Talking about plumbing...

That was nice of you to help them out like that, Tim. And good job on the plumbing as well. If I had tried that I guarantee you I would have had to make several trips to Lowe’s and ended up doing the job twice since I always have leaks when I do plumbing jobs. :)

-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine

http://www.contractors-license.org/oh/Ohio.html

-- Dan, Sterling Alaska, Before you criticise some one, walk a mile in their shoes...then you will be a mile away and you have their shoes!

mics_54,

I think we can safely call that an in-kind replacement/repair. If he had been moving the piping to another location or adding a new fixture he should have pulled a permit and applied for a license/put up bond.

I’d be more concerned with the builder, general contractor and approval board who thought installing a bathroom directly above the junction box was a good idea.

But I do agree “us” homeowners get too much of a sense of “I can do it.” Not pulling permits or hiring a licensed contractor and other ignorant activities. Great example; for my garage remodel the electricians I had hired spotted an issue with the GFCI for the outdoor outlet installed by the builders. They repaired it for a small amount, problem avoided.

If I had been gung-ho about the electricity I’d have never spotted it and my inspection would likely have went poorly.

I Hate plumbing. This was a kind act to help these folks.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

Oh good then nobody will mind if I do surgery on the side as long as I only charge a little bit. Maybe sell pharmacuticals? I mean laws don’t really matter and I’m sure they are only established for large jobs or “special people”. I can appreciate the hypotheticals concerning the guesses as to who built the structure originally and if it was a licensed builder but I know alot of houses are built by “owners” that don’t know what they are doing. That doesnt negate the point that it is illegal under any circumstances to charge some one to repair, replace, install plumbing, fixtures or otherwise contract or advertise to do so with in the jurisdiction indicated in the OP.

I deal with the problem often. While I appreciate the need of the subject owners/renters (whichever, but opens up other issues) to get repair work done cheaply, I also know that a licensed, insured, trained and bonded contractor also needs to make a living and DESERVES that the governing authority that requires the above limitations, which by the way are very expensive to obtain and maintain, be protected from individuals that conduct illegal commerce.

If one person doesn’t have to follow the rules…nobody should. It doesn’t matter if it’s for 25 dollars or 25 thousand. To further reinforce the assertion…your electrical outlet receptical cost $2.00. Installed incorrectly it could kill you or maybe even damage your power tool.

By the way…we didn’t even address liability and the enormous risk he took helping in this manner without liability insurance. The home owner also was at risk were he injured in the process. Remeber..no good deed goes unpunished.

-- Dan, Sterling Alaska, Before you criticise some one, walk a mile in their shoes...then you will be a mile away and you have their shoes!