What are the most common remodeling / construction scams that homeowners should be on the lookout for?

Working with Contractors Problematic contractors
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From experience I have seen clients lose their hard earned money when a bad contractor supposedly repairs “Rot” in a home and not actually perform the work.

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When you first meet with the contractor, he’s very agreeable about doing everything exactly to your specifications and even suggests his own extra touches and upgrades. Some of the details don’t make it into the contract agreement, but you figure it doesn’t matter because you had such a clear verbal understanding.

Pretty soon, you notice that the extras you’d discussed aren’t being built. When you confront the contractor, he tells you that he didn’t include those features in his price, so you’ll have to live without them or pony up additional money to redo the work.

How to protect yourself: Unfortunately, you have few — if any — legal options against your contractor because you signed a contract that didn’t include all the details. Next time, make sure everything you’ve agreed on is written into the project description. Add any items that are missing, put your initials next to each addition, and have the contractor initial it, too — all before you sign.

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Scam 1: I’ll Need the Money Up Front
Scam 2: Take My Word For It
Scam 3: I Don’t Need to Pull a Permit
Scam 4: We Ran Into Unforeseen Problems
Scam 5: I’ve Got Extra Materials I Can Sell You Cheap

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  1. Changes from plans
  2. The need to add additional structural items not on plans or not required by city or engineer.
  3. Change orders for work originally under the scope or that don’t make sense
  4. Upcharges on items doors,windows,etc. always good to seeking pricing yourself and challenge the GC change order if you see huge price difference like thousands of dollars.
  5. That additional work is required with no explanation to why.
  6. Huge up front payments there should always be an upfront start cost then payments as progress is made and final payment upon final approval from city,owner,or architect
  7. Always have a contract it will save you in court
  8. Always review the license number threw the websites for that city,town,county,or area.