Is Your Contractor Accredited with the BBB and why is this important?

Hi there, and welcome back to Klein Developments Blog. Today we will focus on the Better Business Bureau (also known as the BBB).  We wish to help you understand why they are so influential on your next construction project.

First let's start off with the BBB's personal quoted Mission which may be found on their website www.bbb.org .

"BBB is an authority on trust in the marketplace.  BBB sets and upholds high standards for ethical marketplace behavior.  BBB accreditation is a coveted honor earned by elite businesses and charities.  BBB is a valuable resource to turn to for objective, unbiased information on businesses and charities.  Our free BBB Business Reviews and BBB Wise Giving Reports help you make the right purchasing or donation decision.  BBB is also a significant distributor of consumer and business education information and tips and alerts about marketplace scams.  And BBB offers dispute resolution programs for consumers and businesses when there is difference in viewpoints."

"The first BBB was founded in 1912. Today, 113 BBBs serve communities across the U.S. and Canada, evaluating and monitoring more than 3 million local and national businesses and charities.

The Council of Better Business Bureaus(CBBB) is the network hub for BBBs in the US and Canada. Like BBBs, CBBB is dedicated to fostering honest and responsive relationships between businesses and consumers -- instilling consumer confidence and advancing a trustworthy marketplace for all."

Now lets define how consumers, contractors, and the BBB all work together. First and foremost the BBB is you the "Consumer" and we the Contractor"s'  referring relationship.  For you the consumer the BBB will provide you with ratings A-F about the company that you are inquiring about.   Ratings A-F will be based on many factors including past history with the BBB--for example if a consumer is unsatisfied with the work that the contractor performed. As in school A+ will mean that the contractor has no complaints and an F rating is a Fail.

Next, we need to focus on what makes a Company/Contractor have a rating. A+ will mean that their are no complaints and an F rating will mean that this company has had many complaints and has not resolved them. Often this happens because there is no Construction Contract or a very ill-defined contract. It may be caused by verbal agreements which you the consumer should never participate in.
A Professional Contractor will always provide you with a detailed Professional Contract to be signed in agreement by both parties. This will allow you the Consumer and the Contractor to be on the same page.

Now that you understand ratings, lets work on what "Accreditation" means. When a symbol like this

 

is shown on a website or construction document it will constitute that the Contractor is Accredited by the BBB. The BBB does not investigate each contract, but only the contractor. This means that the Contractor must go through a series of back-ground checks and investigations that may include the following: No criminal records for the Contractor and it's employees, any complaints registered with the BBB. making sure the contractor pays all due taxes and maintains employment and unemployment status, Qualifications such as Licenses and Insurances and much more. All of these allow our company to be Accredited with the BBB and to say the least we pay the BBB for this Accreditation.

In closing we would encourage all consumers needing construction projects to visit the BBB at www.bbb.org and view their simplified system of  Accredited Businesses that they may call and inquire about their projects. Hopefully you will find that companies website to further discover the contractors potentials relating to your project.

We are happy to know that you have viewed our Blog today and we hope it has been informational and helpful. If you should have any more questions or are interested in hiring a contractor for your next construction project, please visit us at our website.  Please join our next blog as we will focus on a mini-series of blogs helping you to understand your home building projects.

Permits, why do we need them?

Welcome to our informational blog on permits--when and why you may or may not need them.

To start off we have the answer to your #1 question "What is a permit for?". Permits are designed and legislated by the ordinance of the city, state , or municipality that you reside in. They serve several functions, the first being that they protect you the consumer on your construction projects. You may ask "In what Way?". The answer to that question is that they will make sure that your chosen Contractor will perform your construction project to a "correct Set Construction Standard". This means that your Contractor may not be able to come in and just throw your project together. The Contractor will have to work by a set of construction rules that we will refer to as "Code Compliant".Hereby Code sets the proper Building and Construction standards and practices . If you have chosen your contractor according to our previous blog on "Choosing Your Contractor" then you can be safe assured that they will already be knowledgeable in Code Compliancy.

In addition your Chosen Contractor will be responsible for obtaining these necessary permits. They will schedule, at necessary points of your project, to have your city inspector come to your project and make sure that it has been performed to these set standards. Your Architect or Contractor will provide the plans necessary to obtain the permits, have them approved by your city or municipality, and execute the entire inspection process to the final, finished construction project..

Lastly, Permits serve a couple of other reasons. One being that they will let your city or municipality know how much money that you have spent on your rehab or construction project. Unfortunately they will increase your personal property taxes by increasing the assessment value of your home. Yes, we have to pay these taxes...but GOOD NEWS --you have increased the equity value of your home. This may help you in paying your mortgage early, take out or refinance for future construction projects, or to simply up-crease the value of your home for re-sale.

Our #2 question asked is "When do you need permits?". The rules on obtaining permits will always vary from city to city or municipality however we can sum it up for you in describing some of the most code compliant demands for permits as follows: Any construction project that processes a load bearing circumstance I.E. removing a wall that may be holding your roof up, concrete foundation work that would support load bearing walls on an addition, or any garage or out-building projects that will be considered Load-bearing.
You will need permits for any process that will require a Licensed Electrician, Plumber, or HVAC Mechanic.
Other common instances when a permit is needed will be fences, retaining walls that are beyond minimum requirements allotted by your City or Municipality.

Ending we would encourage you to call your city or municipality to describe your construction project and they should be happy to let you know if you will need permits. In addition you may also call a Contractor, hopefully BBB Accredited, that may to give you this helpful knowledge. Speaking of BBB Accredited companies please join our next blog on the Better Business Bureau, its functions, and why they are a very important resource for your Home Construction needs and projects. Thank You and see ya next time.