What could be worse than losing your home to Hurricane Sandy? Getting taken advantage of by the contractor you've hired to rebuild your house.
Many good intentioned out of state contractors have flocked to the New York and New Jersey areas to help homeowners rebuild after Sandy; however, homeowners should be wary. Because most of these contractors are from out of state, they do not follow the state's rigid legal requirements and due to their out of state origin, it will be quite difficult to track down the contractor if any problems arise. These contractors- sometimes referred to as "storm chasers" are typically without insurance or a license to do the specific construction work that they claim they can do. In addition to this, many of their practices are not up to par with the specific building codes that are required on Staten Island.
Is this trend likely you might ask? 2005's Hurricane Katrina is a painful reminder that these scenarios are real as the Louisiana attorney general's office experienced a 2,000 percent increase in contractor related disputes from homeowners. The National Consumer Law center notes that the attorney general's office went from 145 complaints per year, to nearly 6,000 over the next two years. The outcome of these statistics resulted in 700 criminal investigations and over 140 arrests.
In order to protect yourself, you must check to make sure that the contractor you choose is fully licensed. You can do this by going to your state's licensing board which is often available on the Internet. Once you have a contractor picked out you need to have a solid contract which should state exactly what they will do, what materials they will use and the amount of down payment required if any. In addition to these items, the contract should also have a back down clause in case you are unsatisfied with any of the work completed.
While we understand that there are many reasons for choosing various contractors, the professionals at Dream Kitchen and Bath are fully licensed and follow procedures and coding according to the DOB. While we specialize in remodeling kitchens and bathrooms, we are more than equip to refurbish any interior space and we also guarantee to put your family's safety first by making sure reconstruction does not allow the prevalence of mold or other detriments caused by Hurricane Sandy.
To learn more about how we can help you throughout this terrible catastrophe, please contact us.