Susannah I had citizens and got the letter months ago telling me that I would be switched to Landmark One unless I declined. They said the rates would go down so I decided to let the switch happen. They would not give me any info until my renewal date which is next month. I just got the bill and it went down more than $1000 from the citizens rate. I also had the my safe fl home inspection done before the free inspections ended. I waited for the final report and faxed it to my agent and thats when I found out that they wanted the paperwork from the day of the inspection. I wish I had known that sooner. I am curious to see if it will help my rates since my house was built in 2003 and I already get a lot of credits for the new construction. My friend got $1011 back after her inspection due to adding shutters and a new roof to a 1989 house.

While I'm throwing water saving tips out there, here's another one.... Most of us have heard of polymers. Until recently, polymers were only available in a crystal chunk, they would absorb water and release when conditions were dry. The biggest issue with them was they had to be applied under your new sod or covered with dirt because they couldn't take direct sunlight. Another company has a new type out. It's basically a grain of sand coated in a polymer. It can take direct sunlight and won't form a large gel clump like the crystal can. Here's the link. http://www.readyplaysports.com/TopMenu/Products/FieldMagic_Turf/Description_copy1.aspx They use it on athletic fields to enhance their turf. My only goal here is to help people save money and water. I'm not a tree hugger, it's mainly to help people save money.

Forgot to add that he saved us money by incorporating all of our needs and many wants without going over in sq footage. He also came up with architectural details that would give the house character very inexpensively. He loaded us up on storage and made the most use out of stadard windows. Also incorporated brick and stone with hardi in a way that kept the expense down but provided a huge visual impact. It is also unique from the other houses in the neighborhood and area, but still blends nicely so that if we ever resale we will standout among the homogenous designs most builders put up in our area. So that will payoff later. I have had someone on my hoa with a house significantly bigger than mine rave over the design and wish she could move in. Also he could have...but we chose not to do this... make it so the first floor was the only floor finished so that we could finish the second and basement later without anyone being the wiser. However we lost our minds and now are finishing the whole basement.

It really depends on your city and insurer. In our East Bay city, homeowners can do the work themselves, but it doesn't change the need for permits. I don't think our insurance cares as long as the work is permitted (and they're pretty laid back about the remaining k&t in the house, too). There's a minimum fee on every permit pulled so it's far, far less costly to put everything on a single permit---but then you're stuck with needing to finish the work in six months. (They limit the number of inspections you get at each point, probably to prevent people from calling for separate inspections for every little thing---you pay extra if you need more.) We pulled a permit for the service upgrade and new panel (you don't have a choice on this assuming you're getting new service from the street--PG&E requires that your city send documentation of the finaled permit before they will connect you), but not for small changes to outlets that were done over time. We have always used a licensed electrician and kept records of the contracts, though, and made sure any changes were to code. You'd really need to call your insurer and ask specifically what policies they have, though. If you really want to do the work yourself, I'd say pull the permit and just plan to get it done within your city's timeframe, so that you're covered---both for insurance and if/when you sell the house. (Also, for whatever it's worth, the quote you got sounds pretty reasonable for the Bay Area!)