The Home Repair Rip-off that comes knocking at your door
The Setup: A "worker" is working on a home down the street. He
knocks on your door and tell you that he notices a problem with
your roof/chimney/siding.
He tell you that he can repair it for you for just the cost of labor, since he'll have left over material from the job he's doing down the street. He asks for some money up front and leaves. He'll give you an estimate "later". You may think
you got the deal of the century....BUT YOU JUST GOT SCAMMED.
The Solution:Don't hire contractors who work this way, becuase the legitimate ones don't do this. Hiring one of these characters will do more harm than good. "Repairs" like this are usually shoddy and could diminish the value of your property, or violate building codes which means FINE$.
Always get a written estimate describing what will be done, for what price. Ask around your neighborhood and get references. If you still have any question about the contractor and check him out. Two old adages apply here: You get what you pay
for so Caveat Emptor
(Let the buyer beware).