Diamond Certified Blog

Here are some helpful tips for getting more mileage out of your gas tank. Read more

Even the most reputable contractors can find themselves in financial trouble without warning. I knew of one who lost everything when his son died unexpectedly. His son’s hospital bills and funeral/burial costs became too much, and while he had every intention of maintaining high standards for his clients, he eventually lost the liquidity necessary to keep their projects running ahead of their payments. That’s why it’s such a bad idea to allow payments to get ahead of progress…no matter what. To determine if your project is in trouble, look for the following warning signs:

• The contractor starts asking for progress payments ahead of progress, saying things like, “I need you to pay x amount of money so I can order something.” While this may be common for securing pre-fab orders like kitchen cabinets,

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Big changes are coming to sunscreen labels. Watch this video to find out what they are. Read more

When my Black Labrador got up in years, she would occasionally have accidents inside the house on the wall-to-wall carpeting. Don’t procrastinate when your pet accidentally urinates on your carpets—the crystals in the urine can create an alkaline stain, which can give off a bad odor, discolor your carpets and even damage your hardwood floors.

Here’s what to do: Blot up the urine contamination with a wet terry cloth towel until all the yellow comes up (you can also use paper towels). You don’t want it to spread further, so remember to blot, not rub. A 20/80 mixture of white vinegar and water can be applied to break up the urine crystals and absorb more of the stain. Read more

In case you missed the Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary celebration last weekend, here’s a great video of the massive fireworks display. Read more

Here are some tips for dealing with unwanted critters around your house. Read more

When taking on a major remodel, think about how to bring in the natural light and color from the outside and increase your living space. Consider creating a natural and relaxed feeling in your home, inside and out. Some of the possibilities include patio additions, sun rooms, glass doors, fire pits, outdoor kitchens, skylights and even water features.

If you live in a tight space without a yard (like a condo or small house), you can add skylights, atrium rooms or a bay window. Another idea for the kitchen is to pop out the window behind your sink and add shelves for potted herbs. In addition to improved lighting, you’ll have fresh herbs for dinner! Read more

Good general contractors are good managers of not only their talent, but also their money and their clients’ priorities and expectations. The best don’t mind an opportunity to set upfront expectations with serious customers. Here are three questions you can ask that will give you some insight on your prospective contractor:

1. Can you give me an example of a conflict that came up on a recent job and describe how you resolved it? Murphy’s Law works on building projects just as well as anywhere else. You can tell a lot about a person by how fair-minded they are when they retell a conflict resolution story.

2. Will you work until my project is finished, Read more

By Carolyn Pimentel, Vice President of Pimentel Paving, Inc.

It’s hard to believe that only 30 years ago, my uncle built houses based on a hand shake—he did the work as desired and got paid when his clients were happy. Unfortunately, those days are over. We live in a time when business ethics and morality are things of the past. We think we protect ourselves by asking for references, looking at past work, getting three or more estimates and checking with the Contractors State License Board (CSLB), but that’s still not enough in many cases.

What if you discovered that the references your contractor provided were actually family members posing as past clients? Read more

These days, much of our lives are conducted online. So what happens to our photo archives, videos, Facebook pages, domain names, blogs, websites, Tweets, music libraries and the rest of it after we die? Policies vary from company to company regarding what is done with your account and who, if anyone, is allowed to access it. To make sure your accounts are not ultimately lost, deleted or accessed if you don’t want them to be, you need to plan ahead. Read more