Let's Talk... HOME repair!

Alicia and Amy welcome special guest Courtney Gebhart of Blue Sound Construction to announce a brand new training opportunity from Seattle Colleges. Courtney has created a new micropathway that she refers to as an "earn and learn" trade program to get more people into residential construction carpentry. Students hired by industry partners (like AmyWorks) will receive on the job education as w...

Amy and Alicia welcome Coonoor Behal, entrepreneur, author, and recent client of AmyWorks. Coonoor talks about her roots, going back to rural Ohio and heading to the big city on the east coast as soon as she was old enough and now living in Seattle for the past 5 years or so. Coonoor has a small business, Mindhatch LLC ( www.mindhatchllc.com ) where she does innovation and creativity consulti...

Episode 12 – The Leaking Sink Saga This week on Let's Talk...Home Repair! Amy recalls a dripping sink mystery and repair saga. The story reminds us all that sometimes even professionals with the hands-on know-how can run into time-consuming issues.  Amy and Alicia reiterate the need for seasonal maintenance and give us a great list for the summertime:  1) Leaky faucet? Address it! 2...

Episode 11: Deep dive into basement remodeling. ·      Update on AmyWorks’ master bath remodel that entailed taking a closet and incorporating it into expanding the bathroom.  ·      Alicia and Amy talk about turning a rough basement into a finished basement. This includes putting in a bathroom with a sewage ejection pump. ·&nbs...

Alicia and Amy have an in-depth conversation with Selena Fitch of Fitch Design Company. Selena is an interior designer in the Seattle area that has a design process for her clients from creating drawings to submitting plans for permits. They discuss how the pandemic has affected the remodeling market and homeowners’ desires to make renovations. Also, how the pricing of materials and hous...

FROM THE FIELD ·     Talking to Project Manager, Susan, from AmyWorks. Susan talks to us about the lumber prices and how is it affecting the home building and remodeling industry. ·     A new home built today costs $36,000 more today than the exact same house built a year ago due to the increased lumber costs. ·     Ta...

Episode 8 (Season 2). Zing Pop or Zing Welcome back! We are now post-Covid (mostly) and starting season 2 of “Let’s Talk…Home Repair”. Client stories:  ·      Amy talks about a recent project where the client had a gurgling plumbing issue when all the repairs were complete. ·      Amy then shares a sewer story at her home. ...

Questions from listeners but first one from Amy... Fire extinguisher for your family’s safety... a. Do you have one? b. Do you know where it is? c. How old is it? d. What kind of fires does it extinguish? e. How do you dispose of it if is has expired? Bathroom exhaust fans a. Replace or repair? b. Can a fan be installed in an older home? c. Cleaning Maintenance: Caulking and weatherstripping. Test...

In this episode… Alicia and Amy talk about changing a standard light switch to a dimmable light switch and what to think about before embarking on the task. Be safe! Are your light bulbs and/or fixtures rated for a dimmer switch? Be sure of this before changing things up. Alicia gives a tutorial on changing a switch – step by step. Use wire nuts to connect wires securely. Thinking about addin...

What we got to talkin' about: Alicia and Amy talk about who to hire to do your seasonal home maintenance for you when you don’t want to do AND where to find them i.e. Nextdoor, Craigslist? If you’ve lived in your home for years and want to know the health of your home or if there are major issues you’re unaware about, hire a home inspector to do a full house inspection. Budgeting for home maintena...

Questions from listeners What kind of decking is recommended for a deck that seems to need stained or painted nearly every year? Composite decking vs real wood decking ¨    What to do with clogged downspouts? ¨    Amy talks about the result of a client’s misguided downspout. ¨    Ladder safety when cleaning the gutters. Be careful! ¨...

Alicia and Amy tell their stories about cleaning their refrigerator coils Toolbox and tool suggestions for all homeowner! o  Toolbox o  Multi-bit screwdriver o  Wrenches o  Drill vs Impact driver o  Putty knives o  Safety equipment Painting a straight line with caulk – check out this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5JqqAFMGzo Using...

Follow-up on hot water tanks . Price and installation costs. Problems with front-loading washing machines and how to tackle them. Performing maintenance on your dryer more than cleaning out the lint basket. Do you need a booster fan for your dryer duct? Alicia’s first dryer story. (wait... there is more than one?!) More problem-solving for your washer and dryer . Electronics, belts, bala...

Episode 01 Let’s talk home repair - recorded October 10, 2019 Questions for Amy o  Replace or repair your garbage disposal? o  Repairing a hot water tank and how long do they last. o  Alicia tells about her dishwasher fiasco o  Email your questions to askamy@amyworks.com Home maintenance o  Clean refrigerator coils. Check out this video h...