So it is with the myriad pieces of all sizes that make up the giant jigsaw puzzle we call a house. According to the National Association of Home Builders, “A well-built home can last for centuries, but many of its parts must be replaced or refurbished on a regular basis.”
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A fter living with a woefully inadequate kitchen for ten years, we borrowed enough money from my 401(k) for a new one. With the help of an electrician, a plumber, and a designer provided by the cabinet supplier, I was able to transform an ugly, virtually useless room into something we weren’t embarrassed to own. Included was a dishwasher, which is something we had done without for more than a [...]
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The contract should mention two different kinds of warranties. One is a warranty on workmanship. This means the workmanship of the contractor, their employees, and subcontractors. States, and sometimes even municipalities, specify a minimum warranty period of, let’s just say, three years.
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Many contractors and repair people say that the products that a manufacturer supplies to home centers tend to be of lower or, if not lower, then different, quality than the products the same manufacturer provides to wholesale suppliers, even if they are the same model.
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Anything you want should mean just that. It shouldn’t mean anything that the supplier has in stock, no matter how much it costs.
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The attitude of my longtime plumber, Marcel Paillard, is more what you should be looking for in any contractor. We wanted to replace a very ugly bathroom vanity with a pedestal sink that was more in keeping with the age of the house. We supplied the sink.
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Contractors say no for three reasons. The first is that they don’t want to be bothered. The second is that they don’t know the answer but have what seems to be a good reason not to spend time tracking it down, because it might mean a delay in getting your job done and moving on to the next one. The third is that they are so set in their ways [...]
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