Maryland and D.C. Home Improvement and Home Inspection discussion and Repair Advice

Beating the heat and saving money: Tips on reducing your home's energy consumption. Washington D.C.: Now that we are in the dog days of summer, you have to think about energy usage. Your AC can use the most energy of any appliance in your home. That sweet, satisfying, cool air that keeps your brow from collecting sweat is valuable and MUST be preserved. Here in Maryland and Washington D.C., we get a dozen or so days over 100 degrees. Regardless of temperature- every day is filled with swampy and muggy air that is swimmingly. . . gross! Below are a few quick tips on reducing your energy consumption and preserving the cold air. You can literally reduce your summer energy bills by 20% to 40% by following this information. Summer energy efficiency is often overlooked when compared to the winterization of your home. That is because cold can cause damage and as humans, we fear it. However, when thinking of the wear and tear to your home HVAC and the energy required to...

Copperhead population in the Baltimore and DC area has grown.  How to identify one and what to do: Homeowner Tips from EFynch Baltimore, MD: Copperheads are 1 of 2 Venomous snakes found in the Baltimore and Washington areas (Maryland/ DC and Northern Virginia). *the other is a rattle snake mostly in the mountains.  They are dangerous for several reasons. When scared, they do not tend to run like most snakes. Instead the Copperhead will "Freeze" in place, making it more likely to step on- then causing a bite. Although copperheads rarely strike- when they do the bite can often be painful.     How to spot one: Northern Copperhead in Southern Maryland. - Babies are 8" and up. - Adults can be 3.5' +/- - Light brown body with dark brown "diamonds" or polygons on back. What to do if you see one: (1) Immediately clear the area of pets, family members, etc. Try to keep an eye on the snake. (2a) If you are away from populated areas o...

The basic and and easy answer to why Baltimore Startup EFynch saves your money. Baltimore, MD: When looking at that image (below), it is clear to see why EFynch members are able to obtain some of the lowest prices. There is little known secret within the Online Home Services Industry and we are changing that. Basically, other guys- many with the same options we offer Maryland, D.C. and Virginia homeowners- take a S__T ton of money- that is the "easy answer". Rates Calculated on information collected on 6/12/17. Information on the calculations can be found here . As a former contractor who still does some handyman work from time to time- this could be one of the biggest problems I have with online groups in our industry. Most handyman have to either pay these exorbitant fees or pay high, up front, online advertisers (because home improvement is competitive). EFynch is meant to offer easy and free access to bid on jobs for this contractor, and capture the opportuni...

On June 12th, 2017 EFynch shared a video.  In researching the tech startup wanting to be “next Uber ” for Home Services, we found several companies (like us), all with aspirations to go national. One thing we have a hard time stomaching is the fees that other companies charge. In this video we reference several fees and amounts for a $250 project (our current average project size). Below is the calculations for  those fees. Calculations performed by Teris Pantazes 1. Homee: Information provided via home website 855-Go-Homee. Homee is an on-demand property maintenance service that provides customers with instant access to electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians and handymen from the convenience of their smart phones. The Homee app allows users to find GPS-located service providers and request immediate service. Homee is licensed, bonded, and insured. For more information or to install the Homee app, search for Homee On Demand in the app stores (6/12/17 12:05 PM ghttp://www.ho...

Making sure you get a fair deal and keep your TV Protected: When there is a wide price gap for services- how do you insure a proper deal.   (The "skinny" on discount installers vs retail) Baltimore, MD: Having a TV mounted can be stressful. You just spent the better part of a paycheck on a new device and now it begs to be mounted, admired. . . hanging from a wall. . .  and ofcourse "staying there"! But you read online that the job can be easy however, after a few holes you decide to hire a pro. Anyone who has ever gone through this process knows a few things. 1. The actual mounts are ridiculously expensive. $80 for a piece of metal! 2. Install prices are all over the place, but why? (*see price list at bottom of article) Not getting into the mounting prices too much , they are connected to the price of installs in certain circumstances.  The only important part: a good single tilt mount should not be more than $40- anything over is marked up. Now, ...