Home Contractor vs. Homeowner

At one point in time, I would guess that if a contract contained an arbitration clause, it most likely would have included an agreement to use the American Arbitration Association (AAA) for the arbitration itself. Nowadays, AAA has many competitors, but it is still a very popular option for construction contracts. There are pros and cons to choosing arbitration to resolve disputes, but the purpose of this post is to compare two arbitration organizations: AAA and the Massachusetts Home Improvement Contractor Arbitration Program (HIC). Price: AAA is more expensive. The fees for arbitration are based on the amount in controversy, and the arbitrator is paid by the hour. There is no limit on the amount of time to be spent in arbitration. The HIC program has a fixed price ranging from $450-850.00 depending on the amount in dispute. This fee provides for a half-day arbitration that also includes a site visit if the homeowner so chooses. Arbitrator: AAA sends out a list of arbitrators to choos

I cringe when I hear that a homeowner has pulled a building permit. Homeowners do not consider the responsiblity that goes along with pulling the permit and do not really think things through before doing so. Here's the good news-the average homeowner who pulls his own permit does not have to have a Home Improvement Contractor or Construction Supervisor license if he satisfies the following requirements: "Exception: Any Home Owner performing work for which a building permit is required shall be exempt from the licensing provisions of 780 CMR 108.3.5; provided that if a Home Owner engages a person(s) for hire to do such work, that such Home Owner shall act as supervisor. This exception shall not apply to the field erection of a manufactured buildings constructed pursuant to 780 CMR 35 and 780 CMR R3. For the purposes of 780 CMR 108.3.5, a "Homeowner" is defined as follows: Person(s) who owns a parcel of land on which he/she resides or intends to reside, on which there