We've all searched Craigslist and Freecycle for roofing, flooring and other home renovation scraps. Sometimes we hit the jackpot and sometimes we get sidetracked and buy a new TV instead. Whoops. So we were really psyched to hear about Diggerslist.com, dedicated to buying and selling excess from construction sites.
Recently launched in 15 top metropolitan areas, DiggersList allows big construction companies to sell their unused building materials online at discounted prices. Flooring, roofing, tile -- it can all be found.
The new service aims to reduce nationwide construction waste, allow suppliers to offload surplus inventory and make materials available to the DIY enthusiast at reduced cost. Contractors can also post their services on the site, and property owners can post projects they're looking to have professionally done. It's people meeting people, hammer meeting nail, bargain building materials meeting the bed of someone's pickup.
The construction-centric DiggersList can be aptly compared to the beloved CraigsList. The UI has some similarities, although DiggersList features additional info like "Recent Users", "Recent Photo Albums" and a "Recently Listed" section. It's worth checking out, particularly if you live in one of the DiggersList areas. For everyone else, the wait is on.
If you had DiggersList in your area, what would you use it for?
True or false: We've reached the bottom of the home remodeling decline?
Harvard says it's true, so it must be, right?
2010 is the Year of the Hammer, particularly by the second quarter, the study (released by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University) suggests. Despite unstable housing market prices and roof-shattering foreclosure rates, potential remodelers may see "favorable financing costs" and increased home sales as reasons for taking on some nonessential improvement projects.
If the prognosticators in Crimson Country are correct, this is great news for contractors, remodelers and homeowners alike. It's still too soon to pop the champagne, but tell us, what's the first project you'll hire-out?
With the new year upon us, Stephanie Zimmerman has a resolution for all of us to follow: Let's not get scammed this year. Many points on her list apply to homeowners. Among her suggestions:
Do research on contractors before hiring, and never pay for a remodeling job upfront.
Read the fine print.
Save all contracts, sales agreements and warranties.
Find a good locksmith now and not when it's an emergency.
Keep a list of a good plumber, HVAC repair service and mechanic based on recommendations of friends and family. Maintain good relations with these people.
Looking to hire a green pro but don't know where to go? Let the National Association of Home Builders help. As of last month, 1,500 people have earned the designation of Certified Green Professional (CGP) under the NAHB National Green Building Program. The CGP designation recognizes builders, remodelers and other industry professionals who understand how to incorporate green building principles into homes and provide green building expertise for consumers.
Consumers can find Certified Green Professionals in their states by using the Builder and Remodeler Designation Directory on NAHB's Web site. Learn all about the rise of green-savvy builders and brokers in "Green Occupations."
Having a phone book land on my doorstep is like receiving 1,000 pieces of junk mail at the same time. A tremendous waste of paper and resources. I try to be green. But I wonder how many trees were taken out of doing their job of producing oxygen for the Earth so I could get a book I put directly in the recycling bin. I often talk about recycling in my blogs and I honestly can’t tell if the city is happy or not about phone book day in my town. They collect the recycling and if they sell these books back to the paper mill I guess they may like phone book day. Even if you are a saver of the phone books, when you get a new one you throw out the old one. So either way, there is a phone book going in the front door and an old or new one going out the back. This happens at least three times a year in my neighborhood. That said, I personally get at least three sets a year from the various telcos. I freely admit I use the online versions of the Yellow Pages for various services. They have reviews as well as everything the books have plus maps. Or, if I am looking for a contractor, I visit the Bob Vila Contractors site as I can fill out one form and let the contractors call me. These sources are much better for information than the vestiges of the pre-Internet era, behemoth books. How green can it be to send half a tree to every household in my neighborhood? I don’t think they have any sort of list as I have watched the weighted-down van pull up to the corner then two guys jump out and drop off a bag of three of these books at every house on my block. I don’t see a list in their hands so I am assuming they just drop them all off.
As a side note, I am on a corner and often get a set of books dropped off at the front door and side door. I searched Google and found a news story with phone numbers to stop the distribution and a petition to do the same. But if the delivery people are not carrying a list of the phone company’s customers and hitting my front and side door, how would this stop them? Don’t get me wrong. I am sure many people use their phone books, especially those without Internet access, but are they really reading this blog? So can someone out there give me some suggestions to not only stop me from getting these phone books but a central location where anybody can opt out of this phone book “spamming” at my door?
With hurricane season upon us and a report of home repair scams up 60 percent over the past five years, now is the time to be wary of the old roofing repair scam. According to this page, roofing contractor scammers often target the elderly. They also heighten their activity before and during hurricane season when homeowners are most likely to question the integrity of the roof over their head.
The best bet to prevent being taken:
Only employ licensed contractors. Verify the contractor's license number with the state.
Insist on a written contract and have an attorney look it over.
Never pay in cash.
Don't provide a down payment greater than 10 percent of the total estimated cost.
Are homeowners getting more gullible? According to the Council of Better Business Bureaus, home repair rip-offs are on the rise–up 60 percent over the past five years. Reader's Digest lists the five biggest scams as:
