These individuals surface in a variety of ways. Some of them take advantage of disaster situations and prey on homeowners when they’re most vulnerable. Others surface via word of mouth; someone will tell you about a guy (or gal) that does great work for a great price. This may very well be true, but more often than not, there’s a price that comes along with getting things done cheap. More than one homeowner has had to fix problems caused by an underground contractor, and ended up spending more than he or she would have if they had bought aboveground talent in the first place. How can you tell if an individual is an underground contractor? The following are good tip-offs:
They are not able to provide a permanent address or other permanent contact information. They do not want to put things in writing. They want cash payments, or offer a discount if you pay cash. They tell you that it’s not necessary to get permits or have inspections on their work, or that things will be cheaper and go faster without them.
