Jay On The Go

So when my roof started to show signs of trouble (water leak during the monster winter of 2014/2015, chipping off of shingles, and mildew/lichen on shingles) I had no choice but to get a new roof after 20 years.  Since the roofers have had such a good year, they were so snooty that they wouldn't return my call.  I was avoiding the big box stores because I know that despite being more reliable (I just had carpets installed by Home Depot -- three bedrooms for $1,100 and I ripped off the old carpet myself and also moved the furniture myself), they do charge more.  I finally got two written estimates and one oral. I have a 4-bedroom colonial with a front porch and a screened porch at the back.  Just about 24 squares in the lingo of roofers.  I also wanted to get quality work done for peace of mind so I was reluctant to hire illegals .  I did a lot of research online but there is simply no way to get an accurate estimate of what you should be paying but I...

Since I am an engineer and obsessed with science, when we first bought our home in 2001 (the previous owner pumped the septic tank at the time of sale), I got a call from Wind River Environmental two years later reminding us that it was time to pump (more or less like the 3,000 mile oil changes, or whatever other random number they pick to sweep chimneys or to change batteries in smoke alarms).  Since I investigate these matters before falling into their trap, I held off till 2005 to pump the septic tank (afraid that despite my research showing that in a household with 2 members for a tank of our size we need to pump every 9 or so years).  The Wind River Environmental technician who came said that there was excess sludge and we should buy their bacteria which will make the septic tank run smoothly. I did even more research when the phone started to ring in 2007 and this time, believe it or not, waited till 2015, nearly 10 years.  We still did not see any signs of t...