Most folks reading this probably didn’t experience our site outage on Monday, but if you’ve returned after being unable to reach us earlier this week, thanks for giving us another chance.
As always, we will try to respond to your inquiry by the close of business today – tomorrow at the latest.
Photography by Lucy Call; Design by Abby Hetherington
Hetherington wasn’t interested in a shiny stone for the countertops, so she turned to concrete instead. “The vendor we got it from actually casts them in a linen fabric to give it a raw texture,” explains the designer, who also matched the shade to one of the lighter tiles to give it that warm, fabric-like tone. The range hood was then plastered to match. If you look closely, every hue in the room refers back to the backsplash: Peep the beaded oak doors with planks of varying widths (another trick Hetherington used to give the room an organic feel) and the rice paper–hued plaster. It’s as close to a handful of wheat a kitchen will ever get.
So it’s not surprising that buying your kitchen from IKEA is a tempting option. There’s absolutely no doubt that IKEA kitchens are a lot cheaper on paper—on average about half the cost, and possibly even lower depending on the options you choose. IKEA sells everything you need for your kitchen in one place, from appliances to flooring, cabinets, countertops, and finishes, so it’s also a fairly convenient way to remodel.
Apartment Therapy’sErin Derby brings us this terrific small space from Brooklyn, featuring a number of items we can assist you in recreating or installing.
Looking for a ceiling light upgrade? These are some of our favorites — and, no, we won’t see a piece of the transaction if you make a purchase, so shop freely.
Posting a photo of your keys is something new homeowners do all the time when showing off their exciting new purchase, often dangling them in front of their front door. But TikTok user Cathy Pedrayes warns fellow TikTokers to not post photos of their new house keys online.
As Pedrayes explains in the Oct. 25 video, some nefarious intruder could make a copy of your key just from that photo alone. And according to the experts, there’s more than one way a potential burglar could do so.
With the various projects you might have going on around the house, it may be faster to hire a handyman (or woman!) rather than spending hours on the weekends doing them all yourself. A handyman is a jack of all trades when it comes to home repairs and maintenance around your home, usually for less money than a specialist such as a plumber and electrician. But before you bring someone into your home, it’s important to find the right person. You don’t want a handyman who swindles you or fixes everything incorrectly to where you have to go back and have another professional redo the work for more money. Consider posing these questions to three or four handyman services before choosing one:
Stock Photo via Redfin – unless requested in advance, we will not wear a hard hat to your home or business.
1. Are you licensed? Many states have processes by which handymen can become certified in their field of expertise, whether it’s as a handyman or a contractor. Ask each potential handyman if he is certified, and see a copy of that license before having one of them proceed with the work.
2. Do you have past clients as references? If this handyman has been in their field for a while, other homeowners can vouch for the work he has done. Ask to speak to some past clients. If the person you are considering is unwilling to provide contact information, chances are he or she hasn’t done good work in the past. You can also check on the Internet for reviews.
3. Can you provide a quote ahead of time? Handymen should be able to tell you what they’ll charge by the hour or the job. Provide them with a list of the things you’ll need done to help with this process. This will be especially useful when comparing more than one handyman service. See if you can get the estimate in writing as part of a contract.
4. Do you have liability insurance? If the handyman is injured on the job, you don’t want to be liable for those injuries. Check to make sure they have liability insurance. Handyman services should have insurance in place to protect them in case they’re injured on the job, just as with construction workers or contractors on build sites. It protects them, and it keeps you safe from legal charges down the road.
5. Is your work guaranteed? Ask the handyman if he guarantees his work. That is, if something is wrong, will he come back and redo it? You might have to get a guarantee in writing, but good handyman services will usually do this to show they’re serious about their work.
6. Will this be an individual or team job? Some jobs will require the work of an individual handyman, while others might require a few people coming into your home to do the job. This is something you need to be aware of ahead of time, as it could affect price and foot traffic in your home. It’s also probably good to ask if the handyman will be on site while the team is there. Sometimes contractors will bring in workers but not be on site at all during the work, which can lead to problems.
About Andrea Davis and HomeAdvisor
Andrea Davis works for HomeAdvisor, which helps homeowners find the right home improvement professionals for their home projects at the right price.
Homeowners can use HomeAdvisor Reviews to see what past customers have to say about each professional, and can calculate average local and national costs for a variety of home projects using Cost Guides. Access to all information and features is free for homeowners.