Inflation and Home Improvement
You could build a dormer like this with some inspiration and over-the-phone help. Angel’s doing one, so can you. Copyright 2022 Tim Carter
Inflation and Home Improvement 2022 - STOP Printing Money!
I can call you on the phone and coach you through a DIY project.
It’s my intention for this column to inspire you as dark financial storm clouds form on the horizon. I feel you’ll enjoy the stories I’m about to share where readers like you have saved tens of thousands of dollars. By the end of the column
it’s my hope you’ll feel empowered so you might decide to tackle a big job yourself.
Over the past few months I’ve been alarmed at the stratospheric rise in food prices. I’ve seen the same thing happen with prices for everything, including gasoline, and of course building materials. The prices contractors charge, if you can even get them to bid your job, can take your breath away. That’s a perfect segue to Zoe.
Zoe the DIY Plumber in NM
Zoe is a young woman who lives in rural New Mexico. She decided over a year ago to build her own home but couldn’t get local plumbers to give her the time of day much less a bid. She discovered me while searching on YouTube and found out I had been a master plumber since 1981.
She also discovered, much to her surprise, that I did phone coaching calls and also drew plumbing riser and isometric drawings. You need these drawings almost everywhere to pull a plumbing permit. She had me draw hers and then ordered up a phone call. Within a month she and I were on the phone two more times.
Zoe texted me one day, “Tim, I just got my below-rough inspection done. Passed with flying colors. Inspector said it was the best DIY job he’d ever seen in his 30 years. Thanks.” Suffice it to say, Zoe was thrilled and went on to finish all the plumbing in the house with my help saving herself probably $20,000.00.
Angel in Upstate New York - Carpentry
Last fall Angel reached out to me. It was a similar story. Somehow she found out I did phone coaching calls. She lives in upstate New York and couldn’t get local contractors to give her quotes on building a large dormer. She wanted to transform unused attic space into a playroom for her kids.
The purpose of the first call was for me to interview her to see if I felt she had the mental and physical skills to even tackle a project like this. I determined she absolutely could do it.
I then had her email me all her questions and we did two other phone calls to answer them. After these calls, Angel had all she needed to get started. I estimate she’ll save about $35,000.00 doing this dormer by herself. I reminded her that elephants are best eaten one bite at a time.
Greg in New Hampshire
A week later Greg reached out to me. Greg lives about an hour away from me and five years ago he hired me to come look at his failing roof. Greg said, “Tim, I see in your newsletter you’re doing lots of phone coaching calls. You should figure out a way to record and transcribe the calls so people don’t have to take notes. Some people need to read what you say, not listen to complex instructions.”
Within a few days I had discovered a way to do very accurate transcriptions of recorded calls. I could instantly see how this could help you save lots of money.
Just last week I did a fascinating call with Jean in Spokane, WA. She had a bunch of projects to do and needed help sorting them out. She wanted to know what projects were most important and which ones should be done first as she had to budget for things to be done over a period of years. Money was a major concern to her as it is to just about everyone, including myself!
In less than 30 minutes I was able to give her all the advice she needed and save her at the very least $10,000.00. She wrote to me the next day, "All I can say is WOW. To have you share your expert knowledge in such an approachable way was fantastic. My one call with you covered a multitude of projects. We have only owned our home for a little over a year and we needed to prioritize what projects to tackle first.
You helped me organize and prioritize each repair. You talked me through what easy fixes my husband and I could tackle ourselves and which ones we would need an expert's help. You also offered to talk us through learning to tackle some of the repairs ourselves.
You suggested brands and shopping sources for some of the items that we might need. You also suggested videos and articles on your website that could assist us.
This one call saved us countless hours and thousands of dollars. In today's expensive world, your advice is simply priceless. We will keep you in our contact list forever. We are grateful that you exist and that you so graciously share your gift.”
If you need to eat an elephant at your house, maybe I can help set the table. I’d love to help you save huge money and get things done at your home. It would put a grin on my face to get a text from you.
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