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Stop "eating" the costs of bad designs, hidden conditions, and job surprises. The Contractor's Legal Kit offers builders and remodelers a systematic approach to running a more successful and profitable construction company. From your first meeting with the client to collecting the last check, this guide' helps you establish the ground rules that govern your legal and business relationship with the owner. It’s all in plain English, not "legalese." For less than the cost of an hour with a lawyer you’ll learn the exclusions to put in your agreements, why your insurance company may pay for your legal defense, how to avoid liability for injuries to your sub and his employees or damages they cause, how to collect on lawsuits you win, and much more. This valuable resource shows you, step by step, how to use written documents to avoid most construction disputes and to successfully resolve those that are unavoidable. Contractor's Legal Kit has in-depth coverage of:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gary Ransone is a practicing construction attorney, licensed general contractor, and certified construction arbitrator. He started in the construction field 20 years ago, and now works closely with many custom building and remodeling companies as an attorney, consultant, and contract administrator. REVIEWS "For the cost of 15 to 30 minutes of your lawyer’s time, you will get thousands of dollars of legal worth ... get this book before you lose another dollar!" - Linda W Case, president, Remodeling Consulting Services, Inc., and nationally recognized author and speaker "I am pleased to highly recommend The Contractor's Legal Kit ... it will enhance contractors' ability to manage larger projects profitably, professionally, and with a minimum of legal disputes." -Thomas C. 0’Brien, Esq., rehab contractor and practicing attorney concentrating on construction and real estate law "The Kit should be required reading for newcomers to the industry ... but its depth and thorough- ness will provide even the most seasoned contractor with a wealth of new ideas and insights." -Jonas E Carnemark, CR, CKD, award-winning restoration and design-build remodeling contractor Table of Contents Chapter 1 Fixed Price Agreements, 5 1.1: Short-Form Fixed Price Agreement, 10 Short-Form Fixed Price Agreement (annotated), 16 1.2: Medium-Form Fixed Price Agreement, 29 Medium-Form Fixed Price Agreement (annotated), 36 1.3: Long-Form Fixed Price Agreement, 54 Long-Form Fixed Price Agreement (annotated), 64 1.4: Addendum for Matching Existing Finishes, 86 1.5: Rights of Rescission and Cancellation, 90 Chapter 2 Cost-Plus and Labor-Only Agreements, 93 2.1: Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee Agreement, 96 Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee Agreement (annotated), 106 2.2: Cost-Plus-Percentage-Fee Agreement, 120 2.3: Labor-Only Agreement, 121 Labor-Only Agreement (annotated), 130 Chapter 3 Design-Build Agreements, 143 3.1: Design-Build Preconstruction Services Agreement, 149 Design-Build Preconstruction Services Agreement (annotated), 154 3.2: Design-Build Agreement, 161 Design-Build Agreement (annotated), 173 Chapter 4 Change Orders, 191 4.1: Change Order Contingency Fund, 194 4.2: Change Order Form and Accounting Summary, 196 Change Order Form and Accounting Summary (annotated), 198 Chapter 5 Construction Subcontracts, 201 5.1: Short-Form Subcontract Agreement, 204 Short-Form Subcontract Agreement (annotated), 209 5.2: Long-Form Subcontract Agreement, 221 Long-Form Subcontract Agreement (annotated), 228 5.3: Subcontractor Information Form, 239 Chapter 6 Invoicing For Your Work, 243 6.1: Long-From Construction Invoice, 245 Long-Form Construction Invoice (annotated), 249 6.2: Short-Form Construction Invoice, 252 Short-Form Construction Invoice (annotated), 254 Chapter 7 Customer Relations and Marketing, 257 7.1: The Bidding Phase, 259 7.2: Contract Presentation, 260 7.3: The Peconstruction Conference From, 264 7.4: Ups and Downs of Remodeling, 268 7.5: The Contract Administration Phase, 271 7.6: The Warranty Phase, 273 Chapter 8 Estimate and Bid Preparation, 275 8.1: Subcontractor and Supplier Bidding Checklist, 277 8.2: Estimating Worksheet, 286 8.3: Preliminary Cost Estimate, 294 Preliminary Cost Estimate (annotated), 297 Chapter 9 Mechanic’s Liens, 299 Chapter 10 Warranties, 309 Chapter 11 Dispute Resolution, 315 Chapter 12 Safety Concerns, 329 Appendices: Glossary, 332 Index, 337 Software Instructions, 342 Includes: Book & CD-ROM |
