The Block Blog

Product updates, contractor insights, and stories from the field.

Enraged contractor smashing a marble bathroom floor with a sledgehammer over an unpaid invoice.
Shop talk

What NOT to Do When a Customer Won't Pay
Permit application block being forced into the wrong opening of a wooden shape sorter, representing a California contractor license classification mismatch.
Compliance June 10, 2026

Can a California Contractor Pull Permits Outside Their License Classification?

Milk carton parody featuring a Pennsylvania-themed "Liberty Milk" carton designed like a missing-person poster for a contractor license. The carton sits on a breakfast table beside a glass of milk and a newspaper with an Eagles headline. Large white text reads: “PA, WHERE'D YOUR LICENSE GO?” against a warm, rustic kitchen background.
Compliance June 5, 2026

What Pennsylvania Contractors Need to Know About HICPA Registration

Texas plumbing compliance notice highlighted on a blueprint-style document, featuring a large regulatory disclosure with Texas-themed blue and red engineering annotations and construction drafting elements.
Compliance June 3, 2026

Texas Plumbing Invoice Requirements: What Must Appear on Estimates, Invoices, and Receipts

Architectural blueprint cover featuring a dramatically cropped cinder block rendered in detailed white drafting lines on a deep blue blueprint background, with large “JUNE 2026” text in the top-left corner.
Updates June 1, 2026

June 2026: What Shipped

Humorous "10 Years Later" title card implying the estimate is still valid
Contractor tips May 25, 2026

How Long Should an Estimate Be Valid?

Western-style illustration showing a Texas standoff between two cowboys, with one holding a nail gun and the other holding a wrench, beneath the headline "Trades in Texas" and a speech bubble that reads, "Reckon you're licensed for that?"
Compliance May 22, 2026

Do You Need a Contractor License in Texas?

Liberty Bell with Pennsylvania contractor registration plate displaying PA123456, surrounded by blueprint-style compliance callouts and Philadelphia-inspired architectural elements, alongside bold text reading “INCLUDE YOUR PA REG NUMBER.”
Compliance May 18, 2026

Pennsylvania Contractors Must Include Their HICPA Registration Number on Contracts, Estimates, and Advertising

Expired California contractor license displayed on a locked jobsite gate with a contractor truck parked outside.
Compliance May 15, 2026

Can a California Contractor Work With an Expired License?

Hourglass with palm trees in the sand and an alligator on a Florida beach beside the headline "The Clock Starts Now."
Compliance May 13, 2026

Can Florida Contractors Collect Deposits Before Pulling a Permit?

Contractor standing outside the wrong customer property while checking job details on a phone beside a service van, illustrating scheduling confusion and disconnected contractor management software.
Contractor tips May 11, 2026

Why Contractors Lose Money Between Sales and Scheduling

Contractor-themed Wild West wanted poster warning against license lending in Texas, featuring an outlaw holding someone else’s contractor license and a $4,000+ reward notice.
Compliance May 8, 2026

Can You Use Someone Else's Contractor License in Texas?

Closed job site with a stop order sign posted
Compliance April 29, 2026

Working Under Someone Else's GC License in Florida: What the Law Actually Says

Dark Florida-themed illustration showing an alligator eye emerging from water beside a construction contract displaying an 11% deposit, with the headline "Florida Is Watching."
Compliance April 24, 2026

Florida Contractor Deposits: What Happens When You Collect More Than 10% Up Front?

Homeowner signing a home improvement contract on a tablet in a modern kitchen, with a large electronic signature and the headline “What’s the deal with electronic signatures?” prominently displayed.
Contractor tips April 20, 2026

Get the Signature. Every Time.

California home improvement contract highlighting the state's $1,000 contractor down payment limit, with California flag imagery and construction blueprints in the background.
Compliance April 13, 2026

California Contractor Down Payment Limits: How Much Can You Legally Collect Up Front?

Vintage New York State licensing map with approved jurisdiction stamps for NYC, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, and Buffalo beside large white text reading “LICENSED IN NEW YORK?” on a dark blue background.
Compliance April 1, 2026

Do You Need a License to Be a General Contractor in New York?

Florida contractor license card with a lit fuse burning toward it, set against a Florida flag backdrop, alongside the headline “LICENSE WON’T TRANSFER.”
Compliance March 23, 2026

Can You Transfer a Contractor License to Another Person in Florida?

Contractor comparing cordless and corded power tools on a job site
Contractor tips March 20, 2026

Cordless vs. Corded Power Tools: How to Choose (and How to Save on Batteries)

New Jersey home improvement contract and invoice highlighting NJHIC registration number requirements with compliance documents, blueprint background, and New Jersey regulatory imagery
Compliance March 16, 2026

New Jersey Contractor Registration Number Requirements for Contracts, Invoices, Vehicles, and Advertising

Contractor pickup truck parked on a Florida waterfront construction site with palm trees, city skyline, and large text reading “Lease or Buy in Florida?”.
Contractor tips March 9, 2026

Buying or Leasing a Work Van or Truck in Florida. What Contractors Need to Know

California contractor invoice with highlighted license number, business address, and contractor name against a California flag background.
Compliance February 27, 2026

California Contractor Invoice Requirements: What Must Be Included?

North Carolina contractor licensing requirements illustration featuring a large highlighted compliance panel, blueprint-style annotations, North Carolina flag elements, and a state outline on a technical drafting background.
Compliance February 23, 2026

North Carolina General Contractor License Limits Explained

Florida electrical license number requirement highlighted on a construction invoice with compliance markings, blueprint annotations, and a Florida-themed orange and green regulatory design.
Compliance February 16, 2026

Do Florida Electrical Contractors Have to Put Their License Number on Every Estimate and Invoice?

New Jersey contractor registration marked expired beside a denied building permit application.
Compliance February 9, 2026

What Happens If My New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor Registration Expires?

Electrical panel with New York blueprint background and headline about obtaining an electrical contractor license in New York.
Compliance January 28, 2026

Getting Your Electrical Contractor License in New York

Contractor work pickup truck parked in New York City with the Manhattan skyline and Brooklyn Bridge in the background, alongside large editorial text reading “LEASE OR BUY IN NY?” in bold blue-and-white magazine-style typography
Contractor tips January 5, 2026

Buying or Leasing a Work Van or Truck in New York. What Contractors Need to Know

Chalk graffiti on dark pavement showing the words “Wrong Way” crossed over a large white directional arrow
June 13, 2023

I Was a Lousy Dictator

A hand holding a red-and-white name tag that reads “Hello my name is,” featuring a concrete cinder block in place of a person's name against a light blue background
May 12, 2023

My Name is Cinderblock. Nice to Meet You.

A concrete cinder block launching like a rocket through a starry night sky, with bright exhaust flames and dramatic clouds illuminated below.
November 18, 2022

We Launched (thanks to Covid)!