1. How to Find a Contractor
A Seattle-area Angie’s List
membership (angieslist.com) starts at $4.25 a month, yielding member writeups
on 26,000 local companies spanning everything from earthquake retrofitting to
lamp repair (and including plenty of nonhome stuff, like health-care
providers). These usually include the cost and scope of work performed, which
is especially helpful. Tip: Companies that offer a coupon on Angie’s List pay a
fee for the privilege of doing so, though they must earn at least a B grade.
Asking friends, family, neighbors, or your neighborhood email listserv for
word-of-mouth recommendations is another good bet. If you need a specialist (a
plumber, floor finisher, whatever), a recommendation from a general contractor
is golden. The pros don’t mess around with substandard workmanship.
2. How to Turn Stuff Off
In case of an earthquake,
gas leak, or other emergency, a home’s main gas shutoff valve is at the meter,
where the pipe comes out of the ground. Look for a valve above that pipe with
an arrow that is pointing in the same direction. Use a crescent wrench (some
people tie an old one to the meter so it’s always handy) to turn it 90 degrees.
Do this only if you smell gas or suspect a leak; it can take a while to get it
turned back on. Water meters are usually beneath a rectangular steel plate in
front of your house (often in the strip of grass near the street). Lift the
plate and look for that same type of valve that’s in line with the pipe. To
turn it off, the valve and arrow must be perpendicular.
3. How to Wash Windows
Mix liquid dish soap with
water and use a soft rag or sponge (rough surfaces can scratch glass) to lather
up the windows. Rather than rinsing, most pros use a squeegee; find one small
enough to fit the individual windowpanes. Pull it down each pane, from top to
bottom, in a single stroke. Wipe the squeegee with a rag after each pull to
avoid streaks. Or call professional window washers (see item no. 1), especially
if you don’t want to tackle second-story windows.
4. How to Use (and Maintain) a
Wood-Burning Fireplace
Winter freezes can cause
cracks in masonry chimneys; Marty Ferguson of Around the Sound Masonry
(425-742-8559) says a quick annual inspection can identify cracks and should
happen before wintertime, when it’s too cold to fix any problems. Tuckpointing
(grinding away and replacing damaged mortar) can address these problems before
they morph into structural damage. Always use dry firewood to avoid generating
extra creosote and particulates and track the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency’s
website (pscleanair.org) to make sure a seasonal burn ban isn’t in effect.
5. If Your House Needs Earthquake
Retrofitting
Buildings older than 1980
need a good look, and homes built before 1965 are likely to need upgrades, says
Roger Faris, a Seattle-based disaster mitigation specialist who works with
FEMA. Retrofits usually consist of bolting the house down to the foundation and
reinforcing the perimeter “pony wall” that separates the concrete foundation
and the first floor. Seattle Public -Library offers free earthquake
retrofitting classes for homeowners—a good first step before -deciding whether
to hire a contractor or do it yourself. Visit seattle.gov/emergency/events or
ask your local emergency management agency about resources.
6. Where You Shouldn’t Be Digging
Call the national “Call 811
Before You Dig” service and it will notify your local utilities if you’re
planning to plant trees or do any sort of digging or excavating. Within a few
days, reps will come to mark the whereabouts of -underground infrastructure on
your property so you know what to avoid.
7. When to Paint the Exterior
Given the Northwest’s
limited window of warmth and sunshine, good house painters book up their
summers faster than a hot wedding venue. Ryan Barr, president of Excel Home
Painting (excelhomepainting.com), says his crews generally do outdoor jobs May
through October, when overnight temperatures stay above 45 degrees. Thanks to
improved construction materials, homes built in the past 20 to 30 years can
usually go 12 to 15 years between paint jobs, but older homes—thanks to their
layers of gnarly, brittle old paint—might need a new coat every five to seven
years. Make it last longer by trimming trees or shrubs to keep them from
touching the house. Good airflow minimizes dampness and can prevent premature
peeling.
