QDEAR TIM: I have a patio repair job at my house. The irregular pieces of limestone are fine, but the mortar joints between them are failing. In some places, the stones have lifted up. The patio is ...

Do you follow trends in design, building, clothes and so forth? You probably realize that the motive force behind these changing trends is to pry hard-earned money from your wallet or savings account.

Last week, I fielded no fewer than five phone calls from homeowner with the same grim news. They found it nearly impossible to get quotes from contractors to do fairly simple repairs. Each caller’s ...