All Forum Posts by: Chad Clanton

Hi @Mitchlyn D., I can't speak to the laws, standards, etc of Florida, but the advantage of being licensed is that a) they (and their work, plus anything inadvertently broken in your home, etc) should generally be insured, and b) you know that they've met some form of standard, however high or low that may be locally. I expect that would give you some form of worthwhile recourse, as well, if things don't work out ideally.

If you go with someone who's not licensed, they may or may not be insured, meet certain requirements, likely won't be able to pull their own permits, etc, at least that's been my experience. I don't know Florida contracts, so I can't speak to your specific questions, but hopefully this has helped somewhat. Take care and good luck!

@John Thedford, I would say you Florida folks have weird real estate laws, but that would be kind of like the pot calling the kettle black ;-)

@Matthew Paul true, true. Which is why I've included in my contract how and when cameras may be moved or manipulated, what the process is to request authorization to do so, and a per occurrence penalty in the event they are moved, manipulated, or obstructed without permission. Putting it in the contract tends to put a bit more emphasis on the contractor making sure his guys are careful about it. Yes, it is absolutely excessive, but I have found the process to be justified more than once, some of those with alleged "professional" contractors. Again, contractors in some places have more to lose than in others, and as such may hold themselves to higher standards in general and things like this may not be necessary.

@Jeff B., thanks, didn't explain myself very well there. Basically, not an offer or counteroffer though, I'm thinking.

I'm a big fan of cameras, myself. I can definitely understand your point @Account Closed, and am aware that it could run contractors off, but I've dealt with enough contractors, professional and not, regardless of price, that I generally lean toward trust, verify, verify, verify again, and then trust a bit more if they pass that test. Not many I know do; not even necessarily because they're out to goof anybody, but some are truly better than others, and most I've ever run into require babysitting. Then again, this may vary depending on where you are.

I'm not in Florida nor am I an attorney, but didn't they ACCEPT your offer and earnest money, etc, making this an executed contract? As such, it sounds like you sent them exactly what you stated, an addendum. Is Florida just strange in this regard, or am I correct that a follow-on negotiation requesting repairs, etc etc is not an offer at all?

@Ben Freeburg,  I'm glad you got something out of my post. There are a great many things that you can do, particularly when investing out of town, to vet your contractors and generally protect your investment and the transaction as a whole. Nothing is foolproof and there can and will always be delays, but if you can protect your funds and your project you're on the right track. I'm working on putting some of that information together in a more comprehensive format, but until I get it all put together feel free to shoot me a PM and we can talk over some of your options. Thanks for touching base!

Sounds hinky to me, personally. Is this guy a wholesaler, or just wanting $5000 up front for something, or…? 

@Justin Stanfield,   Good call on the roof, I missed the part where it was going on top of the shingles. You definitely don't want  moisture in there, otherwise you're looking at all new roof decking eventually as you mentioned. As to the shingles, most  areas will only allow up to two layers of shingles, some only one. Anything over that you're probably going to end up inadvertently spreading your walls and sagging your roof's ridge line. 

@Rip Rittell,  great post and good information, particularly the wiring and the PEX. The only thing I would mention is that drywall is primarily a fire retardent, not actually just a wall covering. As such, you may want to check on those particular requirements in your area, but other than that love the idea. Thanks for the good input and keep up the good work!