Category: Home Improvement

Last spring, three roofers came out to look at our house. All three said they “use GAF.” It took us a while to learn that this can mean very different things. Using GAF shingles and being a GAF certified roofer are not the same. If you’re shopping for a new roof in Houston, here’s what…

You clean the lint trap. Good. Almost everyone does. Now, when did you last clean the vent duct behind the dryer? Or the lint that’s collected around the drum? For most people the honest answer is never. Why it matters Lint is fine, dry, and flammable. The trap catches most of it, but not all….

Every Minnesotan knows the sound. The first Wednesday of the month, the outdoor warning sirens run their test, and everyone goes back to lunch. But ask ten neighbors what the sirens actually mean on a stormy July evening and you will get ten different answers. Several of them are dangerously wrong. Here is what the…

Old houses have opinions. Anyone who has lived in one knows this. The rooms are smaller. The ceilings sit where they sit. The floors slope a little, and the plaster has texture you cannot buy at a store. Fighting these traits almost never works. The best interiors in older homes start by listening to the…

I keep a spreadsheet for house stuff. Furnace filters, gutter guy, the once-a-year window wash. It is not sophisticated. It just stops me from being surprised in March. Carpet cleaning is the line I have gotten wrong more than any other. For two years I budgeted a flat number per room and moved on. That…

A fire contained to one room does not mean damage contained to one room. Smoke goes wherever air goes, and air goes everywhere. Homeowners are regularly surprised to hear the far end of the house needs work too. How far it gets Smoke rises, spreads across the ceiling, then banks down as the space fills….

Marlboro sits in the rolling, wooded part of Monmouth County. It is known for larger homes on quiet, leafy lots, set back from roads like Route 79 and Route 520. Many of these houses feature stucco, and that finish gives them a clean, upscale look. Stucco fits a home like that well. It is durable,…

After you file a roof claim, your insurance company sends an adjuster. This is a trained, licensed professional. Their job is to inspect the damage and decide what your policy covers. For many homeowners, this visit feels like the big test. A little prep makes it go smoother. What the adjuster does The inspector climbs…

Anybody who has ridden out a few winters near the bay knows a nor’easter doesn’t hit like a regular storm. It doesn’t blow through in an hour and call it a day. It parks itself offshore, sometimes for two solid days, and just leans on the coast. Same wind, same direction, hour after hour after…