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On Monday I was on a flight to Honolulu, and sat next to a man who was some kind of crew chief for a large contractor. He was bemoaning the fact that the Owner Builder category allowed some people to escape hiring licensed contractors when building. He seemed to feel his boss was somehow being cheated by the system, because Owner Builders were not hiring contractors to do ALL the work, as in the case of electrical and plumbing.[:0]
The scary part was that he had been in some power meeting, lobbying the legislature to get rid of the owner builder category.
A real owner builder can cut the cost of a house by over fifty percent; these guys want what you are saving for themselves.
If you believe in self-reliance be prepared to fight this attack on your ability to provide for yourself.
Does anyone know how to find out if this is quietly being slipped through the Capitol sewer system to appear Monday morning as a done deal?
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Google says:
http://www.jlconline.com/legal-issues/ha...ption.aspx
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/owner-buil...ession/123
Two bills seek to limit scope, ending the exemption for commercial/industrial buildings, and requiring owner-builders to comply with codes, carry mandatory workers comp insurance, and keep records of all completed work.
In other words, make housing more expensive for everyone, because someone is "getting away with" something, somewhere, and the existing laws are somehow inadequate.
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So the little guy is further crippled by Government regulations and forced to pay extortion to the politicians buddys
ever fell like your in a Ayn Rand novel
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and this would totally sink that sustainable living bill. if you got to pay a contractor $50 an hour to make mud bricks or whatever it kind of kills the purpose
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...or you could import mainland contractors for $25/hour, like everyone else does.
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I think that the requirement for licensed plumbers and electricians should be challenged in court as unconstitutional. Not comfortable with the government assuming we are incompetent while we retain the right to defend ourselves in court. Have these laws ever been challenged?
The Building Department has the right to say we are doing our work right or wrong but I don't think they have the right to tell us we can't wire an outlet or glue two pieces of ABS together.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
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I would go further: compliance should be a stakeholder requirement, not a statutory requirement.
If the bank is paying for my house, they should be able to require licensed contractors as a way of protecting their investment.
If the bank is funding a mortgage so someone can buy the house, they (again) are in a position to require that all the work be licensed/permitted/inspected, as a matter of protecting their investment.
If I want to pay cash for the land, and build a shack with my own money, it should be up to me whether to hire licensed contractors.
The sad reality is, "licensed" does not automatically translate to "quality work" and/or "safety". Plenty of unsafe, non-compliant work is somehow "blessed" with permits while County threatens others with "unpermitted" status... all the while, government seeks "stricter standards", then wonders why people live in tents.
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I have seen licensed permitted and finalized work that you could tell did meet the code from the street.
All work should be inspected the same
if you read the contractor law you need a licensed plumber to fix your toilet ( really, its in there)
if you hire yourself out as something you should have a license, but if your doing your own how can they force you to pay someone else to do a crappy job.
Also the building dept should be its own Department and they should rebid ( different job title every one has to apply from scratch) the jobs for the new dept at double the pay. It would save money in the long run
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Just a note - lets ask Chuysmom if having a licensed contractor build the house they live in beneficial or not.
I wont mention the contractor's name but Chuysmom's house is sinking. She has a letter from contractor telling her he knew it was built on greenwaste and yet she is screwed (it was built and sold the 1st time just a couple years before she bought it).
What does the contractor's license and bond mean to her? My guess is nothing.
We are personally getting out of the business as my hubby is retiring - to have time to do FINALLY our remodel project, and yes it will be owner/builder.
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Great more sawing and hammering,Oh wait I'm doing that too.
Congrats to Robert !!
