How to Skip Home-Repair and Remodeling Blunders
by David Tenenbaum
What is it about home repair that attracts scoundrels, and misfits? Why is home remodeling, like used-car sales, sometimes a magnet for mediocrity? I can't tell you, exactly. But after years as a home-repairer--and more as a homeowner--I know both can be a playground for chiselers.
The foundation principle is that you can get drilled when you try to get your house fixed. You can get hammered when the remodeler comes a-calling. The good news is that you can screen out many of the problems by heeding some common-sense precautions.
To frame a picture of exactly what can go wrong, Home & Family Finance Resource Center went to the experts: our readers. We asked you to tell us about your experiences via e-mail through our What's Your Story feature, then we trimmed the messages, trying not to soften the bite of their expensive, sometimes humiliating lessons. Fact is, you can really take a bath when you draw up a blueprint for some home repair and remodeling.
Don't blindly take the lowest bid
Low bidders may be offering a great deal. Or, they might be inexperienced. Or worse, prone to taking shortcuts. Want to flush good money down the drain? Then automatically accept the lowest bid.
"After purchasing a new home, we looked into having it professionally landscaped. Unfortunately, we went with the lowest bidder without checking his abilities," says Jim, from California. "Drain pipes weren't buried deep enough and the concrete patio was not poured thick enough. We decided not to let him touch the concrete steps--a smart move, too."
Relatives are not always skilled
Cathy from California writes, "We wanted to save money on our home remodel so we hired a handy family member who needed a job. We ended up paying at least as much as a licensed contractor would have charged, but nothing is finished. We had windows installed without weather-stripping. We had French doors installed without hardware. We got a new stairway without a handrail. We got recessed lighting without a switch. If we'd hired a licensed contractor, we wouldn't have paid until they were done. [And probably had a better chance of getting problems fixed.] Boy, did we goof!"To finance your home fixups, talk to a lender at your credit union.
Get professional advice
Even if a relative wants to do the job. "I bought a house that needed a LOT of work," says Drew from Georgia. "Instead of having a home inspector look at the house, I decided to 'save' money and asked a relative who was a carpenter look at it. He saw lots of small problems, but said they weren't 'a big deal.' Sure. He's a carpenter, and they weren't a big deal to him. But they were to me!"
Experts can screw up, too
Even if they are not relatives. Doug from Wisconsin didn't write. But he did survive a brush with death last fall, after he started a new furnace that a heating company had installed. His wife's complaints about headaches and fatigue didn't register until Doug saw a doctor discuss carbon monoxide poisoning on TV. When Doug called the gas company, their carbon monoxide meter went off the scale. It turned out that a seal was missing from the new furnace, so it was filling the basement with fumes. The only reason Doug and his again-energetic wife survived was their habit of sleeping on the porch in the fall. His lesson? Never let your guard down.
Maintenance matters
Experts aside, you have to take care of the home place.
If you remodel in a "totally today" style, you may make the rest of the house look outdated.
"When it got cold last fall, we tried to turn the furnace on," says Renee from Michigan. "It wouldn't start, so we called for service and were told that the blower motor was bad. After the repairman fixed it for $400, he found cracks in the heat exchanger, which could release deadly carbon monoxide. When he told us what caused the cracks, we wanted to crawl under the cement floor. The furnace filters hadn't been changed in quite awhile. That wrecked the blower motor. And it overheated the furnace, causing the cracks. Needless to say, on the first of the month, we always change the filter. That hard lesson cost us $800." Renee, we might add, was lucky. I had to replace a furnace after the heat exchanger went south.
Ask questions first
Don't get nailed--it's your money, right? Teri from California says, "Be sure to ask the pertinent questions before you sign the contract. Before we had windows replaced, we should have asked who had manufactured them, who would install them, whether they would lock in the open position, what their energy-efficiency rating would be, and how they would match to the existing trim."
Look ahead
Planning may be a hassle, but it's cheaper than lumbering blindly onward. "We asked some contractors the cost of enclosing our carport to make an extra room," says Mike from Florida. "They said $5,000 to $7,000. Then the nightmare began. To increase our living space, county code required a new septic tank and drain field. The contractor cut the roof putting in a chimney, so we needed a new roof. Between those jobs, and drawings for the permits, we'd spent $15,000 before we even started the carport! Check everything out in advance--don't goof like I did!"You can screen out many problems by heeding some common-sense precautions.
Mind the details
I could not resist listing a blunder of my own. Fifteen years ago, while installing a new picture window, I could not figure out how to put in flashing that would direct the water away from the window. So water running down the siding eventually rotted the whole window. Just last summer I spent two days replacing the window jambs and trim. A real pane … says Dave from Wisconsin.
Other points
Don't fall for every trend. Was your kitchen remodeled in avocado green or harvest gold--the horror-styling trends from the '60s and '70s? Take a hint: Twenty years from today, those acres of stainless steel in the kitchen may look equally dated.
Match your house style. Your eye may be more modern than your house, at least in terms of style. The truth is that if you remodel the interior in a "totally today" style, you may make the rest of the house look outdated.
Think it through. Changes in your remodeling plans are expensive. If contractors have to wait for decisions about materials, hardware styles, or paint colors, your job will move to the back of the queue.
You can't get something for nothing. We've already mentioned that if you buy bottom-dollar repair or remodeling, that may be exactly what you get. A good contractor should be happy to give out references. Check them out.
David Tenenbaum is author of the "Complete Idiot's Guide to Troublefree Home Repair", 2nd edition.
May 12, 2003
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