Frequently asked questions

• Should I do the roof or the kitchen first?

  In most cases: roof first. A failing roof gets exponentially more expensive — soft decking, attic insulation damage, mold remediation, drywall, and the contents inside. A dated kitchen costs you nothing while you wait. The exception: if you're selling within two years and the kitchen is the only thing keeping buyers from a clean offer, the math flips. Almwell weighs both for your specific situation.

• How do I decide what home project to do this year?

  Start with what's failing, not what's aging. A 22-year-old furnace running fine doesn't beat a 14-year-old roof showing granule loss. Then weigh disruption (how long you'll live with it torn up), reversibility (can you upgrade later?), and what you actually use. Most homeowners get this wrong because contractors are paid to sell the biggest job, not the right one. That's why Almwell exists.

• What's the ROI on a new roof vs. a kitchen remodel?

  Different math. A roof returns roughly 60–70% at sale but prevents catastrophic loss while you live there — its real ROI is risk reduction. A kitchen returns 50–70% at sale but costs you nothing while you wait. If you're staying five-plus years, prefer the roof. If you're selling in eighteen months, the calculus changes. Almwell asks how long you're staying.

• How much should I save for home maintenance each year?

  Rule of thumb: 1% of your home's value per year, averaged over a decade. A $500K home → about $5K a year. Some years zero. One year $20K when the HVAC, water heater, and roof all need attention. Almwell helps you see which year is going to be the expensive one so you can save toward it.

• Is Almwell a contractor or a service company?

  No. We don't do the work, we don't book contractors, we don't take referral fees. Almwell is decision support — a $79 priority plan that tells you what to prioritize and why. You hire the contractor.

• How is Almwell different from a home inspection?

  A home inspection is a snapshot of condition at a moment in time, usually at purchase. Almwell is a forward-looking priority plan: what to do next, in what order, given your home, your money, and your life. The two are complementary — if you have a recent inspection, drag the PDF onto your home record after signup and we'll extract system ages, brands, and condition automatically.

• What if I don't know what's wrong with my home?

  Most homeowners don't. The intake doesn't assume you do. It asks what's bothering you, what you've noticed, what your neighbors have replaced lately. That's enough signal. The point of Almwell isn't to diagnose — it's to help you prioritize.

• Why $79 instead of free?

  Free home-advice sites have to monetize somewhere — usually by selling your contact info to contractors. We don't. The $79 is what funds the work; it's also what keeps the answers honest. You're our customer, not the contractor.

• What does the priority plan actually look like?

  A live home record in the app — not a PDF or report. Your priorities are ranked. Each one shows a rough cost range and a set of concrete options to compare (for example, 'mini-split vs. window units vs. central A/C'). When you've made a call, you commit to one direction. The app tracks what's in progress, what's deferred, and what's changed — so next year isn't a blank slate.

• What if my situation changes mid-year?

  Re-run the intake. The $79 plan is a point-in-time snapshot. If your situation changes significantly — new diagnosis, sudden repair, change in plans to sell or stay — start a new intake.

• Do you cover condos and townhomes?

  Yes — but with caveats. Anything inside your unit, we cover. Anything the HOA owns (roof, exterior, shared systems) we'll flag as out of scope so you don't pay for advice you can't act on.

• Can I get a plan for a home I'm thinking about buying?

  Not yet — Almwell is built for the home you live in. A pre-purchase version is on our short-list. If you want one, sign in and email us.