Like doctors, specialists focus on one area of home

"Knowledge is of two kinds: We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it." Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), English author, quoted in Boswell's "Life of Samuel Johnson," 1775.

Have you noticed that as you get a little older, it takes more people to take care of you? It sounds odd, but it's so true. The word that comes to mind is specialist.

Take your health, for instance. When you were younger, you had a doctor who delivered babies, treated you for colds and flu, and helped you through more serious health problems, a jack-of-all-trades, if you will. It's not necessarily a function of age, but rather the proliferation and expansion of the medical profession. More doctors seem to creep into not only your vocabulary, but also your personal Rolodex. I had some health issues several years ago -- more annoying than anything, thank goodness, but nonetheless specialists were required. So now I have my own personal file of physicians -- my personal team. The conventional wisdom is that the patient gets better care because medicine has become so specialized.

The same is true for other parts of our lives as well, including our homes. Now you could argue that you used to be able to call one person who could change out your kitchen light fixture, repair the toilet, add on a laundry room and patch the driveway. But not today.

A large part of this is due to increased licensing and oversight that is now part of every industry. State and local governments have found that certain trades people were taking on jobs for which they had no skills and were, in fact, ripping people off and not performing the jobs properly or safely. Enter the specialist.

This all comes to mind because I moved recently and moving always reminds us how many different people and trades are required to take care of a house. The larger the property, the more people: pool people, landscaping people, bug people. If you live in a condo or townhouse development, outside services are not usually your responsibility, but a single-family home will require a lot of caregivers.

Year-to-year maintenance of your property can be a large expense and makes those caregivers happy. And if you plan to upgrade your home in any way, that requires more cash and other specialists.

When you get into these types of renovations, you usually need an expert or specialist. I believe that if you need an expert, use one. There are a lot of simple tasks most homeowners can take on, but redoing a kitchen or bath is generally not one, regardless of what is said on HGTV.

There are many things to consider. First of all, you want quality work at a reasonable price; you want work performed safely; and you want the person who performs the work to have the sanction of your state and local authorities. If you have licensed professionals do your work, you will have recourse if something goes wrong. And, as we all know, it's rare to have a big job where everything runs smoothly.

So how do you find those specialists? You can always go to newspaper ads, yellow pages, Craigslist, etc., but most people agree they feel better about having someone work in their homes when they know someone else who has used them. Personal recommendations are still the best.

Angie's List (www.angieslist.com), a clearinghouse for builders and contractors, offers these and many other suggestions when hiring that specialist, even after a recommendation.

n Clearly define the project. Be clear about what you expect and do your research to know what is required to make that happen.

n Pricing. Get estimates for the proposed work and understand payment timetables.

n Licensing, insurance and bonding. These items lead to the credibility of the contractor. Ask to see them.

n Contract. Understand what is covered and how any change orders would be handled.

So, when you're planning a big redo or a small project, there's a lot to consider before settling on a specialist. And think about this: Your dentist did a great job on that root canal, but he's not really the right one for your appendectomy. Pick your specialist. Form your team.

Carolyn Muse Grant is a design consultant, expert home stager and creator of beautiful spaces. Questions can be sent to her at creativemuse@cox.net.