When you need work done on your home, it’s not always easy to know who you should call. In some cases, a general contractor might be the right choice, while others may call for a trade specialist like a plumber or an electrician. However, there’s another type of service provider that’s sometimes overlooked: the handyman. Read more

California winters may be mild, but it’s still important to perform home winterization tasks in the fall. In our previous article, we covered exterior home winterization. In this segment, we’ll go over some interior maintenance steps to help you prepare your California home for winter. Read more

California winters may be mild compared to what other parts of the country experience, but the weather can nonetheless take a toll on local residences. When a home isn’t properly winterized, the heavy storms and occasional freezes can cause everything from dry rot and roof leaks to cracked water pipes and crawl space flooding. That’s why, even in California, it’s crucial to perform preventative winterization measures on your home and property in the fall. Read more

If you think about it, there are a lot of similarities between your body and your home. For example, each contains a network of systems that allow the whole to function as needed. With a little imagination, you can draw parallels between your home’s plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems and your body’s circulatory, nervous, and respiratory systems. Read more

Since the recent California wildfires, many of us have been reassessing our relationships to our possessions. Since my home was safe, my immediate response was to find useful items to donate to the fire victims. In fact, many Sonoma County donation sites were overwhelmed with people’s generosity and had to turn away used clothing and furniture. They requested cash donations instead or things like toaster ovens, hot plates and electric teapots for those living in temporary housing.

The stories about what evacuees took with them and what they left behind made many of us think about which of our belongings have value and meaning and which don’t. Read more

Do you make avocado toast in Tiburon? Do you cook mac-and-kale in Cupertino? Maybe you read nutrition panels in Pinole, prepare recipes from Pinterest in Palo Alto or pickle in Petaluma. Whatever you cook and wherever you do it, if you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, you probably use your kitchen a lot. So, this year, it’s time to make that kitchen work for you and your family. Whether you’re ready for an entire kitchen remodel or just need some helpful hacks, we have some suggestions about how to organize a kitchen. Read on!

Kitchen Work Zones

Start by understanding your kitchen work zones. Most kitchens have three core zones:

• Cooking
• Food preparation
• Cleaning

In addition, Read more

Updated January 2019

Bay Area storm systems bring heavy rains that saturate the soil, creating more surface runoff and loosening plants’ root systems. Under these conditions, strong winds can topple trees, causing headaches for homeowners. If a tree has fallen on your property, follow these steps to remedy the situation:

Power lines

If the tree interfered with power lines or fell in a way that put it perilously close to power lines, call 911 or PG&E. Damaged power lines are a serious hazard that should be handled by those with the proper skills and equipment.

Gas lines

Shut off your gas until a professional can confirm that gas lines didn’t sustain damage. Read more