If houses could talk, what would they say? Listen carefully, and you might hear them trying to tell you there’s a leak in the attic, or your plumbing is about to blow. You might hear dripping and knocking and whooshing and buzzing. None of these signs should be ignored, but rather, carefully considered before you … Read more
A trip to the hardware store for home repair materials can be both costly and inconvenient — plus, it might mean you’ve overlooked some simple hacks available to you with household items you never considered. Many pesky problems can be solved with some creativity and know-how, saving you time, effort, and money. Check out these … Read more
Budgeting for even a basic repair project can feel overwhelming. How are you supposed to know exactly how much you’ll need to spend on materials? And what about tools you don’t have on hand? To complicate matters, sometimes you need to pay for a permit, or call in a pro. One of the first steps … Read more
Ashley Abramson Contributor Ashley Abramson is a writer-mom hybrid in Minneapolis, MN. Her work, mostly focused on health, psychology, and parenting, has been featured in the Washington Post, New York Times, Allure, and more. She lives in the Minneapolis suburbs with her husband and two young sons. Follow Ashley
Heather Bien Contributor Heather Bien is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer whose work has appeared on MyDomaine, The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings, HelloGiggles, and more. You’ll often find her making pitstops for roadside antique shops, drooling over original hardwood floors, or perfecting her latte recipe.
Purchasing a home is no small investment. And a few months after handling your closing costs is not the moment you want to incur a four- or five-figure surprise — like, say, learning that the roof of your recent purchase needs to be replaced. This is where the importance of the home inspection comes in. It … Read more
Lauren Wellbank Contributor Lauren Wellbank is a freelance writer with more than a decade of experience in the mortgage industry. Her writing has also appeared on HuffPost, Washington Post, Martha Stewart Living, and more. When she’s not writing she can be found spending time with her growing family in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania. … Read more
Even if you’re well-versed and well-practiced in home repair, sometimes a job requires a professional. “My general rule is that if I have to watch more than 40 minutes of a YouTube video before I can start a project, it’s best to call a pro,” says homeowner David Leapheart. Whenever you hire someone, you of … Read more
Congratulations! You bought your first home. You’ve made it through the first rites of passage: nervously handing over your down payment, giddily scarfing down delivery dinner amid stacks of boxes. But there’s one more critical step in the process of becoming an official homeowner: experiencing that moment you realize you can’t call your landlord when … Read more
When it comes to home maintenance and repairs, you sometimes don’t know what you don’t know — that is, until you’re standing in your flooded basement, wrench in hand, wondering where you went wrong. Take, for example, one of my most recent mishaps. I would consider myself pretty above-average when it comes to home repairs … Read more