AT616

I live in a historic district and am looking for recommendations for both exterior painters and roofers for historic homes. It's hard to know who to trust because a lot of contractors say they know historic homes, but when they come talk to you, it's clear they don't. And/or they charge ridiculous rates (I'm not expecting it to be cheap, but some of them seem to charge more in certain neighborhoods because they think you are made of money if you live there). Thanks!

We have a outlet in one room not working, as well as an outlet on the other side of that wall in another bedroom that hasn't worked since we moved in. In the one bedroom, the light fixture on the ceiling isn't working either. We've lived in our house for several years and had just not used those outlets or the light, but we want to tackle the issue now.

Several years ago, when painting that room, I got shocked by the outlet, which surprised me, since I figured there was no power going to it. I replaced the outlet today, making sure to attach the load and line wires to the proper terminals in the outlet, but when I turned the power back on, nothing... I tried the usual, making sure the ci

My regular places are all done for the season, but some of the local farm stands told me that they still have about one week left for their crop. Does anyone out there know of a place that's still open in West Michigan for U-pick?

Thanks!

So off the bat, I know the Sienna is the most reliable. But, I'm exploring additional options since these tend to be pretty scarce in my area. I see tons on the road, but rarely are they for sale.

I'm looking to get into a minivan or 7-8 passenger crossover for around 6-8.5 thousand for my growing family. Most examples that I'm coming across are in the 100-125k mile range. I want to stay below 125,000 miles I think.

My father-in-law worked for FCA and had several 2011-2017 loaded Dodge Caravans, so I'm really familiar with how they drive and all the features. I like them, especially stow and go that we use really frequently in my in-laws van. I'll only do a 2011+. Before that, they were c

Last year, I purchased a Trane furnace through Lowes, and we've had some issues with it. First, the salesman undersized the furnace for our house, and for the first month, it seemed to run continuously without being able to maintain the temperature. I convinced the installer that it just wasn't right, and sure enough, they determined that it was undersized, so they replaced it with a larger unit. The new one works great at quickly achieving temperature after nighttime setbacks and maintaining the temperature in a much more comfortable manner than our old single-stage furnace.

My concern is that I think the programming may be off on the furnace because it seems to run on the high stage with

I'm looking for a plow service (yes, it's a bit late) that serves the Southeast side in Heritage Hill. Anyone have a recommendation?

I've been kicking around the idea the last few years of transitioning from my current career in public health into sales. I've been in my current role in local government for 8 years and work around a bunch of good quality co-workers who are government lifers looking to stay there until they retire. I don't want to be and frankly can't afford to be one of them. Many of them are single or married with a spouse who works full time. The benefits are great and we have a very stable pension, and I'm making about 70k annually. I like the work, but financially it isn't cutting it for me long term. I'm a 36 year old father of 2 young children with a mortgage on a house needing maintenance, a stay at

So summer finally arrived here in Grand Rapids, Michigan after a really long sucky spring. It's been 90 with high humidity for the last few days, the kind of weather where you feel like you're swimming in the air and you stick to your bed sheets. Nothing seems to dry.

I'm looking for your best tips and tricks on keeping cool personally (what to eat, drink, wear, etc) and how to keep your home cool if you don't have AC or want to use it less.

Edit: plastic cup

Has anyone else had this happen, and if so, how have you gotten the smell out of the dishwasher and dishes? We're getting a new dishwasher (it wasn't working well for months before) but can't really afford to throw the dishes away. I was thinking of soaking them in vinegar. Your ideas are much appreciated!

I've been looking at cars on Craigslist, and every darn last person has a finger or some other object in front of the license plate when taking a picture of the back of the car. There is no point to this practice, and it's an example of people doing something over and over just because they saw someone else do it once and never questioned whether there was an actual purpose. In a word, stupid. Are you afraid someone's going to see what state your car is registered in? Oh the horrors! As my mom used to say "if all your friends were jumping off a bridge, would you too?" That's a bit extreme, but come on people!

Here's an article explainig it all in case you don't believe me (https://www.googl

Yesterday was the final day for Toys R Us, ever. Now what? I'm wondering if anyone had predictions or wishes of what will go into what is probably the most prime retail spot on GR?

I have lots of really cool old frames and artwork that need glass. Also, I've got some windows that need new glass. Where have you gone, and what is a ballpark for price?

Hi All. As a millennial myself, and someone who bikes around Grand Rapids, I was wondering what reasons people have for biking with or without a helmet? I see more people in their 20s and 30s around Grand Rapids and Chicago without helmets than with. Isn't it akin to not wearing your seatbelt in a car?

I've always been pro helmet (not mandated), and have witnessed a car-bike accident where the only thing that saved the person's head and probably life was a helmet. [This] (https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/sep/22/bicycle-helmets-reduce-risk-of-serious-head-injury-by-nearly-70-study-finds) particular study shows a reduction of fatal head injuries by 65%.

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