by Joshua Palmer

"An unholy mess."

That's what Castleton homeowner John Solek says he ended up with when he hired Charles B. Saylor General Contractors to add a sunroom to his house. Five months and $8,000 into the project, Indianapolis inspectors shut it down because Saylor didn't hold a Marion County general contractor's license or the proper building permits and his work violated building codes. "I was shocked - it was unsettling to say the least," says Solek, who wasn't an Angie's List member at the time.

Because Saylor wasn't a licensed contractor, Solek had little recourse and ended up paying about $20,000 to a licensed contractor who dismantled the work and started over. The city filed a complaint against Saylor for working without a license and he agreed to pay, but still owes, a $1,114 fine, according to the Marion County Clerk's Office. At press time, Saylor had not returned calls seeking comment.

Solek says the experience has taught him valuable lessons: "Make sure you've got a building permit, you've got insurance, and you've got someone who's bonded," he says.

To obtain an Indianapolis building permit, a general contractor must pay $395, prove they hold bonding and insurance, and register to be licensed with the Division of Compliance. The license doesn't require technical proficiency but does provide some consumer protection by allowing claims against the bonding and insurance if the work violates building codes. By comparison, Indianapolis' requirements for specialized trades like electrical, HVAC or demolition contractors fit a more traditional licensing model.

Indianapolis electricians, for example, must have six years' experience, pass an exam, and carry proper insurance and bonding. Once a contractor is licensed, a review board can hand out suspensions or revocations against that license if a contractor shows a pattern of code violations.

But there are no requirements for general contractors or most skilled trades for Indy's neighbors like Avon, Brownsburg, Noblesville, Carmel, Fishers and Zionsville. Despite explosive residential growth in the last decade, no contractor license or registration programs exist, save for Indiana's statewide plumber's license. Instead, those jurisdictions rely on building inspectors and permit offices to ensure contractors do sound work.

"A good deal of responsibility falls on the inspection process when you don't have licensed individuals," says Terry Jones, Zionsville's director of planning and building. Hendricks and Johnson counties have general contractor registration programs similar to Marion County's for their unincorporated areas.

Contractors say despite the lack of licensing, code inspections are more comprehensive. "There's no question they're more on top of it," says Tim Frodge of Noblesville's highly rated Tooling Around. "I've done permit work in Marion County, but I never saw anybody inspect it."

In those communities, if a contractor doesn't perform permitted work up to code, they can correct the issue and pass reinspection. Confirming a contractor's bonding or insurance is up to the homeowner in most cases. But if a contractor or homeowner doesn't get a permit, inspectors can issue stop-work orders and impose additional fees.

Some contractors say that because the Indianapolis general contractor license doesn't require proven know-how, it may be misleading. "Telling customers I'm licensed in Marion County is a disservice - it's not a license, it's a registration," says Rick Strezishar of Circle City Builders in Brownsburg. He says he let his Indianapolis license expire due to working few jobs in the city.

Margaret Bell says things can go wrong even when a contractor is licensed. Before joining Angie's List, she hired Nu Vinyl Plus in November 2007 to reroof her Castleton condo. Two years later, she says the roof began leaking, damaging her home's interior. She says she made no headway in getting company owner Larry Sylvester to make repairs, and called the Division of Compliance.

In April, inspectors issued a stop-work order, citing violations for roofing work performed without a permit and, based on Bell's complaint of leaks, incorrectly installed shingles. Because Nu Vinyl was a licensed general contractor, Bell pursued claims against its bond to have code-violating work corrected. However, according to Compliance spokeswoman Laura Gibbons, Sylvester obtained the permit in July and requested a reinspection. When inspectors issue violations, the onus is on the contractor to prove the work was done correctly. Inspectors later withdrew the violation.

Sylvester says Bell was initially happy with his work, but later changed her mind. "There's a small percentage of people that Jesus himself couldn't make happy," he says.

Bell says despite inspectors withdrawing the violation, she’s still stuck with an estimated $15,000 in damage from water leaks and other issues. Sylvester’s insurance offered $3,000, Bell says, but so far she’s declined it as insufficient and says she plans to hire a lawyer to pursue having the contractor pay for repairs. She’s now wary but vigilant.

“I’m totally shocked they let him off the hook,” she says. “Check on [contractors] with every source you can.”

You can check the license or registration status of some Greater Indianapolis contractors online or by phone. Log in to angieslist.com for details.