Episode

The Four-Week Bathroom Project That Took Four Months What was supposed to be a clean, modern upgrade to the only full bathroom in a 1960s split-level turned into four months of dust, delays, and constant headaches. With a solid budget and a contractor who promised four to five weeks, this Rhode Island homeowner thought they…

How to Spot a Real Painter vs. Someone Who Just Bought a Paintbrush Most painters are disasters waiting to happen. They’ll destroy your floors, paint over problems instead of fixing them, take your deposit and disappear for weeks, then leave you with a mess that looks worse than when they started. But how do you…

Reasonable vs. Unreasonable Renovation Expectations Mikki and Jess tackle one of the biggest problems in home renovations: homeowners going in completely unprepared for what construction actually looks like. After seeing so many horror stories from listeners, they realized many of the “disasters” could have been avoided if people just knew what was normal versus what…

Insurance Claims Decoded with Public Adjuster Nicolle Bochenski When your roof leaks, a pipe bursts, or a tree crashes through your house, your first instinct is to call your insurance company. But one wrong word in that conversation can mean the difference between getting fully covered or getting nothing at all. Most homeowners don’t realize…

Top Renovation Budget Tips to Avoid Costly Surprises Ever wondered what your renovation should cost? In this episode of The Chicks in Construction, Mikki and Jess get real about renovation budget tips that can save your wallet and your sanity. Whether you’re upgrading your forever home or prepping a property for Airbnb, this episode is…

The Facebook Roofer Who Ghosted and Left Them Soaked After a spring storm, a brown stain appeared in the ceiling. A quick fix felt doable until the roofer vanished, the drywall collapsed, and the insurance company refused to help. What started as one drip turned into a financial gut punch. In this episode, Mikki and…

The Mold Scare Tactics Homeowners Fall For with Danyelle Holland Mold feels like a silent menace; one whiff of “You’ll need to gut the house” and your budget evaporates. In this episode, Mikki sits down with Danyelle Holland of Atlantic Corp to expose the fear-based sales pitches that can turn a routine remediation into a…

The $2,000-a-Hole Window Myth with Ashley Selzer Everyone’s heard it: “A quality replacement window should run you two grand per opening, or you’re buying junk.” That pitch (often delivered after hours of kitchen-table arm-twisting) convinces too many homeowners to sign for triple-pane glass and monster price tags they don’t actually need. Mikki’s latest guest, licensed…

The Kitchen Reno That Spiraled to $75,000 Sophie thought she was just getting new countertops. Maybe a fresh coat of paint and a few lights. Her budget? A smart, clear $25,000. But one contractor’s suggestions, plus a string of “unexpected” upgrades, turned her kitchen refresh into a financial nightmare. What started as small updates ballooned…

First-Time Buyer Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them) In this episode, Mikki is joined by Bailey Shey Morris, owner of Cadmus Construction, to talk through a real-life home-buying story that turned into a wake-up call. Bailey opens up about purchasing her first home, only to discover water damage, rotten subfloors, and poorly executed repairs that…