In my world we run into a lot of unscrupulousness competitors.  One simple way to weed out those that should from those that should not is by checking up on their insurance coverage. For contractors that are properly insured the common practice when asked is to provide a CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE.  Simply put, it is a quick glance document made out to you by the insurance company.  It wound be sent direct form the agent supplying the coverage to dismiss any chance of document tampering, and typically it shows the clients name on it to prove that coverage is in place for that specific project.

Here is a current example of our certificate of insurance:

So the key things to look for on these is that both General Liability and Workman Compensation insurance is in place.  The minimum standard for General Liability is 1 million combined (you will see on our certificate we carry 2 million as required by some of our commercial clients) and the minimum standard for workman compensation is 300,000 (again we are required to carry 500,000 for some of our large scale projects).

Second – make sure that vehicular coverage is in place. In the case of many “trunk slammers” they may not have coverage at all (may just have their standard minimum coverage insurance).  Once you start using a vehicle for business and service work there are very different coverages required – and standard insurance will not protect the contractor or the client in the event of an accident on site.  In fact – many carriers will cancel a policy and deny any claim on a vehicle involved in an accident that was not properly insured for business use.  In our case we carry that insurance with State Farm and a have a separate certificate for that.  That tends to be the case for most contractors.  It is a similar document and will read the same way.

Finally, double check that dates on all the certificates are current – make sure the coverage is in force for the period of time that your specific project will be taking place in.

We buy A LOT of materials, and any many cases are at the mercy of our vendors for warranty and pro product solutions.  Kirby Risk Supply is our primary vendor and an industry leader in the electrical supply field.  What a lot of people don’t know is that they are a locally owned family  company based right here in Lafayette Indiana.  They have many divisions and cover a lot of ground from residential, to heavy industrial, as well as motors and full repair / rebuild services for electrical components. If you have never been to there web page and like tech stuff go check it out.

If you are a lighting and ceiling fan freak a trip by the local lighting showroom is a must – they have the kinds of things there you just can see at the big box home stores.

Enjoy!

Hi Friends – this post may be a little off the normal path for us, but then what is normal right?  My wife and I have got the itch to move to the country.  We have spent a good part of the last 10 years restoring this home.  While there are some things left to do, most of the major work has been done.  Please take a look and share this post with anyone you know that might be in the market and shares our passion for historic homes.

FOR SALE BY OWNER – $98,000 – 2307 North 20^th Street, Lafayette IN

• 1934 Bungalow with full basement
• Secluded city lot with many trees and landscape – VERY private setting
• Fully fenced in back yard
• Lot dimensions (50 x 152)
• Total square feet = 1133 (including 4 season sun porch and full basement)
• 2 bedrooms / 1 full bathroom upstairs
• Bonus bedroom / second full bath downstairs
• House has restored original siding – western red cedar
• Other features / improvements
  • New reproduction windows
  • Newer AC / Furnace (furnace is gas forced air)
  • New water heater (gas)
  • Newer roof
  • New electrical service / home has been re-wired
  • All new light fixtures / ceiling fans / commercial grade outlets and switches
  • New gutters
  • New sidewalk / driveway approach
  • Newer gas range / refrigerator -  included in sale
  • Original hardwood floors / woodwork / doors
  • Exterior brick has been restored / tuck pointed
  • Large wood burning fireplace with fully restored chimney – proper caps and liners
  • 1.5 car detached garage with new roof / new garage door / independent furnace / 60 amp electrical service
  • Large clean attic space – with stairs
  • Original limestone retaining wall restored
  • 4 season private sun porch / large back yard / private patio
  • Large area rugs to stay in home (bedrooms / dining room / front porch)

NOTE:  Home is for sale by owner at this time – Seller will agree to pay 3% to a Realtor who brings a buyer.  To schedule a walk thru please contact Chris Voglund @ 765-414-3913 or info@artisanelectric.net

We are starting to get asked a lot of questions about the rules for residential wind energy usage and installation. Though we would start by getting them posted up here for discussion and review.

Here is a copy of the most recent amendment to the Tippecanoe County building code regarding wind power.  If you are thinking about wind gen for your residence or small business this would be a great resource to start with – it will help answer a lot of the start up questions.

Tippecanoe County Wind Energy – new amendments

Like many people and business, we have wind energy and green power on the mind.  Artisan Electric is pleased to announce our companies next step into the wind energy market.  We will be attending the 2010 WINDIANA conference, an intensive 2 day expo covering a wide range of topics; from big wind systems, to residential and ag use, all the way down to the specifics of the emerging ordinances and the manufacturing process.

Here is a quick glance at this years agenda:  WIndiana_2010_Tentative_Agenda-4-21-2010

We are lucky to live in a state that has “good wind” and is emerging as the Midwest’s leader in wind tech.  Artisan Electric has already been involved with serveral small scale residential wind turbine installs – most recently a Windspire vertical axis system installed at a rural location here in Tippecanoe County.  We are very excited about the future of wind power, and becoming the areas leading expert on the electrical systems for residential wind applications.

In this day an age of low bids, trunk slammers, poor workmanship, and a general lack of professionalism in the trades finding the right folks to do work with can be a challenge.  It comes as no surprise that we get asked for contractor referrals all the time.  Naturally this leads to us keeping a list of referable, reliable, trustworthy companies that can deliver a quality product and keep to a time table.  Here is my “GO TO” list – the people that I  have come to trust, who consistently meet my expectations and take great care of our clients.  I will personally vouch for these companies – this is my A-TEAM when it comes to local small contractors.

The A – TEAM

BRENNECO Plumbing (765-448-6190) > Randy Lynch

MECKO’S Heating and Cooling (765-447-7555) > Dave Mecklenburg

ARNIE COOK Roofing – residential and commerical roofing / windows / siding (765-420-7663) > Arnie Cook

ARTISAN ELECTRIC (765-414-3913) > That’s me – Chris Voglund

HAGUE QUALITY WATER – water conditioning equipment sales and installation (765) 538-2549 > Steve Sidel

HENERY POOR LUMBER – building materials / custom wood / kitchen and bath supply (765) 474-1388 > Jay Andrew

KIRBY RISK SUPPLY – all things electrical / lights / fans (765) 448-4567

CARPENTER’S PAINTING – exterior paint and restoration (765) 430-5560 > Bryan Carpenter

R.DOUGLAS PAINTING – high end interior paint (765) 412-4621 > Gaius Douglas

ECODOMIA – steel frame homes / general contractor (765) 418-7117 > Chris Xioufarides

SIMON CONSTRUCTION – general contractor (765) 567-2764 > Sam Simon

ISSAC LAWSON – kitchen and bath specialist / handy man (765) 413-7516 > Issac Lawson

WYATT COMMUNICATIONS - phone and com tech support and supply (765) 447-6545 > Bill Wyatt

TRI-TECH CONSTRUCTION – commercial buildings / cement work / crane service / overhead doors (765) 448-7994

KJG ARCHITECTURE – full service architects and engineers (765) 497-4598 > Kelly Good

K.L. SECURITY ENTERPRISES – fireproof data and document storage 1-866-867-0306 > Johnny Klemme

AMERICA’S ELITE CARPET and FLOOR CARE – all things floor cleaning (765-296-7234) > Mark Harbison

BECK’S AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE CENTER – all things car and truck (765) 447-9459 > Robert Hancock

MAXIMUMMEDIA - media / web / graphic design and consulting (765) 413-8923 > Noah Mattern

JP VIDEO PRODUCTIONS - all things video (765) 269 – 9692 Jay Patzschke

IS PHOTOGRAPHIC - all things photo (765) 420-9621 > Dave Mason

AUTO GLASS EXPRESS – all things auto glass (765) 446-7900 > Ron Whitaker

EDGE IT SOLUTIONS - all things IT (765) 807-6121 > Ryan Edgell

If you have any questions about who to use for a project or how to find the right contractor for a job let me know – I am happy to help!   Also please feel free to check back in from time to time as we are always updating the list as a local resource.

Best Regards – Chris Voglund

WOW… this is super awesome people!  Thank you so much for your support, trust, and business – we could not do this with out you (really, we have to sell work to eat).

If you have some extra time and can make it out to the reception it would be great to see you.

Best Regards,

Chris Voglund

Hey friends – we are getting ready to run a series of print ads targeting future clients with vacation property and lake / river homes.  Here is our new ad, tell us what you think?

Batteries, batteries, batteries – there is no escaping the vortex these days.  From small portable consumer electronics like cell phones, cameras, and ipods; to portable tools, batteries for back up UPS systems for computers and sump pumps,  to cars, trucks, and heavy equipment – the battery industry is alive and well.

We recently came across an excellent source for battery information and replacement products that we want to share… best part is that company is based LOCALLY right here in Otterbein, IN.

Please take a moment to check out the Gizmobatteries.com store and their Battery TIP Blog for products, disposal information, tips (like how two get more go juice for your cell phone), and those hard to find specialty batteries!!!

The deadline for the $8,000 first time home buyer benefit that the federal government is offering is set to expire on April 30th – 2010. This means you are going to see A LOT of home deals get legs in the next few weeks… and with home deals come home inspections.

Since these deals are going to be time sensitive a lot of people are going to be pushing hard to “make the deal” work.  It is just these types of situations that lead to hurried work, unethical behaviors, and home owners getting taken advantage of by contractors (what, this never happens right).

So, if you or anyone you know is involved with the buying or selling of a property and finds themselves in need of electrical services please have them give us a call. We don’t play favorites, we don’t play price games, and we don’t take bonuses from buyers, sellers, realtors, or home inspection companies to MAKE a deal go the right way or get a job.  If you need a first, second, or third opinion – YOU CAN TRUST US to give it to you straight.  You have my word on it.

Best Regards,
Chris Voglund & the Artisan Electric Team