nobody is saying you couldn't somehow have someone who is a 30 year plumber who'd do plumbing work for 10 bucks an hour, it's POSSIBLE. It's also possible one of those spam messages really is a guy just wanting to get his money out for a nice fee for you. But for every plumber doing handy man work for half his going rate. 300 people are pretending to be that guy. Allowing for this one guys existence isn't worth letting those others do it.
Don Ziolkowski that's the most stupid shit I ever heard. What do you expect for $10.? Is it almost owner's responsibility to research or qualify worker. If the homeowner verifies that the handyman has insurance and is bonded this would cut down the risk I'm catastrophes to the homeowner. Homeowner should check references and get a detailed description of the work being done. Everyone has an internet in the palm of their hand there's no reason why anyone paying for a job cat research the process the handyman lays out including materials time on the job. If you're stupid in this world a handyman's the last thing you got to worry about LOL Get Smart
It took me 2 weeks to actually talk to anyone that knew about licensing. Total idiots in NM. We have to take a icc exam and trade test for every trade you'll be touching. I needed 6. Each test was $200 plus application fee plus 50 hours of continuing education program year.
Its politicians and larger business. The larger companies work in larger cities. That's where the money is. They want to limit the competition. They lobby to city officials and law makers to put in high regulations. The companies often give kick back to these individuals. I have seen in on smaller levels too. Paying off inspectors with vacations and strippers. It was pretty crazy. When I worked for the building department I was went golfing at least 2 times a month to fancy golf courses. Huge construction companies were sponsoring these golf outings. The called the get together a specific name to get around any illegal influencing.
crazy that we've come to this, reminds me of the times when if you wanted someone's vote for office you bought them a bottle of whiskey to come make their mark. that was outlawed, i'd love to see something done about this and i doubt ol trump would do it since his background is "business".
I wanted to comment on llc's, or limited liability companies. An LLC is a way to separate your personal liability from your company's liability. If you are a single member LLC, it will not provide much protection for against suits for injuries to others. Say, for example, you have an LLC with no employees and own a truck, some tools, and materials. While you are doing a roof repair job, you drop a roofing nailer on the homeowners had as she is bringing groceries inside. If the homeowner sues for medical Bells, she can sue the LLC because you were working with the LLC at the time of the accident. However, she can also sue the handyman, because the handyman dropped the nailer. Llc's can be sued just like any other person under the same standards, and all you have to show is negligence. If the homeowner wins the suit, and there is no insurance, the homeowner could take the truck tools equipment and whatever the handyman owns to satisfy the judgment. Now, where the protections of an LLC are important is if a handyman has several employees. Say you send one of the handymen up to that roof instead of going there yourself, and the employee drops the roofing nailer on the homeowners head. Then, if the homeowner sues all they can claim is the truck the tools and the materials. The handyman would not be liable for any damages beyond what he has contributed to the business.
At what point is it a person's responsibility to research the product they're purchasing or service they're paying for. Anyone paying for a job should at least ask about the process and the materials needed for the job. It's not hard to verify this on the internet. Anyone can get a full understanding of literally anything. There's no excuse for being ignorant, even if you're stupid. We have every bit ever recorded human knowledge in r damn hands. Besides the fact that all licensing and regulations do is stifle creative ingenuity, Force outdated products IE wood and concrete, this basically protects and promotes old timers doing good jobs with outdated materials. Times have changed but our government can't. I think in a free Society the farthest the government should be able to interfere that's private people making deals between each other is to have a recommended list and optional licensing. If I want to pay for a crappy job that should be my choice. I'm sorry I just believe any deal is between the two people making the deal. Laws don't protect people people protect themselves. When I was young we are taught don't take wooden nickels, and trust but verify. Nowadays people have substituted there common sense for meaningless overpriced government seal or worthless piece of paper. Does the paper or license have magic powers that prevents people from doing a shitty job. If so I take back everything
The best way for a "Handyman" not go to jail is; watch what you do, do quality work you are proud of Keep the lines of communication open, if there is a unforseen problem, let the homeowner know upfront, before the problem get out of hand.
Treat your customer/clients the same way you want to be treated and you will will have a good chance to stay on the "Freedom" side of the iron bars...
Handyman 247 from beloit Wisconsin I bet,
And then you come across customers that are out of their minds.
I’m a general contractor in calif and no longer do any major projects. I work for several property managers with a bit over 300 houses. Loads of low stress work and if I get an invoice out by noon I have a ck by closing time. Been with them for over 15 yrs. never work weekends and home by 5.
Love the videos- Signed up with my State’s department last night and was approved as an LLC by this morning. Also purchased liability insurance online. It took less than 24 hours for the state of Ohio. Thanks! Popefresh
Found myself watchinng the dog a lot. I lost my best friend on Sunday morning, the same day your dog box video came out. Couldn't watch it until today. Thanks for all you do my friend.
I'm sorry to hear that. It's a hard thing to go through. I lost my first dog Buster to cancer a few years ago.
Yes in California, unlicencsed handyman are limited to $500 incluidng material (but you can do multiple projects per day, not limited to only one, also multiple different projects even at single address - watch handyman journey, he is unlicensed handyman operating in northern california), but very few handyman stick to that rule, and very few get caught. But good thing about California is that home owner can pull permit himself and do all the work on virtually everything, including building an entire house by himself. So if you are an industrious home owner who love DIY on your own properties, then it's great place to live.
California is probably the worst. You need a permit to take a dump there
Unless its in public out in the open.
Turns out that NY State can have an S- Corporation it has some extra regulations and you have to get approved and its not the same as in other stats. Here is a link if you live in NY www.tax.ny.gov/bus/ct/s_corporations.htm
California is $500 per job NOT $500 per day. Thanks for the corrections guys.
Thank you for sharing this information and your experience.
Very excited to see the results of your trial run with the Estimating Software !
Ladies and gents, Texas. 👍👍
No license right?
Where you need the governments permission to carry a gun and you can’t buy booze on Sunday...
Great video and information as usual. I spent most of the time watching Polly though.
Wisconsin is pretty decent. 12 hour course pass with 70% for contractors license. Can do any $ quantity.
Really enjoying these videos.
In Mass you can get a HIC licence, Home improvement contractor. You can do just about anything aside from a new home, certain wiring etc. Couple hundred bucks online no questions.
Has anybody ever wondered why the $500.00 limit hasn't changed for HANDYMEN for 20 plus years in California? I'll tell you why, because Handymen don't organize, and they don't raise funds to hire a lobby firm to approach State Assemblymen and Senators to change the State law. On the other hand, Contractors are organized, and they do hire lobbying firms to ensure Handymen's rates never increase. Folks wake up its 2019, just based in inflation Handymen in California should be making $1000.00 per job. Wake up!
Let’s do it!
D. Johnson you are 100% CORRECT; but most Handymen DO NOT WANT TO BE REGULATED ! Most don't want to be on the radar @ all. There will always be a underground market.
In my neighborhood I need a permit to change out a water heater it costs almost as much as the water heater, what bs
Fuck that. Just install it. Can’t be that hard.
Just install it lol
Around here i'm supposed to get a permit to change my toilet, but not for new roof, windows or siding.
Water heaters are easy to install.
Everything you mentioned is correct. You made a good, accurate, informative video.
In SC you need State licensing, workman's compensation insurance, workman's liability, a tax number, and a business license for each country or city. If you're discovered working without these requirements, the basic State fine is $2700. There are other penalties for failure to properly register your business. Most work without licensing and permits, but when you're caught, your going to pay big. If you're a repeat offender, the authorities can impounded all your equipment and you won't get it back.
All government robbery.
Hey! Just wanted to thank you for all your videos. I hope to start my own company next year, and I feel very confident in the process, and have learned quite a bit from your videos. Keep up the great work!
I am not licensed in plumbing or electrical. I do both as part of my handyman and remodelling work. However, I sub out anything that is beyond my ability and I am realistic about what my abilities are. My goal is to do what's best for the customer both in the workmanship/job results and financially. Unfortunately that's nor the case with a ton of guys in this line of work. Too many are all about money in their pocket and nothing else! I'm in Nebraska by the way. I am registered with the state and insured.
In Arizona any job with a total cost over $1000 has to be done by a licensed contractor. Licensing requires proving 4 years of job/project history in the area you are licensing, references, pass background check, required bond in place, insurance in place, workmens comp in place and pass 2 - 3 hour state tests. This all has to be done just to apply for your license. Real easy. You can be charged both criminally & civilly for doing work for hire without a license in Arizona.
Sole proprietors file at the county level (some states may require filing with the SOS).
The beauty about having your own business is your licensing fees, associations fees, and equipment can be deducted. Cough cough you can deduct your trailer, truck, and tools.
Everything from a set of mobile home steps to a 360,000 sq ft Federal (VA) Office Building, and including a $55M elementary school. 550 condos and about 150 new houses. Another 200, or so, renovation projects. Been at it since 1977 counting summer work. Second-generation builder, third-generation construction tradesman.
I've been sued, but never jailed, for contracting.
A license is just a way for the government to sell! You your right to work and make a living back to you.
In wisconsin the dwelling contractor license is pretty easy ad far as test. Then again maybe not the test took me 4 1/2 half hours. You then have to get a surety bond and show proof that you have up to $10,000 in credit. I have been doing work for over 10 years not giant size projects kitchens bathrooms and remodeling and I have not pulled one permit. So far that is the case I avoid jobs that need permits but I may get into general contracting here shortly.
3:15 mentions Davis bacon wage limit-which is why you NEED to be fig on getting some kind of fed work!
7:01 bus attorney said that it must be est in court that that the contractor in ? operated w/ “gross negligence”
7:30 breaks down important points for why ins is important!
8:30 *In CA can’t do more than $500 per day???!*
Like the vids man keep them coming and please share the little tips and secrets with us followers. This older generation keeping their knowledge secret only creates corruption and lack of knowledge throughout the industry. I’m was a machinist auto body tech and windshield installer in-house at a very reputable dealer but may try handyman stuff because of lack of security in today’s jobs. Lack of money with no incentive throughout the years. Just dead end jobs left and right. Just want to make honest living with decent pay. I’ve never done baseboard before and after 30min study on TH-cam I became very good. 45 connecting points ran 14’ boards where needed And got nice degree finder. Bam perfect job one day 1150sf 6hrs 1400$ profit. This is the numbers we all want to see. This is what sold me on handyman stuff. The painter here made 1900$ for interior only! Cheaper of the quotes given also.
That dog is the reason I watch these videos.
Here In minnesota you need a general contractors license or residential builder license as they call it to do any handyman work, but can’t touch ANY plumbing, electrical, or HVAC
If you live in California "i feel sorry for you... what the heck do you do?" 😂 pretty much sums it up.
We feel sorry for our self too 😂
LOL. Its a beautiful state and I have visited many times. Southern California is such a densely populated area things get a little to crazy for me.
Dog is like who are you talking to man??? 😂
Thx for good videos 🙏💪
Okay - I gotta make a sticker for my car - "Handyman - specializing in changing lightbulbs"
Loving the videos, fine sir!
So, my first week taking my business full time has been going well, but I'm still feeling out my scheduling. I'm scheduled every day through 03/15/18, and am trying to figure out a good strategy for working in estimates and time off to rest. Any chance you could do a video sharing your strategy?
If you live in Los Angeles you're screwed
Thunder Up 405 L.A is a joke.
California don't forget your $0.10 of bag they charge you
Am in construction 28yrs.have held gc license in pgilly pa..am in nyc now but rather just work as a trademan more solo .insurance is important , i had it in pa vut now in nyc its too expensive like $5 k per yr
Mine is only around $1400 per year.
What's the Dust Deputy thing in the foreground, do you fill it with water for dust collection?
Its a separator. No water. Its hard to explain what it does. I will make a video on in the future.
The separator creates a contained tornado inside with air sucked in tangetially at the top edge of the upside down cone, and exits out the middle in the top. In optimal flow conditions, the larger and heavier materials spin out of the "tornado" toward the edge, and fall into the debris bin at the bottom, and only the finest, lightest dust goes on to the filters.
Generally they allow a MUCH larger amount of debris to be vacuumed up, before the filter clogs up.
Wood shop dust collection systems often have a similar device.
Same concept is used with many tiny tornadoes in parallel in a Dyson home vaccuum cleaner.
There are good videos here on youtube of people making thier own "dust deputy"
In Florida we are required to have a sub chapter S corporation and workers compensation exempt liability insurance is optional which is about $600 a year no plumbing, electrical or structure repair unless general contractor the money here is kitchen replacement which is easy to get a dealership but not allowed to install any new construction.
Just curious as to what part of N.Y. You were working in and are you a native New Yorker ? I am so just curious.
"3rd largest city", so Rochester
518 here
The thing I wonder about in California is how bad was it with shyster handymen, or other "contractors" to drive the development of those tougg state regs?
I grew up in S. FL. Part of the issue is the corruption of city/county/state officials trying to get a cut, but also it's the shady rip off artists who scam people. Because of the climate (population growth driving a huge real estate and construction industry with officials bought by the contractors. Berg and DiVosta is a spawn of Hades!) and weather risks like hurricanes, TONS of shades are attracted to FL.
Bob C all driven by unions and politics. Nothing to do with who bad were the handyman.
There are a lot of bad contractors. I've seen a number of people have 2nd story bath remodels put in that leak. This is especially true on the flips that don't get inspections. Also a number of j-boxes buried in walls, once they get opened up, S-traps, interior rated sub-panels installed on patios (an exterior location), ungrounded switches in kitchens and baths, and number of "open floor plan" beams put in without footings.
Bob C antntev
Alternative Energy antntev
Nice vid. Good info. It is amazing on how requirements across the country change.
One more comment in Florida my license was a carpenter there is no handyman license issue, a painting license is a study course and books and fees are about $ 2,500 and a sit down test.
Bob Scruggs same for tile. Swfl
In Florida you have to take a test to get any license and be insured and have workmen's comp. insurance.
Luckily for me in my state as long as the repair total is under $600 you do not need a license for such small jobs, anything over that at minimum requires a Residential Maintenance and Alteration Contractor license.
HANDYMAN ARE YOU FROM WESTCHESTER NY?
We have it pretty good here in North Carolina. We can do jobs up to $30,000 without a license. Anything above that requires a general contractors license.
That's awesome
Noconz0727 MC Actually we are highly regulated in NC. Any plumbing, electrical or even locksmithing (changing door locks) requires a license.
yea i dont get where guy says up to 30k in North Carolina they want there $$ for everything no freebies!! just try moving here and see how much tax you get hit for your old car!
Sounds like an ass backwards state that does not care about it's citizens. Most states that require licensing have garuntee funds that compensate homeowners for scam work.
Noconz0727 MC Damn you , really man , you have to put Tabasco salsa in my eyes .
and the thing is in California there's so much handyman work that is needed but no license contractors want to take the work because it's not worth taking any job under $5,000 and paying all the fees that come with being licensed and workers comp... so who's supposed to do the jobs that are over $500 and under 5,000? that's why people will always be looking for a handyman in california...
I'd go to work as a stealth handyman.
The Handyman yep that's the ticket for me... two of my friends have already got called to a sting and I tell them just do the estimates over the phone plus who wants to drive around doing estimates all day
That is crazy. Its like to catch a predator. You show up to try to make a living and provide for your family and then they jump out of the closet and arrest you. When I get calls I always ask how they found me and its always a referral from a past customer. Often times my customers will send me a text telling me they gave my name to a friend that needs some work done.
The Handyman yeah and the fine is like $350 and 5 days community service so basically they make you go work for free
Simple solution. Get your GC, pull permits on all projects. This ensures codes get met, and your customers will appreciate your professionalism. ( I generally charge more for permitted jobs)Right next to permit box I put my company sign. You will come to know the inspectors in time, and they too will respect your work if done correctly, and tend to be understanding if an issue comes up. Quality, First impressions, and professionalism... are a recipe for success for me.
Btw: California doesn’t want successful small business owners. Hence the regulations. Enjoyed the vid.
Very helpful. Thanks.
For tile work in swfl we have to take a test and get grilled by a board before u get a license
Virginia is very strange. I think you need a license to cross the street. At the same time, many 7-11 stores have day laborers waiting out front that you can pickup and have them do work for you for, e.g., $15/hour. Not sure how that works.
If they get injured on your property, they can own your house.
This dude has the best clickbait in YT!!
In TN it is under $3,000 project, no license (basically a handyman), 3,000-25,000 is home improvement license, over 25,000 is GC license. I am sure though that handyman still can't do work that requires a permit, no matter the cost. I have heard that the state does sting operations to catch handymen that operate outside the law etc.. You bid a job that you aren't legally qualified to do, busted.
Where are you located? Are you in New York state?
Thank's for the video. You deserve way more subscribers I love your videos. What state do you do work in?
What area of NY did you used to work?
You could probably do a whole series on working with your local building inspector, permitting, and that sort of thing. I have an old Seattle house (1952), so I have beat a trail to the city Planner's Office and spoke with countless engineers on different code requirements, where the standard issue-tip doesn't apply. Like you, I have being doing this sort of work for a long time, 35 some years. I get the need for codes, because if you didn't have them, our cities would look like a slum. Have seen plenty of "slum-lords" and their rentals. But some of these city inspectors are so liquored up on having to have insulation and to be energy efficient, that they loose sight of my questions, and I have to bring them back to topic. Rather fed up with the bunch. Had an electrical inspector over when I changed the main panel/mast out a couple years ago. All this guy did was look at the ground screw in the panel, then put a sticker on the meter box, and left. Didn't even bother to look/feel anything else. Didn't even go under the house to check the grounding connections, and I have the nicest crawl space in the city (white plastic, lights, GFI power, very clean). Not so sure I want to even bother with these guys anymore...
Unfortunately ya prolly don't have a choice. Look at things this way; jest cuz some certified A'hole shows up n doesn't do his due diligence of a proper inspection of yer work, rather than get upset, get yer certification n show him the door. He's not gonna tell ya if ya did anything wrong anyways. Jest another lazy person skating thru life.
I took notes like from a lecture in college. Thanks!
You know what kills me, licenses and permits required but you have a damn HD or Lowe's at every corner of America where you can buy items like water heaters to replace a water heater, toilets, wiring etc. Just think about what really is a license and a permit.....yup $$$$ for the local government. Renewal costs, testing costs, permits cost, you want to install a garden hose, that will be $300 for your permit. Oh you don't have a license well you have to call license Bob and he will charge you $600. I find it ironic money wise, that licenses is suppose to protect home owners unfair costs but I've seen licensed contractors do just that because they know they can.
Dude, your from upstate!? I’m from CUSE! Love the content! Thank you!
Yes please make a video on what tool you'll be using to estimate jobs!!!
Great video. Was it just me or was anyone expecting Polly to drop some heat back on the left of the shop?
6:30 dog teleported.
Lot of unlicensed work happening in South Florida. I was there for 8 months swinging my hammer
Most work done is not permitted in the USA. I have worked coast to coast and boarder to boarder.
The title to this video says it's part 2. What's the title for Part 1?
th-cam.com/video/w8YWfpHpql8/w-d-xo.html
WOW! Great Info! Thanks For this!
You can get around the legal limits in California if you know how to navigate the legal system. Article One, Section Ten of the Constitution says the state cannot impair the obligation of contract.
People telling you to not share "secrets" of red tape probably want you to delete this channel. SMH at knowledge hoarders.
I don't think it's not sharing 'secrets' it's just that requirements vary a lot as he said from state to state and even from towns that share a border. It's best as he also said to look up requirements for your city, county and state. The 'secrets' people told him not to tell is we all know how things work in our areas. The question is if you want work and follow the laws or if you want to work illegally.
True that!
Terrific info sharing, thank you1
This was a good video. Thanks for your desire to help other people.
I got very excited when you said Buffalo, NY! Glad to be a resident in good old Buffalo 😊
there should be home owner exception rule. Way around that would be buy the house for fair market value and sell it back for your fee + fair market value.
I was washing windows in a 3 story foyer inside a home with polished marble floors. I put my "foam rubber slip pad"down and went up the ladder to wash the second story window. I felt a slight movement but was concentrating in cleaning the window and ignored it than Bamm my ladder and "slip pad" slipped on the smooth floors and I rode down with the ladder. It stopped when the ladder ends penetrated the leaded glass doors at about door knob level breaking the ladders fall and I rolled off the ladder with the wind knocked out of me and a little shaken a few feet from the floor. I was on the floor in pain and he came running in and was only concerned about the damage to the doors and ignored me. The next day we were washing the outside windows and I got into a huge yellow jacket nest. I was swinging my arms by instinct to drive away the hoard but my protective cover to my 6 inch Triumph razor blade had come off while in the thick bushes and each time I flailed my arms I cut them on the exposed blade which was on my tool belt around my waist. Sense I am slightly allergic to bees my partner let me drive myself to the drug store for benadryl. That was end of our business relationship for about 5 years.
Great video thanks for the share of info .
My question is how are they going to ask for past customers signatures when your applying to be legally allowed to work for the customers. Sounds like entrapment lol
After a hurricane in Florida years ago under county laws I was only allowed to replace 100 sg ft of drywall and only paint the walls I repaired so I painted 2 living room walls and the customer ask me to paint a 3rd wall to match since the paint was old so I did then the customer went wild because the roof I sold her for a roofing contractor was taking to long like thousands of roofs were being replaced so she had to wait like many others so she contacted the code department which contacted me I was fully licensed and insured and the county enforcement charged me $ 250 fine for painting the third wall, my lesson is watch what you do to help customers they will turn on you .
Bob Scruggs that fucking bitch!!!
"Currently, no states require a specific Handyman license per say, but many require varying levels of licensure for contracting work."
It's real easy get a Subcontractor's license insured and bonded and your covered.
Most can't get and never will have a actual Contractor's license.
I understand the need for insurance so that you are not hurting the homeowners if something bad happens or you just suck at work.
Man! Every time i see videos on business licencing i realize how bad we have it here in CA!!
Thing is , if I register, I go from around 12% taxes to 30% instantly. No thanks
Hey, if one is doing commercial work, or, a high prfile job,,, where town or state, officials , are involved,, god bless you, and may you come out un-scathed !!!!!
We are a state registered Handyman and insured business in the state of Colorado. As you are pointing out there are handyman people that operate below this responsible business practice. It's too bad that Colorado doesn't require a specific licence for the work that we do - Only a company licence. We elect to cover the insurance and being a smart legitimate business we make sure everything we do is legit and legal. It's sad that customers don't realize that a handyman business that is legit with their residential and commercial coverage, etc. is fairly more expensive. We do a lot of repair work for individuals that do work poorly but it's sad that Colorado doesn't need the work out from the beginning. We are very ethical in our work and will make sure everything is completed with skill and craft standard. Customers may often times not understand quality with quanity... We don't bid jobs to skip corners. We make sure that our work is 100 percent. It's frustrating when I'm working to fix crapy work. I often even find bad work from licenced electricians and plumbers. Shame on the work but we appreciate the calls.
To make my point in a more short way - There are Handyman companies that run as a legitimate business like our own business. I would love to see more requirements or needs for licensing for handyman type of work. I had seen the same very thing with commercial and fire alarm work over a matter of 20 years. They cleaned up the crapy work that was being made to make it more professional. Thanks for the video. Customers that like to seek cost over quality and a legitimate business are asking for trouble and asking for what it will cost in the end.
I disagree, I don't think you can Regulate Quality. you may not have seen it but there are countless shortcuts and bad installation from low Voltage Fire systems to poor Cable and TV installations done by so-called licensed Companies. the Problem is a lack of training and leadership on these Jobs and High Cost of Education. if you were educated on a simple rule that there should be a GFI Plug 6 Feet from Every sink in a home that you put new plugs in. and you went to a job where the Boss was Hounding you to hurry up and finish and all you had left on site was regular Plugs. then the employee will often install an incorrect plug by a sink just to get off early on a Friday. and Often the Business Owner, if not watched, will do the same, especially on cookie cutter Mult-Family Housing.
Get insurance, especially if your state handles the insurance process.
I live in California and yes, the politics for the entire state SUCK!! Nanny state
But the weather is fantastic..... that’s about it.
Alan T
Then move to Kansas or some other hick State you will fit right in.
A Conneely If you enjoy being controlled and lack of freedom, move to glorious revolutionary humanist socialist peoples' North Korea.
California is No lic. for jobs under $500 PER JOB
FYI, there are s corporations in New York
Ohio requires YEARS! of experience to get a contractors license.
I'm glad I live in a disfuntional state!!! 😂😂😂 Only 2-5 cities in entire state that bust your balls over codes and regulations. I've seen several cities that lose thousands and thousands of dollars not enforcing permits, codes, and fines. I actually know one city in particular that is a decent size city over 25,000 people. They have one person who runs entire building department by themself oh plus a personal secretary but she isn't the traditional secretary, more like a personal assistant for the guy who runs building department. So read a newspaper article same town say 80 permits were given in a years time. 75 of the 80 we're for commercial and of those same 75 permits 50 we're for electrical. The other left over 5 permits were residential. Basically the guy who runs building department was a electrician with no experience in any other line of work. So he basically ignores all other lines of work maybe because he doesn't know what to look for. The other permits were given only because contractors forced them to get permit for insurance and liability reasons. So since it's been like this for 15-20 years, it's common knowledge in that town that permits aren't needed and won't be enforced. They didn't fine or punish one person in over 10 years which is beyond crazy. That's people who try building new structures without permit. In most cities a person caught building a new structure without permit can get a 10 year ban from pulling any permit from that county. So essentially if enforced it could put a company out of business and keeps people honest. I would love to take over building department and fix it because that particular city has been laying off city workers because they can't afford them when they have lost definitely over $500k in lost money due to the disfuntional building department. I actually think they are losing out on millions but I have no clue without knowing details of all jobs. Not only that but the prices to pull permits is way way outdated compared to other cities. Probably haven't changed prices in 30-40 years. I know 2 different commercial jobs that are over billion dollar projects. That doesn't even include all the other commercial and residential construction going on. I would say of the 80 permits pulled, the majority we're probably just state or city projects. Here is the crazy part, you can go 30 minutes away to different town and it is completely opposite. One of the strictest cities I've ever worked in. The have a encyclopedia of rules, codes, penalties, curfew for working hours. You name it, this city has it. So for someone that is just starting out and trying to learn and run a newer construction or handyman company. It would be better to start in a smaller town at first that doesn't enforce much or less strict. Then once you learn the business, then switch to the bigger more strict cities. What I have found is that the stricter cities generally have higher revenue and the potential to make big money is much higher , however the overhead cost and additional work needed to do a job is much much higher too. So it kinda all evens out but if your just getting going trying to learn the business. I strongly suggest staying away from the strict cities at least for 2-3 years. Working in one of these cities once in a while isn't too bad but wouldn't make a habit of it in the beginning. The reason I say this is that I've seen legitimately good companies fail or get so frustrated they give up and go back to normal jobs because these strict cities will annoy you and triple the amount of time to complete a job just because of all the paperwork and additional run around time. So it's better to not have that additional stress in the beginning and just concentrate on the construction side of things as well as honing your skills with customers. Customer service is just as important as the quality of work. I've seen extremely shitty contractors making money hand over fist just because they are friendly and have excellent customer service. I can think of two different contractors I know personally that make in the millions but are downright shitty scab contractors who take short cut after short cut to Cobble it together. I get paid all the time to fix their fuck ups, so I'm not gonna complain too much 😂. Basically these companies are 100% production based. Me personally, I always put quality over quantity. I work extremely hard all day long and try to put out a good quality product that is worthy of the made in America stamp. I may go overboard with being a perfectionist but I have had zero complaints after the completion of any job I've ever done and I've been doing this line of work for 20 years and actually have a college degree in construction. Communication is huge, without great communication mistakes will happen. I go over everything with customer 2-3 times sometimes more to make sure we're on same page and in sync with each other. Then I usually write up a scope of work list and have customer sign before any work is done. Also a good idea to make up a general contract that can just be edited for each job but basically same contract each time. Trust me, not everyone in this country is honest and I've seen hard working people get screwed bad just because they didn't have anything in writing. I've seen some greedy people actually target contractors who don't sign contracts and they get away with it is the sad part. The state will allow them to steal from you without a contract. Sure you can put a builders lien on house but that won't ever get paid unless they sell property. Sorry so long, just thought I'd throw out some pointers to the newer companies watching and the people thinking about starting a business in this line a work.
maybe they should get rid of all the people who are license to work , but end up doing some shitty jobs.
that will help everyone else who does the job correctly .
keep up the videos, thanks . learning a lot from this.👍👍
@braulio it would be great if the customer that had a horrible work over took pictures and sent them in to the local BBB, county and state licensing offices etc and a lawyer too, or better yet one place that would do all of that for you. That would weed out the bad ones for sure over time.
I think your four legged friend needed to go to the bathroom.
Based on a number of your videos it is quite obvious that you are not only talented but ethical in your workmanship. When you were calculating the square inch requirements for vents in a soffit it was obvious that you were concerned about the long term success of the project. Unfortunately, a large number of " Handymen and licensed Contractors " are looking for a quick buck and either don't have the experience or desire to do a job correctly. Hence the need for permitting and inspections.
You can spend hours looking at the handyman hacks on you-tube where the home owner got screwed.
FYI South Florida is in a world of its own. The rest of Florida is reasonable.
Simply put call your local building department and they will guide you. Contractor stings are common place here in Florida as they should be. A " Handyman " should not be hired to renovate a kitchen or bath where electrical or plumbing work is involved.
There is crapy work everywhere. Even a licenced electrical or plumbing contractor is cutting corners. It's a sad place that even regulated companies do shitty work (Yes- big time). I just fixed a job today that represented lazy electrical work from a licenced company to do an occupancy signoff. Shameful work that's being done out there. It's a lack of pride... My company doesn't leave surprises for others. It's that simple. I can see the difference of cutting corners and not understanding what to do with work that we fix.
So the guy that has his Plumbing Journeyman License and all the Training over 30 years working For Companies that do plumbing for a living, should never agree to help a Home Owner with Handyman work to Renovate her kitchen because he will definitely do crappy work and not follow already known electrical and Plumbing Codes???
Dance Boone Well said! Good point.
no the problem is that the law has to be designed to best protect the customer. Nobody is saying you couldn't somehow have someone who is a 30 year plumber who'd do plumbing work for 10 bucks an hour, it's POSSIBLE. It's also possible one of those spam messages really is a guy just wanting to get his money out for a nice fee for you. But for every plumber doing handy man work for half his going rate. 300 people are pretending to be that guy.
Allowing for this one guys existence isn't worth letting those others do it.
Don Ziolkowski that's the most stupid shit I ever heard. What do you expect for $10.? Is it almost owner's responsibility to research or qualify worker. If the homeowner verifies that the handyman has insurance and is bonded this would cut down the risk I'm catastrophes to the homeowner. Homeowner should check references and get a detailed description of the work being done. Everyone has an internet in the palm of their hand there's no reason why anyone paying for a job cat research the process the handyman lays out including materials time on the job. If you're stupid in this world a handyman's the last thing you got to worry about LOL Get Smart
I’m going to need you to go ahead and say all that all over again, because I was busy watching your pup.
14:50 Aw Man!
It took me 2 weeks to actually talk to anyone that knew about licensing. Total idiots in NM. We have to take a icc exam and trade test for every trade you'll be touching. I needed 6. Each test was $200 plus application fee plus 50 hours of continuing education program year.
sounds like a pain in the ass.
The Handyman very. That's why we have so many illegal businesses here.
In cal you charge by the hour
Do not give a bid
Do not contract
Corruption. That's what I'd love to hear about. So then we can end it.
Its politicians and larger business. The larger companies work in larger cities. That's where the money is. They want to limit the competition. They lobby to city officials and law makers to put in high regulations. The companies often give kick back to these individuals. I have seen in on smaller levels too. Paying off inspectors with vacations and strippers. It was pretty crazy. When I worked for the building department I was went golfing at least 2 times a month to fancy golf courses. Huge construction companies were sponsoring these golf outings. The called the get together a specific name to get around any illegal influencing.
crazy that we've come to this, reminds me of the times when if you wanted someone's vote for office you bought them a bottle of whiskey to come make their mark. that was outlawed, i'd love to see something done about this and i doubt ol trump would do it since his background is "business".
I wanted to comment on llc's, or limited liability companies. An LLC is a way to separate your personal liability from your company's liability. If you are a single member LLC, it will not provide much protection for against suits for injuries to others.
Say, for example, you have an LLC with no employees and own a truck, some tools, and materials. While you are doing a roof repair job, you drop a roofing nailer on the homeowners had as she is bringing groceries inside. If the homeowner sues for medical Bells, she can sue the LLC because you were working with the LLC at the time of the accident. However, she can also sue the handyman, because the handyman dropped the nailer. Llc's can be sued just like any other person under the same standards, and all you have to show is negligence. If the homeowner wins the suit, and there is no insurance, the homeowner could take the truck tools equipment and whatever the handyman owns to satisfy the judgment.
Now, where the protections of an LLC are important is if a handyman has several employees. Say you send one of the handymen up to that roof instead of going there yourself, and the employee drops the roofing nailer on the homeowners head. Then, if the homeowner sues all they can claim is the truck the tools and the materials. The handyman would not be liable for any damages beyond what he has contributed to the business.
What if jail is better than your current situation?
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Wow, I'm from Buffalo
In california you need a contractors license if you want to do work worth more than $500 a day
which apparently doesn't make it worth the effort from what i've gathered
Its 500 per job
At what point is it a person's responsibility to research the product they're purchasing or service they're paying for. Anyone paying for a job should at least ask about the process and the materials needed for the job. It's not hard to verify this on the internet. Anyone can get a full understanding of literally anything. There's no excuse for being ignorant, even if you're stupid. We have every bit ever recorded human knowledge in r damn hands. Besides the fact that all licensing and regulations do is stifle creative ingenuity, Force outdated products IE wood and concrete, this basically protects and promotes old timers doing good jobs with outdated materials.
Times have changed but our government can't. I think in a free Society the farthest the government should be able to interfere that's private people making deals between each other is to have a recommended list and optional licensing. If I want to pay for a crappy job that should be my choice.
I'm sorry I just believe any deal is between the two people making the deal. Laws don't protect people people protect themselves. When I was young we are taught don't take wooden nickels, and trust but verify. Nowadays people have substituted there common sense for meaningless overpriced government seal or worthless piece of paper. Does the paper or license have magic powers that prevents people from doing a shitty job. If so I take back everything
I'm in Ohio and I would never go to the city and get a license. I've even built a 26 foot dormer and didn't get caught.