…who Can Help You with Your Home Projects – Inside and Out

Owning a home means you have projects that you need to do to help you repair, maintain or update your investment. It also means you may have hobbies that you enjoy around your home or yard. The St. Louis 35th Annual Builders Home & Garden Show has the experts who can help you with your home and garden projects. The Show, produced by the Home Builders Association, is February 23-26 at America’s Center and Edward Jones Dome.

Brian Santos, The Wall Wizard, is a best-selling author, fourth generation decorative artist and licensed contractor whose past clients include Clint Eastwood, Joe Montana and George Lucas. “Paint is the number one home improvement project that will dramatically improve the value and look of your home … but no one teaches us how to do it,” says Santos. With more than 25 years of experience painting, he will share short cuts, cool tools, and practical techniques that will help both the first-time and experienced painter produce a professional looking finish.

Learn how to clean water-based paint from brushes in just 10 seconds, the best way to handle quick touch-ups, when you should pull off that blue tape and much more, including how to:
• Make environmentally safe paint using milk, berries and other organic ingredients
• Save money by ”painting from your pantry” – using rubbing alcohol, plastic wrap, baby wipes, toothpicks,
lip balm, cooking spray, liquid fabric softener, vanilla extract and more
• Remove tough stains off your walls including water marks, grease, rust, marker and crayons
• Create clever visual effects and realistic illusions using the same application techniques that Hollywood set decorators have used for generations

Don’t miss his educational seminars: Painting Secrets, Faux Finish Secrets, and Wallcovering Secrets. The Wizard’s Workshop is sponsored by Y98

Learn how to create the yard and garden you’ve always dreamed of with seminars at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Green Thumb Theater. The Home & Garden Show is excited to welcome Melinda Myers, nationally known gardening expert, TV/radio host, author and columnist. Myers has a master’s degree in horticulture, is a certified arborist, has more than 30 years of horticulture experience and has written 20 gardening books. She will talk about small space gardens and container gardening. She will also share 10 easy, green and growing ideas. These are 10 easy things that any gardener can do to maximize their enjoyment, be kind to the environment, and reduce the time, money and energy spent managing their gardens.

Jeff Holper, The Mole Hunter will present Taking Your Lawn Back from Moles and Voles, an educational and entertaining program to help you get rid of moles, voles and other vermin in your yard. Bring your questions and bugs, and The Mole Hunter will help you solve your pest problems. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch Green Thumb Theater is sponsored by FM NewsTalk 97.1

Learn how you can save money, breathe easier and help the environment at the GeoComfort Green Products Pavilion & Stage. Doug Rye is a licensed architect and nationally recognized energy consultant who helps people all across the country lower their utility bills by as much as 50%. He is commonly referred to as the “King of Caulk and Talk” and the “Roy Rogers of Energy” because he’s an expert in the home energy conservation field. He presents a seminar that teaches you how you can Heat and Cool Your Home for Just $1 a Day.

His humorous, but straight to the point advice, can be applied to any home, new or existing, anywhere in America. And probably anywhere in the world! He is a leading consultant in all aspects of energy efficiency including home insulation practices, energy efficient heating and air conditioning, water heaters, caulking, air infiltration, and attic insulation.

GeoComfort will share the benefits of geothermal heating and cooling, and KMOX Home Answer Man Scott Mosby will reveal the best place to spend your home improvement dollars.

Visit the Better Living Theater and the Mosby Home Advice Stage for more fantastic seminars from local experts. For more information and complete stage schedules, visit www.STLHomeShow.com.

The Italians are known for their fresh ingredients and simple recipes, and pizza certainly is not excluded from the list. Just imagine, a cultural change took place all because Americans started growing this little herb in their gardens.

One of the greatest bits of information or tips anyone can glean from the Italians is their love of gardening. Although it is not the actual garden that gives it such a precious value, but the end product fresh ripe vegetables and fruit that are delivered from their little or not so little plot of plowed land.

Taking this principle of fresh ingredients to heart, anyone can then make their own pizza taste better and healthier than any veggie pizza on the market by creating their own pizza garden. Here’s how…

Choosing the Toppings:

There are endless toppings a person can choose from when designing their own pizza themed garden. So make sure to pick vegetables and fruit you actually enjoy eating. Although adding asparagus as a topping may sound chic and creative, it will not do much good if it simply gets picked off when the pizza is served.

Here are a few basic toppings most everyone in your family will enjoy and are easy to grow:

Fresh Tomatoes:

Tomatoes on top of a tomato based pizza sauce – yes you read that correctly. Adding thin (or thick depending on preference) slices of tomatoes as an additional toppings adds a greater depth to your pizza.

Pizza sauce (whether it includes meat or not) has a drastically different taste and flavor than that of fresh tomatoes. So don’t worry about having too much of a tomato flavor – fresh tomatoes are an excellent choice, and besides, who doesn’t grow tomatoes in a garden?

One tip to keep in mind is what type of tomato you want to grow and when will they actually produce. Some tomatoes are known for delivering in mid-summer, while others tend to hold off until the late summer months to produce a nice harvest.

Basil:

Basil is an amazing herb whose varieties are enjoyed in different cultures around the world. However, fresh Genovese Sweet Basil brings to life a dull pizza any day of the week, any hour of the day and any second of an hour.

Fortunately, basil grows easily with the tomatoes and are a great companion plant. In addition, basil enjoys the hotter weather and therefore is usually in full bloom around the same time tomatoes are producing making them not only compatible for the garden but for the pizza as well.

Here is a tip to keep in mind when using basil on your pizza. Never place basil on as a topping until the final minute of baking – and one can go so far as to say not until it comes out of the oven. This herb will dry up and lose its precious flavored natural oils if heated too fast and will leave you disappointed.

Green Peppers:

Not everything has to be as delicate as the tomato and basil pizza, but for those who have a natural leaning towards spicy foods, growing your own hot peppers can be an excellent choice for a pizza topping.

Peppers come in all sorts of varieties and it might be a good idea to plant a few different kinds to really mix things up from your red hot chili peppers to more mild banana peppers to even the crispy common green pepper.

Unlike the basil, peppers can be placed on a pizza before it goes into the oven and are liked by both those who favor meat toppings and those who prefer to go without.

Let’s Talk about the Dough:

Anyone can make a pizza dough at home. All it requires is olive oil, flour, yeast, lukewarm water and a dash of salt. You can also choose to buy your dough already made which many grocery stores will import from pizza makers in NY or PA and store in the freezer section where the breads are kept. Let the dough thaw over night in the refrigerator and you are ready to go the next day.

However, the easiest way to get your pizza dough is to buy the crust already precooked. The downside to this method is that it will most likely not have the “fresh” factor and quite frankly not all of them taste very good.

Here is a quick recipe for homemade pizza dough:

1. Start by dissolving 1 tsp salt into lukewarm water along with 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil and 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast in a large bowl
2. Then let it sit for about 5 minutes until the yeast foams a little
3. Gradually add 3 cups of flour to the water and knead until the dough becomes a smooth elastic like texture . You do not want the dough sticky, so gently add more flour a little at a time until the right consistency is achieved
4. Roll into a ball, cover and put in your fridge overnight. If you need it the same day, keep it out, covered, and wait for half an hour to an hour for it to rise
5. When ready, roll out onto a greased pizza pan and bake at 400F for about 8 to 15 minutes or depending on the thickness of the dough and toppings used.

Margarita Pizza:

This pizza is very popular in Italy and has its roots in Naples, Italy where it first became popular. It does not use a sauce but relies on fresh garden ingredients to satisfy the appetite.

1. To make a margarita pizza which uses two of the ingredients above simply slice your tomatoes (meaty ones are best such as Roma), and place them on the pizza crust.
2. Next, slice some fresh mozzarella balls to the same thickness of the tomatoes. The regular blocks of mozzarella will not work – it must be fresh – the kind which you will find near the deli. Place the slices on the crust as well, spacing them between the tomatoes trying not to overlap
3. Bake in a 400F oven for approximately 14 minutes making sure to check that the cheese does not burn.
4. Right before removing from the oven, sprinkle generously with your fresh basil leaves and leave for 1 minute or less
5. Remove from oven and have a taste of heaven!

About the writer: Pizza is enjoyed by everyone, and that includes writer Liz Krause who owns and operates her own Italian cooking website. She enjoys writing about recipes and reviews of various products from the Waring Pro meat grinder to pizza slicers. Liz grew up in an Italian home and understands the benefits of growing fresh ingredients in the backyard believing fresh food and simple ingredients are the best way to enjoy Italian cuisine!

When you are remodelling a room, one of the big challenges is deciding which window treatments will suit it best. There are a huge number of options out there but the first question you need to answer is whether you would prefer blinds or curtains.

The answer will depend a lot upon the purpose of the room. For example your living room will probably benefit most from curtains as they will give it a softer and warmer atmosphere. In contrast your kitchen will probably do better with wooden Venetian blinds as they will give you a lot of light and space as well as being less vulnerable to moisture and mould.  To help make the decision easier I’ve composed a list of the pros and cons of the different types of window treatment below.
Having said that if you choose blinds that will add another layer of complication as there is a large variety of styles and materials. Slatted blinds such as Venetian and vertical blinds are typically composed of overlapping slats made of plastic, aluminium or wood. Venetian and mini blinds are made of horizontal slats whereas vertical blinds (as the name suggests) are made of vertical slats thought vertical blinds rarely seen within the home.

Roller Blinds do largely what they say. They are made out of a fabric sheet that rolls up out the way when not in use. They are great for bedrooms in urban areas as they can be made out of blackout fabric ensuring that external lights don’t disturb your sleep. Roman blinds look similar to roller blinds but are either made of tightly woven slats or contain slats within the fabric meaning that they fold up rather than roll.

Slatted Blinds (Venetian and Vertical blinds)

Pros:

• Slatted blinds stack when drawn, ensuring that they take up less space.
• They offer the greatest degree of control over external light.
• They will fit in with a wide variety of different colour schemes without much work.

Cons:

• They require frequent cleaning and dusting.
• The slatted design allows light to get through even when fully closed.
• They don’t retain heat very well.
• The individual slats and the lift cords can break very easily.

Roman and Roller Blinds

Pros:

• Can be used to block all light.
• They take up the least amount of space.
• They don’t require regular cleaning.

Cons:

• Difficult to clean unless the fabric is coated with wipe down surface.

Curtains: Curtains can frame the window to create a striking and sophisticated effect as well as drawing attention to the view. The Fabrics they are made of come in a variety of thicknesses, from see through net curtains which offer little more than decoration to heavy drapes.

Pros:

• Curtains are aesthetically striking and can give the room an air of sophistication.
• In winter curtains provide the best insulation.
• They come in a wide range of colours and patterns.

Cons:

• Curtains take up more space than blinds.
• In rooms like bathrooms and kitchens there is a risk of mould and staining due to the moisture in the air.
• Kids can hide behind large curtains.

I hope this guide helps anyone trying to redecorate choose their window treatments. Done well both blinds and curtains can add a lot to a room.

Author Bio
This is a guest post by Daniel Frank a UK blogger writing on behalf of wooden Venetian blind specialist wooden blinds direct

If you have any elderly or disabled living with you or are regularly visited by someone who is, then making your home easily accessible will make their life safer and easier. Whilst accessibility might seem to only be an issue for people suffering serious disabilities, you will be surprised at how much of a difference it can make. For example I’m sure many families have struggled with getting a pram or furniture through a narrow doorway fronted with steps.

Simple Steps to Improve Acccessibility
There are a number of trip hazards that you may not notice or be aware off. In particular throw rugs which can catch or slip under people. They can be simply taped down to prevent slippage but still be easily moved for cleaning. This step is particularly important if you have anyone with a walker or a wheelchair which can easily be caught by a rug.

If you use chairs with arms then it will make it easier for people with less strength to get in and out of them. They are also safer as they allow people to lower themselves onto them if necessary. Similarly placing cushions on low chairs will provide a simple and effective step for making them easier to get in and out of.

In the kitchen you can buy large handled grips for tableware will help make life easier, particularly for people with arthritis or other conditions which can reduce the strength of their grip. Similarly double handled pots and pans can be lifted without placing as much stress on the wrist joints as single handed pots. The not only means they are easier to lift but reduces the chance of spillages.

Replacing door knobs and tap handles with longer handles makes turning them easier. (Who hasn’t struggled with a stiff tap?) Similarly large handles which allow you to insert several fingers on drawers are easier than knobs or ones which only insert a small number.

Some more complex steps
You can make your bathroom safer by placing non slip tape and grab bars near the toilet and shower to help prevent slippage. In addition walk in baths and hand held showerheads make bathing far easier for people with disabilities.

For more serious mobility problems a reconditioned stairlift will provide an affordable option if you or people you live with find it hard to climb the stairs, and is safer than getting a second hand stairlift.

Wheelchair ramps come in many forms depending upon what you can afford, but an aluminium portable ramp should not only make accessing the home easier for people in wheelchairs but also help other people who might find the steps hard to manage such a people using walkers. In general it’s recommended that ramps have a slope which rises 12 inches for every foot.

The costs don’t need be prohibitive despite the initial set up. There are a variety of organizations such as The Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs which offer grants so as to allow people with disabilities to afford technology to allow them to do tasks that would otherwise be difficult or impossible.

Author Bio
This is a guest post by Daniel Frank, a UK blogger who is interested in disability issues. He is currently writing on behalf of Stannah Stairlifts who provide a range of products including reconditioned stairlifts

 …and How to Stay Warm While You Wait!

If you are not a DYI guru, call a heating expert

Inevitably, the heating system in your home won’t fail on a crisp, October morning, but on the coldest, harshest day of the year! If the failure occurs in the morning on a weekday, you may be fortunate enough to have a repair professional available that day to set things right again. However, if it is evening, the weekend, or the repair businesses are busy, you may have to wait some time.

While you wait, take steps to help your home retain as much heat as possible. Leave your window coverings down and drawn. If you have south facing windows and it is a sunny day, open the blinds/curtains while those windows are in direct sun. Make sure all windows and doors are closed, and block any drafts that may be sneaking in around them.

If you use a space heater for temporary heat, make sure you heed all safety warnings and supervise children around these devices. No need to add a doctor bill on top of the repair bill. If you can, use the space heater to heat a small room, rather than a large, open area.

Rice socks are a great way to warm up your toes in bed at night. Pour plain white rice into a clean sock and firmly knot the end. Heat the sock in the microwave on high for 30-60 seconds or until the rice is very warm, but not too hot. Slip the rice sock under the covers at the foot of the bed. (A rice sock is fairly safe, but can still be very hot! Don’t put it on bare skin and please, supervise children so they don’t burn themselves!)

Now, on to getting that heating system fixed! Be sure to check that the problem isn’t something you can address without paying a costly repair bill. For example, check to see that the thermostat is set properly and that it is working properly. Consult your furnace’s operation manual. Some furnaces have a “reset” button that may solve all your problems! Or, perhaps the pilot light has gone out!

If the problem is not so easily identified and solved, it is time to bring in a heating professional. If you have not needed a HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) service in the past, you may not have anyone in mind to call. Assuming the situation is fairly urgent (as in our scenario above) you may not have much time to research. However, it is still a good idea to ask friends and relatives in the area for a recommendation.

Your local utility company may also have information about trusted heating ompanies in your area. Once you have a couple names, a quick search of online reviews will also give you an overview of your chosen companies before you call.

When you call, be sure you understand the heating contractor’s pricing and warranty policies before you agree to have them come out to your home. Trust your instincts—if a company doesn’t “feel” right based on a phone call, move on. On the other hand, if you have a great experience with a company, pass the word along, both by word-of-mouth and online. That way when a friend or neighbor is in the same boat as you, they will be more likely to find a heating company they can trust to do the repairs for them.

Signs of a Good Year

Home Improvement projects often show up high on homeowner’s list of New Year’s resolutions.  But without proper planning it’s easy to spend too much or hire a disreputable contractor.  Then the home improvement project that should bring you joy turns into a home improvement nightmare.

Here’s a list of five New Year’s resolutions that will help bring you peace and joy in the New Year:

1. I will do my research online weather I am hiring a home improvement contractor or doing it myself.

2. I will not pick the first home improvement contractor that shows up in a Google search or has the best looking website.

3. I will ask for and check at least three references.

4. I will check with the local contractor’s board or licensing agency to see if there are any complaints against the home improvement contractor AND see how it was resolved.

5. I won’t make a decision until I have attended my local home and garden show and met the home improvement contractor I am going to hire. Here is a list of the best home and garden shows in North America: http://www.hgsei.com/

Infrared vs. Traditional Saunas

Saunas and their relatives (like the Native American sweat lodge and the Japanese onsen) have been in use for thousands of years, offering health benefits and relaxation to users.  Traditional saunas are wood or electrically heated. Steam is created by pouring water over heated rocks.

In the 1900s a new type of sauna—infrared—was introduced, developed independently in Germany and Japan, promising the same (some say greater) health and relaxation benefits with the added perk of energy efficiency (infrared saunas don’t need extended “preheat” times like a traditional sauna).

This newer technology uses infrared light as its heat source. Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light. It is divided into three categories—near, mid- and far infrared—with the wavelengths in each category becoming successively longer.

Both traditional saunas and infrared saunas are designed to induce sweating, which is believed to have many health benefits. Steam saunas rely on very hot air to heat the body, so the room temperature of a traditional sauna is quite high. In an infrared sauna, long-wavelength light hitting the body is the heat source. Because of this, the air temperature inside the sauna stays cooler than a traditional sauna. In a sauna powered by far infrared light, the “heat” source stays cool to the touch!

Types of Infrared Saunas

There are three types of infrared saunas. The first resembles a traditional sauna—a structure resembling a mini-house that can be installed either indoors or outside. The second is tent, in which you sit with your head sticking out. In the third type of infrared sauna, you actually lie down in what looks like a dome or a bag.

Health Benefits of Infrared Saunas

Many health claims have been made about the use of infrared saunas. Although most claims remain unproven, there appears to be some evidence that the use of these saunas relieves pain and stiffness in people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and similar conditions. They may be helpful as a complimentary treatment to patients with heart problems, mild depression, and chronic pain. However, as with many alternative/complimentary treatments, the benefit claims often become inflated and unreliable. If you are considering purchasing an infrared sauna to help with a medical condition, it is imperative that you do so in consultation with your physician.

Try Before You Buy

The simple fact is that different users will experience different results—some may find an infrared sauna a helpful tool to improve their health and relaxation, while others will not find it beneficial. Because a sauna is a significant investment, it is recommended that you first locate a spa or health club in your area that offers an infrared sauna experience. Try it out, several times if possible, before you make your final decision on whether to purchase.

Find a Reputable Infrared Sauna Dealer

Finding a reputable dealer for an infrared sauna is not unlike the process to find a good car dealer or contractor. Do your homework! Look for reviews online and talk to friends and colleagues. Talk to the spa or health club where you do your “test drive.” Look at the different types of saunas. What fits your budget, space constraints, and personal preferences?

After you’ve completed your research, make a list of potential sources and call them. Find out what their warranties and return policies are. Are they open about your various options, or do they try to push you one direction or another? How helpful are they with your questions about installation and use?

One more thing to keep in mind, depending upon the type of sauna you choose, you may need to have an electrician wire a separate plug in your home to accommodate the power needs of the unit.

An Infrared Sauna Can Provide Relaxation and Enjoyment

Carefully researched and properly installed, an infrared sauna can be a wonderful addition to your home. This updated form of a tradition that stretches back thousands of years offers a convenient path to health and relaxation.

With the arrival of December and the holiday season, most of us are pulling out the Christmas decorations and getting ready to deck out every last corner in order to ensure that our houses are “holiday ready” in every way from the last touch of tinsel to the last dusting of powdered snow. But as you think about decorating your home, now is also the perfect time to think about winterizing your home as well. Your home might be Christmas ready, but is it winter ready?

Not just Christmas ready, winter ready

According to John Schaeffer in his book Solar Living Sourcebook, the average American home is currently leaking air at a rate equivalent to having a four-foot-square hole in the wall. This means most of our homes are actually losing the majority of the heat they’re producing as it’s being produced and we aren’t even aware of it. So, regardless of whether or not we think we’ve found perhaps the greenest or most resourceful, economical way to heat our home, if we’re losing that heat unnecessarily, it’s benefiting us very little. If you’re not sure your house is as ready as it could be for the 2012 winter, here are some tips for ensuring that your home is winter ready and that your heating practices are at their optimum for conserving energy and lowering your costs.

Know Your Sources of Heat Loss
The first half of the battle in keeping your warm air in and the cold air out is to know where the air transfer is happening. Some of the most common places include: the attic, the crawl space, unused chimneys, door and window frames, electrical outlets and switches, vents, and recessed lights. Do a quick run through of these areas in your house to see if you can find any areas with leaks. If you do, you can quickly seal them off and ensure that much better insulation in your home. At the very, very least, stock up on some door draft stoppers so you can keep cold air out at the foot of all your doors.

Change Out All Furnace Filters
You’ll want to start off the winter season with clean furnace filters. As dust and debris builds up, air flow becomes restricted, increasing the energy demand needed to propel air through. The more build up, the more energy you have to use just to get the same results. Change out all furnace filters now and stock up so that you’re prepared to change them out monthly during this year’s winter season.

Reverse Your Fans
All recently built fans have both a reverse setting and a forward setting. The reverse setting is especially designed for winter. Because hot air rises and pools itself at the top of your ceiling, you want your fan pushing in reverse so that it can push the hot air back down to the ground in the surrounding air where you will actually feel it. Simply keeping hot air in your reach can make the difference between you unnecessarily turning up your thermostat in an effort to get warmer.

Check Your Thermostats
Most of us have thermostats set to higher temperatures than we really need. For starters, check your hot water thermostat. Most hot water heaters are set to 140 degrees as standard. You can very easily turn this down to 120 degrees and likely never even notice the difference as chances are good you never use water that hot (washing dishes, taking showers, etc.). You should also be able to get away with turning down your room thermostat by two degrees. Even though it’s only a couple degrees, you will save a large amount of energy over the course of the winter, and by adding a few extra layers for a couple weeks, your body will naturally adjust and acclimate to living in an environment just a touch cooler.

Take Inventory on Appliances & Light Bulbs
Energy Star Rated products will absolutely help you conserve energy and green up your home. Switching your standard fluorescent light bulbs over to carbon fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) is another quick way to save on energy used and your long term cost, as they last generally 10 times longer and use approximately 65-75% less energy than a regular light bulb. However, both CFLs and Energy Star Rated products require higher upfront cost, so it can be a good idea to simply take stock on what you have so far in your home, what improvements you could make and find out how and when you can start to make the switches.

Research Energy Companies in Your Area
Some energy companies actually have peak hours in which it costs more to use the same amount of energy. Becoming aware of these can enable you to more effectively plan when you heat your home the most, as well as when you use large appliances like dishwashers and laundry machines. Choosing to run these at hours when it is more cost effective can help keep your energy bill much lower.

Get Winterization Shopping Done
Chances are that you’ll need to do a walk-through of your house and take inventory on heating supplies like lighters, matches, furnace filters, your thermostat and even the condition of your fire extinguisher. Make sure you have everything you need to both start and quench a fire as part of your standard home winterization practices. If you burn any type of fuel like wood, pellets, natural gas, etc., now is also the prime time to make sure that your winter supply is set or at least on schedule to be taken care of.

Any Lingering Questions – Call a Professional
Finally, if you’re not feeling confident that things like your furnace or chimney are cleaned and in proper working condition, call in a professional. They can also do a walk through to check on your leaks and coach you on the best options for insulation in your home.

Enjoy a Warm Winter Ready Home
With all the preparation done, you can head into both the holiday season and the winter season ready to keep your house warm while you do your best to conserve energy and lower your bills as well. When in doubt, throw a sweater and some shoes on before you turn that thermostat up!

About the Author
Freelancer Jocelyn Anne writes for Air-n-Water and helps them develop content for their heating department related to energy savings.

Help! I Have a Plumbing Emergency.

If you stumbled across this page because you are frantically looking for information while water is gushing into your home, there is one thing you should do before proceeding. Turn off the water!

Plumbing contractor under the sink

If you can, turn off the water directly to the offending fixture. Most toilets and sinks and even water heaters and some wash machines have a valve near where the plumbing comes through the floor that allows you to turn off the water to that fixture. If the leak is in the floor or main pipe, you’ll need to turn off the water to the entire house. Some homes have a whole-house water shut-off valve inside the house, which makes turning the water off and on easy and accessible.

If you don’t have a whole-house water shut-off valve, or the leak has occurred before the valve, you’ll need to shut off the water at the street. Most houses have a meter box sunk into the ground near the street with a rectangular metal cover. Inside this box will be the water meter and a shut-off valve—you will need a wrench to turn it.

Whew! Now that the water is off, you can focus on finding a plumbing service to fix the problem.

Finding the Right Plumber for Your Repair Job

There are plumbers that specialize in repairs and plumbers that specialize in new construction and large remodeling jobs. First let’s talk about hiring a plumber for a plumbing repair.

Though you may need to speed up the process in an emergency, there are a few steps you should take when choosing a plumber regardless of the situation. First, seek out recommendations. Friends who have recently hired a plumber, local real estate agents, and even local hardware or home improvement stores can be good sources of referrals.

Once you have a list of 3-5 plumbing companies, make some phone calls. Here are some basic questions to ask each company:
• Are you licensed/certified? Most states require this.
• Are you insured (worker’s compensation and liability)?
• Can you provide references (even in an emergency, when you might not have time to call a reference, a company’s reaction to this question can tell you something about them)?
• How long have you been in business? Quality companies have staying power.
• What guarantees/warranties do they offer on their work?

Once you’ve covered the basics, explain your plumbing problem. Ask about their pricing and billing. Each company may structure their bills slightly differently, so you need to understand what you’ll be charged for ahead of time.

Now you’ve probably figured out which company you’re leaning toward. Before you call back though, do a little background checking. If possible, contact the state licensing board, to make sure no complaints have been logged against the company. Contact the Better Business Bureau for the same reason. Also do a search online using the company’s name and “review” to see if there are any comments about them, good or bad, that might assist you as you make a choice.

Steps for Selecting a Plumbing Contractor

Maybe you don’t have an emergency or even need repairs. You need a plumber to add that new Jacuzzi tub to your bathroom, or maybe you’re putting an addition on your house. You’ll need to seek out a plumbing company that specializes in new construction and/or remodels.

Though you presumably have more time than the poor soul with water dripping from a broken pipe, the steps you’ll begin with are the same as those listed above. Get recommendations from friends and local businesses. Another good source of recommendations for a plumber for new construction and remodels are local contractors. When you contact the companies to ask about their licensing, insurance, warranties, and references, also ask about their bidding process. Make sure you won’t be charged for the company to do a bid for you.

When you do your follow-up research, contact the references provided in addition to looking for reviews and calling state licensing boards and the BBB. New construction or remodeling is a big commitment—make sure you hire someone with a good work history.
After you have received bids from 3-5 companies, look them over carefully. It is generally recommended that you throw out bids that seem unusually low or high. High bids are often submitted by contractors who have a full schedule. Low bids can indicate inexperience or can cover up hidden costs that will surprise you later. Each bid will be different and each plumber will have different recommendations regarding parts and procedures. Listen to them and decide which one seems the best fit for you.

Once you’ve selected a contractor, make sure you have agreed to everything in writing ahead of time, including completion dates, materials, permits, and inspections. Be prepared to check in to make sure everything is going to the agreed plan, especially when it comes to permits and inspections, throughout the process. Then kick back and enjoy that new Jacuzzi!