The Confident Homeowner: Recent Episodes
Matt DiBara
Thinking of having work done to your home?
Worried and stressed about which contractor to choose? Wondering if you’ll get what you paid for? - Avoid The Scams Today!
Matt Dibara, ‘The Undercover Contractor’, talks with the most experienced guests within the home improvement space to give you ALL the answers you need. He promises to give you all the tools you need to find, vet, hire & manage contractors.
1 in 3 American homeowners have fallen victim to a home renovation scam. - Don’t be one of them!
As the pandemic became more prevalent, everyone started spending more time outdoors. Inviting people into the backyard became standard practice to ensure the safety of all parties involved. With this grew an appreciation for the concept of an outdoor oasis and creating a back (or front) yard space that was welcoming and vibrant. So, in this episode, Dino Giancanelli, the owner of DG Landworks and a landscape contractor veteran with 35 years of experience, will be joining the show to share his advice for anyone looking to maximize their outdoor space.
You can find show notes, resources, and more by visiting: https://bit.ly/3DUKld6
How do you select the right materials for your fence? If you are to put a fence up in front of your house, are there any specific rules you need to follow? We will be answering these questions and more as JC Wilcox of Western Fence Incorporated joins the show to share everything you need to know regarding fencing.
You can find show notes, resources, and more by visiting: https://bit.ly/3nFYR2I
Today we have two special guests: Gerald Malanga of LML Law Group, who predominantly represents homeowners, and Steven Lovett of the Law Office of Steven R. Lovett, who predominantly represents contractors. Both have experience on both sides of the fence, and they join the show to discuss the common mistakes homeowners make when hiring a contractor—and how to avoid these mistakes to protect yourself and your home.
LML Law Group: https://lmllaw.com
The Law Office of Steven R. Lovett: https://www.lovettlawusa.com
You can find show notes, resources, and more by visiting: https://bit.ly/30hTnll
With many years of drought behind us (and potentially many more years to come), it is important for landscapers and homeowners to rethink what plants are being used in their residential landscapes. So how do we build drought tolerant landscapes—and is it possible to do so without ridding our gardens of the beauty of plants? Today Evan Meyer, Executive Director at Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants, will be joining the show to discuss how to create eco-friendly, wellness-enhancing, and visually pleasing landscapes for your home.
You can find show notes, resources, and more by visiting: https://bit.ly/3bV4H9D
Gail Jamentz is a seasoned designer with 20 years of experience and the owner of Soul Interiors Design. Gail believes that architectural space has the potential to be a unique, curated environment that will help you experience a more expansive, healthy, and joyful life. Today she joins the show to share how to create a home that supports your mental well-being while also looking beautiful so that you can live your best life.
You can find show notes, resources, and more by visiting: https://bit.ly/3Ez2Ljt
Dave Schuelke is the President of Twin Home Experts, a company he runs with his brother that is dedicated to providing fast, reliable service to homes and businesses in Los Angeles, CA, and Phoenix, AZ. Today Dave joins the show to discuss leak detection, covering everything from water penetration in the home to issues with the plumbing or sewage. Where the water pools is not necessarily where the water is coming in, so in this episode, he will be sharing his best advice for what to do if you are in this situation.
You can find show notes, resources, and more by visiting: https://bit.ly/3js8TCd
Nidal Hamida has always enjoyed the combination of art and engineering, leading him to a career path in architecture. With an eye for detail, he followed his passions and is now the Founder of the firm Hamida Architects. Today, he will be joining the show to discuss how to identify if an architect is right for you and some of the common missteps to avoid when hiring someone for the job.
Listen in as Nidal explains what differentiates a good architect from a not-so-good architect, as well as how psychology ties into all of this. You will learn the right time to hire an architect over a contractor, what you should share with your architect before they start designing, and how to judge an architect.
You can find show notes, resources, and more by visiting: https://bit.ly/3FAR7WN
Corrie Sommers is a Luxury Realtor® specializing in luxury homes, new construction, sellers, first-time home buyers, and mid-century modern homes. Committed to arming her clients with information about buying and selling, Corrie has a YouTube channel dedicated to empowering people to make the right choice. Today she joins the show to discuss the current landscape of the realtor industry, including whether we should relocate or invest in our homes during the uptick in property prices.
Listen in as Corrie explains the importance of truly understanding your home's value before making a decision on selling. You will learn when an appropriate time to downsize your home is, when you should modernize your home, and how to know if you can trust an agent or contractor. If you’re thinking about buying, selling, or renting your property, this is the episode for you.
You can find show notes, resources, and more by visiting: https://bit.ly/3BAvkfx
Whether you’re a novice or a plastering pro, there are many ways for a plastering job to go wrong. However, with the right tools, techniques, and confidence, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t get the results you desire from the start. Our guest today is Pete from King Plastering Corp, an expert in this industry who will be sharing the dos and don’ts of plastering and stucco so you'll be prepared for any situation.
King Plastering Corporation is a boutique plastering business that offers quality craftsmanship, and they strive to deliver the ultimate experience for homeowners. In this episode, you will learn how to properly navigate curing times for plaster, the correct time to call in a professional, and how to prevent cracking in the most efficient way possible.
You can find show notes, resources, and more by visiting: https://bit.ly/2YsHxEt
Home Inspections are important, but not just for buyers and sellers of homes as you may think. Our guests today, Paul and Michael from Elite Group Inspections Professionals, and they are here to show why having annual home inspections and maintenance work is highly recommended for homeowners. By doing so, you’ll retain the quality and value of your home from an unbiased source, and today you’ll learn the ins and outs about inspections from the true professionals!
Since 1984, Elite Group has been dedicated to educating homeowners about the importance of quality home inspection services. Their passion for excellence has made us the inspection agency of choice for many of the top brokers and real estate agents in California.
I’m really excited about today’s episode, because my guest Jeremy has a very unique perspective as someone who is involved from the beginning of a construction project to completion. When issues arise, Jeremy springs to action and helps all parties involved figure things out, to the benefit of everyone involved.
Jeremy is a material representative for the largest building materials supplier in California, and what he shares in this episode is a behind-the-scenes perspective of the process from someone with his boots on the ground.
Today’s guest is Sean Enright, and he is someone that I like to think of as “The Permit Guy!” Sean knows a thing or two about protecting the best interests of homeowners who are completing renovation projects. Whether it is an ADU, bathroom, kitchen remodel or project needing multiple permits or complicated designs, Sean is the guy to turn to. In this episode, he reveals the ways in which hiring an owner’s representative to manage a project can save homeowners time, money, and an incredible amount of stress!
Sean Enright is a third-generation construction professional whose grandfather was a real-estate developer and father a general contractor. His formal background is in Architecture and Urban Planning. Out of school, Sean worked for a division of KOHLER through the late nineties developing a kitchen solution for multifamily projects. This experience brought him to San Francisco to help develop an offshore supply chain for high-rise luxury condominiums through Europe and Asia (case goods, solid surface, plumbing fixtures & FF&E). In the past few years, as an owner representative he has been working on a wide variety of projects in downtown Los Angeles, including condo conversions, hotel conversions, commercial pools, hardscape design, retail tenant improvement, commercial restaurants and more.
Almost everyone has had, or knows someone who has had a contractor horror story, but as Sean shares, with the right people on your side you really don’t have to be scared to take on your next home project!
Have you ever had your contractor not show up, or maybe they did and the work you got wasn’t what you expected, or even wanted? I think just about everybody listening can say that they’ve had a remodeling nightmare, which is why this conversation with today’s guest, Jeff Bremner of J Builders, is so relevant.
Today we are going over tons of tips and tricks to avoid remodeling nightmares and scams, and Jeff reveals the best ways to choose your contractors, while identifying red flags with subcontractors that may arise during the process.
Does your contractor carry Workers’ Compensation and general liability? When planning for your next project, these are things you should be looking at when vetting potential companies to work on the job. That’s why today I wanted to introduce you to someone who I consider to be a guru in these specific areas, Mike Shirazi.
Mike is the President of Golden Capital Insurance Services, an experienced and innovative commercial insurance agency located in the heart of Southern California. Over the years, they have built a reputation on the integrity and utmost respect with which they serve their clients.
In this episode, Mike discusses what contractors should have in their policies, and he sheds light on where contractors often cut corners when it comes to their insurance coverage. Homeowners need to be and feel protected and empowered at all times, which is why I’m so excited to have Mike on to share his expertise with you today.
I can’t wait for you to meet today’s guest, as he is someone that I admire so much because of the ethics he displays. Evan from Saber Foundation Repair is here to talk about the hard conversations that need to be had when a homeowner enters into a relationship with a contractor, and the way that he and the team at Saber treat each and every client like a neighbor.
As Sales Manager at Saber, Evan has six years' experience in home construction and remodeling. He also has 12 years' experience in commercial property management, which included three years as a sales and operations management consultant. Evan is a Licensed Home Improvement Salesperson (HIS).
Evan fits in well with Saber and its mission: "To lead our industry by providing the highest quality work and 'WOW!' service every time." He brings a great amount of enthusiasm to our design team, and is committed to ensuring that each homeowner receives a permanent solution to their problem. "We're working for a company that delivers and stands behind its work," he said.
We cover so much in this conversation, and it is my hope that by listening to this episode, you’ll be more informed and confident about the big decisions that must be made when you look at doing repairs or renovations to your home.
On today’s episode I wanted to talk about something that is tricky for many people and can be subjective – landscape design. My expert guest is Glen Hampton, and he is a phenomenal landscape designer with over 40 years’ experience.
The advice, strategies, and tips that Glen shares in this episode is guaranteed to take the mystery out of the design and conceptual stage of your next project. When hiring a landscape designer, it’s important to find someone who will be real with you and not just tell you what you want to hear, and Glen is a great example of a professional who does just that!