Diamond Certified Blog

Exceeding a remodeling budget can lead to a host of unforeseen problems, including settling for unexpected options, disagreeing with contractors and being left with an unfinished room. To avoid dealing with these potential issues altogether, consider the following tips:

Differentiate between “need” and “want.” Start your budget with things you need. Research the costs of many different kinds of products and materials, starting with the most expensive necessities and ending with the items you can do without. Major appliances should be at the top of your list since they cost the most.

Make a Top 10 list. Look around your kitchen and decide what needs to be immediately replaced and what can be replaced in the future. Read more

A number of foods that we eat can be toxic for dogs if ingested. You may already know that chocolate is bad for them, especially chocolate with a high cocoa content. You should also make sure that you keep Macadamia nuts, rising bread dough, onions and garlic out of reach, according to Dr. Kristina Hansson, a Diamond Certified veterinarian with North Bay Animal Hospital. Fatty turkey and chicken skins are a no-no and may cause gastrointestinal disturbance or pancreatitis.

The last 2 items on the list of toxic foods may surprise you. Dr. Hansson says that grapes and raisins are extremely dangerous for your pet. “Many people aren’t aware that these are very toxic to dogs and can result in kidney failure. Read more

It’s an auto body shop’s responsibility to perform a thorough and complete repair job on your car, but you play a big part in how successful your automobile’s body repairs are, too. Here are a few simple steps you can take to be a good customer when you take your car, minivan, truck or van into a local auto body shop.

• Be clear and upfront with the auto body shop representative. Let them know what car problems you’re having, what outcome you expect from the vehicle collision repairs and specific ways they can satisfy those expectations.
• Before you drop off your car, truck or van, restate your expectations and goals,

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. According to Matt Cole, owner of Cole’s Carpet and Upholstery, a Diamond Certified company, 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.

So here’s what to do. Mr. Cole says you blot up the urine contamination with a wet terry cloth towel until all the yellow comes up. You don’t want it to spread further, so remember to blot, not rub the area. You can also use paper towels for blotting. Read more

Maintaining the windows in your home is relatively easy and can save you money on future heating, cooling and repair work. Depending on the type of window you have, consider the following tips:

Maintaining metal or vinyl frame windows

• Start with a visual inspection of the window and frames. Rubber seals hold the glass in place, and if the seals deteriorate over time, you’ll have an air or water leak. To replace the rubber, remove the window
  sash and take it to a glass repair shop. You may need to call a professional to remove the window.
• Check for cracked or broken glass, which should also be replaced by glass shop professionals.

Read more

To shop smart in supermarkets, it helps to be aware of the latest marketing strategies. Laurel Pallock with the San Francisco District Attorney’s Consumer Fraud Unit says some stores are experimenting with shopping carts that have embedded chips that slow them down in specific aisles. “It’s such a subtle thing that people won’t even notice as they’re moving, but they’ll still be lingering a little longer at certain products.”

Also, watch out for what’s known as the “halo effect” in a supermarket’s produce department. Ms. Pallock says because consumers associate fresh fruits and vegetables with good health and quality, manufacturers want their products placed nearby, even if it’s packaged food. “You shouldn’t be surprised if you see more items like cheese or vegetable juices close to the fresh stuff. Read more

The key to mortgage matchmaking is being a careful listener. The Diamond Certified mortgage brokers I talked to say a good loan agent will ask the right questions first and then find a loan at the lowest interest rate that fits your particular needs. To get a good match, ask questions and expect informative answers.

The loan agent will pre-qualify you, evaluating your financial situation and credit scores. Here are some strategies to use when shopping for a loan. Don’t make large purchases, such as a new car, while you are buying or refinancing a home, as this new debt may affect your credit scores and therefore the interest rate you are offered. Read more

Flea control all year round in California is important for your pets, especially puppies and kittens. Dr. Kristina Hansson, a Diamond Certified veterinarian with the North Bay Animal Hospital told me why. “So what can happen is with the chronic ingestion of blood by the fleas, it can actually lead to anemia and stunted growth because the animal is not growing as fast as it normally would with the nutrient loss from the blood.” Dr. Hansson doesn’t recommend flea collars for flea prevention. She suggests talking to your vet about which flea maintenance product, the kind you apply once a month, is best for your pet. Read more

A couple weeks ago, we started mailing the 2011 Diamond Certified Directory to more than 800,000 homeowners, select local business owners, property and apartment managers, and insurance and real
estate agents throughout the Greater Bay Area. Each of the nine different versions (Sonoma County, Marin County, San Francisco/Daly City, Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, Solano County, and Monterey/San Benito/Santa Cruz Counties) presents full-page profiles of companies independently rated Highest in Quality across a wide variety of industries, including landscaping, auto body repair, carpet cleaning, dentistry, construction and much more.

Since this massive distribution began, the positive reactions we’ve received from consumers have translated to a 29% increase in calls to Diamond Certified companies over the first two weeks of the 2011 directory’s release (compared to 2010)—the most significant gain in Diamond Certified history! Read more

A professional arborist like James Cairnes, owner of a Small World Tree Company, a Diamond Certified company, believes that all pruning should preserve as much of the tree and look as natural as possible. Young trees need what’s called “formative pruning,” where you take out competing stems that could cause problems in the future. Directional pruning is also done on many types of trees, mainly to improve the structure and aesthetics of a tree.

Mr. Cairnes is often asked to help with view restoration. That means cutting off branches with the idea of balancing the homeowner’s view while maintaining the integrity of the trees. Sometimes fruit production is the goal for trimming and pruning, Read more