Sec. 1. 10 MRSA §1487, first ¶, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 574, is amended to read:

Any home construction contract for more than $1,400 $5,000 in materials or labor must be in writing and must be signed by both the home construction contractor and the homeowner or lessee. Both the contractor and the homeowner or lessee shall must receive a copy of the executed contract prior to any work performance. This basic contract must contain the entire agreement between the homeowner or lessee and the home construction contractor and must contain at least the following parts:

Sec. 2. 10 MRSA §1487, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 574, is amended to read:

3. Work dates. Both the estimated date of commencement of work and the estimated date when the work will be substantially completed.__The estimated date of commencement of work and the completion date may be changed if work can not begin or end due to the lack of readiness of the job site or the unavailability of building materials;

SUMMARY

This bill increases the monetary amount at which a written home construction contract is required from $1,400 to $5,000. It also allows a change in the commencement and completion dates of a project if the contractor is unable to work at the project site due to the lack of readiness of the site or the unavailability of building materials.