Home Improvement Insights
Expert tips, guides, and inspiration for maintaining and improving your home.
Welcome to Homeownership. Here's the Service We Wish We Had.
We built ZenHome because not everyone has a Garrett: a friend who knows a guy for every mess. Here's why year one of owning a home is so hard, and the service we wish we had when we bought ours.
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Why Quarterly Pest Control Beats Calling After You See the Mice
One-off treatments fix the symptom. Quarterly service fixes the cause, and costs less over time. Here's what we've learned treating homes across Rhode Island.
Snow Contracts in RI: Why Most Homeowners Pick Wrong
Per-push or seasonal snow contract: most Providence homeowners decide on price alone and miss the real tradeoff. Priority dispatch when 14 inches falls overnight.
How I Tell Homeowners to Decide: Repair the HVAC or Replace It
Age, repair cost, and your last five years of service calls all point somewhere. Here's the framework I use with every homeowner in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
What Plumbing Actually Costs in Rhode Island (From a Guy Who Sees the Bills)
Real plumbing prices for RI homeowners, from $150 drain clogs to $15K repipes, plus why the phone quote you got is probably not the price you'll actually pay.
Handyman or Licensed Contractor? The Real Line (and Why It Saves You Money)
Hiring the wrong type for the job costs you twice: once in fees, again when the work needs redoing. Here's the real line between handyman scope and licensed-trade scope.
When Your Electrical Panel Tells You It's Time (Before It Quits)
Seven signs your panel needs attention, from tripping breakers to planning an EV charger. Plus why the upgrade almost always involves more than one trade.
What to Do When Your Boiler Dies in January (Providence Edition)
It's 4am and your house is 52 degrees. Here's exactly what to do first, and why the second pair of eyes matters more than you think.