| Handyman Code of Conduct for Anchorage Alaska |
| People overestimate the scope of work handy-people should attempt. Ignorance abounds. Most tasks require permitting. Only licensed contractors can request permits. They are trusted to do this because licensing assures competency. Stiff penalties and continuing education keep licensed contractors sharp and capable of regulatory compliance. As required by law, licensed contractors maintain on-site licensed administrators to oversee workmanship in respective fields; and endorse proper execution of engineering intent; which is embedded in specifications and drawings provided by certified professional engineers (PE). Basic safety standards are certifiably met. This results in insurability. |
| The handyman will need both state and municipal business licences (~$450). |
| Handy-people do repairs. The handy-person is not permitted to modify fixed assets. And even some repairs require permitting. Certain circumstances trigger a retrofit clause: where adjacent materials and workmanship also get brought up to modern compliance standards. Handymen and women are not permitted to perform such work. But how would they know these things? It's counterintuitive. |
| How we can't help: |
| Handy-people cannot replace water heaters.(9) |
| The handyperson cannot install a hot tub. (9) |
| The handyperson cannot add a telephone jack. (9) |
| The handyperson cannot install a ceiling fan. (9) |
| The handyperson cannot add a splitter to tap a TV antenna(9) |
| The handyperson cannot add a faucet or drain. (9) |
| The handyperson cannot change a lockset. (8) |
| The handyperson cannot replace a switch with a dimmer. (9) |
| How we can help: |
| Consider meeting needs using a modular approach. You can plug anything reliable into an outlet. You can also attach reliable items to faucets, cable TV receptacles, and phone jacks. Don't modify (or permanently anchor-to) any structure. Portability sidesteps zoning. |
| Homeowner insurance policies cover catastrophic-loss arising from permitted activity. Loss caused by fire originating within a UL-listed device will also be covered; probability of failure has been tested and deemed acceptable by insurance provider standards. If one of my modules causes a loss, it's an unknown, it's not covered. I'm liable. I try to live by the Hippocratic oath: to do no harm. But there is no certainty. |
| Scope of work: |
| Minimum requirements: |
| The handyperson who alters a house will suffer "due process" if that house burns down, even if for unrelated reasons. Presumed incompetent, we are legally challenged as well. We face top-council armed with the best laws money can buy. We will likely pay for damages and much more, perhaps as scapegoats. Long-run odds don't favor our business model. It relies upon good luck and flawless execution over an entire career. Another problem with our model is it leaves a snail-trial of unknowns. Trouble could be brewing and we'd not know. What of the customer aprehended by authorities, caught in a legal maze: how do we face up to them? Will a customer tell us our unlicensed workmanship is being brought up to code? An inspector's red-tag could force occupants to vacate with little or no warning. The stakes are huge. What consolation could we offer, given such a circumstance? Citation puts us on a one-day-notice: to restore the site to original condition or face criminal penalty. Then each successive day brings a class-B misdemeanor charge. With charges steadily mounting, contempt of court cannot be far behind. What if nobody tells us we've got a red-tagged job? An arrest warrant may be our first notification. What if all our past jobs come under simultaneous scrutiny: What if hundreds of jobs need erasure today. What if we aren't told? Will we be criminals tomorrow? Operating "above the law" is possible for those who naturally err to the side of safety. Some survive to provide decades of this vital service, even into their retirement years. Good work ethic shields them from ever knowing each job may be their last. Licensed contractors avoid frivolous lawsuits by meeting minimum standards. Homeowner's insurance covers the random failure. The city is sued when standards prove culpable. The city is insured for this. For the handy-person, one bad coincidence could strip him or her of title to the family home. |
| First, this word on behalf of Denise, MOA |
| I worked for the Handyman Connection in Redwood City California, summer of '99. We did great work and made good money. I lamented leaving the job as I headed north for school. Portland has a Handyman Connection. But there are none in Alaska. It's a franchise operation. I applied online but received no response. Recognizance exposed startup costs exceeding $50,000, just to buy into the franchise. Lacking means, I lost interest. |
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| As a MBA hopeful, I decided I'd replicate the Handyman Connection business model, adapting it for use here. To my dismay, the model is not feasible. It's a legal quagmire. ...We interrupt this broadcast to bring you late-breaking news... LATE BREAKING NEWS (begin spoof) . . . this just in: Wall Street analysts are witnessing a spectacular rise. Many are wondering if an IPO will be forthcoming, to fund worldwide market penetration. Handyman Connection's business model is an international concern, already firmly entrenched in Canada. Rumored to be gunning for Puerto Rico, analysts await with baited breath. We'll bring you live updates . . . (end of spoof) We now return you to our regularly scheduled programming . . . MBA program-chair, George Geistauts', door was ajar. I groveled through unable to reconcile my own findings. Not feasible: Gone international. Which is the lie? Do I blow a whistle now? Reduced to a retard, I was placed gingerly back into the sandbox. George still has great hopes for me. |
| What I learned in the botched process: |
| . . . byproduct of a botched MBA graduation attempt . . . |
| Alaska State law: Sec. 43.05.290.(h) Criminal penalties (see page 6). A person engaging...in a trade...for which a license is required...who...fails to obtain the license, is guilty of a misdemeanor...punishable by a fine of not more than $2,000, or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or by both. Section i holds culpable employees who violate in blind obedience to employer instructions. |