Mason:

What are the three best questions that a homeowner can ask when trying to choose a design/build firm and why?

Evan

 

Evan,

I appreciate your question... naturally, finding a good "fit" between yourself and a building / remodeling partner is the first and most important key to a successful project experience.

Take a look back at my archived post "On Selecting a Contractor" (August 2007).  There, we talk about achieving a level of comfort with the prospective contractor, his reputation, people and processes.  All of this applies regardless of any particular delivery system.

The search for a

Dear Readers:

Greetings from your chief blogger that, nine months ago, had no idea how these things work!

Our web developer has given us some analytics for our site, indicating that AskMason is the #1 most-visited section of our website; in excess of 1,000 views a month. Promotion has been mostly “word of mouth” and via the typically-available search tools (word-of-mouth for the 21st century).

I know that EVERYONE has questions about caring-for or improving their home. When I talk to my friends and acquaintances about posting those to the site, the overwhelming response is “Oh, I wouldn’t want

Mason:

Our hardwood flooring was buckled in several areas, so we hired a flooring guy to sand and refinish all of it throughout our first floor. Two months later, those same areas have buckled again! What happened, and what do we do now?

Elsie M., Gum Springs

Dear Elsie:

There are several possibilities for this, but (without examining the before and after conditions), I can give you the “90% probability” response…

When the edges are higher than the middle of a wood board, this is known as “cupping”. This condition is typically caused by a higher moisture condition on the bottom of the boards, than

I am trying to figure out how to make the basement a livable space. The partial earth covering 4-7 feet of the front and side of the foundation needs to be excavated and moisture proofed before backfilling. Instead would in be a reasonable proposition to remove the soil and add four windows across the bottom of the house for a two-story look? There are homes in Longwood Acres that were built with windows and very little earth against the home..

RM

Basement space is GREAT space to recapture for finished living area! Some of these conversions are quite simple, while others do indeed become more

Surfing the remodeling industry blogosphere, I found this thought-provoking post on Remodeling Magazine’s website blog.

The topic is certainly of interest to remodelers and prospective remodeling homeowners alike, so I thought I’d share it with you, Dear Readers.  My short answer to the question (THAT is out of character for me!), is that HGTV and the like have been both wonderful (spurring interest) and horrible (let’s just say that many of us refer to it as “remodeling pornography”) for our industry.  Read on….

Mason

Can I put hardwood floors in my kitchen and entryway for $1,000? And get new