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Licensing in Hawaii
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08-28-2006, 09:34 AM
$1000 ????? Hazen, might want to rethink that statement "So I don't do any more work than the amount limited by law for unlicensed contractors.
Thats the limit - 1000. Materials and labor - whether you buy materials or homeowner does... and it doesnt work to bid all items separately. -Cat
08-28-2006, 10:52 AM
After reading Cat's latest post, I had to chuckle. I can't tell y'all how many ads I have seen in the newspapers and elsewhere that say "to $1000" for services for which extremely little (or nothing) can be done for $1000! "Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge," as the Monty Python guys would say.
Aloha, Jerry
08-28-2006, 11:47 AM
The $1,000 is a joke and the lawmakers realized it too. There is a pending bill to raise the limit to ....! (Knowing them they probably will raise it to $2,000, which is still a joke.)
Aloha, John S. Rabi, ABR,CM,CRB,FHS,PB,RB http://www.JohnRabi.com Typically Tropical Properties 75-5870 Walua Road, Suite 101 Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 (808)327-3185
08-29-2006, 03:18 AM
IMHO, I think it should raise to $5000. That would be a reasonable level.
-Cat
09-01-2006, 10:18 AM
Just a FYI - RICO & DCCA are cracking down big time on unlicensed contracting..... info just came in.... be careful who you wink at..
-Cat
09-03-2006, 08:46 AM
A suggestion is to hire your "handyman" but run them through any of the temp employment agencies at an hourly rate you both can agree on.
That way they are covered under Workman's comp if something happened. And then it doesnt matter if they work for you for over the $1000 limit. -Cat
09-03-2006, 06:03 PM
Interesting idea Cat. I wonder how much the temp agency would want. I'm willing to bet they'd need at least $5 hour -> $40 day -> $200 more a week extra, for peace of mind. Wouldn't be bad if the temp agency provided health insurance.
Of course one would also hope that the temp agency might screen for alcohol and drug problems. I met a guy in Home Despot who runs the staffing (hiring/firing) of one of the local temp agencies. I was interested in how much i could get a laborer for. His prices were pretty high at $20/hr for unskilled, about $12 of that going to the employee taxable. $12 is kind of low for a good laborer, i try to be fair. I guess it would be OK for mediocre labor, but then why would I (not the homeowner)pay the extra $8/hr to the temp agency. He also mentioned that they swap out anyone who shows up drunk or drugged. I guess that was supposed to be reassuring! He did seem enthusiastic though. That was the only temp person i've talked to. I wonder how much of a process the temp agency makes the owner and worker jump through. I know most guys pay cash for the first week of an employee's employement since attrition and problems are so common. Each new employee costs the licensed contractor a lot in payroll/adminastrative. I personally wouldn't consider this option for anything shorter than a month's work with the caveat that no one got screwed by the temp agency. I tend to be skeptical of people who make money off of my labor. The other solution would be to just hire contractors who don't sue. Call me unprofessional, safety is huge, but i don't normally like to work for people who insinuate that I might sue them. If the client doesn't trust me enough to give me a chance, they're probably the type to sue me and never be happy. I've seen too many friends take work for hellish clients only to have the client never pay, or insist that the work is somehow not what they had in mind. Granted the vast majority of contractor/homeowner disputes have to do with unprofessional, inadequate or, fly-by-night unethical contractors. But, when contractors get together and talk story, we have our horror stories too. They usually involve the contractor taking a financial loss and doing watever it took to get out of there. Our success relies upon our reputations. I have one client, I did this job for a friend who was too busy (i think he just knew better), I spent about a month doing a steam room/bath for him. Everyday he would come in bite his nails, hem-and-haw, rage how everything was all wrong, get frustrated and think about changing everything. The job was immaculate, granted it was in questionable taste, but i tried to sway the client otherwise. At the end of the job he expressed how unhappy he was. I asked him what could be done, when he asked me to do unrelated work for free I balked. I made some small changes for free. Nothing really, just hand-holding. He still calls me every few monthes, three years later insisting that i come do work for him in California, and he's thinking about a condo in Maui, would i be willing to fly to either place? Go figure. Get references. Don't give a guy $1000 dollars and trust him to come back the next day. If he can't front the money for materials, pay for them yourself. Pay him at the end of the week or the job. A certain amount down at the beginging (<%50) and the remainder upon completion is reasonable, if he's reputable. If he leaves tools, that's a good sign he'll be back. Don't let his tools get stolen! another two cents Edited by - hazen on 09/03/2006 22:04:20 Edited by - hazen on 09/03/2006 22:08:12 Edited by - hazen on 09/03/2006 22:11:06
09-04-2006, 06:15 AM
quote: And they do screen and they do provide health ins as required by state law for any employee working +20 hrs a week for at least 4 weeks, along with vacation time and sick time. quote: Remember the temp agency is paying health ins & benefits (WC,UI, fed employment tax, etc). quote: I wouldnt call you unprofessional, just naive. I have seen all sorts of things go wrong - unanticiapted even with safety as a top priority... and still yet they go wrong... also as an unlicensed person you can have a homeowner refuse to pay and you have no recourse. quote: I know this well. I could tell you some horrific stories from numerous contractors. I could tell you one person doing spec houses that most of the builders in Hilo will not work for. It could rely on your reputation but all it takes is one person's version to rot the apple. I know from experience of living with a builder!!!! it is much harder to win it back after one person bad mouths you - even if it wasn't the real picture. Catherine Dumond Blue Water Project Management 808 217-7578 http://bluewaterpm.125mb.com/index.html "We help make building your dream home a reality" Edited by - kapohocat on 09/04/2006 10:17:55 |
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