Tall Tales of Two Contractors

I saved $15,000 last week. Woo-hoo!

I went to a home expo with a few projects in mind, but the most pressing issue was my home's foundation. I don't want it to crumble down.

The laundry room is by far the ugliest in my house. The paint on the walls is peeling off and the concrete underneath has white powder flaking off. I took it as a sign of water damage, explained the symptoms to two contractors and set appointments for them to give free inspections and estimates.

The first guy had a faux hawk, but I still tried to give him a fair shake. He walked around making noise like, "ooohhh," "tsk, tsk," and other things to imply he was horrified. He sat down to give us the bad news. He showed diagrams and talked about escavating the basement, tearing out the driveway and porch. He really dragged it out. The cost would be $26,000. "The good news," he said, "is you don't need that. Not yet." All right, buddy, enough with the scare tactics!

He gave another option, the quick fix that the "other guys" would do. At a "cheap" $5,600 it would be tempting, but it won't work and he doesn't recommend it. Option 3 was $15,000, but he would give us a $2,000 break if we were ready to get started today. And, it involved tearing up the house. Uh, no.

Two days later, I had another contractor come out. "How long have you had water in the basement," he asked. "We don't," I said. "I'm starting to think this was blown out of proportion." He took a look at the laundry room and said I was right. He recommended a mold-killing fogger and said I should paint the basement. Spend your money on something else, he said.

How could it be that two contractors have two very different reactions? Could it be one was a liar?

Do you ever feel like you're being taken advantage of? Or maybe you need some tips on how to talk to contractors so you know you're getting the best service.

At the home show, I met a man named Dan Nichols, who put together a DVD-set called "Armed Consumer." He talked to 23 contractors in 17 different industries — such as plumbing, electrical and roofing — about what dishonest contractors don't want you to know. Nichols, who spent three years buying and flipping houses, learned some of these lessons the hard way.

Here, he explains more about it:



Each topic is divided into a chapter, so it is a material that can be referenced any time you need professional work done in your home. The DVD sells for $19.95 at his Web site armedconsumer.com. I haven't purchased it yet, so I can't give a thumbs up or thumbs down, but hey, I just saved $15,000, so I may as well. I'll let you know what I think.

In the meantime, remember, don't be bullied or fall for hard-sell tactics. Get a second opinion, or a third, and sleep on it.

Attic conversion

Bungalow, bungalow.

I live in a bungalow.

At first, I thought that was a fun word for a cool type of house. That was before I realized it was synonymous with "small." I was especially excited about having two walk-in attics on either side of my "master" bedroom.

Now, I wonder what it would be like to have a real master bedroom instead. That would entail taking out the attics and converting the upstairs to a much larger, usable space.

According to a link on the Berkley Home Show Web site, http://www.berkleyhomeshow.com, the return on investment for such a project is 77 percent. (Of course that assumes that a house is an investment...)

But how much would it cost to convert the attic, add a dormer or just turn one of the attics into a well-lit closet?

You can find out much more information on home improvements, renovations, decorating, financing and landscaping at the Berkley Home Show this weekend in Berkley, Michigan.

Sixty vendors have signed up for the event. It runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 13 at

Berkley High School, 2325 Catalpa, Berkley, MI 48072. It's free, AND you can get free advice.

At an Ask the Architect booth, homeowners can present photos, home mortgage surveys, etc. and get no-obligation feedback.

I'm going.

Gee, thanks dad! A broken hanger.

Christmas in my family is about people, not presents. So when I saw a gift marked to me from my dad, I was surprised. I unwrapped the small package.

"It's a broken hanger," I said with a big smile. I'm a good daughter.


"What could you do with a broken hanger?" my dad asked. He hasn't thrown away anything since 1983.

Not missing a beat, my brother Ken chimed in, "Hang up half a shirt."

I didn't know what to say. Still smiling.

Dad explained that I could use the hanger as push sticks to help move small pieces of wood across the table saw I recently acquired. It was starting to make sense. My dad had even cut notches in the hanger pieces to fit different sizes of wood.

You can always buy or make bigger and better table saw accessories, but here is a smart idea that cost zero bucks.

As I held the pieces of a broken hanger, I was sincerely thankful because my dad is looking out for my safety. He wants to keep my fingers out of harm's way.

"It's the gift that keeps on giving," I said. "That's right," he said.

Be careful out there!

Mop conspiracy

It's March 1, and I have begun my spring cleaning because I'm not going to waste any time this year.

Today, I mopped the basement floor, several times, which brings me to my one and only pet peeve. Mops. I have maybe six sponge mops in the basement because every time I need to mop, I buy a new mop. I can never find the correct sponge head to match the existing mop I have, so I just buy a new mop. It's not like all Quickie mop heads are interchangeable with Quickie mops or Ocello mop heads with Ocello mops. You have to know you need model FG1268, and that is annoying!

One time I sent my husband to the store for a mop and asked him to buy a few replacement sponges all at the same time so we could be sure they match. He came home with a mop and mop heads -- the same brand, bought at the same time from the same supermarket -- but they're incompatible. Incomprehensible! Of course I couldn't blame him, I blame the mop companies and their conspiracy to get us to waste money on mops.

I've had it with sponge mops. I bought a Libman Wonder Mop (and a replacement head). So far, it has worked OK. It says you can just detach the mop head, throw it in the wash and reuse it up to 50 times.

I know a mop isn't a tool in the sense that a wrench or drill is, but everyone needs a mop, and I'm hoping I'm done shopping for them for a while.

Let's talk spring cleaning: What is your spring cleaning routine? Do you have any cleaning questions? Maybe I can find some answers for an upcoming post. Comment below.

Hot for insulation

Never before in the history of Consumers Energy has a gas bill been so eagerly anticipated -- or so well received.

Today, I tore into the mail to find out the results of my window insulation experiment. In January, I spent $13 installing shrinkwrap insulating kits on four windows in an effort to cut my $184.88 gas bill.

Hot damn, I saved $50! This month's bill is $136.66. When you subtract the cost of the window insulating kits, I saved a grand total of $35.22 -- and that's just in one month. Imagine if I had actually done this in November! Or insulated more windows!

I did some calculations. February's billing cycle was warmer on average than January's billing cycle, by 3.8 degrees per day, so some savings could be expected. However, I also looked at my January 2009 heating bill ($187.70), compared to my February 2009 bill ($171.86) -- a difference of about $16. So to save $50 in one billing cycle is significant.

Our home is more comfortable as well. Instead of shivering under a blanket, I'm wearing a tank top as I type this.

The bottom line is, yes, those plastic shrinkwrap kits are worth the time and money it takes to install them. I'm going to do this every year from now on -- and I'll do it early in the season so I can enjoy a warm home all winter long.

Cold shoulder

The pitfalls of DIY are many. Procrastination, cutting corners, having only yourself to blame.

My shrinkwrap window insulating is falling down on me. They're wrinkling. The tape is not attached to the window sill. They're letting cold air in. I still haven't gotten my heating bill yet, so it's too soon to tell whether I've saved any money, but at this rate, it's not looking good.

I would try to reattach them, but the packages really skimp on tape. I think my downfall was that I didn't attach the tape properly. Oh well, it'll be March before we know it.

Orange power!

Say hello to my little friend.


The Black & Decker Electromate 400 is an AC/DC portable power supply, jump starter and air compressor in one. And, it has a spotlight.

I'm not shy about going up to strangers and asking for a jump start. I know what I'm doing; I tell them they can stay in the car. But this machine eliminates the need to make new friend. I bought it (at Home Depot, $99.97) when my spare car's battery started acting up.

OK, but let's say you never leave your lights on, and your battery works just fine. Good. Have you ever woken up to find a flat tire ... without even enough tire pressure to get to the gas station? With the flip of a switch, old Orangey becomes an air compressor.

Say there's a power outage. How will you make coffee in the morning? This machine has two standard outlets, letting you use electricity even during a blackout or "rustic" camping trip. (I'm all for roughing it, but again, not without coffee, or an air compressor to blow up the mattress for my tent.) It even comes with needles for blowing up volleyballs and the like, and a DC power adapter (for things you would plug into a vehicle's cigarette lighter). There's even a compartment to store these accessories.

I haven't put the battery through the ringer -- yet -- but in my experience, it holds enough of a charge to get through several of these minor emergencies on one charge, and re-charges quickly, in less than three hours. At 16 inches, by 7 inches by 10 inches, it's compact enough to fit in any car's trunk.

You don't need an excuse to buy this jump box. Trust me, it'll come in handy. You can still make friends in parking lots, but instead of being the one holding jumper cables trying to look friendly/desperate/cute/trustworthy to strangers, you can be the one who saves the day.

68 Degrees

Sixty-eight degrees. That's what the thermostat was set for at my parents' house, and if you ever tried to go near it, you'd get your fingers slapped. Cold? My mom had two solutions. Put on a sweatshirt, or do some work. And like all dads, mine said: "I'm not paying to heat the outside."

I'm comfortably sitting in a room just shy of 73 degrees, but I pay for it. My heating bill was $185 last month. I live in a drafty house.

Although the calendar says we're in the middle of winter, the newspaper says this February is going to be one of the coldest in 50 years. I'm going to try a little experiment. I installed shrinkwrap plastic sheets over my windows and will record how much money it saves.



I covered four windows, near where I feel the cold most. I used two different brands: W.J. Dennis & Company (on sale at Aco for $1.99, one box covers one window, 42 inches by 84 inches) and the 3M brand ($8.99 for a sheet that is twice as big).


Installation is quick. The only tool you need is a hairdryer.

So my investment is $13. If I save $13 on my next heating bill, I'll be converted.