Recently we decided to open a familyoperated eatery in downtown Mariposa turning a local office building into a bakery. We hadn’t a clue what we were up against.

The dark side to our remodel is one we’d like to share so that you may avoid making the same costly mistakes. Our first choice in ventilation hood contractors was (in our opinion) a crook out of Clovis. Turns out this contractor was experienced in dealing with disputes and claims against his work. What’s worse, we mistakenly depended on the California Contractors License Board (CCLB) to disclose any dishonest contractors before hiring but the CCLB’s policy is to only notify the public when disputes are active. Once resolved, the CCLB clears the public information from its Web site. Should you be in the position of firing a crooked contractor and especially after partial payment was accepted, the CCLB is little help. Our advice, relentlessly go after the contractor’s bond. The bond company is your best bet to retrieve your loss up to two years of the project plus you may also attach any and all related expenses to your claim but the headaches, sleepless nights, and delays are not part of damages recovered unless you can attach a dollar sign through documentation. To avoid the rotten luck of dealing with a bad contractor, get references and lots of them.

There is a bright side to our remodel. We found WestStar Stainless out of Stockton that efficiently completed our hood project and got us back on track. Another was the knowledge and can-do attitudes of the Mariposa contractors we hired. They truly were our saving grace. Burt Murdock of Horseshoe Plumbing, Jason Swartz Electric, and Andy Verdugo of AJV Heating and Cooling were top notch and professional in every way.

By far our biggest surprise came out of Mariposa County. We had heard horror stories about the monsters that work there but that was hardly the case. Our experience with the guys and gals working in the county clerk’s office, the assessor’s office, building and planning, health and safety, public works, and the sign committee were extremely helpful and pleasant. Our questions were many and the folks were patient, attentive, taking additional time to thoroughly answer each one, even the laughable ones without offending. We are so appreciative to WestStar, our Mariposa contractors, and the County for helping us make our dream come true. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you all.

Debra and Clif Tollstrup owners of Dazzle’s Donuts