The costs of not pulling permits

Maintaining your competitive edge can be difficult, especially when businesses that don't play by the rules start directly competing at a lower price. What's the best way to overcome this obstacle? Educate your potential customers!

One of the initial steps to any project is obtaining the proper permits and is often factored into the timeline for job completion. Since unlicensed contractors can't pull permits for home improvement projects, this greatly calls attention to the importance of hiring a licensed contractor. Here are the primary repercussions to the homeowner when permits aren't pulled on time or at all.

Hard to sell - the house likely won't pass inspection should they try to sell it.

Insurance issues - homeowner insurance policy modifications or changing companies often require a Certificate of Occupancy. If the certificate doesn't show structural changes that have been made, the insurance company can decline coverage because it's not code compliant.

Safety considerations - especially when work is completed that could represent potential fire hazards.

Double the costs - any permits pulled after work has already been completed include a fine that doubles what would have been the initial costs of pulling a permit before work was done. First, they need to contact their local building and planning commission as they are now responsible for pulling the permits.

Homeowner accountability – permits pulled after work is completed is the responsibility of the homeowner. It requires the inspection of visible modifications and changes not visible, which need to be detailed by the contractor or a hired structural engineer.

Many consumers are not aware of the full costs associated with contractors not pulling permits. Use this information to educate your potential customers how much short-term saving can cost in the long-run.

This information was used from www.angieslist.com Please visit Angie's list to learn more!

What's Angie's List? Angie's List is the nation's premier provider of trusted reviews on contractors and doctors in over 500 categories, like roofers, plumbers, house cleaners and dentists. More than 2 million members check Angie's List to find the best local service providers and save on projects with exclusive member discounts

Alaska

If you entered our trivia contest last week, you will recall the question was, "What U.S. state shares the longest border with Canada?' The correct answer would be Alaska. The boundary between Alaska and Canada is 1,538 miles long. Comparatively, the border of Michigan and Canada is 721 miles.
Here is a list of some others:
Maine - 611 miles
Minnesota - 547 miles
Montana - 545 miles
New York - 445 miles
Washington - 427 miles
North Dakota - 310 miles
Ohio - 146 miles
Vermont - 90 miles
New Hampshire - 58 miles
Idaho - 45 miles
Pennsylvania - 42 miles

The Purchase*

Secretary of State William H. Seward arranged for the United States to purchase Alaska from Russia in 1867 for 7.2 million dollars, or 2 cents per acre. Check out this link from the National Archives, it shows the actual cancelled check for the purchase!http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=41

State Name:

The name "Alaska" is derived from the Aleut word "Alyeska," meaning "great land."

State Nick Name:

"The Last Frontier"

State Motto:

"North to the Future" - Our motto was chosen in 1967 during the Alaska Purchase Centennial and was created by Juneau newsman Richard Peter. The motto is meant to represent Alaska as a land of promise.

*Information mentioned here is found at http://alaska.gov/

Lewice "Lew" Wallace

Our trivia question this month was, "Who is the author of Ben Hur?" The correct answer is - 'Lew' Wallace. Lew's history is very interesting. Below you will find a brief overview of Lew and the epic story known as Ben Hur.  

The Story Behind Ben Hur*

Lewis "Lew" Wallace (April 10, 1827 – February 15, 1905) was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, territorial governor and statesman, politician and author. Wallace served as Governor of the New Mexico Territory at the time of the Lincoln County War and worked to bring an end to the fighting.

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is a novel by Lew Wallace published on November 12, 1880 by Harper & Brothers. Considered "the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century", it was the best-selling American novel from the time of its publication, superseding Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852). It remained at the top until the publication of Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind (1936). Following release of the 1959 MGM film adaptation of Ben Hur, which was seen by tens of millions and won 11 Academy Awards, during the 1960s, book sales surpassed Gone with the Wind. Blessed by Pope Leo XIII, the novel was the first work of fiction to be so honored.

The story recounts the adventures of Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince and merchant in Jerusalem at the beginning of the 1st century. Ben-Hur's childhood friend Messala returns home as an ambitious commanding officer of the Roman legions. They come to realize that they have changed and hold very different views and aspirations. During a military parade, a tile falls from the roof of Judah's house and barely misses the Roman governor. Although Messala knows that they are not guilty, he condemns the Ben-Hur family. Without trial, Judah is sent to work until death as a Roman galley slave; his mother and sister are imprisoned and all the family property is confiscated.

Through good fortune, Judah survives and returns to Jerusalem, where he seeks revenge against his one-time friend and redemption for his family. Running in parallel with Ben-Hur's narrative is the unfolding story of Jesus, who comes from the same region and is a similar age. The two reflect themes of betrayal, conviction and redemption. With the Crucifixion, Ben-Hur recognizes that the Christ stands for a different goal than revenge, and he becomes Christian, turning to supporting the new religion with money which he has inherited, inspired by love and the talk of keys to a greater kingdom than any on earth.

The name "Ben Hur" derives from the Hebrew for "Son of white linen".

*Information compiled from Wikipedia.com. Please follow this link for more details: http://bit.ly/tFxsBc