Better Late then Never

I think that the informaiton contained in this is still relevant in February since we seem to be having a mild winter so far:

HandyDan’s Guide to Fall Maintenance for Updating and Selling your Home

As the thought of summer and summer vacation fades and fall kicks into full gear, we are forced to look inward and indoors at the home. All summer long we have been outdoors, away from home on vacation and enjoying the time off of school now the cold weather and staying indoors is upon us. The kids are back in school, summer is over and fall and the coming winter are a reality that is settling into our minds. It’s time to get caught up at home, which has been neglected while we were out having fun. What does all this mean? It’s time for fall maintenance around the house. Whether you are planning on doing maintenance to save money on your energy bills, or getting ready to sell, there are many small and medium sized projects you can do to update and increase the value of your home all while lowering your gas, electric and water bills. These changes can help you to not just get ready for the winter, but also all seasons ahead.

Fall Maintenance can mean several things and can include fall cleaning, a makeover to your house or time to buckle down and get greener and more energy efficient. Energy efficiency is something that will save you money, but if you are planning on selling your house, buyers will be looking for this too. The world is going green and you don’t want to be left in the sellers market with out making some effort to update.

There are several small updates you can make that will save you money in the long run. Keep in mind that any updates you make now, even if you don’t plan on selling your home, will potentially make it more attractive for a prospective buyer. For homeowners who are updating to sell, after the changes they make to transform their ordinary house into a modern dwelling, may change their minds and fall back in love with their home.

The first simple step would be to update those old appliances. I am not just talking about the fridge that you have had through five moves and was given to you by your parents when you first go married. Maybe it came with the house. In any case, get rid of it. Get all new appliances. Get a new gas stovetop, splurge on the energy efficient oven and money saver microwave. You can even update your faucet to decrease water flow with out compromising water pressure. New bubs in your kitchen lights will save energy too. Don’t limit yourself you your kitchen. Put in new energy saving light bulbs throughout your house. In fact why not put in all new lighting fixtures. You’ll save money and your fixtures will be updated and new. You can get energy efficient everything, including a TV. Be creative see what is out there and HandyDan is always there go give you advice.

Don’t forget to update the bathroom either. Replacing that old toilet with a new one, which will use less water will do just that and save you money on you water bill. If you have a new toilet, fix that leak or the constant running that has been going on for years, wasting money and water. While you’re at it, have your caulking re-done. Poor calking and lack of grout has caused thousands of dollars in dry rote damage to our HandyDan customers. Once water has a route to travel, it will make its way to the framing structure rotting away your walls, sheetrock, your floor and sub floor in your bathroom. If the bathroom is located on the upper floors this can cause all sorts of damage in the ceiling. This is a common problem in households and it’s best to cover all your bases when trying to save money. Being energy efficient is great, but you need to watch out for other small things that can cost you big money too.

All of these updates are simple. They can take a day or a week depending on how extensive the work. Some items you can even do yourself. Purchasing a new TV at the store, does not take the expertise of a handyman. You also don’t need a handyman to help with purchasing new light bulbs, although you may want someone else installing all of them if you have a hard time getting around or just don’t want to go through the tedious task of putting all new light bulbs in your house. Hire a professional to install and update appliances, electrical and any bathroom fixtures to make sure it is done right and your energy efficient product is working the way it should are really saving you money as intended.

Some other small updates to have done while your HandyDan handyman is in your home include insulating hot water pipes that may have been forgotten. This will keep the heat where it is supposed to be. You can also update your old water heater for both heat and energy efficiency. And turning it down a little will save energy too. Having the heat on a timer and closing off areas that don’t need to be heated save a lot of energy as well as installing weather stripping on doors. Outdoors you can install a timer system for your plants. In the fall and winter they’ll need less water and you can adjust you timer accordingly.

Some larger projects to update your home include installing new windows and doors. The bay area still has a lot of single paned windows, especially in older homes. These windows let all the heat out of your home and let the cold in. Older doors can also be drafty and once again, updating the weather stripping can solve this problem. If you really want to get exciting, installing some solar panels on your roof, which will save you money, get you a tax break and make your house very impressive to potential buyers.

If potential buyers are really the reason for updating, there are a lot of things that be done to bring a house up to speed for the modern market. These small changes will help sell a house easier and the seller will get a large return on the updates. Don’t be afraid to spend the money for things that buyers are looking for. These changes will make a home more attractive and larger listing price.

In the bathroom, double sink and recessed medicine cabinets along with all those newly updated fixtures you installed for energy efficiency will make your bathrooms more attractive and modern. If you are going to do a major remodel on the bathroom, make sure to install custom cabinet for you sinks. Don’t go pre made cabinets that won’t fit flush to the wall. Not only are they tacky, but they waist space, which is someplace like San Francisco, is simply not efficient. Replace your vinyl flooring with a natural style tile as well.

In the kitchen, which now has all updated appliances to be energy efficient, install a garbage disposal too. This will add a little something extra to help update the kitchen if it still needs a little something. If you are not sure what else can be done, ask HandyDan. We always can give you ideas on updates and installations.

For the rest of the house, Laminate flooring is the way to go. Carpets tend to look and feel dirty. They stain and get dirty easily too, especially if they are light colored. Spend a little extra money to make the home look clean and crisp by installing a laminate flooring that will stand up to daily traffic better. Keep the entryways tiled since Laminate flooring and water don’t mix well. In addition, a fresh coat of paint through out the house will make the entire dwelling feel fresh and clean. Pick a color that is neutral. In most cases, the new owner will re-paint with their own color scheme in mind but when picking a color try to keep the personal artistic decorating instincts out of the choice.

The exterior of the home can be updated too. If the home is painted without siding, think about updating to vinyl siding. Vinyl is easy to clean and looks nice. If the home has vinyl siding it can easily be updated. Sometimes just a few pieces need to be replaced; sometimes all the siding will need to be replaced. Painting the existing vinyl siding is also an option, but getting paint to stick to vinyl can be a challenge and you have to make sure it is done right. HandyDan can help you choose the right paint, prep the siding correctly and make sure it looks good when it is all done. In addition, windows and doors should be updated as well as gutters that don’t work properly or leak and stain.

If you are planning on selling your home, start with some of the exterior until the weather changes. Don’t start any outdoor project that will leave your home vulnerable to the rainy season. If it is too late to start anything outdoors, start with the interior updates and come back to the exterior stuff in the spring when the weather changes. Most of the projects will take several weeks depending upon the availability of the materials you plan to use. Your house should be on ready to go on the market next spring or summer depending upon the weather, material availability and your time limits.

To start you fall maintenance update for energy efficiency or getting ready to sell a home, call Daniel Hernandez at HandyDan (415) 515-0470. Also visit www.handydan.com or e-mail us at dancaninc@sbcglobal.net.

SLG

Tips for "Do It Yourself" Paint Matching & Touch Ups

By: Dennis Cummings

The walls of our houses tend to take a beating over time. It could be scuff marks from the kids, stains from the pets, or just natural wear and tear. Whatever it may be, there are solutions that will keep your walls looking new and fresh, without having to hire a paint contractor.

Getting a quality paint match is the key to matching paint. Using a utility knife, cut out a 1x2" section of the painted Sheetrock. 1/8" is deep enough. Use your blade to peel your section away from the wall. Take this sample to a quality paint store. They are the professionals and will always have success in getting a match. You can follow the same steps for plaster paint samples, but it may be a bit more difficult to get a usable sample.

Touch up painting works best on recently painted walls as, over time, the color of your paint will get old, will fade, and will only be half the paint it used to be. If the walls have not been painted for a while and there are numerous areas to touch up, the best solution is to paint the entire wall. It may take a couple hours to prep the area, but the results will be like night and day. You will notice a big difference in the sheen, freshness, and brightness of the wall, and it will also add sparkle to the surrounding area of your home.

For the best possible match, it is best to use the original paint. It is always a good idea to keep a quart of any interior or exterior house paint in stock after you've had your house painted. A quick touch up before Mom shows up may be the trick to keep the nagging at bay, but then again, probably not.

All good paint jobs always begin with primer. Primer will cover any imperfections and aid in the application of the newly applied paint. Wall repairs should be primed before the finish coat goes on; if not, you will see a noticeably different sheen. Primer is the key to an excellent paint job and should always be used.

Touch up painting is very easy and can be fun. You can schedule it on the calendar for every six months, before company comes over, or if you just need a project to get started on. You will save some money and have a great time adding new life to your lived home.

Hiring a Handyman vs. a Contractor

By: Daniel Hernandez

All of the suggestions in my last post will help you weed out the good from the bad as far as hiring a handyman/contractor, but it won't help you determine whether you need a contractor or a handyman to complete your job. The biggest piece of advice that I can give, based on my experience as a handyman and a licensed contractor, is that, as a consumer, it is best to go into the hiring process with some education and idea of what you want to accomplish. There is often confusion about the differences between a handyman and a contractor, when it is appropriate to hire one over the other, but there are several distinct differences between the two services.

A handyman can only do $500 worth of work per job, per day. So, if your job is going to be big, hire a contractor. In fact, if you are doing any kind of specialty project, I recommend that you hire a contractor. For example, if you need new outlets put into your walls or are going from a gas to electric stove and need a 220-watt outlet put in your kitchen, it is best to hire an electrician. The same goes for major plumbing, carpentry or sheetrock work. Only contractors can get permits for remodels and additions.

However, if your jobs are detail oriented and vary greatly in size and skill, a handyman, who has a broader scope of skills and will pay more attention to detail, is probably the best choice for your work. Handymen are flexible and don't have a large crew, so you can get your work done with less foot traffic in your space. There is no need to have more people working in your house than absolutely necessary. Sometimes the work will take longer to complete, but it will generally be less expensive in the end because there are fewer people to pay.

Handymen will also do the small stuff that contractors won't or don't like to do. Because these jobs are undesirable for contractors, the cost of a small project is inflated to make it worth their while. But since this is the kind of job handymen specialize in, the cost will generally be a lot less.

If your job requires a variety of tasks, you can hire a handyman, just use one company/handyman service for all of the work rather than using several specialized companies. Having several contractors can also get expensive, so if your job isn't very big, but requires several different skills, a handyman is the way to go.

Whether you decide that a handyman or a contractor is best suited for your project, make sure you keep some of these tips in mind. Keep the lines of communication open between you and your contractor/handyman, and don't wait until the job is done to express a concern you have had for days or weeks. The clearer you are about what you want, with yourself and the company you hire, the happier you will be with the work you receive.

How to Choose a Professional Maintenance & Repair Service

By: Daniel Hernandez

Being a professional handyman has opened my eyes to a whole other world that is both rewarding and challenging at the same time. My favorite part of being a handyman is solving the little problems people have in their homes. I love to fix those small items that only the homeowner and myself would ever notice. This ranges from the leaky faucet that only drips when the temperature outside dips below 53 degrees to the chip of paint that has been missing for years. Perhaps it’s those shelves that have never been straight or don’t quite fit your house, and every time you walk by, you wish you could get those fixed or rebuilt. These are the problems that I live to solve.

Not everyone has a handy husband, wife, father, mother, brother or uncle to go to when they need a small project fixed. Many people don’t know someone with the skills to perform the projects properly or, even worse, they have loved ones who think they have the skills, but really don’t. There are also many people that simply don’t have the time to complete projects, big or small, around the house. This is why there will always be a place for the professional handyman.

In my years as a handyman (and later as a licensed contractor), I have performed jobs of all sizes; often times doing patch-up jobs after a previous “professional” did work that did not meet the expectations of the homeowner. I have discovered that no matter what your need or desired repair, there are several things to watch for when hiring a handyman or contractor.

BE DILIGENT – Pay as you go and don’t get stuck paying for work that will never get completed. Ask when your next payment is due or what the payment schedule is in advance. In addition, review your contract carefully and make sure amendments are in writing. Be very clear about what you want and what your contract says – are they the same? For example, over the years, I have been to numerous jobs where the client has a half-done project and the contractor is nowhere to be found. I hate to see people stuck in this position, and it is always hard to tell customers that even the work that has been started is not up to code or building standards.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK – To avoid getting into a sticky situation, check out the local Better Business Bureau (BBB), Consumer Affairs Department or Contractors License Board. In other words, do your homework. You will be able to find information on members and complaints that have been made against a company, as well as companies with outstanding service. In addition, these services will let you know if your contractor is licensed and if there have ever been any problems with the company in the past.

NETWORK -- Ask friends or neighbors for referrals. Do you know anyone you can trust that can back up the company you are about to hire? Do you know someone who is raving about the work they have had done? In the past, I have joined networking groups that exist primarily to share this kind of information. It is always a great way to find people who are in the professions you need. If you don’t know someone who belongs to a referral or networking group, ask you network of friends, coworkers and family. Hire a company that consistently does good work.

BE PROACTIVE – Visit a current project if you are seriously interested in a specific company. How is the quality and cleanliness of the work in progress? Do you like the finished project and would you be happy if your home looked like that? I don’t know of many people who have physically visited another job site that isn’t their own, but I think that this is a great suggestion, and I often recommend that people try this. Don’t feel intimidated or that requesting to visit a job site is silly; just ask your potential handyman or contractor. They may even have pictures of previous work just waiting for you to view. I know I do.

Is your handyman or contractor a member of a rating service? Ask if the company has been professionally rated and, if so, find out what its rating is. This information can be very valuable. Most rating companies have very strict guidelines that companies have to meet, which make them a great source for information about the potential hire. Also ask if the rating service requires their clients to have insurance. If not, ask your handyman/contractor for a copy of their insurance.

Finally, there is a lot of information on the internet that is only a click away. Check out blogs, online referral sites and the company’s website. A lot of the previously suggested information can also be found on the internet. For example, rating services, the BBB and networking groups can all be found on the web.

I recommend you maximize your internet sources, but I also suggest you meet the owner or representative in person, after you have done some research, to see for yourself how the company presents itself. An easy way to do this is when you get your estimate and, of course, ask for any marketing materials they have.