Home Contractor Problems and Solutions

This is one of the biggest problems in business today. You have some work done on your home in good faith that the contractor knows what he is doing. When all is said and done you have a problem that needs to be resolved as soon as possible. I really don't care how long it has been since the work was done. If you have a problem the least that your contractor can do is answer the telephone.

Some companies go out of business and others get to busy to respond to your problem. You will hear the old excuse "That's not my problem" or the ever popular " I didn't do that". I have been in business for over twenty years and had very few problems. Of course I built things to last as long as possible.

Keep in mind that some contractors are a one man operation and they might be on vacation. Some contractors do not answer their phones over the week ends or after business hours. So don't sink the ship to fast.

Do not call the Contractors Licensing Board or the Better Business Bureau unless it has been at least a few working days. I would give it at least a week or so. Oh yeah don't assume that the contractor got your message. Call a few times at the least.

It has always made me mad when I have to fix someone else's problems. I get the call when the other contractors won't respond. I listen to the home owner with regret for being in a business where I am considered a crook. This is one of the reasons why contractors in my business get out of it.

If you have the contractors address and they aren't responding by phone you can always send them a letter by certified mail. Request a return receipt. That's your proof that the company received your letter. Keep a copy for your files.

The good news for a home owner when a contractor will not respond to your calling them is the Department of Consumer Affairs. Most states have a complaint department of some sort that will listen to your complaints. Does this mean it will get resolved? NO there are no guarantees here.

If your state has a licensing board for contractors, this will be your next step.

This will get your contractors attention and there is a great chance they will respond now. If there are enough complaints against the contractor and they do nothing about them the contractors board will take their license away.

If your contractor does not respond after all of this. There is very little you can do about it. Hire someone to fix the problem and look at it as a very important lesson learned.

If your state doesn't have a contractors licensing board contact the Better Business Bureau or your local government for their recommendation. Ask some of your friends if they have had any problems like this and how they handled them.

For some more tips about hiring contractors go to
http://gregvan.com/library/homeowner_checklists.htm

Greg Vanden Berge has been in the home building and remodeling business for over 30 years. With this knowledge he has created a few websites that provide useful information for home owners as well as contractors. His main goal is to educate professionals in the home related businesses, dealing with problems that can easily be avoided with just a little bit of information.

His website http://gregvan.com provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building issues that could create major damage as well as possible damage to your pocket book.

Moisture Problems In Crawlspace

Choose A Bath Over A Shower Any Day

Taking a shower will leave us feeling clean and fresh but it will not provide as many benefits as taking a bath. Let's take a look at the benefits of bathing, and you can decide for yourself, which is better for you.

Showers are quick, but baths encourage us to relax and take our time. Taking a bath is more soothing than taking a shower, will help to draw out toxins from the body and if bathing with bath salts you can actually replenish your body with essential minerals required to keep your skin soft and supple. Taking a bath also will help to relieve stress, and gives stressed people a chance to have a time to take a deep breath and stop for a while, and put things in perspective. You can combine aromatherapy with your bath to create an exceptionally therapeutic experience.

If you have a cold, there is nothing better than a bath to clear congested lungs and relieve sinus pressure. Even breathing in the steam while taking a bath is really healthy and a sore throat can feel a lot more comfortable.

Taking a bath, and especially with bath salts warms your body, eases muscles aches and pains, and is especially nice during the cold, dreary winter months. Bathing can also be very romantic. Between the warm water, sweet aromas and moisturizing bath bubbles, baths are just plain sexy when shared. Light some candles around the tub, play soft music, and step into the bath together - you will have a memorable, romantic evening.

So next time you think you are in a hurry to take a quick shower, slow down and think again - Maybe it's time to take a nice warm relaxing bath.

Installed Skylight In Framing

Contents Cover - Hints and Tips

While content cover is not compulsory, taking out the insurance could make a great deal of sense. If the worst case scenario were to arise you could lose everything. With contents cover behind you there would be something to fall back onto and while this would not be able to replace lost memories, it would at least allow you to buy new items for your home.

When considering taking out contents cover you have control over the amount you choose to insure. This sum insured is the amount you get back if you should have to make a claim on the policy. To get a good idea of this amount you could go around the home and jot down what it would cost to replace all of the items in your home. When taking this measure items which are stored away in cupboards, loft, kitchen cupboards and drawers and your wardrobe. Even the smallest of items would soon add up to a considerable amount which of course if not included means you could lose out if you needed to make a claim.

Usually when covering your contents with the insurance you should be able to claim for damage by such as the result of theft, vandalism, flooding, fire and water damage. However you may want to check the small print of the policy you are looking into taking before actually buying as some policies may not cover flood damage.

When taking out cover the majority of insurance companies will allow you to choose between wear and tear cover and new for old. If you should decide to take out new for old protection then any items that were destroyed, damaged or stolen would be replaced as brand new. Wear and tear as the name suggests would take depreciation into account. As a result this type of protection would offer the cheaper premiums.

Contents insurance would generally protect any item in your home that you would take with you if you should choose to move home. However all insurance policies will come with some limits and exclusions and you may wish to check these before taking on the policy. Some very expensive items such as collections and expensive jewellery may not be protected unless you mention them to the insurance provider, who could ask you cover these separately. When considering insurance for your contents always check to find out if accidental cover would be included in the protection. Some insurance providers will include this, for example if you were to be decorating and spilt paint on your carpet which ruined it, you may get a replacement. If you accidentally broke such as a mirror or glass topped table you could also be entitled to claim for this too. However some insurers will ask that you pay a little extra to have accidental damage included.

Allowing a broker to search around for the cheapest premiums for your contents cover may lead to you getting the cheapest premiums for the protection. By choosing this option you will have access to some of the top UK insurance companies without having to spend hours searching online yourself.

David Thomson is Chief Executive of BestDealInsurance an independent specialist broker dedicated to providing their clients with the best insurance deal on their home insurance, car and life insurance

Long Wood Framed Wall Ready For

10 Tips For Cheap Bathroom Remodeling Ideas

Are you set to remodel your bathroom but the cost is hindering your plans? This article on cheap bathroom remodeling ideas will help you to turn your bathroom into an enchanting delight from a dull one.

We often tend to visualize everything brand new and over look the fact that by simply replacing small fixtures can bring new life to an existing bathroom. Cheap bathroom remodeling ideas are a great for the do-it-yourselfer.

Cheap bathroom remodeling ideas

1. If you are a DIY person, you can save a lot of dollars by refurbishing items like cabinets, varnish, vanities with paint etc.

2. Space is an important factor. Try rearranging the bathroom layout.

3. Gather inspiring ideas from the internet.

4. Get creative and take a tip from your nearest bathroom shop.

5. Paint the wall instead of using wallpapers. Paper wallpapers cannot handle the moisture and will soon peel off.

6. Shower/Bath glass enclosures are easy to install and clean than cloth or plastic curtains. This is also a fashionable way of dressing up your bathroom.

7. Never touch any plumbing or electrical jobs as you may end up paying the plumber/electrician for repairing the damage.

8. Another cheap bathroom remodeling idea is that you can change the toilet seat or a toilet seat cover. With the help of couple of screwdrivers, a toilet seat can be easily changed. This is a very easy task compared to other fixtures in the home. Match the cover to a new rug. This will give a new and an elegant look to your bathroom.

9. Allow your children to display their creativity in the bathroom. Ask them to stick some fancy stickers in the walls. You will be amazed how it adds value to your bathroom. However, do not encourage children to stick them on the mirrors. This would take lot of time to clean and would be tough if you are planning to sell your house.

10. Consider some cheap posters .This will make the area look different and good. You can also cover the areas that are not appealing with posters, if you are not planning to paint currently.

Tips

Take advice from the experts and do some price comparison before purchasing. Remember to bring samples of the necessary items to avoid several trips to the store. Take a picture of your bathroom as this will give you a visual sense, and you will be able to select better. Carry the exact measurements and a floor plan when are you are shopping. Always balance your needs with your budget and try not to stray from your budget.

If you're looking for more information about bathroom renovation or are looking for bathroom remodeling ideas come visit me at my bathroom remodeling blog.

You will find lots of information about bathroom tile design, shower and tub installation, bathroom remodeling tools, bathroom renovation ideas, bathroom remodeling pictures and even specific information about the topic of this article: cheap bathroom remodeling ideas.

Remodeling Help In Carlsbad

What you are thinking about remodeling your house and you live in Carlsbad. Let me give you some advice about some local contractors and some of the people involved. I used a company called Service Magic to find a local heating and air conditioning contractor. All I had to do was go on the internet , type in some information about my self and what I wanted to have done to my home. This didn't seem that bad of a idea at the time. But look what I found out.

I went to their web site, filled in my information and with in minutes I had received the names of at least 4 contractors. Wow this is neat. I didn't even get to start calling any of them when my phone rang. It was one of the contractors secretaries. She introduced herself and asked what would be a good time for someone to come out to look at the work I wanted done.

I was surprised at the speed things were taking place but in a way glad that I had a reputable contractor from one of the largest construction referral services on the internet. I told her 10:00 would be fine. I got a call shortly after that from one of the other companies. He wanted to meet me that mourning at 8:00 if it was Ok with me. I told him of course, let's do this. Then the next one called and I thought great you can come at 1:00. Well you guessed it the next one was coming over at 2:30.

The first contractor showed up as scheduled at 8:00. We talked about what I wanted done and he whips out his note book and starts figuring out a price. This took place around 15 minutes into the meeting. This guys good I thought. Being a General Contractor in Carlsbad myself, for a job like this I would go back to my office and figure out a price and then double check my figures for a accurate estimate. It took this guy less than 5 minutes to create a proposal of around 10,700 dollars for every thing.

Well I was thinking to myself, the job should be around 7,000 dollars but what do I know about construction. I informed him that I would think about it and that I was going to meet with a couple of other contractors that day. He ask me who the other contractors were. I proceeded to tell him that I probably shouldn't tell him who they were. Well your not going to believe this. He put on his physic hat and told me who was coming over. The only thing he didn't know was what time they where coming over.

Oh I forgot to mention before he left he told me he would knock ten percent off the job if I signed the contract right now. I pretended like I was excited just to see his reaction. He looked at me like he had won the gold metal in sales. I told him thanks but I bet your new offer with the ten percent discount will be good for the next few day. Right I asked. He wasn't looking that excited any more as he replied with a Yes it will be good for a while. I thanked him and he went on his way.

My 10:00 never showed but his secretary gave me the old, " He had to go do a emergency job and could he reschedule tomorrow at the same time. I said that would be fine. As a contractor myself I have always put the work I had to do first and foremost.

About 12:30 I get a call from my next heating and air conditioning contractor. He is running late but will be there at 1:30. I appreciate the call and I will see you then. The only problem now is that I have another contractor coming at 2:30. That give the next contractor less than one hour before the next guy shows up. I never liked going over to someone's house and running into another remodeling contractor.

The next contractor was very informative and knew his stuff. I listened and learned. He told me he was going to have to go back to his office and would have a price back in the mourning. Great I told him as I hurried him out the door.

The last contractor of the day shows up and wants to know whose been over to the house, was it these guys or those guys. I told him I wasn't going to tell him who was over. Now this guy was a salesman. He did a little more probing before he let me in on the fact that his company doesn't do complete home installations. He made up some story that his company only replaces the forced air units. I could tell he didn't want to do the job once he found out I knew what I was talking about. So I said my good byes to Mr. Salesman.

The bad part about him was latter on that week his company sent us some mailers. The kind that doesn't have your name on it and everyone in the neighborhood get's one. I couldn't believe my eyes when I started to read this letter. It said we would be glad to give you an estimate on all your heating and air conditioning needs or services. " We Do Complete Installs". I told my wife we could have used this a few weeks ago. Then I recognized the name of the company and now knew that the salesman had lied to me for sure.

That night I started to think about what was going on here it seemed like I was being set up. Everyone knew what was going on but me. It seemed clear to me that these people knew each other.

Well as time went on we ended up hiring the first guy that came over. He seemed to have the best product at the most reasonable price. His company also did a great job. Keep one thing in mind here out of five contractors that I gave the opportunity to bid the job. Only three showed up and from them I only got two bids. Why didn't I get more bids? Quite frankly I was to busy working at the time and of course the other two guys were always going to show up and that kind of strung me along. My mistake.

Here's the kicker to all of this. Service Magic calls me up one day to tell me they would like to start sending me construction leads as a General Contractor.

I listened to what they had to say and was almost ready to sign up with them again. That's right, I was signed up with them when they first started until they changed the rules on me. The salesman that originally contacted me said if I paid them the 100 dollar sign up fee they would let me pick what jobs I wanted to do. That lasted about 5 months before I noticed that they were not sending me siding referrals to pick from. I called them up only to talk to someone who didn't understand the State Of California Contractors Licensing Board.

Well I wasn't about to reinvent the wheel. I simply told them that I should a least get my money back, right. They said they would look into it further as I never heard from them again about my 100 dollars. Well things have changed at Service Magic since I was with them when they started.
As a home owner you don't think you are paying Service Magic because all you do is fill out a simple form giving some information about yourself.

I found out that Service Magic sent all four of these contractors my original information. Each contractor then had to pay 55 dollars each to Service Magic for a total of 220 dollars. All I have to say is how are they getting away with charging this much money for sending a out a simple referral to these contractors.

The contractor unfortunately passes this expense on to his customers. You as the home owners end up paying these fees as a cost of doing business with them. Some contractors think this is a great way of doing business but you might think differently in the future if you start paying over 100 dollars for a simple construction referral.

Greg Vanden Berge has been in the home building and remodeling business for over 30 years. With this knowledge he has created a few websites that provide useful information for home owners as well as contractors. His main goal is to educate professionals in the home related businesses, dealing with problems that can easily be avoided with just a little bit of information.

His website http://gregvan.com provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building issues that could create major damage as well as possible damage to your pocket book.

Visit us now for Home Improvement Tips

Temporary Ceiling Repair

More Than Just Price - Choosing a Paving Contractor to Install Your Driveway

Paving an asphalt driveway may seem like a simple task to some people. Basically you just get a couple of companies out of the phone book to give you an estimate and then pick the cheapest one right? Well, not if you're concerned about the craftsmanship or making sure you get what you pay for. This is the number one mistake people make when choosing a contractor. Before you call any company do some research first. Information is readily available 24 hours a day on the web. Stay away from people that knock on your door. You will never ever get a good job from someone telling you he has an extra load of asphalt from a job up the street. These people are called travelers and never deliver on what they promise. There is plenty of info on the web regarding these types of people.

Try to zero in on companies that specialize in residential asphalt drives. Commercial contractors excel in putting down lots of asphalt really fast, but usually fall short of a homeowner's expectations when it comes to details. Review a company's website, check them against the BBB or other reporting agencies, and compare your notes about your research. When you look at their website, be sure to pay really close attention to the details you find both in the content and in the pictures on the site. You want to see what kind of work they are capable of, and you want to be confident they fully know what they are doing. You'll also be able to make sure they have adequate equipment if they have good pictures. Once you have 1-3 good companies with a clean history and a good reputation now is the time to talk to them and request a bid. Always get a written proposal. This makes sure both parties' expectations are clear and known. It also helps protect you if a legal matter ensues.

When reviewing the bids pay close attention to the entire proposal; including the letterhead that it's composed on. Sloppiness or inadequacies on paper now may be what you'll get on your asphalt driveway too. Be sure that everything you expect from your paving project is included in the scope. Make sure you understand everything that is taking place. Be sure you understand how the job will be scheduled, how thick the driveway will be after the asphalt is compacted, how much rock will be installed prior to paving, and the dimensions or square footage. Signing a contract means you have accepted what is in writing. If something is left out, make sure you get an amended contract.

Before you sign a contract you should take some time and use good judgment to compare the estimates. Price should never be your number one concern. We'll discuss price in a moment. Take an opportunity to ask a contractor for referrals that best match the design of your job. Some companies keep a cheat sheet of their best referrals, but you should insist they provide you with 1-2 jobs nearby that best match your own asphalt driveway. You want this because you should be inclined to physically investigate what kind of work they do. Ask about jobs they might be doing in the area so you can personally witness them while in action.

How do you know what to look for when looking at a referral driveway that a company has already completed? Here are a few great tips that will bring you up to an educated level.

Check all the transitional areas such as sidewalks, garage floors, and streets. These should all be flush, with no bump, and should have the proper thickness. Without these details you will see water problems, or unraveling of the asphalt. These symptoms only get worse as time goes on.
Streaking or pock marks are a good indicator of a thin surface. This happens when there is not enough material to encapsulate the larger stones while paving. The larger stones will tumble and cause imperfections in the surface, or "mat".
Seams and joints should be flush with each other, and barely visible (if at all) to an untrained eye. Seams and joints that are severely visible or are not evenly matched will fail prematurely.
Exposed edges of the perimeter should be properly constructed. This is where most companies sink or swim. You should pay most of your attention here. Stand back and carefully look at the edges from a distant point of view. You should observe several aspects: The edges should be either in a perfectly straight line, or consistently "flowing" with the turns. The edges should be properly shaped, beveled, or tamped in a consistent looking 60 degree angle. The edges should be compacted properly without looking "squashed" from the top. Without these characteristics you will have problems later and it just doesn't look as good as it should.
If you look at the job after a rainstorm, be sure there is no considerable ponding, or puddling of water. If you do see water spots you can quickly deduce if they are too deep by measuring them with a coin placed flat in the water. The water should not be deeper than the coin.
Last but not least, if the driveway was paved recently look for trash or debris left behind. This will indicate the level of cleanliness the crew is at.

You should really focus on the importance of inspecting past jobs by the company before spending your own money on having your asphalt driveway paved. By printing out this guide you can take it with you to create a checklist to write notes and comparisons on. Once you have done this, talk to the home owner and ask how their experience was with the firm. If you are diligent about researching your contractors prior to hiring them, you nearly eliminate the chance of getting a bad asphalt driveway. It's your money, be sure it's well spent.

Certainly ask your contractor about asphalt prices. Since early 2008 prices have gone up and down every month (typically up). Most paving contractors will not absorb a price increase. You and your contractor need to be in agreement with what will happen in the case of rising material costs.

Since we are on the topic of price now, let's explore a few matters. There are a few ways of eliminating contractors before price. Be sure they are completely aware of your expectations. Have they presented you with a solution that gives you the absolute best return on investment? Does their reputation meet what you are looking for? If you have done your homework and still are lucky enough to have several contractors to choose from, price now becomes an important focus. Ask about available discounts. Typically, discounts are usually for cash payment, multiple jobs done at once (i.e. neighbor also needs a driveway), senior citizen, or repeat work. Also inquire about getting free or discounted maintenance packages once they have completed your driveway. Ask about including other options such as crack barrier or curbing at a lesser amount. Before asking a contractor to directly drop his price, be aware of several things. If you have found a very good contractor, chances are they are very passionate about their work and may feel a bit insulted if asked to match another company's price. If you ask them to match a price and they feel as though their competition is as good as they are, a price reduction might be made to try to satisfy you. Be very considerate when asking for a direct reduction. These days it's very expensive and stressful to operate a successful paving operation. The last thing you want to do is cause your contractor stress that may influence how your driveway is constructed.

Creve Coeur Paving:
A St. Louis based; family owned paving company focused on delivering the best possible solutions for its clients. Motivated by the company's highly regarded work ethic, it's owners and employees have been striving for perfection in paving for over thirty years. "Our Reputation Rides On Our Service."

Contact:
Richard Dinkela II, Operations
Creve Coeur Paving
314-427-3303
http://www.ccpstl.com

Window Header Framing Problems

Figuring the Lumber For Interior Wall Framing - Home Remodeling

Framing a new wall, anywhere in the home will not be very difficult to do. However, removing an interior wall on the other hand could be an enormous task and create some big problems, especially if you remove a loadbearing wall. A loadbearing wall would be something that is holding up another section of the home, like the roof or the floor.

If you're not removing or moving a wall, framing a new wall is a task that most homeowners with very little skill can do quite easily. Let's start with the basics, most walls are built from 2 x 4 framing lumber, which can be purchased at any lumber yard or home improvement center.

Let's start with measuring the length and the height of the wall. For example let's say that the wall you intend to frame is going to be 8'7" long and 8 foot tall. If I was going to figure the lumber for this wall, or how much material I would need. I would start with some simple arithmetic.

We need one bottom plate and one top plate. This would be the lumber that's going to run horizontal or right to left in our wall. So now we know that we need two pieces that will be 8'7" long and since they only sell lumber in 2 foot increments, our choices will be narrowed down to a couple of 10 foot two by fours.

The height of the wall is 8 foot tall and will require us to buy 8 foot two by fours. Now how many two by fours am I going to need? Most walls require 16 inch on center placement of the vertical two by fours, or in other words the two by fours that go up and down will be spaced 16 inches apart. If I was to divide 16 inches into 8'7", that would require 7 - 8 foot two by fours.

It's pretty simple math and don't forget to convert your measurements into inches to make the job easier. 8'7" can be converted to inches by multiplying the number of feet times 12, 12 times eight and then adding 7 to it will give us 103 inches. We can now divide 16 into 103 inches to give us the amount of vertical two by fours needed to frame our interior wall.

Don't forget there's 12 inches in a foot.

House Wood Damage or Wall Framing Tips

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

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