Judging from the number of dumpster-decorated driveways and bright blue plastic shrouds spanning rooftops, Chicago area homeowners are updating and reshaping their dwellings as never before.
Indeed, retailoring homes to suit changing family needs and lifestyles of the `90s has become the most important part of the home-building industry, said Homer Lundeberg, managing director of the Professional Remodelers Association of Illinois, a not-for-profit organization that serves residents in eight northeast Illinois counties.
”For every $3 spent for buying a new home, $4.50 is spent on remodeling,” Lundeberg said of the $1 billion-a-year industry. ”Housing re- dos are going to be the boom of this decade.”
Because remodeling a home calls for patience, fortitude, a lot of dusting and a substantial outlay of money on the part of the owner, nowhere is ”caveat emptor” a more important phrase than in selecting a contractor.
Everyone has heard horror stories similar to the one told by Steve Thomas, co-host of PBS-TV`s ”This Old House.” During a recent plane trip, Thomas met a woman who said she had paid $250,000 upfront to have a contractor remodel her house; before the work was completed, he declared bankruptcy and skipped to Florida, leaving her with $30,000 worth of unfinished work. She should have known better, but oily-tongued talkers are often hard to resist.
”The very best way to find a reliable contractor is through recommendations from people who have had similar work done by that person,”
said Lundeberg, whose association was established 29 years ago for the dual purpose of providing homeowners with protection against ”crooks” and promoting the services of qualified builders.
Word of mouth
That`s the route Beth and Bob MacNally took when they decided to enlarge the family room of their Hinsdale home last year.
”I wanted an addition that didn`t look like a tacked-on afterthought,” Beth said. ”A neighbor had added a room that appeared to be part of the original structure when it was finished. I liked the look of it, so I asked the name of the contractor. He`s the person we hired and we weren`t disappointed. The work began in February and was finished by the end of April, with a minimum of mess. We`ve since recommended the contractor to friends.”
But few things are perfect, as the MacNallys discovered. In their case, the master bath proved the nemesis.
”Our contractor gutted the master bathroom and installed new fixtures, including a top-of-the-line whirlpool tub that had been recommended by one of his salesmen. But it was months before we could use it, because the drain didn`t work properly. The plumber must have been back five times before he solved the problem,” said Beth. ”We wrote a letter of complaint to the manufacturer-a name you`d recognize-but there was no response. Now, we`ve discovered the gold-plated brass fittings are beginning to pit. But we recognize that this isn`t the contractor`s fault.”
One west suburban couple who bought a house they intended to immediately alter followed the recommendation of their real estate agent and selected contractor Al Jacobucci, a full-time employee of Edward Hines Lumber Co. in La Grange. Jacobucci recommended an architect for the project and was constantly on the job checking the progress of his regular crew. Although there were a few glitches along the way, the homeowners were so pleased with the remodeling results that they threw a party for the tradesmen and their wives, inviting everyone but the electrician.
”The electrician and I simply did not get along,” said the wife, who checked workmanship as constantly and as carefully as the contractor did.
A home remodeler for the past 18 years, Jacobucci always supplies potential clients with a list of names, addresses and phone numbers of homeowners whose work he has done within the previous six months.
”I urge them to check with the people I`ve worked for,” Jacobucci said. ”Not just by phone, either. I want them to go and look at the finished product. It`s word of mouth that`s bringing in the business these days. We used to put a sign in front of homes we were remodeling, but we don`t have to do that anymore. There`s no better ad than a satisfied customer.”
The con game
Failure to ask for references or to check them out can cause a major problem, according to Sally Saltzberg, deputy chief of the Consumer Protection Division of the Illinois Attorney General`s Office, which handles all kinds of complaints.
”Con artists are quite skillful.” she said. ”They`re very good at engendering feelings of guilt. For example, if a homeowner asks for references, the response from an unscrupulous contractor often is, `Don`t you trust me?` delivered in such a hurt tone the homeowner feels too guilty to pursue the matter. A trustworthy contractor will give references willingly.” Other sources of trouble are failure to get everything in writing-even something as routine as trash removal-and failure to read the contract carefully, Saltzberg said.
”Anyone who signs a home remodeling contract has three days in which to cancel it,” she said. ”Owners should make sure this stipulation is in dictated text on the face of the contract and on a separate piece of paper;
there also should be an oral agreement to this effect. A contractor who begins work during the three-day period is taking a chance because if he alters anything, he`s responsible for restoring it if the contract is canceled.
”The homeowner should insist on a list of names of all subcontractors before remodeling work begins,” Saltzberg said. ”And the general contractor should present an affidavit stating that all subs have been paid. Otherwise, if the contractor goes broke and can`t pay his subs, they can slap a lien on the house, claiming it as security for payment of the debt.”
She also cautioned against paying a lot of money upfront.
”Some contractors don`t ask for any, but some honest, small contractors may need a down payment to get started,” Saltzberg said. ”I just wouldn`t part with too much. Always get at least three bids and always make sure how long the contractor has owned the business, that the name of an old reliable business hasn`t been sold to someone new.”
Legal requirements
Although municipalities do not require a building permit for replacement work-new plumbing fixtures, windows, roofs-a permit is required if structural changes are to be made. Plumbers and electricians must be licensed and bonded, according to Illinois law, and roofers must be licensed; municipalities have the option of deciding whether or not to require a license of general contractors working within their boundaries.
Wheaton is one city that recently ruled that general contractors working in their city must be licensed.
”It`s a fresh law that offers some protection for homeowners who are remodeling,” said Bill Dettmer, Wheaton`s director of building and code enforcement. ”A house is probably the most expensive thing anybody ever owns and remodeling is more difficult than building new, so it`s especially important to select a reputable contractor.
”Most contractors are honest; it`s always a few who give the remodeling profession a bad name. Still, it`s smart to check up on the person you`re considering,” Dettmer said, noting that he believes in fostering the continuing education of building department employees.
”The more they learn, the better off our residents are,” he said. ”I`m able to send my people to a terrific summer course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison because Wheaton officials want building department employees to know what they`re talking about.”
Study up
The best protection, of course, is self-education before tackling the business of remodeling.
”The time people should inform themselves is before they begin their project, not after it`s under way,” said Lundeberg. His 100-member organization offers a free, 20-page booklet that includes the Professional Remodelers Association`s Code of Ethics and its 14-point program for the protection of homeowners. It also lists names, addresses and phone numbers of firms that have qualified for membership. You can get a booklet by calling 664-6541.
Other good sources of information are your municipality`s building and zoning department and public library. ”This Old House” by Bob Vila with Jane Davison (Little, Brown, $19.95) offers the uninitiated an entertaining view of how one house was rehabbed. A book just off the press is ”Renovation: A Complete Guide” by Michael W. Litchfield (Prentice-Hall, $29.95), which one bookstore terms ”the most comprehensive single volume available on home renovation.”
Homeowners who must pick a contractor from the yellow pages should check with two agencies before signing an agreement.
One is Saltzberg`s agency, the Consumer Protection Division of the Illinois Attorney General`s Office, 100 W. Randolph St., Chicago (814-3580), which will tell you whether complaints have been filed against a specific contractor, but will not disclose the number and nature of the complaints.
The other is the Inquiry Department of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago & Northern Illinois Inc., 211 W. Wacker Drive, Chicago (444-1188), open weekdays between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Here, you can learn when the company opened; when the BBB opened a file on the company; the name of the company`s principal(s); whether the company is rated ”satisfactory” or
”unsatisfactory”; the number of complaints that have been lodged against the firm, if any; and the number of complaints that have been settled and the number still pending. Phone calls are taken in order; be prepared to wait.
As the BBB says, ”If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.” It`s a wise homeowner who keeps that phrase in mind.
