Takeaway: Don’t pay to be the test case for inexperienced, unskilled builders I was recently on a job at a building where it was very apparent the a ton of unlicensed work had been performed. […]
Category Archives: Best practice
Look at the tools
Takeaway: You can tell a lot about a builder by the way they organize themselves, their tools and even their correspondence. I often notice fellow builders with old beat up tools and I wonder to […]
Building a Nest
The takeaway: Don’t allow un-permitted work to happen on your property; it could cost you down the track. The story: A good friend of mine, the owner of the Nest Lounge, approached me several months […]
What does the client want
We are about to embark on a laundry renovation. This laundry was attempted 2 years, the hack who dunnit was one of the usual crooks. He refused to bid on the job, claiming it was […]
Returning to the scene…
Recently I returned to a location at which I had performed a foundation repair. I wanted to inspect the work and ensure everything was working well. The original call involved a foundation weeping water into […]
French Drain or Freedom Drain
I just had an opportunity to inspect a basement that was swimming in water. After chatting with the home owner I discovered that they had paid a contractor last summer several thousand dollars to install […]
Drainage time…
With a ridiculous amount of rain falling this time of year the phone starts to ring off the hook with a variety of water penetration issues. Gutters are overflowing, water is creeping and basements are […]
Another unlicensed liar
Once again I recently had to work on a house where the owner had recruited an unlicensed smooth talking “contractor”. This low life was unlicensed and uninsured. He apparently lied to the owner for several […]
What am I paying for?
I was chatting with a good friend of mine over the weekend. I was lamenting some of my past experiences of hiring a contractor and taking him at his word that he was skilled and […]
Should you do it right?
Many contractors are faced with the conundrum of whether or not to do a job right or to just cover it up and move on. I have mentioned before that I used to work with […]
Concrete Time and Tips
It is the time for all the outdoor projects that everyone has spent all winter dreaming about. Patios, porches, decks, fences, play structures and outdoor entertaining areas. Most, if not all of these projects involve […]
Construction Recycling
I remember being an 8 year old roaming around a large construction site that my family was managing. The most interesting place for me on a daily basis was the dump pile. This pile of […]
To permit or not to permit?
I regularly get approached to perform work on houses where the owner requests that the work not be permitted. I have heard things like, “it doesn’t matter”, or “I don’t care about permitting”, or “I […]
Wrong materials for our climate
I was called to a spectacular residence last week. A house on a bluff overlooking the Willamette Valley and Mt Hood. The owner is a retired contractor. As I have said before, many contractor fear […]