When my wife gets uneasy around the house and starts looking at things in, say, the kitchen, she’ll say something like, “You know, we really do need to redo this a little bit.” Then I say silly things that start with, “You know I could…?” and it always ends in something like: “I could redo the roof,” “I could put in new eaves,” or “I could install a new garage door.”

This is me in some euphoric circumstance totally detached from any reality thinking—as if I have the foggiest notion of what is entailed in doing any of those projects. Fortunately I don’t get a chance to meander too long in that area of dreamland, because my wife immediately states: “No, you can’t.”

Then it leads to some story that begins with, “Do you remember when you…?” I am totally embarrassed when she recalls some of the things that I have attempted to do from a handyman’s standpoint. I know that I am not very good at that sort of thing; but I do know that there are lots of people who are. We are very fortunate here in mid-Michigan (as you will see when you read this issue) that we have many talented folks that can handle exterior improvement to our domiciles, our commercial spaces…whatever the case is, it keeps us nonprofessionals from having that discussion that ends in, “No, actually you can’t.”

The other argument I have always made for finding professionals to do home improvement jobs is that choosing not to hire professionals upsets the economic balance of our community. My goodness, if people are proficient and talented, why on earth would I ever try to infringe on their area of expertise by misspending money on materials and tools, when I could be spending that money with a professional and get the job done correctly the first time? Plus, at the end of the day, it is much less costly because professionals don’t have to redo their work at the same rate we nonprofessionals do.

Find the professionals and hire them to do the things you need done. This issue is going to show you exactly where to find them. Special thanks for Cindy Kosloski, COO at the Greater Lansing Home Builders & Remodelers Association for her assistance in choosing whom to include in this issue. Her expertise is second to none.

Have a prosperous month,

		Chris Holman Publisher