We read every reply.
The Sunday mailbag is the single most-read meeting we have. The fastest way to reach us is below — pick the editor whose beat fits your letter, or write to the editors' desk and we'll route it.
A note on time: usually within forty-eight hours on weekdays; by the following Tuesday on weekends. Always within a week, except when we say so.
Four editors, four inboxes.
Pick the inbox whose beat matches your question. Specific letters get faster answers. Cross-cutting letters can always go to the editors' desk at the bottom.
- ME Editor in ChiefMaya Ellsworth
Kitchens, bathrooms, planning a renovation, the long arc of a project.
maya@thehomerenovationblog.com - JQ Senior Editor · TradesJonas Quintero
Plumbing, electrical, anything that lives inside the wall.
jonas@thehomerenovationblog.com - RB Editor · Beginner ProjectsRuth Beam
First tools, tiny fixes, the project for the homeowner who has never opened a wall.
ruth@thehomerenovationblog.com - LM Senior Editor · The Year in HousesLena Marsh
Maintenance, the seasonal calendar, outdoor & garden.
lena@thehomerenovationblog.com
A short letter, one question.
The four things below buy you an answer in days, not weeks. None of them are required. All of them help.
- 01 One question per letter. If you have three, send three. Each ends up with the right editor.
- 02 A photo, if there is one to take. The thing you are asking about is almost always easier to advise on with a photo than without.
- 03 Your house's age, your region. Plumbing in a 1947 Cape Cod is a different conversation than plumbing in a 2019 townhouse.
- 04 A sentence about what you have already tried. Even the wrong attempt narrows the answer.
We don't diagnose active emergencies — if water is on the floor or wires are sparking, call a pro now and write to us once it is safe. We don't endorse individual contractors. Press inquiries go to the press page.
The rest of the masthead.
Each of these is a short page. Most readers walk all five in one sitting; some come back once a year to see what we have changed our minds about.
Our editorial principles
The eight things we agree on, in writing, before we publish anything.
Who writes this
Four editors, three states, three first houses they will not stop talking about.
How we test a guide
Seven steps from a Saturday-morning question to a published article.
Press & syndication
Logos, recent mentions, syndication terms, and how to commission us to speak.