Have I ever mentioned that I just love the internet?

It’s the end of the summer and time to close the pool for the winter.  But before I call the pool guys to winterize everything, we have a couple of “coping” bricks that are cracked around the edge of the pool that need to be replaced.  Luckily I have new replacement bricks in storage, I just need someone to do the masonry work to replace them.

How would I ever find someone that has the right saw for masonry, tools and experience doing this kind of handywork locally — that’s willing to replace just a couple of bricks? And with powertools involved, I want someone that’s licensed and insured or course. Ah,the web to the rescue yet again!

I have successfully used ServiceMagic.com to find contractors for various home improvement jobs in the past, and it almost slipped my mind becuase this is “pool work” — not your normal home improvement.

But low and behold, I was able to put in an estimate request for this repair project and Service Magic came back with 2 recommended contractors immediately with over a dozen ratings each so that I can already get a sense of how these guys work.

It’s a great business model and perfect for when I need to find reputable contractors in my area.  They pre-screen contractors for licensing, insurance, liability coverage, etc.  They collect customer reviews on various factors and I can review them before making a call. They all provide free estimates.

That means there’s no charge to me to use the service (the contractors pay for each lead Service Magic sends them). That’s a Win-Win-Win situation!

Some jobs I’ve used ServiceMagic.com for:

  • Carpet installation
  • New window installations
  • Painting of 3 rooms
  • Roof shingle replacements
  • Deck powerwashing and sealing
  • Electrical work

If you haven’t used Service Magic ever before, give it a try right now.  You definitely have SOME repair project that you could use a free estimate for from a reputable contractor.  It’s VERY easy.


QUESTION: What project have you THOUGHT about, but really need to do?



Related Posts with Thumbnails