A few months ago, my friend (who I’ll call Clare for the sake of this true story) was in the position to choose a contractor for the small, charming century-old house she gutted and is bringing back to life. Clare got full bids from two contractors. Contractor Artisan’s bid was more expensive by 10s of…
Perhaps you’ve heard this quip when a spacecraft is launched: “There goes the lowest bid.” In my mind, trying to get the lowest bid for a remodeling project is just as foolish. And a lot of contractors agree with me. Gayler Construction explains very clearly how buying remodeling services is not even remotely like buying a…
GoAnimate.com: How NOT to Call a Contractor’s References by Kathy’s Remodeling Blog Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com.
Oops! If you’re a handyman and you’re going to steal pills and jewelry from a client’s home, for goodness sake don’t pass out drunk in the bedroom with your pockets full of the goods. Just sayin’. Full story here
I’m so happy to see that the editors of Fine Homebuilding are fun, lively and enlightened enough to not only admit that workers bring their dogs to the jobsite, but to have a whole photo gallery of these furry workplace companions. I suggested such a feature to some other editors in the past and they reacted…
You can tell what’s up in the world by what people search for on the Internet. Here on Kathy’s Remodeling Blog, we’ve got five consistently favorite subjects that interest your fellows readers. They are: Green Remodeling Kitchens Before & After Contractor Issues Design Ideas
Congratulations to this handsome hunk of a man, Delwyn Thornton, of Brandon, Miss., who won a skills contest — gripping, marking, clamping, sawing and drilling — put on by Irwin Tools. As part of his honors, he got to ring the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange. Other than enjoying the visual of…
If you already think a remodeling contractor is entitled to an item titled “Markup and Profit” in the bid, you can skip this post. But if you cringe at this concept, and try to negotiate markup and profit out of the bid, keep reading. As far as I can tell, there are three major types…
This post ran previously on Kathy’s Remodeling Blog, but it’s good to repeat now, following Hurricane Irene: Just the other day, someone posted a comment on this blog saying his company’s website listed FEMA-approved contractors looking for work. FEMA, as you probably know, is the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which steps in after disasters. The…
Sometimes the remodeling industry seems like the Wild, Wild West. It’s crazy out here! The cast of characters is huge! You’ve got your builders and general contractors and remodeling contractors and architects and designers and engineers and plumbers and roofers and tile setters and butchers and bakers and candlestick makers. Oh wait. Well, anyway, it…