Something broke. Work the board.
Old rowhomes and twins fail in predictable ways. Six calm, step-by-step guides for the most common home emergencies — sorted by how fast they can hurt you or your house.
Electrical hazard
Burning smell, buzzing panel, dead circuits, water near wires — what's an emergency and what can wait until morning.
Open guideNo heat / no AC
The checks that fix half of these calls free — and staying safe in a heat wave or a hard freeze while you wait.
Open guideBurst pipe
Where your water shut-off is, and the first fifteen minutes that decide how bad this gets.
Open guideSewer backup
Why it's happening, what's safe to touch, and who's responsible for which pipe on a shared lateral.
Open guideRoof leak
Flat rowhome roofs leak differently. Contain it, document it, and don't get scammed after the storm.
Open guideWater damage
The drying-out window, what insurance wants photographed, and how to stop mold before it starts.
Open guideIf it ain't broke, don't replace it.
The 50% rule: replace only when the machine is past half its expected life AND the repair costs more than half of a new one. Otherwise repair — a surprising share of "dead" appliances fail on one cheap part.
And when it truly is finished: scratch-and-dent outlets and ReStores sell the same machine for a fraction of retail.
An opt-in directory — not a lead machine.
Every business listed here chose to be listed or claimed its record. We show self-attested hours, link the official state license lookup, and get out of the way. No call reselling, no fake urgency, no "available now" promises.