Local's Book Offers Tips To Avoid Costly Home Repairs

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — For the last 30 years Anne Thornton has owned a local plumbing and remodeling business and has seen just about everything. Now she is sharing her knowledge to help other homeowners, especially women, avoid any costly mistakes.

"I learned a lot even though I was not doing the plumbing or remodeling," Thornton said. "I started a career as a teacher but after years of seeing all the disasters that you can have in a home that could be avoided with maintenance and knowledge, I wanted to write this book."

A member of the Bernards Township Regional Chamber of Commerce and President of MSI Plumbing & Remodeling, Thornton and her husband have been serving the Basking Ridge and Somerset County area for years.

"Anne Thornton's Insider's Guide to Home Improvement" was initially released in 2017 but after speaking with more homeowners she has recently re-released it to include more tips and tricks.

The book includes explanations of what maintenance and equipment to check in your home with a checklist included, tips on hiring a contractor, and more.

"I wrote the book with women in mind," Thornton said. "Women, who own a home and businesses, are not taken seriously or just talked down to by many contractors. What I am really doing is trying to educate everyone but particularly women so they have the information needed to ask the right questions."

After she wrote the book, Thornton started giving home maintenance talks to senior and women’s groups, employees and Realtors.

"I learned so much from the audiences and what I didn’t cover so I was inspired by all of that and added a good 25 pages with a lot more information."

The number one piece of information Thornton offers is that many people "don’t know anything about washing machine hoses and when they burst it is a nightmare."

"The hose is under constant water pressure and with the corrosion of hard water it can cause it to leak with 600 gallons leaking an hour," Thornton said. "I have literally done a repair for $150,000 because the washer was upstairs and the water was running when the homeowners were not home."

"Checking your washing machine hose is the simplest thing homeowners can do. And I recommend replacing it every five years," Thornton said. "It is a ticking time bomb."

To learn more about Thornton's book or to get a copy visit Amazon.

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