How do GC get away with doing restricted trades in ontario

Bigd3129

I'm a plumber and always run into GC doing restricted trades plumbing, electrical ect.. How do they get away with it. What happens if they flood or burn a house down

rusty baker

Why do they never schedule trades in the right order? As a flooring installer, everyone else should be done before we get there, but it never happens. I think that many of them just don't care.

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tcleve4911

GC is a misnomer......
No formal training
No trade licenses

Just a guy who decides one day that GC would look "cool" on the side of his truck....


there...that oughta stir up the pool.......

Bondo

Ayuh,... Personally,... I don't need to pay union dues to know whether I'm capable of doin' a job or not...

I know many people whom are over qualified in many trades...
I also know many in the trades that don't know their rectum from a hole in the ground too...
While the Trades want everybody who isn't in it, to think that only their group is capable of doin' whatever trade they belong to,...
Fact is, that's Bullship...

If the Inspection passes, 'n everything is Up to code, it don't matter Who built it...

Donno 'bout the pool, but that oughta stir up the pond,...

rusty baker

Most of that is true, but many GCs are not capable of doing anything.

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joed

They don't get away with it if they are reported. Here is the ESA conviction list

http://www.esaecra.info/006a.php?s=17

In Ontario you can do your own electrical work but you can not charge for the service if you are not an electrical contractor.

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tcleve4911

That's a great way to enforce that.
It allows you to get stuff done but not profit from it....

pyper

In my State you have to pass a state exam to get a GC license. Having talked to people who have done it I'm under the impression that it's not trivial.

Not the same thing as having training or a license in a trade. But that doesn't seem to guarantee getting someone who knows what he's doing either.

havalife

So if a plumber does the plumbing then you won't have leaks?
If an electrician wires a huose you won't have any problems?
I don't think so.

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NitroNate

some people feel all special with titles and labels when the rest of us don't give a flying you know what. if you somehow are brainwashed into thinking your certification or title is wholly and directly tied to your competence, you already failed.

if a gc can do it better for less, i'm a gonna hire him.

Jackofall1

All fine and dandy, but isn't that a gamble, as the work would have to be completed to understand whether the GC was competent, the whole principal of certificates is to help ensure the person is competent prior to awarding a contract.

Notice I say HELP ensure, there are no garrantees, but it sure helps at least being certified is an indicator that there has been some training achieved.

Mark

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NitroNate

for someone who knows nothing about any contractors in his/her area, yes. the title and cert is all you have to go on. however, i would NEVER hire a contractor solely based on that. i would spend a lot of time talking to people in my area, reading reviews etc. to get the REAL deal as to whether they are worth it or not.

dunno about your area, but word of mouth around here means a LOT more than flashy advertising, fancy trucks/equipment and certifications. that costs money, which goes directly to charging customers more.

havalife

I may be mistaken but in Texas you just need to have insurance and you can be a GC right? If I am wrong please give details.
I am licensed, bonded, insured and pay a crap load out for taxes. I do not mind getting beat out of a job due to price if I BID AGAINST a licensed contractor.
I do mind if I bid and the job goes to a non state licensed person. City license costs $100 a year with no recoarse if they screw up the under bid job. State license cost for my license is $1,250 year + $100 each city + bonding + insurance + works comp + taxes + if I screw up the state comes after me.
As far as doing the work yourself, I charge more to fix the mistakes that the Homeowner or the non licensed person has done. It's like the insurance work I do, someone screws it up and I fix it
As far as unions go it does not mean the person is qualified. Some of the worst plumbers I have had on jobs came from a union company.

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linuxrunner

Our dog had some relatively complicated surgery done last week. We had the choice between the regular ER Vet doing the surgery (they assured us that this was something that the Vet was qualified to preform) or having a board certified surgical specialist do it. The cost was $100 more for the specialist.


Obviously we chose the specialist

NitroNate

you are comparing apples to oranges my friend. you can't sue the pants off an HVAC company for lousy work and expect to get any or much of a settlement. surgeons, vets, etc. are held to a much higher standard and go through MUCH more intensive schooling than any contractor does. they also get paid a ton more, typically.