I am looking to become a home improvement contractor and was wondering what was involved in doing this by the book, in terms of insurance, permits and licenses. Do you need a license to apply for a permit? Any information would be helpful. I am currently working in an office invironment and would like to know how difficult it would be to get a business off the ground. I have being doing home improvement projects for the past 6 years but it was mainly for friends and family and never applied for a permit.
Thanks for your help.
Mike
Replies
First, more info. Requirements are different based on where you are located.
Greg
Werner Building & Remodeling
Huntingdon PA
I live in PA, Delaware County.
Big topic. Find the state agency that deals with licensing in your state, and call them for the licensing info packet that they send out. In some states you cannot get a license without documenting hands on experience (8000 journeyman hours in California) and in others you just sign up and pay a fee. You may also need to get a bond and general commercial liability insurance.
Getting work is another story. There are plenty of 'tradesmen' with little skill that are good sellers and can find jobs (I worked for one such guy, years ago, an incredibly good talker who brought in lots of great projects... just keep the tools away from him). There are also plenty of great tradesmen that have a hard time finding jobs. You will probably find that there are established contractors in your area that you are competing with... and it will take a while to start taking work away from them.
" Find the state agency that deals with licensing in your state,"
That is is there is a state agency that deals with licensing.
If none then you have to check and see if there is a local community licensing.
There is no licensing in PA. All you need is commercial liabilty insurance and tools. Like Dave said, getting the work is the hard part. I started by subcontracting off the bigger guys, and still do if the job and money is right.
Check your local authority. You may need a local license down there. And register your doing-business-as name.Greg
Werner Building & Remodeling
Huntingdon PA