I have nothing but good things to say about my experience with Dan Buffinga.

I have a grandfather clock that has sentimental value, but has not worked for many years.

Several years ago I had a "clock repair man" evaluate it and was told the clock needed the entire workings replaced.

We informed him that we wanted to go ahead with that, however, never heard from him again and could not locate him

A friend recommended Dan to me recently.

I contacted Dan, who was very receptive of my situation.

I did not reveal to him that another person recommended replacement of the clock workings, since I did not want to prejudice his opinion.

Dan came to our home on the day and at the exact time he arranged.

He was very professional and meticulous in his evaluation. He informed us that it could be "repaired", however, the cost of repair would be close to the cost of replacement.

I decided to go with the replacement. I thought it would be weeks for that to occur. To my suprise he had the necessary replacement in a couple days.

On observing his work, I noted that he had some very "high tech" equipment that he used to very accurately adjust the pendulum for extremely accurate timing.

To my surprise he called the next day to check on his "patient" to be sure all was well and the clock was working to my satisfaction. His parting comment was to call if anything seemed to be wrong.

I highly recommend Dan to anyone needing grandfather clock repair raleigh NC. By the way my friend who recommended him is a collector of grandfather clocks and also is obviously pleased with his work, since he recommended Dan to me.

Considering Marriage Counseling?

 There are plenty of options for therapy these days. Individual therapy can be a life saver (literally) for some people, and similarly, so can couples or marriage counseling. As adults, everyone has so much to deal with from work and kids, to the bills that never end. With it comes a lot of stress, and with stress comes issues that can quickly arise between couples. 

It's highly recommended to find a therapist who specializes in marriage counseling. You don't necessarily have to have problems with your marriage. Some couples can be happily married and still find plenty of reasons to go to marriage counseling. But again, it definitely takes a trained, and seasoned professional to sort through conflicts and resolutions. 

In fact, our marriage counseling Keller TX friends have gone on to say that they believe the best results from marriage counseling actually begin during the "good times." It's easy to get into a rut or dark place, and it's a wide misconception that this is the time to begin counseling. Yes, if you think your relationship  is at the brink of divorce...by all means contact a professional ASAP. But finding potential issues, or at least learning how to coup with problems when they arise, can go a long to continuing a wonderful partnership with your spouse.

During these tough times, it's important to remember that for our parents, your children are now relying you for all things that is life currently. They don't understand everything that you go through or the things you sacrifice for them. Personally speaking, seeing a marriage counselor to talk through different aspects of life with your spouse, can be very important instead of discussing (or yelling) your issues at home in front of them. Just having someone there to listen to you...is sometimes worth the time, effort and cost in itself.

Your marriage is arguably the biggest investment that you will both make, working with an exceptional therapist can not only help get things back on track...but they can keep them there for good. 

Do some research on the local counselors in your area, make sure they specialize in marriage counseling and give them a call!

Gutters 101

 Adding a new gutter system to your home  should be a pretty simple task. It's not a normal household project that you probably think of very often, but it's important nonetheless. Whether you're building a new home or just having an older system replaced. A gutter system is a vital piece of your structure to provide proper water drainage off of your roof, and away from the house.

Gutters come in various types of materials, along with various pricing. Most roofers or gutter professionals should charge by the linear square foot, but smaller companies may be able to help work around your budget. $3-$6 per linear square foot is the normal average price you can expect, according from Gutters Tyler TX.

The most common type of gutters you will normally see are made from aluminum. It's pretty durable and probably the best option when it comes to price. Galvanized steel is another popular option. They are stronger and more durable than aluminum, but can also rust over time so not always the best long term option. Copper is the new stylish option that can be used for your gutters. They look really cool, but also the most expensive option. And depending on your area will probably lose the copper color and turn into a dark brown.

The main thing you may want to consider now is seamless vs sectional. Traditional gutters are built in sections, which require special sealant to prevent leaks. And the sealant should also be replaced every so often to prevent damage.

Seamless gutters on the other hand are definitely the new "thing." Although they require a certain professional installer, it's the way to go.

Contact your local roofing company and talk to them about gutters in your area. Some regions will have different things to discuss. A lot of companies will also suggest gutter guards to help prevent debris from clogging up your gutters. Cleaning gutters isn't always a fun task, but it's better than having them clogged and having water damage!

Costly Plumbing Repairs

It's inevitable. At some point in your life you're going to have plumbing issues. Simple leaky faucets or running toilets are one thing that you can usually fix on your own, but it's the larger issues that you're really never prepared for.

Most plumbing repair isn't as costly as you would imagine. The average local plumber normally charges from $45-$200 per hour. But it's again the larger jobs that can eat up your wallet. Which is why it's vital to continuously monitor the plumbing system in your home. A small issue can quickly become a big issue, and a bigger issue for you to pay for.

We wanted to highlight a few random repair jobs, and their potential costs.

1. Slab Leak Repair - This is a big one. A leak that develops under your home and under your foundation can be devastating to your property. Quickly causing erosion and damage to your home. When speaking to plumber Allen TX professionals, we've found the first potential cost is simply having a test performed to find the leak. You're looking at anywhere from $200-$500 just for the test. When it comes to the actual repair...it can cost in the thousands.
2. Pipe Bursting - A somewhat similar issue. Depending on where the potential pipe is, you're normally looking at a significant cost from hundreds to thousands to get this repaired. The more damage you have, the higher the cost of course.
3. Main Line Repair - Another potential big issue, is repairing a water line leak. One aspect that could make this different is if the leak is caused outside of your property line, where the fault and repairs would then fall on your city.
4. Sewer/Septic Repairs - Sounds terrible doesn't it? It is. Your septic system needs to be properly maintained, otherwise they can be a costly and smelly mess. A broken sewer line can quickly contaminate the groundwater nearby.

These are just a few of the more larger, and potentially more expensive residential plumbing issues you could at some come across.

Obviously it's important to take care of any issue large or small, ASAP. A small leak can turn into a big leak. And a big leak means damage and a hefty bill. Make sure you have a trusted plumbing company ready. And better yet have a certified technician come out on at least an annual basis to have him perform different tests and leak checks.

Good And Bad Web Design

 It might seem like a weird, or maybe even a self explanatory topic, but there is such thing as a bad web design. And we're not just talking about an old site that was built 20 years ago. There are plenty of new sites out there that will have bad designs and worse user experiences. 

The point of a web design is to both be attractive, but to keep your customers on your site.

How many times can you think of when you've been shopping or just playing around on a site and quickly left because you weren't able t
o find what you needed or just weren't able to navigate around without difficulty? It happens more often than it should.

An easy to understand navigation is a key component. If you have services pages or pages that you need to direct your customers to from your home page...it needs to be clear on how they do that. Hidden menus or over crowded navigation bars can be confusing to the user. 

In 2020, it's almost hard to not have a responsive design, as any web provider/hosting service should provide response themes and framework for your mobile users.

Simple is sometimes better. One common issue we see is too much on a site. Too many categories or links, too cluttered of a home page, etc. Which goes into the user experience already mentioned, but it's a good idea to look at some pre-built themes to get an idea of how simple it can actually be. Don't make it harder on yourself than it should be.

Properly check your links. Dead links are a bad user experience, but will also hurt your rankings when Google sees you have a lot of links that don't work. 

Long story short, there are plenty of ways to make sure you do not have a bad web design. Look as options from web design Dallas or any online web builder to begin your research on how you want your site to look. Don't over think things and keep it simple...but make sure the content is relevant to your customers, but also to the search engines! 

Getting Ranked On Google...It's A Difficult Task

 Search Engine Optimization is one of those things that all business owners know what it is, but don't know how to actually get it done...and probably don't even know where to start. Putting themselves in a disadvantage for online traffic and rankings will only hurt the overall business.

There are plenty of ways to help your Google rankings by doing some aspects yourself, but our Plano SEO friends advised us that it's best to leave it to the professionals. 

Just because you are optimizing a few small elements of your online presence, will normally not equal a higher SEO ranking. And sometimes, it can actually have the opposite effect if you aren't operating properly.

A digital agency like our partners have, combine a lot of different techniques with a lot of different areas of SEO. This all combined is what helps them get their clients to the top spot on Google. A vital element for small and local businesses. 

There is no shortage of digital marketers, but unfortunately in this world of technology it's easy to pay for a service that you are not actually getting. 

Be hesitant of overseas agencies promising you the top spot in the search engines. And just because you find someone local, make sure you get a detailed proposal to know what you will be paying for. Too often business start monthly SEO plans (SEO is definitely an ongoing, and monthly service) because they are told everything will be done behind the scenes. While accurate, months later that agency slows down the work, isn't adding proper backlinks, etc. All while charging the customer the same monthly cost.

Summer Is Coming To An End, But That Doesn't Mean Your Roof Is Safe

 It's a pretty well known fact that Spring through Summer is normally the best time for severe weather to potentially damage your roof. So is your roof safe now until next year?

Well, you'll definitely need to remember to constantly check for any wear and tear. Two months ago you may not have been aware that you had a few shingles missing and a minimal leak. But now after the last storm it's turned into an actual issue that could cause serious damage to your roof and home the next time it rains.

The last thing you need is to not be aware of a leak in your attic, that then turns into a HUGE issue has the leak continue down the structure.

You'll still be getting storms throughout the year, so it's vital that small damage is taken care of. It will of course depend on your location. Our friends in the North or locations that will receive snow fall, need to remember that snow will sometimes sit on your roof. Adding extra weight to the structure and at some point will melt off.

Contact your local roofing company such as roofing San Antonio for more advice and tips on what to look out for that may cause more damage.