TIP: Some home owners have asked in the past about tearing off their old roofs or doing their own demo. I am for the most part OK with that, it save them some money and it usually is a not complicated although, I like to be there to instruct on what is okay to tear out or what helps support walls. Some projects may be too sensitive or too dangerous to let the home owner tear off, for instance if bad weather is coming or the roof is steep and dangerous. The home owner does not save any money if they end up in the hospital.

TIP: The internet is a great way to learn about the basics of a product or installation of a product, but is no substitute for a seasoned professional who installs the product. The installer does it daily and has learned tricks of the trade that makes for a better installation. Like for roofing, we use galvanized nails in Central Oregon and stainless steel nails at the coast. The installation guides are a generic guide line and a professional talks with the manufactures about alternate installation practices to make sure the warranties will still be valid. I have had conversation with manufactures in the past who ended up changing there manuals to use a better method of installation resulting in the increased life of their product.

TRICK: It is better to use a low pressure garden hose with a high pressure nozzle then to pressure wash your deck or cedar roof with a high pressure washer. There are some high pressure washers that do more damage then help and they can take up to five years off the life of your deck, then you put on a preserver and you get a couple of years back, then in two years you are replacing boards or the whole deck. So some times less is more.

TIP: There is a lot of so called professionals out there that are doing work for insanely low prices, but they may or may not be around the next week. I get a lot of calls from home owners who had a company come out and do some work for a few hundred dollars over cost of materials now their roof is a mess and the company is gone, can I help? Once a professional comes in and fixes the problem the home owner is out a lot of money and still may not have a warranty or there may be more problems hidden still to come. Another thing to watch for is if they bid the job cheap. Then after you sign and accept the bid change orders start to coming in like crazy. "Oh, did you want nails with that? They're extra." If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

Tip: If your windows have condensation between the glass then the seal is broken and in effect you now have a single pane window with a small hole in it. You would be surprised how easy it is to replace the window with a better grade window and save money in heating cost from flying out the window. You'll end up a lot more comfortable too.