Contractor charged with home improvement fraud | Local News

A construction contractor has been arrested after charging a man more than $100,000 to build a garage and leaving him with only a malformed foundation, according to court records.

A Lebanon homeowner agreed in October 2021 to pay Johnathon R. Manco, 40, of Thorntown, $98,000 to build a garage in three phases, according to a probable cause affidavit. Manco performed only phase one, which included grading and excavation, a footer, and the foundation, police reported.

But the foundation was made with inadequate, “extremely crooked” forms, Boone County Sheriff’s Detective Bradley Dunn reported.

And Manco, through his company, Diverse Construction Solutions,

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4 Home Improvement Projects That Are Tax Deductible

Whether you’re a new homeowner who’s knee-deep in a gut renovation or you’re making necessary upgrades to your forever home, you might think that every home improvement is simply a sunk cost. Don’t despair, though. Home improvements can greatly increase the value of your home in the long run (especially if you decide to sell). You can also get a much-needed tax break if your renovation projects qualify. Courtney Klosterman, home insights expert at the home insurance company Hippo, is here to walk us through the specifics.

“Despite a truly rocky year for homeowners in terms of rising inflation, cost

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