<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>Level Up House</title> <atom:link href="/tag/new/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link></link> <description>Home is the best place on earth</description> <lastBuildDate>Sat, 22 Jun 2013 20:34:25 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5</generator> <item> <title>Yard Leakin’, Part 4: Yard Dig Day</title> <link>/2012/start-freakin-part-4-yard-dig-day/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Mandi]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 27 Nov 2012 23:05:27 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Home Improvement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[main water line]]></category> <category><![CDATA[new]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=670</guid> <description><![CDATA[This is the fourth post in a series about our front-yard water line emergency that occupied much of the Thanksgiving holiday week. Our plumber returned today with digging and trenching tools. The yard dig is on! Here’s what digging for a new water line looks like:   I’m quite satisfied with my choice of plumber […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>This is the fourth post in a series about our front-yard water line emergency that occupied much of the Thanksgiving holiday week. </em></p> <p><em> </em>Our plumber returned today with digging and trenching tools. The yard dig is on!</p> <p>Here’s what digging for a new water line looks like:</p> <p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/yarddig1.jpg"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" title="yarddig1" src="/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/yarddig1.jpg" alt="" width="512" height="384" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p>I’m quite satisfied with my choice of plumber – <strong>Top Gun Plumbing located in Bothell, WA is great.</strong> I hope people in the Puget Sound area trying to find a good plumber find this post and give them a call.</p> <p>Here’s why I chose Top Gun:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Quick response times</strong> over the phone – even if I had to wait for a call back, I never waited more than a few minute. Also, I was able to get an in person estimate at 9am the next day after calling the previous afternoon</li> <li>The <strong>over-phone-estimate was accurate</strong></li> <li>They are <strong>minimizing the mess</strong> that is inevitable when digging trenches in the yard by using tarps and boards to protect unaffected parts of the lawn</li> <li>They came in <strong>$4200 under my highest bidder </strong>for the job (YOW!)</li> <li>They <strong>got a permit for the work</strong> and the job will be inspected when complete – of the three plumbers I contacted, they were the only team to mention permits</li> <li><strong>They had the utilities marked</strong> – again, the only plumber to mention utility markings</li> <li>The usual goodies: licenses, bonds, insurances, all the stuff to show they’re pros and not just some random guys with a painted truck</li> <li>Top Gun is one of my favorite movie soundtracks OF ALL TIME (yeah, I grew up in the 80s… :) )</li> </ul> <p>When choosing a contractor for a big job, always consider the whole package:</p> <ul> <li>Are they timely with responses?</li> <li>Are they on time to the job site?</li> <li>Do numbers they quote seem reasonable?</li> <li>Can you actually read what they write on your estimate? You don’t want ambiguities here.</li> <li>Do they explain stuff? Ask 1st grader questions – if you’re shelling out thousands of dollars, you get to ask 1st grader questions.</li> <li>If your project requires digging, do they seem eager to “play by the rules” with permits and utility marks? Waiting on a permit and utility marks did not add wait time to the job, and Top Gun coordinated everything. All I had to do was pay – perfect.</li> </ul> <p>If you’re not sure what’s a reasonable cost, get more estimates and search for your job on Google. <a href="/2012/11/start-freakin-part-2-why-you-should-always-get-three-estimates/">Doing this saved me $4200</a>, do not skip this step!</p> <p>It takes time to get multiple estimates and explain your problem repeatedly, and I am just as guilty of skipping the “get multiple estimates” step, but on these bigger jobs the grind pays off: you will get a wide range of professionalism and costs, even among pros with high marks on Yelp and Angie’s List.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> </channel> </rss>