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Local residential real estate tech company remodelmate is making it easier for people in the Washington metropolitan area to buy and sell remodeling services.

Their online marketplace allows homeowners and contractors to find and offer services for renovating bathrooms, kitchens, windows, doors, roofs, floors and even your man (or woman) cave.

The DC-based company was founded on the idea of re-establishing trust in an industry that has been historically unpredictable. And they are growing quickly.

Customers benefit from fair, upfront pricing, clear project timelines, and, for an additional fee, a dedicated project manager to help see your masterpiece through to completion. And for contractors, the jobs come to you without having to scour the marketplace.

It all works through a simple process: customers answer a few questions about their project and share what they’d like to accomplish; then they receive a no-commitment quote and in-person project consultation. From there, customers pick a date for the job to begin and pay seamlessly and securely through remodelmate — BOOM, done.

Rest assured, every “remodelmate” is licensed, bonded, insured, and thoroughly screened, including background, quality and identity checks.

For a limited time, PoPville readers can get $500 off their next remodelmate order so you can start that renovation project you’ve been putting off.

By property damage attorney Gary Burger, who is barred and practices in the state of Missouri, with Burger Law.

A Federal Court found that the US Army Corps of Engineers’ management of the Missouri River since 2004 caused flooding that damaged the properties of landowners along the river and that the management and resulting damage was effectively an unconstitutional taking of the property of those landowners.

So, what is a taking? “A Taking is a Constitutional claim that arises under the Fifth Amendment and requires showing that the actions of the government resulted in an individual being deprived of their property unjustly and without compensation,” said Gary Burger, a property damage attorney with Burger Law in St. Louis, MO.

Takings happen all the time, more commonly at the state level. One of the most common forms of “taking” is when a landowner is forced to sell or hand over property for a new highway”, said Burger. Those types of takings are allowed, provided that the landowner is fairly compensated and the request is reasonable.

However, as evidenced here, takings can occur even when the property taken is not taken for use by the government. It can also occur when a landowner’s use and enjoyment of the property is eliminated due to the actions of the government or its agency.

In this lawsuit, the plaintiffs claimed that the management style employed by the Corps of Engineers — which favored environmental protection over flood avoidance — resulted in the flooding of their properties that reduced or eliminated their ability to use and enjoy those properties.

The Agency argued that it was impossible to show that its actions were the cause of the flooding and that any connection between the steps taken by the agency and the flooding suffered by the plaintiffs was too remote, if it existed at all.

In this case, the court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, finding that previous rulings supported the possibility that even remote actions could set off a chain of events that led to the taking in question. Here, the court found that the agency’s focus on encouraging environmental protection over flood avoidance led to the flooding of the properties in question and that such flooding was a reasonably foreseeable result of the agency’s steps.

Takings claims are incredibly complex and require a thorough analysis of the actions of the government and the damage claimed. If your property is subject to a partial or full takings action, you should have it reviewed by an attorney well-versed in these matters.

On May 1, 2018, “Postmen of the Skies” opens at the National Postal Museum.

This exhibition commemorates the 100th anniversary of the first regularly scheduled airmail flights. In partnership with the United States Postal Service and the American Philatelic Society, the museum will host a variety of onsite programs celebrating opening day. These programs are free and open to the public.

Beginning on May 15, 1918, a small group of army pilots carried mail along a new route linking Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York. Well before the rise of commercial aviation, these brave men risked their lives in order to expedite the postal system.

“Postmen of the Skies” uses authentic apparel, maps, log books, photographs, video footage and pop culture memorabilia to tell the exciting stories of these pilots.

At 11 a.m., USPS will conduct a First-Day-of-Issue Ceremony for the airmail centennial commemorative stamp. The stamp mimics in design and style the stamps released in 1918 also celebrating those first flights. Witness this special dedication ceremony and be among the first to obtain these postage stamps.

At 12 p.m., the museum welcomes Kellen Diamanti and Deborah Fisher for the release of “Stamp of the Century.” This publication chronicles the fascinating history of the notoriously erroneous and sought-after “Inverted Jenny” postage stamps. The authors will be on hand to talk with visitors and sign copies of their book, which is available for sale in the museum shop.

The museum will also offer a self-guided scavenger hunt of airmail artifacts throughout the museum, including an original de Havilland DH-4 airplane flown by one of the pilots featured in the exhibition. Additionally, a gallery activity allows visitors to experience vintage games illustrating the impact of airmail on American culture in the early 20th century.

Visit the National Postal Museum on May 1 to take part in the festivities! “Postmen of the Skies” is on view May 1, 2018 through May 27, 2019.

By employment law attorney Tom Spiggle, who is barred and practices in the state of Virginia, with The Spiggle Law Firm.

More than ever before, US businesses are reporting wrongdoing, with a corresponding increase in retaliation against the employee who reports it, according to the Global Business Ethics Survey (GBES), the 11th biannual survey given by the Ethics & Compliance Initiative’s (ECI) headquartered in Arlington, VA.

The GBES attempts to analyze business practices and track misconduct in the workplace and patterns in reporting misconduct and retaliation against employees.

A survey was taken in December analyzing 5,000 employees in the US and another was given to workers in other countries.

In March, ECI announced that over the last two years, this rate has doubled. Sixty-nine percent of American employees said that they have reported misconduct at their workplace. However, 44% of those employees who responded to the survey said that their employer has retaliated against them for reporting this information; this rate was only 22% five years ago.

Retaliation against an employee occurs when an employee reports an incidence of discrimination, unsafe environments or illegal activity and the employer then acts in a way that threatens, fires, demotes, discriminates or otherwise acts in a hostile way against that employee as a direct result of that reporting.

Although retaliation is prohibited in the US against employees, it is difficult to prove a causal connection between the employee’s action and the employer’s subsequent behavior.

“This survey shows that employers still need to be aware of workplace misconduct and strengthen ethical standards in their organizations. Unethical behavior is on the rise in workplaces around the globe,” said Tom Spiggle, Principal at The Spiggle Law Firm located in Washington, D.C. “Employees have the right to be compensated and bring employment claims against their employers when unethical behavior persists, and employers punish workers for reporting unethical and even illegal behavior.”

In addition, ECI surveyed 18,000 employees globally in 18 countries. They found that 40% of employees worldwide reported a weak ethical culture in their workplace, and 16% still felt pressure to compromise ethical standards. However, the rate of observed misconduct has decreased in the past five years to 15%.

Some findings include that India has both the highest rate of reporting of observed misconduct (82%) and the highest rate of retaliation against people who reported this misconduct (74%). 46% of employees in Brazil report pressure to compromise ethical standards (46%), the highest rate, while only 10% in Spain do, the lowest rate.

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You’ve never seen improv like this before: Washington Improv Theater’s Interplay series features dynamic artistic mash-ups between WIT’s own improvisers and artists from the worlds of music, dance, poetry, puppetry and more.

Each mash-up will take a different shape and every show will be completely different (it’s improv, after all). Interplay also features the debut of WIT’s original show In Lieu of Flowers.

What are these collaborations?

• All-female ensemble Hellcat mashes up with artists from Super Art Fight, a group that blends visual arts with the theatrics of professional wrestling.
• Long-running WIT team Commonwealth improvises off the tales of storytellers from Story District
• Eccentric ensemble Love Onion gets physical during an improv collaboration with a four-piece dance ensemble

Interplay will also feature collaborators like The Puppet Co., percussionist Tom Teasley, as well as poets like 13 of Nazareth and John MacDonald.

Improvised Funeral In Lieu of Flowers Makes World Premiere

Interplay also includes the debut of In Lieu of Flowers, an improvised funeral based on an audience member interview.

“Until Elon Musk defeats time itself, we’re going to experience the deaths of people we love and ultimately, our own deaths. I think comedy is the perfect way to have this conversation,” said co-director Lura Barber.

Check out our interview with directors Lura Barber and Zach Mason and get tickets for one of the show’s five performances.

Want to give improv a try? Summer classes are registering now! You can also bring improv to your office with a WIT@Work organizational training.

This weekly column is written and sponsored by D.C. real estate agent and Kalorama resident Jeffrey Tanck. He can be reached at [email protected].

Now that you’re properly licensed and insured, its time to find a great tenant for your rental. Your mantra here should be, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

Just like dating, most renters encounter their future home online — and you have about two seconds to compel your prospect to swipe right, so to speak. Like your Tinder profile, the listing for your rental should shine.

Invest in professional photography. Camera phone photos won’t cut it.

Have a floor plan made of your space and post it online and list the approximate square footage based on the measurements. The more information you can provide to potential tenants, the more invested they will be when they contact you to set up a tour.

Your listing should clearly articulate the amount of the rent, the security deposit, minimum lease term, your pet policy, which utilities are included and which ones are the responsibility of the tenant and what fees are involved with the application and move in.

There are many great places to find tenants: Craigslist, community listservs, housing offices of universities, human resource departments and online listing sites like Trulia, Zillow and Pad Mapper. These same sites are also great places to research what comparable properties are getting for rent.

When pricing your property, what you pay per month to carry it is irrelevant. Of course you would like to cover your costs and make money — but the market sets the price and you might not be able to cover all of your costs at this point.

Set a price for your rental that is in-line with available properties in the same general condition and location as your own.

When it comes to showing your property to potential tenants, consistency is key. You need to treat every prospect the same. Offering different terms, conditions or deal structures to different prospects could violate fair housing laws. DC has 19 protected classes and you need to be familiar with them.

Having an open house is a great way to show the property to the most number of people in the shortest amount of time. It can also help create a sense of urgency among the potential tenants if the open house is well attended. You can also schedule individual appointments as needed. (more…)

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For a Saturday afternoon gourmet delight head for Taste of 8th on Barracks Row, 8th Street this weekend — just half block south of Eastern Market Metro.

One ticket buys a tapas sized portion. With 5 tickets (our famous 5 Pack) you’ll enjoy a lovely 5 Course lunch that you create yourself by choosing just what you want from the event menu distributed at the ticket booth. Tickets are available at barracksrow.org.

Souk begins Saturday’s ’round the world flavor trip. Owner/Chef Winnette Macintosh Ambrose won Chopped in January, wowing judges with a Trinidad inspired baked supper. At Taste of 8th Ambrose will be serving up traditional Roti from her homeland. You can have dessert at the Souk booth, too! Sister restaurant, Sweet Lobby will be serving another Ambrose specialty, French macaron.

Another double course stop is Trattoria Alberto where your love for Italian will be greeted by Agnoletti (pasta stuffed with spinach, ricotta and meats) in Pink Sauce as a main dish or House Specialty Cannoli as dessert.

A finalist in City Paper’s Best New Restaurant in DC, ChiKo will fuse Chinese cuisine with Korean via Garlic Shrimp Dumpling with Chili Oil.

Then there’s Betsy, that exotic gem of a gin garden tucked up above Belga Café. They are pointing to summer rooftop fun with Grilled Pineapple and Avocado with Naan.

Farm to table flavors are the essence of the Eat Bar experience: pull in for Pulled Chicken Sliders featuring Orange Chicken, sour cream, pickle, beet relish.

If you want to keep score here are the dishes being served at some of the 24 participating Row restaurants on Saturday: (more…)