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Thinking About a Home Remodel? Here’s Where to Start
Begin by carefully considering what you think you want and how you can get it. Weigh your wish list against what you’ll probably pay to fulfill it.
Planning a Home Remodel
If you’re adding new rooms, making substantial changes to the existing floor plan, or dealing with complex structural or functional questions, you’ll need to hire professional design help. There are several design options and combinations of options.
How to Check Out Contractors
Some homeowners leave contractor vetting and selection to their architects or house designers, but most make the call themselves, and rightly so: It’s the most important step.
Where to Find Good HVAC Help
To make sure your heating and air-conditioning systems work when needed, they must be properly installed and maintained. We’ve rated heating and air-conditioning services for quality and price.
What to Do If You Need HVAC Repairs
If you know the repair you need, get price quotes from at least three highly rated companies—a bit of shopping will pay off big time.
Choosing New HVAC Equipment and Getting It Installed Properly
How well a new HVAC system performs, and how much it costs, depends heavily on its design and the quality of installation. It’s important to make the right decisions—and there are many to make. You also must make sure to get a fair contract.
How to Find a Reliable Roofer
Roofing work is expensive, and, if you hire the wrong contractor, you can spend thousands of dollars too much and still get terrible work.
Avoiding a Shakedown for Roofing Costs
When hiring a roofer, quality of work should be your primary consideration. Once you have identified roofers that measure up on quality, get several fixed-price bids for the work. You’ll find big roofer-to-roofer price differences for the same job.
How to Tell It’s Time for a New Roof
Different types of roofs have different lifespans. Your inspections will reveal whether the entire roof is due for replacement.
How to Find a Good Plumber
Plumbing is seldom exciting. It works fine for years, faithfully filling, flowing, and flushing. But when a pipe leaks water through your kitchen ceiling, the excitement may become more than you can stand.
How to Deal with Your Plumber
With any company you choose, dealing wisely with the plumber nets better work and saves you money. Whether you need a remodeling job or repairs, if possible, get a written price quote before work begins.
Plumbing Dos and Don’ts
Following these rules will help reduce the seriousness and frequency of plumbing problems.