Q. I inherited a rather large Victorian style house. It is in desperate need of maintenance such as roofing, trim repair and painting, asbestos remediation, wiring and plumbing. I've called just about every contractor in the phone book or in the local trades. Most of them don't even return my calls, and the ones I am able to reach directly are either too busy, don't service my area or don't do residential work (I wish they would say that in their ads). I also tried Service Magic, but the few that did respond to my inquiries gave very high estimates - like one that wanted $18,000 to do one area of the roof. I think $1,800 would be a lot for one dormer! Like I sais, some things need immediate attention. What is a good way to get a reliable contractor?

A. Old homes like that, although beautiful, require regular maintenance. If let go, the damage caused can really add up $$$$ quickly. Sounds like you have quite a bit of water damage already. The suggestion to get an inspection with a good contractor is right on. He'll be able to give you at least a ball park figure of how much it's gonna take to get the place back into decent shape. Be prepared for a pretty hefty amount, and, as a WAG I'd say it could approach $200 sq ft to remodel. I know that sounds crazy when some brand new houses are going for $100 sq ft, but think of the work involved here. The house will likely need extensive demolition work for starters, then the mechanicals will probably all need ripped out, replaced, and brought up to code, and then the finishing work will begin. After remodeling many old homes I do know one thing - It's usually a few steps back (wrecking stuff) before it can be built again to today's standards and that is what costs the $$$ . Just be patient, the good contractors are all busy now and will get to you soon. Good luck. I love them old homes.

Q. Buying a house, and the home inspection has uncovered some potential issues. It's been a real pain in the butt to get someone to go out and review the inspector's findings. I have posted the report with pictures on profiles.yahoo.com/chuckynjwvu The projectis very time-sensetive. I need to know if I should even bother buying that house. Thanks

A. Try the link below and start calling numbers, someone will know someone that can help you. Good luck. At the very least, the problems involved should save you enough money to put towards resolving the issues. If you don't feel comfortable, move on. Buying a home is a 30 year investment, and the market value will increase, unless it BURNS to the ground. I tried to look at your pictures but the files won't open. You may need to retry, or e-mail them to me, I'll take a look and give you an opinion. Background: In and around construction my whole life, 3 years working for Connectiv, 2 years in school studying electrical construction, 15 years flooring, commercial and residential, 2 years as production manager for a mold remediation, fire and water damage restoration company, currently the division manager of a large flooring distributor / contractor. Electric, plumbing, framing, concrete, damage that can result from fire and water, and poor workmanship. I can't fix it for you. But I'll give you an honest professional evaluation.

Q. I want to build a simple 2000 sq ft bungalow in St Augustine Florida. By simple, I mean real simple and I would do all of the finishing including all fixtures, flooring, painting, etc. All I need it a slab, frame and roof and wiring and plumbing. Contractors quote me between $175-$225. sq ft. Does it really cost $350,000 for a slab, four walls and a roof during this "recession"?

A. That seems high for no finish, you can try to play contractor yourself to save some, but the headaches will be more

Q. I have found a bank-owned house in Ohio. The bank just cut their price in half from $100,000 to $50,000 after a few heavy rains. The house needs new windows, has many leaks, and the roof needs replacement. What kind of contractor do I need? Residential? General? Should I ask the contractor to come with me to the house to give me an estimate? Thank you in advance for your answers

A. You should have specialty contractors come look at it and give you estimates. A home inspector of the type that service real estate transactions would be most helpful, as well. For about $300 they will tell you everything that needs to be done to make the home code compliant and sale-able. The best part is that they don't do the work, so they are not going to bull**** you. I am a general contractor and generally dislike dealing with other contractors for work i need done on my properties because of the ethics problems in the trades. What I would do is break the job down into phases. Start with the roof. It is most important to keep the rest of the house dry. Find an estimate for just the roof, have it done, then just the plumbing, etc. A good local handyman for the smaller stuff would be perfect. BTW- NEVER pay the final amount before the job (whatever the job is) is 100% complete.

Q. I am going to be a residental construction worker because i have always been fascinated with the building process of homes, and i am a hardworker who likes to be on his feet. i am not really handy, i dont know how to fix EVERYTHING, when something goes wrong in the house. Will being a residental construction worker,(building houses), help me become a handyman?

A. This type of trade won`t necessarily help you become "handy", although it may depend on the contractor you`ll be working for. Residential building contractors will sub many of the aspects of the construction I.E. concrete,plumbing, electrical, a.c etc. So you may only obtain tips and general knowledge from other trades. You`ll probably find it a little quicker to possibly take a few courses at a vocational school. .

Q. What are the legal penalties if any for a contractor doing residential plumbing or electrical work without being a licensed electrican or plumber in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania?

A. You are responsible for the cost to repair any damage to propriety fro example a water leak three years from now or a house fire. If the water leak ruins a couch , TV or anything else) then you must replace it Also you are NEVER allowed to apply for the license. That is the penalty that stops most apprentices from doing it . Once caught you have no future in the trade. Also the people who hired you must pay a $1150 if it can be proven they knew you weren't licenses. If they didn't know then you are in real legal trouble for fraud we could be talking jail time it the licensing board is in a bad mood. Also if the project was something like an addition for finishing a basement. Or anything else that would be noticed next time the house is on the market. The local inspector can require the work to be removed or a the very least the sheet rock removed so he can see the pipes and wire were done correctly. I live in Maine, I am a Master electrician in Maine Massachusetts and New Hampshire The rule i discussed apply in those three states i have never worked in Pennsylvania But you would think the rules can't be that different.

Q. I am about to start a new plumbing service company specialising in residential maintenance. At the moment there are only 2 employees but we hope to expand quickly to 10 to 15. We need lots pf good advice on where and when to advertise,branding, customer service ect.

A. I highly recommend asking this question in the yahoo Australia site. Just go to the bottom of your page on this screen and click on Australia. You will likely get a much more informed answer. Cheers.

Q. I asked this once but didnt get many answers last night so here it goes again...and im sorry i know its long. can you please help me? my hubby started plumbing at the age of 18 (now 26) in residential. he can do practically anything when it comes to plumbing a new house. im really not sure what everything is called so excuse my lack of knowlege here. but i know he can do inside and outside work for the houses. now with the industry the way it is...he has moved on to commercial industrial plumbing and has been in this field for a few years. i couldnt tell you exactly what all he knows but he is very good at what he does i know (ive heard ppl compliment him) and is a very hard and dedicated worker. he is plumbing HUGE jobs alone (example...petsmarts, hotels, apartment buildings, ect). he is doing undergrounds and using equipment. he is working for a man (basically sub contracting but getting paid weekly for the jobs). this is the only man he is working for and he keeps him very busy since my hubby is the only one who subs thru him. he doesnt even have a helper (well on certain days my bro helps but not everyday). again im not sure what all he can do but i know he is doing these jobs alone...dealing with the inspectors, laying out the jobs alone..basically running the show. everything but finding the jobs. HE DOES NOT have any kind of a licence tho. the man who runs the company is the one pulling permits ect. right now we are working on him going to school to get a licence but the thing is...we cannot afford school!!! i think he is underpaid for everything he does. he gets a regular pay of 650.00 per week (not by the job as a normal sub would get). he is also not on salary so days when he has to come home early for things that didnt work out right he loses pay. we also pay for the gas in the van he uses (i know he subs and we are responsible for that but this is ran a bit differently...kinda like an employee). the company provided the van. the way gas is we are definately using a 100 weekly in gas if not more. so basically 550 weekly he is paid. also taxes are not taken out. any thoughts or advice would be great. i think he is underpaid but what do you think? could he go to a company as a regular employee and make more? again he can do it all and if he doesnt know he is a quick learner. outside/inside/escavating ect on commercial and residential he can do. thanks

A. I'm not a plumber, but I know a very good website where you can find out whether your husband is being underpaid. I've linked to the page for an entry-level plumber (as your husband is unqualified, I'm afraid that's what he technically is) and it shows that the national US average is 1149 us dollars every 2 weeks, but that includes SS, 401k, etc, etc. My personal opinion is that plumbers are in great demand right now and as long as he has the right tools, I would set up a sole-proprietorship and become a sub-contractor who gets paid by the job. This should be more lucrative, as freelancing business is pretty simple to maintain, I do it with Web Development from home, full-time.