Hey guys.
I’m creating a series of short youtube videos about contractors/the home improvement industry and I’m just wondering if anyone here has any specific questions or terms that they want me to explain for them or some ideas to make for my videos.
I already have 5 made and I need at least 5 more, but the more the merrier.
Thanks!
I think a lot of people could really use help with how construction liens work, who puts them on the house during the remodel (the supplier to the contractor IIRC), how to get them removed and how important it is to get them removed. I know of at least one person that didn’t get a lien waiver when everything was done and when they sold their house a few years later (for whatever reason) the easiest thing to do was to pay the supplier directly. They basically paid for the shingles on their house twice.
If you have time in the same video, you could also explain permits as well. Should you get a permit? Should you trust a contractor who doesn’t pull them? Should you call city hall and make sure they pulled them? Why should they be pulled?
How big should the job be before you need one pulled?
If all I’m doing is having a water heater replaced or an outlet installed do I really need to have one pulled? [Of course, you’ll say yes…now explain why. I usually tell people that if there’s a problem, the blame is now shifted from the homeowner to the inspector, but I don’t know if that’s correct]
There’s other work in my house that’s been done with out a permit…will they see that? Do they look for that? What happens if they find it? You could probably ignore that question. I’m sure it varies pretty wildly from inspector to inspector and project to project. No, they likely won’t notice a few extra outlets. But I have an extra room in my basement (it was there when I moved in). They’d probably see that.
Good questions!!!
Thanks! I have a blog post about liens up so I know how I’m going to get the information on that one, but I never even thought of the permits one so I’ll add that to the list.
In my work I’ve found that a LOT of people fear that insulating their home will cause humidity problems that may cause mould etc that may cause structural damage. That is not entirely untrue, but it matters a great deal how, and where one insulates. It is all rather complicated. A you tube vid that would explain how the link between insulation and humidity works would fill a niche, I think.
I’ve never heard that, but if you’re going to discuss insulation and humidity you might also need to discuss proper attic ventilation. Different types and styles and making sure that if you have soffit vents that the baffles are in place after the insulation goes in.
Yes, ventilation is another one. There are about a million sites that tell home owners to " properly ventilate" and about zero that adress the exact how-tos.
Also, how to get proper workmen. How does Angies list work? What do you do in case of disagreement? How to ask for several estimates and how to judge them? How to check out if there is subsidy possible (for insulating or energy saving measures?)
I like the insulation and venting questions.
I just did a big ole blog post on insulation, and I agree that a million talk about ventilation but never explain it.
I’ll add that to the list! These are wonderful! Keep em coming.
I am hesitant to do a “how to find contractors” because there are a million and a half articles that already do that, so I don’t think my little video would help say anything new and original.
Sir T-Cups, I’m curious about the end result. Can you link to your blog?
It took some work but we finally have the first set of videos up and on the internet. You can see them at the Official Safepact Youtube channel
If you want to read the blog it’s here and with the blog I write and touch on a lot more subjects than the videos since I’ve been writing the blog much longer. But I now have a ton of videos to make for the future and will write the scripts for them today(ish) and start to shoot them tomorrow(ish) and here are the future topics for videos:
What to look for in hiring a contractor
Things you probably didn’t think to ask when hiring a contractor
Red flags your contractor may be a scam artists
explaining liens and lean waivers
Trust seals and what they mean
What is SSL verification
How to properly ventillate
What is an ACH transfer
Questions to ask your contractor references
what is FDIC insurance
what is a permit, why do you need them, how do you get them
Some of these are your guys’s references, but most are topics I’ve written about on the blog. I’ll be sure and post in here when the videos get put up (probably early next week)
Hey guys!
Just wanted to let you know that my blog post today is a giant explanation of everything you ever needed to know about permits! Here’s to ya Joey P!!
Hey STC, missed your OP until now, nice job.
As a general contractor I’ll try to keep you in mind when dealing with clients, and see if there are issues that come up. If you need any help or input, let me know.
Permits and insurance are definitely two of the biggest issues, in that they provide some protection for the homeowner.
Off the top of my head other topics could include:
Costs AKA materials vs. labour
Scheduling of work and payments
Budget - Setting one, staying within it and avoiding cost overruns.
I very much like the idea of the first and the third ones. As far as the scheduling of work and payments…I have a lot of posts essentially saying “make sure that you’re not paying too much up front and work out a schedule in advance”, but is there anything more or specific you want me to say?
I hesitate to try and actually lay out a schedule for jobs because things can change to quickly and easily and I, honestly, don’t have the authority or experience to give advice and specifics like that