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Bath Room Remodel And You

 Well, most people don’t start to think about remodeling their baths until they have their taxes done.  The time of year to do your bath room is in the beginning of the year.  This is a slower time for most re-modelers and they are more likely to give you a better price.  The Jan-Feb slow down is a known and common problem for most people in the remodeling business, especially the smaller companies.  The large out fits just pump up their ads and keep getting the required work for the slower time.  Again, you will probably be able to get a better price for your  projects if you do them during this time.  When spring hits and everyone has their cash in hand,  this generates a higher volume of work and creates a supply and demand type situation.

The same is true for seasonal type work, like hydroseeding new lawns for instance, the sooner you book in spring the better rate you will get.  The hydroseeding market is a short growing season so first come first serve becomes a big issue for people.  A company like Badges Properties will book 1-2 full yards to be sprayed in a day, so you can see if your don’t book early you may have to wait some time to have your yard put  in.  Going back to remodeling, it is a better time if you have the money to do your remodeling early on.    I have heard of people getting full bath remodels right down to the studs for under $10k even lower a $5K-$8K when things are really slow.   Badges Properties LLC home of the “Fix-It Brothers” in Southeastern WI will be lining up their bath jobs for Jan-Feb.  this is the only time they can get their bath room jobs in as they will be booked until april and then they start installing the Gutter Care II system which is a foam insert which protects a homes gutter system.

The Fix-It Brothers  like to remodel baths adding custom tub surrounds in ceramic tile and flowing the water through a brushed satin nickel shower handle.  This combination makes a very striking surround.  Then adding a floor in ceramic tile balances the whole room.  The individual tastes of the home ower can shine.  The Fix-It Brothers also can take a bath from start to finish designing the whole bath for you.  The ceramic tile look is a rich look that will last for a very long time and stay looking good with very little work on the home owners part.  I think this is also why so many people want to remodel their baths with ceramic tile. 

You as the home owner need to sit down and decide how much or how little you want to do to your bath.   The time to decide is before you start having contractors in your house for free estimates.   Some have some really good sales people that will have you putting in marble and solid gold fixtures before your done.  Don’t let this happen to you.  Times are still hard for contractors and builders and they are hitting sales hard to just get by.  So you as the home owner need to have what you want in mind already.  There can be a few contractors that will actually give you some ideas on how to save money on your bath also.  You can do smaller things like take out a old vanity style sink and fixture,  replacing it with a updated sink and vanity.  Making the change quick and less expensive.  Many times people will paint the room, change the floor and put a new sink vanity in.  This will change the whole look of the room.

You can then change over the towel holders and soap holders to give a whole new fresh look to your bath.  You can do alot of remodeling on less.  Just don’t go over the top with the thought you will get everything done for $5 and a can of soda.  Many people have not done any remodeling fo so many years they are not current on what is reasonable price for what they want done.  I always say look at your job and what you get paid.  If  you are in a skilled job and expect to get paid for your services, so do trades people.  Just the tools alone that are needed to perform this kind of work carries a high cost in itself.  There are many good deals to be had on remodeling your home.  Watch out for the guy with the rusted out pick up truck and a hammer,  these traits don’t make him or her a contractor,  at least not one that you want to hire.  Many of these guys bait and switch on you.  The 10% guys,  they take this amount or any other amount off your lowest estimate.  This is a sales tactic to get the home owner to hire them.

I would never hire the guy that comes in last,  ohh yes,  these guys show up last so they will either tell you to get your other estimates or will just blow you off for a long time.  They want to be the last estimate this enables them to not really do any real work on the estimates.  Most contractors have a general idea of what it will cost or use programs now days that tells them what to charge.  They will tell you they will take 10% off and will have you sign a contract with them right away.  There is the cost mark up mid way through the job.  Have heard of this happening  to people.  A good contractor gives a fair price of  $7,000 for the entire bath and then the low baller comes along and tells the home owner they can do it for $5,500 sounds good.  NOT,  by the time the job is done the cost went up to the $7,000 and sometimes more.  You need to pick contractors that have done work for maybe family or friends and they were happy with them.

Sometimes you get lucky and see a ad on TV for a good company.  If you see a ad on TV, go and check out their website and check them out.  Watch out if they have a ton of advertising also.  Sometimes this can be a sign that they spend alot on advertising,  creating  higher costs for them to operate and then passing that cost on to you.    You see this happen with really large home builders or contractors.  Don’t get me wrong a business has to advertise some how or else no one would hear about them.   Also be very careful with those so called contractor finder services or lists.  The contractors have to pay to use those services,  it gives a appearance that they have got on a checked out service list,  when all they have done is pay money to get on the list,  just like any other advertising.  I don’t care for these as it gives the home owner the idea that this company checks out,  when really all they did was pay for a phone call to them.  Don’t fall for these contractor service lists.  I am not talking about user lists which are non-profit or consumer protection lists.   

Good luck in finding a contractor for your bath project,  they are out there.  Call them and they will come.

Gutters And Foam Inserts

I know I am on a gutter kick here.  I normally would have moved on by now.  The weather here in Southeastern WI has been so mild it has extended outside home care this year.  I am not trying to harp on gutters and keeping them clean,  well ok I am.  People don’t realize how many problems actually come from plugged gutters.  Most of the water basement problems that home owners have is due to plugged or clogged gutters.  The plugged gutter issue is not a new one for the Fix-It Brothers either.  They have been helping people with gutter problems and more for years now.  When looking at gutters there is more then meets the eye.  Some people hire unqualified people or just do it themselves because they feel it is no big deal, there only gutters.  This is their first and last mistake when looking at the well being of a home.

Lets look at a short history here about water and rain run off.  As time has gone by more areas have had houses and business’ built in them, leaving for less natural run off to go.  So,  water or rain needs to be controlled as to where it can go.    We have less land or ground for the rain to be soaked into and used by mother nature.  When water has no place to go you have to make sure it stays away from your house.  Having a good working gutter system is very important.   Many people don’t think about this until they have huge ice dams on there house.  Don’t get me wrong here either ice damming is more than just clean gutters, but if your gutters are full of leaves and moisture they will freeze over first creating a plugged gutter.  Now the water from your roof has no where to go.  The problems then go on from there.

I am not going to cover all the different types of gutter protection in this article.   Please see or review some of my other articles which cover the different types and how they work or don’t work.  What I would like to do is talk about foam insert gutter protection systems.  I have come to the conclusion that the foam insert system like,  the Gutter Care II system w/extreme cap is by far the best system out there and it is affordable.  I have it on my house and soon to be on my parents new house also.  I fully endorse this product,  that is the Gutter Care II gutter protection system.   The system works and does not require you to get a home loan to put it in.  I do want to stress concern for look alike or imitators that are called foam inserts or gutter filters.  Many are sold by contractors and the big box hardware stores.  I would list them here,  but my critics and trademark people would not be happy about that,  so as long as you know there many look alike foam inserts out there,  you are armed with knowledge.

The foam insert system started years back and has been redefined many times over.  The first systems were to dense not allowing enoughwater to get through.  Some even held water in them causing them to freeze solid in cold climates.  Once these big issues were delt with it came down to the sun and mother nature.  The sun would break the foam insert down and therefore would fall apart.  Now,  there are a few foam insert system out there that do this.  These systems can be identified by the fact the warranty on them is only 5 years.  If you see a foam insert gutter protection system and is has only a 5 year warranty there’s a reason for that.  Please don’t get this confused with installers warranty on a local level.  Many local contractors will tell you they will give you much longer warranties and clean your gutters if they plug.  This does you no good if the system falls apart or causes damage before they get the gutters cleaned out.  I think you can see what I am talking about here.

Lets get to the real deal here.  Nobody likes to clean out gutters its dirty and can be highly dangerous.  The bottom line here is the Gutter Care II foam inserts work.  Until someone can prove to me that they don’t I will keep endorsing this product.  Again not all foam insert gutter protection systems are created equal.  If your looking for the system in Southeastern WI in the Greater Milwaukee area and beyond,  look up Badges Properties LLC home of the Fix-It Brothers who can be found online at their web site or doing guest appearances on a local live TV show on WTMJ 4 Morning Blend or their web site. 

I will have many critics as I do write alot of articles on home and home care.  I am a expert in that area, so hence that is what my passion is and what I write about.    I try to give a practical answer which is backed up by experience or education.  I will even go as far and ask people to please let me know if they know something more about what I have wrote about,  right or wrong.   People must be able to support what they are talking about.   People must always remember experts in theirarea are usually getting paid for that expertise.  The difference is being a sales person or a expert in there field, some times you can be both.  I will tell people what  I endorse and support in a effort to help them solve their homes problems,  not just sell them a product.   The Fix-It Brothers have a slogan “We don’t sell you products we sell you solutions”  used before by others yes.  When you  fully believe in this is what makes it count.

Gutters Need To Be Cleaned

The fall has come and gone here in the Greater Milwaukee area of Wisconsin.  We have seen some record breaking high temperatures in the area.  This has really helped people to see the leaves in their gutters and everyone Else’s in their area.  People have been really getting a chance to get their gutters cleaned and install the Gutter Care II system offered by Badges Properties LLC home to “The Fix-It Bros.  The Fix-It Brothers are the only dealer in southeastern WI that can carry the Gutter Care II system in that area.  The warm weather has people calling still to protect their gutters from clogging and freezing this winter.  The damage that bad gutters do during the winters in the Greater Milwaukee area of Wisconsin has become more self evident as each of the past winters have proved it.

It is great that people are finding out that keeping the gutters clean on their house is a very important dirty task that must be done.  The way I look at is,  lets say your comparing costs on putting the Gutter Care II gutter protection system on your house or  hiring some guy out of a ad in a news paper to come clean your gutters,  probably never thought to even ask the guy if his company has insurance or not right?  Don’t feel bad most people don’t,  they just want a cheap cleaning for $75.00-$100.00 or more depending how many levels your house is.  Now,  you as the home owner do this in the spring and the fall,  maybe more if you have alot of trees plugging your gutters up faster.  S0, now your around $200.00 on the year for your gutter cleaning.  Gutter Care II system for a average ranch house is between $800.00 – $1,200.00 for the entire house.  Now, even for the bigger ranch the Gutter Care II system has payed for itself in just 6 years, free and clear.   That is great isn’t it?

The Gutter Care II system is under warranty to not allow your gutters to clog for 25 years.  It does not take a brain surgeon to figure out the cost savings is huge.   I think that its a great feeling to save  on gutter cleaning across 20 some years or more.  Well if you do it yourself you could save alot more when you consider how dangerous gutter cleaning can be.  There was even a retired Green Bay Packer foot ball player that died when trying to clean his gutters.  Gutter Care as you can see is very affordable to install.  Unlike some other gutter guard or leaf guard systems require some people to take out home loans just to get it put in.  It is no wonder that people always think they can not afford a fully functioning and working gutter protection system.  I just hate to see people let their homes get severely damaged because they think they cannot afford a good gutter protection system.  They can they just need to look around alittle more.

I still understand the frustration that home owners feel.  They go to big box hardware stores and see the cheap look alike systems and gimmick gutter protection.   I have seen piles of these systems stacked by a home owners garbage cans.  The lessons don’t come cheap as what people thought it would be.  Again I can see why people are fed up with trying to find and buy a good gutter protection system.  I think once people see they can afford the Gutter Care II system and it works also,  they will be very delighted.

How To Pick A Good Leaf Guard / Gutter Care Protection System

It is the fall time of year again.  Leaves and debris get into your gutters all year long.  People seem to think about leaves and debris in the the fall and spring when rain or ice damming occur the most.  We need to think about keeping our gutters clean all year round.  People have water in their basements many times because their gutters are clogged with leaves and debris.  If you are experiencing basement water  problems, look up first and then look down.     We need to always keep the house gutters free and clog  free to keep our houses safe from severe damage.

Just yesterday we were chatting with a gentleman who said his friends house next store to him had a very popular leaf guard system which make you tear off your old gutters in order to use it.   This is because the leaf guard top is a solid one piece type system which lets water in the front of the gutter were there is a slot.  I am still not sure how debris does not get into this system as it has a open hole in the front of the gutter.  Well sure enough as we were talking the gentleman said the company who put the system in has to come out in spring and fall and clean his friends gutters to get the leaves and debris out of them.  Well they honor the fact they will clean your gutters if debris gets in,  I thought  the point of a leaf guard was to keep the gutters unclogged and free from debris.  I have said many times myself that the lid or one piece leaf guard systems cannot stop debris from getting in.   What is the point to pay such a large amount of money for a gutter cover protection system to only have to have a company representative come out and clean it twice a year.

The gutter covers or lid gutter protection systems were thought to be the best you could get.  People also thought this was true because of  the high dollar amounts they had to pay to get them installed.   The old idea,  I paid alot of money for it,  so it must work.  Well people have found that they paid alot of money,  even some having to get loans in order to get some of these leaf guard systems put in,  and are still paying for systems that don’t keep their gutters free from debris.  Now paying a smaller amount and finding out the system don’t work is a learning process which cost you some but didn’t break the bank isn’t fun either.  It is a easier process to accept.  Just like buying a car and your making payments on it, but it is running poorly.  Yeah it gets you around,  but it is still very irritating.  

The big box hardware stores have lots of  look alike copies of more expensive gutter protection systems and they still have just plain old junk that people just end up ripping off and throwing it away after a couple years of  having their gutters still clog and having to clean their gutters, only taking twice as long because they have to take the lids / covers off first to clean them.  Where they are not helping is by selling the look alike systems,  these systems still actually cost more in the long run then if  the home owner would have not got dupped by what appears to be a lower price for the same product.    There are gutter insert systems that the big box stores sell that really look like high end gutter care insert system,  the difference is it is only slightly cheaper and you have to install it yourself.    The big difference is try to get any warranty for no clog or free cleaning if it does clog.  The look alikes don’t last either.  The foam they make the gutter insert from breaks down in the weather after time.  That’s why their warranty if you want to call it that,  is only five years. 

The way to get a good gutter care II system is to find a dealer in your area to help you get the real gutter care II system in and done right.  I encourage people to let me know if they have found a system that works and is cost affective also.  There are so many gimick type gutter protection devices out there,  thats why we ask for people to let us know what they have seen and used.  It really comes down to if the gutter protection system works or not.