Hi all.

As some of you may know, my husband and I purchased a house that needs a ton of work. We have a lot of knowledge and plan to do a lot of it ourselves. However, we seeking a plumber to redo the plumbing in the basement and first floor and someone to help remove a load bearing wall.

We are looking for the work to be done right but we are quite frugal and are hoping to find someone whose fees are fair. We are hoping to gather a few recommendations and then interview and get quotes from each.

Has anyone worked with anyone they can recommend to us?

We really appreciate it!

~Christina

We used HCI Mechanical out of Lombard for all our plumbing. He knew exactly what to do and suggested that we replace all the pipes. He was great. We will definitely use him again the next time we do a complete remodel.
land line: 630-495-5557
cell: 630-771-9223

Sorry I can't help you on this one, Cannes. We've done a lot of the same work but my Dad is a plumber (living in Indy) so he did most of the plumbing stuff and we haven't removed a load bearing wall - though we did replace the wooden support beams in our basement. THAT was really something!

We exclusively use Precision Plumbing after using many others for lots of projects. They are on the higher end, but after many nightmares using the lowest bidder for jobs, I'm happy to use this company when I know they are going to do the job right. Very professional group of guys and Matt, the owner, is great to deal with.

630-690-6333

Christina,

We use Armbrust Plumbing in Wheaton for plumbing, heating, and air conditioning work. We've found them to be reliable, high quality, and easy to work with.

Their number is 630-547-7500.

Paul (your neighbor)

Christina,
It looks like you have some plumber recommendations but if you need a few other trades to help you out e-mail me and I will refer you whatever trades you need.
You will find it in my member profile.

Thank you everyone for all the recommendations. We will be making calls this week. We are anxious to move forward with some of the remodel work. I am tired of eating fast food

Candidate- Thank you. I sent you an email.

Hi Cannes - I admired your boxwoods when driving past today. Where did you get them?

FYI - We currently have some of Candidate's tradespeople on a project here and they are doing a great job.

quote:

Originally posted by GEmom2:
Hi Cannes - I admired your boxwoods when driving past today. Where did you get them?

FYI - We currently have some of Candidate's tradespeople on a project here and they are doing a great job.

That is great to hear. I have a difficult hiring people who have not come recommended to me.

The larger boxwoods came from Home depot and the tiny one at the end is from lowes. I noticed both stores have the best selection on friday afternoons.

My landscaping project is a work in progress and it's taking a lot longer than I anticipated. But it's nice to hear people are noticing the small changes.

I have this ridiculously huge ant hill where I need to plant. How do I get rid of it?? any suggestions?

quote:

Originally posted by Cannes:
I have this ridiculously huge ant hill where I need to plant. How do I get rid of it?? any suggestions?

quote:

Originally posted by Cannes:
That is great to hear. I have a difficult hiring people who have not come recommended to me.

The larger boxwoods came from Home depot and the tiny one at the end is from lowes. I noticed both stores have the best selection on friday afternoons.

My landscaping project is a work in progress and it's taking a lot longer than I anticipated. But it's nice to hear people are noticing the small changes.

I have this ridiculously huge ant hill where I need to plant. How do I get rid of it?? any suggestions?

As for landscaping taking a lot longer than anticipated - I hear ya' sister!!!! I'm going on 15 years now!

And for the ants, I use some kind of powder/poison. I hate using stuff like that but sometimes, you just gotta bring out the big guns. If they were endangered, that would be another case but there are PLENTY of them stupid ants to go around! Home Depot has a vast selection of such powder/poison. Soukups probably does too. (Though the anteater is cuter...in an ugly sort of way.)

quote:

Originally posted by Amy:
If they were endangered, that would be another case but there are PLENTY of them stupid ants to go around!

That's what they said about Polar Bears 50 years ago...or at least what I envisioned them saying.

That's definitely what they said about bison!!

As for ants - I have been using the Ortho Home Defense MAX - outdoor granules. I used it around the house perimeter and shook it around the ant hills. That puts ants on their backs - for good.

I do like when the sapsuckers come by the yard and eat the ants right off of the ground.

quote:

I have been using the Ortho Home Defense MAX - outdoor granules.

those granules do the trick! those ants die and the survivors move on to your neighbors! LOL

quote:

Originally posted by Buggy24:

quote:

I have been using the Ortho Home Defense MAX - outdoor granules.

those granules do the trick! those ants die and the survivors move on to your neighbors! LOL

I used the Ortho stuff last year and it worked, but the ants were back in the same spot again this year. This year I used the Ortho stuff then a week later dumped a large pot of boiling water on them. The few that survived started 3 other hills that I used Ortho on only and it seemed to do the trick. I think the key is vigilance.

Cannes,thanks for the info on Fridays at Home Depot and Lowes for landscaping stock. I am still working on having one of the largest hosta gardens in GE. (This isn't a contest, I just like hosta and it grows well in the back part of our lot where not much else will grow because of all the trees.) I have also found that Home Depot has some very nice Japanese Maples. These are another of my favorite and I just planted 5 new ones last weekend. I hope to meet you at one of the GEBB functions as I also love to rehab and landscape. Digging in the dirt and remodeling keep me happy and sane!

You know... that anteater is very cute. I wonder if I can rent one? just kidding.

I have tried the granules. Those ants seem to just keep going. I think I am going to try digging it. I am just afraid of how many ant live in this thing? Has anyone died from an ant attack before??

Scotty-
I, too, love hosta and japanese maples. You planted 5?? Wow, you must really have been exhausted.

I have this image in my head of what I want my garden/landscape to look like. I am trying hard to get my front yard situated. The side and back yard need a lot of work and may have to be put off until next year.


It's great meeting others who have similar interests. I plan to attend the next GEBB party. Not sure who all will be there. But seriously, if any of you are ever driving/walking by my house, stop and say hi if you see me.

Cannes

Be certain that all the ants are dead before you dig or you will spread them farther than the current ant hill.

The Japanese maples were small, about 4 ft so it wasn't a big job.

Question about the ant-killing granules - are they harmful to household pets? I have a couple of anthills I would gladly get rid of, but we have some very friendly outdoor neighborhood cats that I wouldn't want to see harmed.

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Originally posted by Mamattorney:
but we have some very friendly outdoor neighborhood cats dogs that I wouldn't want to see harmed.

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