{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Chicks in Construction","title":"Navigating Contractor Chaos: Homeowner Horror Stories","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2917,"description":"Hosts Mikki Paradis and Jessica Abreu of Chicks in Construction share a North Carolina homeowner horror story: a bathroom gut remodel budgeted at $75,000 went off the rails after hiring “Marcus,” who quoted $15,000 labor and $30,000 materials, claimed a license wasn’t required under $40,000 labor, and urged the homeowner to pull permits. After multiple failed plumbing and waterproofing inspections, Marcus charged extra for “fixes,” then disappeared once confronted about licensing and insurance, leaving a gutted bathroom and defective work. A lawyer advised recovery was unlikely; a licensed contractor found additional code issues and quoted $31,500 to finish, bringing the final cost to $95,000 and the timeline to nine months. The hosts stress never paying for rework, verifying licenses and insurance, and treating homeowner-pulled permits and repeated inspection failures as red flags.\n00:00 Never Pay for Rework\n00:18 Welcome to Chicks in Construction\n00:50 Calling for Contractor Stories\n02:42 Michael B Jordan Moment\n03:22 Tourettes Documentary Discussion\n06:10 Fidelity Investment Scam Alert\n10:18 Fence Repair Update\n11:48 North Carolina Horror Story\n13:14 Meeting Marcus the Contractor\n14:18 License Requirements Lie\n14:53 Permit Red Flags\n16:09 Demo Begins\n16:36 First Failed Inspection\n17:52 Waterproofing Membrane Failure\n19:21 Stuck at the In-Laws\n20:50 Discovering NC Licensing Laws\n21:47 License Check Shock\n22:30 Confronting the Fake GC\n24:20 Worksite Vanishes Overnight\n24:35 Tool Leverage Strategy\n28:14 Ghosted and Legal Reality\n29:04 Damage Assessment Cost Spiral\n30:22 Reporting Dead Ends\n31:52 Hard Lessons Checklist\n33:48 Normalize Verifying Insurance\n37:26 Judgments Aren't Proof\n42:19 Portfolio and Review Sleuthing\n45:28 Secretary of State Checks\n46:34 Protect Yourself Next Time\n47:47 Share Your Story Outro\nSubmit your homeowner horror story:\nwww.chicksinconstruction.com\nFollow on Social Media:\nwww.instagram.com/chicksinconstructionpodcast...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/U4RQe6qavAk3WxUWLiKdTLcjOSkCRvzyPPS1Dj1fGLU/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9hMWVi/MzVhNTA2ZjUwMWI3/YzA2MDkxZmU3Njlh/NzkzNS5qcGVn.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}