What a nightmare! Homeowner paid to put a 2nd floor laundry room in....look what they got

Question

Miriam Illions · Answer

Great video! Very informative. Looks like it's laundry room day today on Hometalk :)

HandyANDY - Handyman & All Repairs, LLC · Answer

It's amazing what you find out here!  This was done on a $4million dollar home...unreal!

Miriam Illions · Answer

crazy.

Sherrie S · Answer

That is frightening.  How could that job pass inspection or  isn't one required?

AK Complete Home Renovations · Answer

Really love your videos. They are real and really hit home! Think you might have a future in voice-overs if you get tired of the handyman gig.

PFG · Answer

Great stuff!  Were u lucky for this backside of this wall to be on an exterior wall, so it was easy to facilitate a piped vent for the dryer outside?

That's my most curious thing, I'm wonder about with your video?  What did u have to do or was it a easy fix & the contractor missed this requirement badly?  Wow! Kind of scarry what contractors do with not meeting building code requirements.  Besides what they do to people, families with causing immediate harm or potential harm subsequently.  I can imagine how bad it is & it's awful with contractors doing the horrific crud they do when your not knowledgeable in these actions your wanting accomplished.  Shams!

Were these contractors state certified & do they have a license on file for the state & for what?  You can look names up online for this.  Yes, whenever anyone is going to do work for you, please ask them for their credentials, absolutely!  Look them up online? Who certifies there work being done?  Who has review authority?  What warranty do they offer, how & who through?  See your house, with work you do to it, or would like to be done & needing to be done like you would review any other expert.  Like car bodywork, car repairs, legal issues, or a Dr. specializing in a particular field.  Check it out, so you're not sorry, & waste you're time, $$ paying sham contractors.  Never pay contractors up front in a chunk, pay as they go, with you checking there work as they go along.  You've got to follow the rule here, 'show me'.  If contractors requires $$$ up front it's not the contractor you need, good riddens, you'll be glad in the end with who u do hire with crediable services being offered.

I'd be definitely letting state depts that regulate these kinds of things the actions taken here.   Oh ya!  Can't let it go, as it one is TOO many!

HandyANDY - Handyman & All Repairs, LLC · Answer

Good thoughts.  The problem with licensing in GA and some other states is that it only applies to certain contractors or General Contractors and not specialty trade contractors.  GA also grandfathered a whole batch of terrible contractors who are now gradually being forced out of business.  It used to be that GCs could bankrupt one company and simply start another...the new license law prevents that.  This contractor wasn't a GC and worked with his crew....just super bad work but nothing the state can do about it;

The vent is on an outside wall but it is stucco over plywood sheathing which is probably why the other contractor didn't install the vent.  It's difficult to access from the exterior because of the slope around the property.  The drain has proven to be a nightmare.  When I opened up the ceiling below, it was full of garbage from the original construction....soda cans, scrap wood, drywall scraps, dirt and debris....totally unreal..especially on a house in this price point.  This one originally sold for $4 million.  It would have been so much easier and cheaper to have done it correctly the first time.  Any second floor laundry should have an emergency drain pan in place....without question.

When it comes to deposits, as a contractor myself, you have to be fair.  Most of us now require anywhere from 10% to 50% when we start the work.    Most contractors do not have the tradelines or operating cash that we once did.  Check your references, make sure the contractor is in a fully labelled vehicle, has a business address and has been around for awhile.  On larger project, hire an outside person to review the work...on projects say $30k and up...it would be money well spent.

You'll be hearing more about this house over the next year....so many things wrong here that it is simply horrific!

@AK - I've been offered a couple radio gigs over the years!

Kevin M. Veler, Law Office of · Answer

Handy, you are correct on GA licensing laws.  They are minimal requirements.  I often say in presentations it is like swiss cheese with exemptions for specialty contractors and others that you can drive a truck through.  And yes, 'grandfathering' -- or really exam exemption -- was done at first but that was necessary to even get the law passed.  Now everyone takes the exam.  The law stops some of the serial bankrupts.

Overall residential or licensed contractors can help themselves by making their state license numbers part of their marketing and advertising.  I have requested rules from the Board regarding 'licensed and insurad' claims but so far still stuck in committee.  The Board does recognize that specialty contractor exemption is a huge hole in the law and consumers are confused but it requires a legislative change and the current political makeup may preclude an attempt at a legislative fix for some time.  But consumers can make their voices heard at the state legislature.

Sherrie S · Answer

Kevin, it seems to me that my local (not state)  requirements may be different from what I am seeing  on this site.

Almost everything I have done at my home required a permit from the city.  That means the city people checked the work  and I have never had a problem.  I now believe the extra cost is worth the oversight.  I thought they were a bunch of money grabbers.

Nichter's Home Services Corp · Answer

You didn't even mention the amateur insulation job. That was vile!
I routinely spend time on two other const forums, and it seems like the majority of HO complaint cases come from GA. I have never worked there, but it seems like a guy with a good reputation would have his future success sealed up tight.

HandyANDY - Handyman & All Repairs, LLC · Answer

Sites like Hometalk are a great way for consumers to find good contractors.  I end up having a conversation about the licensing law at least once a day.  Honestly, some excellent contractors I know would never pass the exam simply because their reading skills aren't the best but they know their work.  If homeowners use their common sense and stop going with the cheapest options...they will have less trouble, although here, this contractor was extremely expensive and you can see what the client got!

I think grandfathering actually ended up catching some of the worst general contractors who have now moved onto other states.

Sherrie - FL surprisingly has one of the toughest contractor laws in the country.  Ours is actually an open book exam so if you take the prep test, tab your books well and are reasonably intelligent...it means you can pass the exam.

Nichter - you're right as always....we will redo the insulation wherever we can.  HandyANDY was once atlanta's largest home repair & remodel firm and has kept a solid reputation for 16 years now...we were once 140 workers and crashed to 3 at one point.  We're now at 9 and gradually growing again.  We stay focused on all home repair & maintenance tasks and leave the larger remodeling, kitchens, additions and baths to others!  I love this business and even as a 4th generation contractor...I learn something new everyday!

Vicki T · Answer

Good to know! I am presently seeking a contractor to add a main floor laundry in my home. Darn it you are in GA and I am in WY! Thanks for the videos...the help so much!

What a nightmare! Homeowner paid to put a 2nd floor laundry room in....look what they got

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What a nightmare! Homeowner paid to put a 2nd floor laundry room in....look what they got

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