Episodes

In our Replay today, Courtney walks us through her kitchen remodel and why she chose ProVia® for replacement windows. In the Horror Story, John Gallagher is back after discovering more problems with his daughter and son-in-law’s whole house re-do. Most people don’t know that Buffalo, New York has the greatest concentration of residences and other structures designed by the architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Our focus in Buffalo is the Wright-designed Martin House, created for Darwin D. Martin and hi...

In our Replay today, dad, John, steps in to help Morgan and Conner take back control of their whole house reno. They told their story in our last previous podcast. In the Horror Story, dad does some detective work and finds many deficiencies in the job the contractor is doing for Morgan and John. In the Feature today, we explore the leafy, magical world of the Landmark district, Bungalow Heaven, with two longtime residents, Carol and Juan. Bungalow Heaven, not far from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena,...

In our Replay today, a young couple suffers a bad case of contractor-itis when the renovation of their recently purchased row home goes off the rails. Kevin lends a hand to get the project back on track. In the Bad Guy Bulletin today, we’re again joined by Mike Bannon of Bucks County Consumer Protection, Weights and Measures who weighs in on a half dozen online scams and the downside of home warranties. In our Featured segment today, the next stop on our tour of The Coolest Neighborhoods in Amer...

In our Replay today, we talk with Pat, a customer of Kevin’s company, VSP, about why he chose ProVia® vinyl replacement windows. Horror Stories often result from contractors either not knowing the basics or simply ignoring them. In this case lack of a proper underlayment resulted in a siding Horror Story. In our “Coolest Neighborhoods in America” feature today, we zoom in on Medford Lakes in the southern New Jersey pine forest. This town was born as a resort but grew into a year-round community....

In today’s Replay, Deb talks about the finalization of her kitchen renovation. In the Horror Story today, Kevin intercedes (at the homeowner’s request) in a roofing job gone awry. The Coolest Neighborhoods in America is a five-week series ...a must for all YVH listeners who are fascinated by historically significant residential architecture and the way communities celebrate and preserve it. First up, the Mid-Mod neighborhoods around Philadelphia, including Monk Road, where Mid-Mod architecture i...

In our Replay today, Deb recaps her kitchen and first-floor renovation. Our Horror Story has to do with windows improperly installed — a disaster waiting to happen. Don’t let this happen to you. Listen in as Ron interviews Kevin about why you should start planning now for any large home improvement projects you want to complete by Spring or Summer 2023. An addition, new windows, new siding — these and other projects take time to plan under normal circumstances, However, now, with some lingering ...

In the Replay today, Brian walks us through part 2 of his kitchen and bath reno. In the Horror Story today, Kevin comes across an incredibly bad HVAC installation. The homeowners heard dripping and found water on their basement floor. Turns out the water was coming from the second floor...the improperly installed HVAC system. Look for photos of this OOOPS on this week’s Your Valuable Home Instagram and Facebook postings. In our Feature today, superstar pros, Brad Sullivan, head of Cider Press Wo...

In our Replay today, Kevin explains the renovations he has planned for his home on the Jersey shore (AKA, the beach), a family room redo, a gas insert, new flooring and ProVia stone. In our Horror Story, we report on a contractor who is remediating stucco in a development, and doing the job wrong. PLUS, this is the first of our once-a-month Bad Guy Bulletins, where we call out the creative ways the bad guys are out to separate you from your hard-earned money. With the holidays and gift shopping ...

In the Replay today, Brian fills us in on the progress being made with his kitchen and bath re-do, including an innovative solution to capitalizing on unused space. It’s the third week of the month, so we’re back with the Bad Guy Bulletin. Lots of scams unmasked today. We’re joined by Mike Bannon from Bucks County Consumer Protection, Weight and Measures, and Kim, a listener who recently avoided a combination of email and Facebook scam involving a grant. In our Feature today, we’ve talked with D...

In the Replay today, Tom explains why he and his wife decided on ProVia Siding and he admires a siding job well done. In the Horror Story, still another contractor claims to be what he’s not on social media. We don’t have to tell you that more bad guys than ever are working overtime to separate you from your hard-earned money. In addition to rip-offs by unscrupulous contractors, email, snail mail, and telephone scams are definitely on the rise and the bad guys are getting bolder every day. Learn...

Mike wraps up his kitchen re-do point-by point. In our Horror Story today. Another contractor installed windows without flashing. No...the caulk didn’t help! CLARIFI is a Philadelphia non-profit that’s been on this mission for 50 years, helping “more than 750,000 families throughout Philadelphia and the surrounding Delaware Valley...achieve financial resilience and positively impact their communities. CLARIFI has a positive impact on moderate to low-income families by counseling them on how to r...

In our Replay today, Christine is lovin’ the fresh, new look of her home created by ProVia Siding, windows and a new ProVia door. In our Horror Story, a roofer’s subcontractor removed the old step flashing but didn’t replace it. A perfect reason to demand cell phone photos, if you have a new roof in your future. Marc Furber from the Bucks County DA’s Office joins us for the Featured segment today to talk about some of the latest cases to cross his desk involving contractors. At Your Valuable Hom...

In our Replay today, Tish shares her and her husband’s Adventure in Downsizing. Be prepared to take notes and learn from their experience. In the Horror Story today, an “electrician” made Swiss Cheese out of a ceiling to install a few lights. Hard to believe! Our Feature today focuses on a culprit that can change your life: Lyme. Could the chronic condition of a family member or friend be the result of undiagnosed Lyme+ Disease? What is Lyme+? Are most family practice physicians capable of ident...

In the aftermath of hurricane Ian, our entire podcast today is devoted to a fascinating interview with Illya Azaroff, FA IA, an internationally recognized leader in disaster mitigation, resilient planning and design strategies. Illya is the immediate past president of AIA New York, elected to the AIA Board of Directors as a 2023-2025 at-large director, and appointed an AIA COP 27 delegate to attend global talks on climate and disaster risk reduction. COP is a common reference to the United Natio...

Our Replay today is all about permits. When do you need them? Why can they sometimes be difficult to get? Our Horror Story today is about a not-so-handyman who had difficulty putting up one piece of drywall that fell down the next morning. In our Featured segment today, we talk with Mike Celucci, an Erie Insurance agent about homeowners’ coverage....particularly coverage for weather that seems to be getting increasingly severe across the U.S. For example, if you live in an area where you never g...

In our Replay today Phil, from New Jersey, purchased an adjoining lot with plans to build a B&B. Interesting idea! We get his initial thinking and offer some ideas of our own. Then, continuing with our series on the Southwest, Florida barrier islands of Sanibel and Captiva, we speak with Ed, the head of an HOA in Captiva with responsibility for 68 condo units. The focus of the interview: the challenge of shipping workers and materials to Captiva with the causeway from the mainland down and conti...

In our Replay today, a listener is planning an out-side-the-box B&B on his large property in New Jersey. Our Horror Story and Feature are about how Florida residents are coping with their worst nightmare – Ian. We talk with Jack who has a home on Sanibel, We also talk with his daughter-in-law, Bronwyn, who with husband, Mike, moved their permanent home to neighboring Captiva this past August. Both share their perspectives on devastation Ian left behind. Like most Sanibel residents, Jack has yet ...

In the Replay, Courtney shares her kitchen expansion reno that gives her downstairs a “now” look. In our Horror Story, we debut The Bad Guy Bulletin, our once-a-month expose’ on shakedowns and scams from home improvement contractors and bad actors who use the phone, email and the post office to bilk you out of your money. Are EVs really the environmentally friendly auto option? We do a deep dive into EV batteries, solar and wind power with Barry and Chris, two listeners and top energy sector exe...

Our Replay today is about a home improvement project that can aid in planning yours. In the Horror Story, Kevin and his team find potentially dangerous wiring in the wall, while remodeling a kitchen. Lucky homeowner! In our Feature today, Leo Addimando, the CEO of Alterra Property Group, talks about how his company is capitalizing on modular construction to erect multiple build-to-rent buildings in Philadelphia, a booming rental market. Build-to-rent means that the developer owns all of the unit...

In our Replay today, Mike explains the plan for his kitchen and flooring re-do. Our Horror Story is about another job not so well done by a contractor. With the changes New Jersey has made in its Muni

In our Replay today, Kevin explains why your contractor may not be able to give you a solid estimate for a scheduled project. Supply chain issues for lumber and other building materials and products are causing headaches for contractors and homeowners. The Horror Story deals with a ridiculous window installation. If you’re house hunting, our Featured Interview with realtor, Jeff Lavine, will help you understand the causes (note the plural) of your frustrations – and possibly prevent you from mak...

This Your Valuable Home begins with Charla sharing the vision for her new kitchen. The plan includes removing a load-bearing wall, and some other nice touches that could aid in your own kitchen planning. In our Horror Story today, Kevin recounts the story of how a contractor’s lies in his social media got through unchecked. In our Featured segment, drinking water expert, Steve Wiley, explains how people with well water can get shaken down for expensive remediation of bacteria when a prospectiv...

Leading up to today’s featured interview, Bernie, the roofer explains why there are shingle shortages of certain styles and colors in this lingering Covid environment. In the Horror Story, Bernie cites three or four problems caused by inept roofers, and how you can guard against them. In the featured segment, Dan George, who was a listener favorite last week, is back to talk about Escape (tiny home) vacation rentals available in 12 states across the country( at $160 or so a night, a money make...

Our Replay today and our Horror Story are both about Mark and his bathroom re-do. Bathrooms can be difficult, and this one was. In our Featured interview today we speak with Alan Hubbell from DuPont Tyvek. Such a simple product, but it can keep you out of trouble. For example, Tyvek Wrap around a window cavity before the window is installed can provide you with many years of trouble-free installation. Why not insist on it?