WORKSHOP (Professionalism)

We all hear about so many stereotypical bad experiences with contractors, and most of us are true professionals, but the following story typifies the worst.  How does one avoid this kind of experience?  After a fellow contractor met the homeowner with the deck issue at the Branchburg Women's club, he asked us to call her.  Quite simply, providing information about the NJ Department of Community Affairs got her on track to protect her rights.  This fellow gives a bad name to those of us who believe in professionalism, and makes many of you cynical.

1. A Home Improvement Contractor is NOT a licensed plumber or electrician!  Our License number is 13VH03065300, and at our first meeting, we will present a current license.  Please do all of us a favor and call the NJ DCA's, Division of Codes and Standards at 609-292-7899 to report anyone who is unable or unwilling to do so.
2. A plumber or electrician must have a specific license for his/her profession.
3. The phone book or internet search does not tell us who is and is not a professional contractor, though our effort to provide information and "raise the bar" is an indication that we care about you and abiding by the law.
4. Our membership in NARI (The National Association of the Remodeling Industry) is proof that we have been confirmed in addition to the State of NJ's licensing.
5. Wayne Baruch is a NARI Certified Remodeler.  This required passing a grueling examination, meeting other requirements, and participating in ongoing professional education, reading about materials and techniques, making presentations on building and remodeling, volunteering our time to good social causes, and writing articles, for example.
6. The NJ Community Affairs' Codes & Standards site has plenty of useful information, like which craftspeople must be licensed.
7. A professional licensed builder, remodeler, architect, civil or structural engineer, electrician, or plumber can tell you what does and does not require a permit, as well as some of the other criteria that go into a project, like zoning, impervious coverage, calling NJ One-Call before digging, and/or whether your municipal or private water and/or septic system are involved.  

Montgomery man charged with performing electrical work without a permit

by Jennifer Golson/The Star-Ledger

Thursday April 30, 2009, 6:33 PM

A Montgomery man previously accused of failing to build a deck for Branchburg resident after being paid to do so is now charged with performing shoddy electrical work without a permit, officials said today.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Thomas Gangi III, 22, whose last known address was Rhoads Drive. He is charged with fourth-degree electrical contracting without a permit, Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest said.

The prosecutor's Special Investigations Unit first arrested Gangi on March 24 for third-degree theft by deception. The owner of TNN Construction, Gangi accepted funds last year to demolish a Branchburg man's deck and build a new one, but he never did the work, Forrest said.

The most recent case involved another Branchburg residence. On April 7, a local woman told investigators that Gangi had performed unlicensed work on her dwelling, Forrest said. He insisted she did not need a permit, and did the work between Nov. 11 and Jan. 21, Forrest said.

Gangi never obtained permits and he was never a licensed electrician, Forrest said.

Warrant issued for Montgomery man who performed $23K worth of dangerous electrical contracting work

by Somerset Reporter

Thursday April 30, 2009, 9:22 PM

An arrest warrant has been issued for Thomas Gangi III, 22, whose last known address is located on Rhoads Drive, Montgomery, Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne J. Forrest announced today.

Gangi has been charged with fourth degree electrical contracting without a permit.

Forrest stated that on April 7 a resident from Branchburg came to the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Special Investigations Unit to report that unlicensed construction work was performed on her residence by the owner of TNN Construction, identified as Gangi. The construction project estimate for labor without material was for $23,775.

The estimate given to the resident by Gangi included demolition and numerous lighting fixture installations, switch installations, outlet installations and updating her current electrical switches and outlets. Gangi informed the resident that he could do the electrical work and that she did not need a permit. The work was performed on the residence from Nov. 11, 2008 through Jan. 21, according to a release from the prosecutor's office.

Forrest stated that an investigation conducted by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Special Investigations Unit revealed that the electrical work performed on the homeowner's residence in Branchburg was faulty and substandard. The Special Investigations Unit contacted the Branchburg building inspector, the building sub-code official and the Branchburg electrical sub-code official.

The inspectors stated that the workmanship at the residence is something that they had never seen before and that the demolition work performed by TNN Construction had deteriorated the residence's structural integrity. The electrical work performed at the premises was a fire hazard and was required to be redone by a licensed electrical contractor. They stated that even the switches and outlets were wired the wrong way, wires were exposed, some wires were ungrounded, lights fixtures were placed over the shower without the prior trim required and that some of the insulation material were too close to the electrical switches, which could ignite and cause a fire at the residence, it was stated in the release.

Forrest stated that Gangi never obtained permits from Branchburg for the work performed on the residence and that the work at the residence was never inspected by a qualified building inspector.

Forrest stated that Gangi is not - and never was - a licensed electrician. This verification was made by contacting the Somerset County, Division of Consumer Protection, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General Division of Consumer Affairs and the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors.

Gangi was previously charged and arrested by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Special Investigation Unit on March 24 for third degree theft by deception. That incident involved Gangi accepting funds to perform work on a separate residence in Branchburg and never actually performing the work. Gangi had failed to appear before state Superior Court Judge Reed regarding this charge and a bench warrant had been issued for his arrest on the matter.

Forrest stated that Gangi is currently not in custody and that a warrant has been issued for his arrest in connection to the latest charge.