Popular TV shows can mislead homeowners about remodeling costs

Cable TV shows about remodeling have soared in popularity, but the cost of an identical project launched by other homeowners can be much higher if the cameras aren't rolling.

Q. We love to watch all those remodeling shows that are on cable TV, and we saw an episode recently that featured a $22,000 remodel of a master bedroom and bath that is exactly what we want to do with ours. We recorded the show and then showed it to four different contractors to get bids for an identical project, but the bids ranged from about $45,000 to as much as $63,000. We then called the contractor who was featured on the show, and he said it would cost about $50,000 to do a similar job on our own home, but wouldn't explain why. What gives?

A. The number of remodeling and related shows has soared in both number and popularity in recent years, thanks largely to the advent of cable TV channels such as Home and Garden Television (commonly referred to as HGTV) and America's insatiable love for all things real estate.

What many of the producers of these shows don't tell you, though, is that the products featured on the episodes - paint, appliances, flooring or the like - often are provided by the manufacturers at little or no cost in exchange for millions of dollars' worth of nationwide exposure.

Contractors who are featured often are willing to cut their labor charges, too, a small price to pay for a 15- or 30-minute spot that showcases their talents and can generate new clients. Other homeowners don't get such money-saving breaks if their remodeling project isn't being filmed.

Q. After decades of working hard and saving even harder, my wife and I finally achieved our goal of buying a small vacation cottage in Hawaii earlier this year. So, you can imagine the horror we felt when we watched the burning lava flow toward that small town on the Big Island after a volcano erupted in October. Our home is on the island of Maui, so we weren't threatened, but it made us think: Is damage caused by lava flow covered by a typical homeowners' insurance policy?

A. It depends on the type of damage, says Jeanne Salvatore, a vice president at the New York-based nonprofit Insurance Information Institute (www.iii.org).

Most standard homeowners, renters and business policies provide coverage for damage caused by a volcanic explosion, the shock waves that often accompany it, and the ash or dust that follows. Fire or explosion caused by the eruption is also covered, as is any looting that may occur in the aftermath.

Damage to cars that are parked on or near the property are not covered by a homeowners policy, Salvatore says, but the cost of repairs or replacement usually will be reimbursed if the owner has a separate "comprehensive" auto-insurance policy.

There are some exceptions to these general guidelines. For example, if a home isn't damaged by a volcanic eruption but then is leveled by an earthquake that the eruption triggered, the insurer doesn't have to pay. Instead, you would need a separate, expensive quake policy in order to collect.

Similarly, damage caused by volcanic water and mud isn't covered unless the property owner has a separate flood-insurance policy issued through the National Flood Insurance Program.

Q. I have a daughter in the Navy and a son in the Army. When I put up a 3-by-2-foot decal of the American flag on my sliding-glass door to honor my kids on July 4, the condominium association said I had to take it down because it was "too big" for its 2-square foot requirements. I refused, but now the HOA is threatening me with a $500 fine because I won't peel the decal off. Is this legal, considering it's an American flag?

A. Unfortunately, yes.

I applaud your show of patriotism, and the service that both your daughter and son are gifting to our country this week of Veterans Day.

Flags are a constant source of problems in some neighborhoods, whether it's a decal on the window in a community association (like yours) or even a flagpole that stands on an owner's property that isn't governed by an HOA.

I don't live in a neighborhood that's in an HOA. But several years ago, I was given a citation - not fined or jailed - after a neighbor complained that the large American Flag I had put on my front porch kept him awake at night because the wind made Old Glory "flap too loudly."

I solved the problem by purchasing a smaller flag, which made him happy because it "flapped" more quietly.

You, instead, live in a condo or similar development that's governed by a homeowners association. You have the right to display a decal on your sliding-glass door or a window, but it cannot exceed the size that the association allows.

Real estate trivia: Employees of publishing giant Condé Nast began moving into Manhattan's One World Trade Center this month, the first tenants to occupy the new skyscraper since the original was destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks 13 years ago.

• For the booklet "Straight Talk About Living Trusts," send $4 and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to David Myers/Trust, P.O. Box 4405, Culver City, CA 90231-4405.

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