The Hazards of Hiring Unlicensed Contractors

I have created this website in order to share what I've learned.

I purchased a roof that was supposedly the best I could buy, to be installed by the "best" Home Improvement Contractor in Rochester, NY.  My elderly mother and I just wanted protection for our 170 year-old home.  What we got, would horrify anyone.

The top button "Appalling Roof" leads to a pictorial tour of our roof by Eagle Construction.  Their re-roofing performance illustrates most-of-what-can-be-done-wrong when you hire an unlicensed contractor to install a roof on your home.  Incidentally, "appalling" is not a term I devised; it is the term used by the Eagle representative when he examined my roof.

Since this has happened, I have learned all of the things I did wrong.

• I was naive to think that Eagle's memberships, and being the winner of the Democrat & Chronicle's Rochester Choice Awards meant something.
• I was naive to think that there were standards that NYS contractors had to meet.
• I was naive to think that our great nation had a legal system that would fight for justice.

I was mistaken on all points.  Under the current scheme of things, the laws are written to protect the contractor; and leave homeowners without protection, without recourse, even with costly lawsuits.

My sincere wish is, if I recount all that I have learned, that I can prevent numerous people from making the same mistakes I made.  –  The worst of which was hiring Eagle Construction; more than twelve gallons of water leaked into my kitchen in January 2005.  Knowledge is power.  I am optimistic that the many topics discussed here (together with supporting information) will make us all worthy adversaries as we struggle to "get what we paid for."

My most important advice is:  If you have any misgivings about the quality of your construction job, inspect or have it inspected – especially a roof.  I say especially roofs, because a multitude of sins can be hidden under those shingles.  Once you document the defects, file a complaint with your State Attorney General.  Of course you may review my webpage "What If It's Done Wrong?"

For those of you who have already been victimized by an unlicensed or dishonest contractor, may I offer a word of encouragement from:

Conventions of this Website:
I will attempt to compile and condense all that I have learned, researched, and inquired about.  I will provide links to those sources where feasible / possible.  This will allow you to review the minimum on my site, or delve into this as deeply as you care to.