Diamond Certified Blog

The recent wildfires destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in Northern California and left others in need of urgent repairs. With their lives upended, many residents are looking to start over and return to their former routines as quickly as possible. But those rebuilding after the wildfires need to move cautiously, as conditions are ripe for contractor scams. Unfortunately, history has shown that after a catastrophe, there are many bad actors ready and willing to take advantage of the vulnerable.

Contractors (especially good ones) are in high demand following a disaster. At the same time, there’s a lot of money available to the construction industry due to payouts from insurance policies and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Read more

As we celebrate this spookiest of holidays, we’ve asked some of our Diamond Certified Expert Contributors to join in the fun by sharing their favorite Halloween costumes from their childhood. Read more

This summer, my husband and I had a flooring problem in our home. We have a rolling desk chair that was scratching the engineered hardwood flooring in a downstairs office, so we placed an area rug near the desk. However, the rug was too thick to move the chair back and forth easily. The next thing we tried was a plastic floor mat on top of the area rug. That solution kind of worked, but it wasn’t aesthetically pleasing. It bugged me every time I walked by the desk.

Finally, I decided to get some expert help from my local Diamond Certified flooring store. They recommended buying a commercial-quality remnant and having it cut to fit the area around the desk. Read more

It’s a dark night.

You’re in your living room, binge-watching the new season of “Stranger Things,” when you notice a shrill whistling sound coming from somewhere inside the house. You pause the show and get up to investigate.

Walking into the hall, you’re struck by a sudden chill in the air, which causes you to emit an involuntary shiver. You draw your arms inward and follow the whistling sound to your bedroom, but just as you open the door, it stops. You enter the still room and scan for any unusual signs. Read more

Earlier this week, we posted an article featuring expert tips on designing and building a paving stone feature. One of the aspects covered was technical considerations for installation, such as soil engineering and proper drainage. To gain further insight into what’s entailed, watch this informative video by Diamond Certified Expert Contributor Hayley Johnson, owner of The Legacy Paver Group.

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One of the biggest trends in hardscaping is the use of paving stones to build features like patios, driveways and walkways. Unlike a single, uniform concrete slab, a paving stone installation is assembled mosaic-style with multiple small stones or “pavers.” This method of hardscape construction offers several advantages over that of poured concrete, from a wider variety of design options to a more resilient final product. To learn more, we’ve asked six Diamond Certified Expert Contributors to take us through the consecutive phases of paving stone installation. Read more

One woman’s thoughts on what to pack in an emergency

by Joy Lanzaro, Director, Mediation and Compliance

Few of us have ever witnessed fire damage to residential and commercial structures like we’ve seen in the North Bay over the past few days. Many of us are experiencing a combination of emotions as a result, and anxiety is running high. One way to be prepared and manage anxiety is to put together a “Go Bag” just in case you need to quickly evacuate. My Go Bag is tiny because I’m single—one dog, no kids. Nearly all of my financial and insurance business is transacted online, so that eliminates some documentation. Read more

Millions of Americans have sought pain relief through chiropractic treatments. As an alternative form of care, chiropractic doesn’t face the same scrutiny as traditional medicine, which makes it more important for patients to educate themselves about the field. The old image of chiropractors as “spine-crackers” is outdated; today, practitioners use an array of techniques to heal patients. Below, we’ll define some chiropractic approaches, offer some tips for spinal health and answer some questions you may have before seeking treatment. Read more

Last year, we set ourselves a challenge: Improve our website without losing any of the great features consumers use and love. Today, we’re excited to announce the launch of the newly redesigned diamondcertified.org!

We came into this project confident that the Diamond Certified Resource is the best way for consumers to find local, top rated companies. We knew our website averages more than 430,000 visitors per year, and most of these visitors are Bay Area consumers who are seeking helpful expertise and companies they can trust. We also knew we could make our website even better.

We had two goals with this redevelopment project:

1. Make it easier for consumers to find all types of solutions,

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Here are some tips for donating to charity, now or at any time (adapted from Consumer Reports):

• If you plan on claiming your donation on your tax return, make sure the charity you’re interested in is tax-exempt.
• Watch out for sound-alikes. It’s not uncommon for low-rated charities to select names similar to high-rated charities.
• When possible, give directly to the charity itself rather than a professional fundraiser or other go-between.

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