How Bad Is This House Problem?

You are standing in the basement, or staring at the ceiling, or looking at a line in the wall that was not there last month, and all you can think is: how bad is this? You post a photo, and the replies range from "totally normal" to "run." How Bad Is This House Problem? gives you a calmer way to decide. Instead of guessing from strangers' opinions, you will sort every alarming thing in your house into one of three tiers: Act Now, This Week, or Watch. It is not a repair manual, a maintenance schedule, or a book about one problem such as cracks or mold. It is a worry-to-action guide for anything a homeowner might notice: stains, drips, sounds, smells, fixtures that look odd, pooling water, and work that looks wrong. Inside, you'll learn: How to sort any problem into Act Now, This Week or Watch with four simple questions The Leave-Now List: gas, carbon monoxide, electrical, structural, flooding and fire warning signs, and who to call How to photograph and record a problem so any professional can help faster How to read cracks, stains, drips, drainage and exterior warning signs What odd plumbing, electrical and builder work can and cannot mean Who to call for what, and a short phone script to use How to rank your worry list and decide what to fix first Houses always have something going on. This book helps you tell the real warnings from the quirks, so you can act with confidence and stop losing sleep over every new line on the wall.

Imad Muratspahic is an independent author of practical how-to guides, technical handbooks, history and fiction. The books aim to be clear, honest and useful from the first page.