Beware of Door-to-Door "Home Repair" Scammers

A number of homeowners in Barnaby Woods and other neighborhoods in Chevy Chase, DC have reported the appearance of a group known as "Travelers."  These are scammers who go from door to door pointing out exterior home repairs that they say are needed. In some cases they offer to repair dents in your car on the spot. Not only are these workmen unlicensed, but they often proceed to do the work without authorization. In some cases they receive an okay to proceed but when they're done, they present the homeowner with an exorbitant bill. If the homeowner balks at paying, they may become vaguely or overtly threatening.

The following are some firsthand accounts posted on the Chevy Chase Listserv:

Last Friday two neighbor households were taken in by five workmen who did  modest roof repairs and then charged exorbitant fees for the work. After heated discussion, the workmen "settled for" $5300.00 and left. The neighbors were bamboozled and intimidated by the lead guy, a big, strapping (6'4") white man, a clean shaven, smooth talker who convinced them their home had  leaks and structural damage. Homeowners were taken aback but persuaded the work was necessary, but had no idea the workmen would demand such an extraordinary fee. Workmen were at the house no more than a couple hours, if that.

Fear factored into their settlement:. better to pay the guy and get rid of him and his crew, than put yourself at risk. The workmen had three white trucks with a big "TW" sign" on the side. It also said "roof and gutterrepair." The big man's name is George. The rest of the crew included three Hispanic men and a strange little guy with a British accent.

The whole experience shocked our neighbors, but despite the embarrassment of being taken in, they want to share the information so others are forewarned.

Firefighters Let Home Burn Down in Tennessee Because "Fee" Not Paid

This is not a District of Columbia story. It's not even a Washington, DC-area story. But it is a warning about what can happen when we have fee-for-services government. In a rural town in Obion County, Tennessee, firefighters refused to put out a fire that eventually burned a man's house to the ground. Why? Because he neglected to pay the $75 annual fire protection fee. Firefighters put out a fire at a neighbor's house, because that homeowner had paid the fee.

You can view the television report about this below. It's hard not to say a dozen things about this -- what happened was wrong on so many levels.

Dealing with Basement Moisture

Basement moisture is a real pain in the neck (to say the least.)  A wet basement is not only a breeding ground for unhealthy mold, but it can create a habitat for bugs, weaken walls, and really --here's the technical term-- make your house stink.  Fortunately, there are some remedies:  Here's one from the Cleveland Park Listserv. 

Question: 

Since our daily deluges began last Thursday, I've noticed that the basement carpeting is wet about three feet in from the back corner of two exposed walls, neither of which has a door. I'm asking for advice/experience on: Getting the carpet dried, identifying the leak, avoiding mildew.

Answer: 

Basement moisture is a never-ending battle, and there are plenty of layers of solutions you can apply to the problem.  I'm certainly no expert, but can share with you some of the methods we've used.   However, for a quick attack to your current issue: If it's a lot of water, use a wet-vac to suction up as much as you can. Next, nothing beats a dehumidifier to remove the moisture that you describe and prevent mildew (ours has been running all summer). If you do have mildew or mold, we've found that the "mold-zappers" work well.  You can find them on Amazon.  

Check and see if you have an outside drain around that corner of the house.  We have one which drains directly to the city pipes.  It became silted in a few years ago, backed up, and all the water came straight into the basement.

If you see an outside drain, you might need to have it snaked.

The bigger issue might be clogged gutters, which are causing a spillover of water to the corner of your house, so definitely check and clean the gutters.  We had to replace a downspout and PVC piping all the way through yard, but it made a huge difference in getting the water away from house.