It’s tempting to hire a contractor that you see working in your neighborhood. I recently noticed a company’s truck at three different houses near me and casually asked the supervisor if they trim trees or do concrete work. Right away, the “tree guy” gave me a bid of $800 to prune a large Japanese maple, and within minutes he offered a $100 discount because I was in their service area. The next day, their “concrete guy” made an estimate for $12,000 with no mention of permits or a written contract. Read more

During the shelter-in-place orders, so many of us are spending more time at home than ever before. This has brought on a home improvement and decorating boom, along with another rather mixed blessing: the opportunity to uncover hidden problems. In my case, it was a slow water leak from a skylight.

For months, I’ve been ignoring some cracks and small bubbles in my bathroom ceiling near the skylight. After one of the recent rainstorms, the problem became more noticeable. I decided to poke a broom handle around the area and it was spongy. As my husband and I tore out the ceiling, we discovered mold in an area that extended several feet in all directions. Read more

Collecting multiple bids for a home improvement project isn’t just about price shopping; it’s about ensuring every step of your project is handled as efficiently as possible. Here are the top reasons for getting at least three bids on your project:

1. You’ll learn a lot by talking to professionals ahead of time. This extra information will allow you to test what you know and don’t know about your planning, your budget and what’s included with the bid.

2. Before making a hiring decision, you want to be absolutely confident in your choice. Ultimately, the contractor you hire will leave a distinct mark on your life by creating a system that meets a purpose and lends value that can’t simply be returned or rejected if you don’t like it. Read more

The California State Licensing Board (CSLB) wants consumers to know that all home improvement contracts are required to contain certain language. If you aren’t aware of this prerequisite, the CSLB’s website has plenty of information that will get you acquainted with the elements of a proper contract. In addition, you can prevent stress and conflict during a construction project by tactfully requesting that your contract contain the following three elements:

A payment schedule with a task-by-task breakdown. The easier it is for you to read and understand your contract, the better. If the payment schedule is broken down by “percentage of job completed,” ask for a task-by-task breakdown instead so you can verify the work that has actually been done. Read more

This Mother’s Day, many Americans won’t have to travel far to hug their mothers. That’s because an increasing number of households have several generations living under one roof. For some, grandparents offer much-needed child care for busy, working parents; for other families, it’s reassuring, safer and more cost-effective to have an ailing parent living at home. Read more

Back in 2011, Chris Bjorklund, the Savvy Consumer, wrote the original version of this article. Kitchens have changed since then, but the sentiment is timeless: for those of us who live in the Bay Area, there simply isn’t room for space wasters in the kitchen. With that, read on to learn how to replace those space wasters with space savers.

Out: Kitchen desks

In her original post, Chris mentioned that the only family member to ever use her kitchen desk was the dog. Even in 2011, laptops and cellular devices were making traditional desks obsolete. Read more

Today, we’re revisiting a subject important to anyone embarking on a home improvement project: how you can help streamline the process by being a good customer. Below, Greg Louie, CEO of American Ratings Corporation, discusses what you can do to help foster the success of any project.

How to Be Their Favorite Customer
When you work with a local company, it’s ultimately their responsibility to perform a thorough and complete job, but you play a big part in the success of your project, too. Here are a few simple steps you can take to be their favorite customer:

• Be clear and upfront with the company representative.
• Outline the problem,

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