Home Contractor vs. Homeowner

I was so pleased to read the question listed above as comment on a recent blog post. Please continue with questions, and I will be happy to answer them. There are a number of reasons to want to know whether a builder/contractor is incorporated. In general, the reason to incorporate a business is to protect one's individual assets from creditors. For that reason, and others, many businesses incorporate. A corporation is like a separate individual. So, if you obtain a judgment against a corporation, you can only collect against corporate assets. Sometimes contracting companies own trucks or equipment, but in general, they do not own valuable assets. So, before investing money in a claim or lawsuit, it is important to figure out if there is anything to collect against at the end of the day. Of course there are other reasons to incorporate as well. There are tax implications, branding and marketing reasons (to protect a particularly catchy name), and other financial and busines...

Today I was thinking about that fact that I approach most of my home contractor cases the same way, but the path that is followed after the initial steps will vary depending on a number of factors. It also occurred to me that I frequently send homeowners off with a homework assignment before I even meet with them, because they call me before being fully cognizant of their potential damages or without knowing what they want to do next. More specifically, I get a call like the one I received today where the contractor delayed and delayed, violated the building code by not pulling permits, and then abandoned the job. The homeowner in this case did do some of his homework before calling me, so it was easier to figure out a course of action. Here are some of the steps to take: 1. Find out if your contractor is registered with the state if you have not done that already. 2. Find out if your contractor is incorporated. 3. Get quotes for completing the work. 4. Have the work evaluated for defe...