I haven't played for years, but I'm not bad (grew up playing soccer/football) and I'd like to join a team in DC this Spring (either co-ed or all women) so that I can get some exercise but also have some fun and meet people. How do I go about finding a team that needs players? I looked up some of the DC leagues but I'm clueless re the next step - do I email team managers? Any tips/ideas welcome.

Thanks!! Just went on to angies list and made a few calls.

A pipe from our main bathroom is leaking - we can hear the drip when we turn on the taps of the sink or bath. And now, our living room ceiling (directly under the bathroom) is showing wet spots/damage. We need to get this fixed ASAP and I'd love recommendations (just unclear who I need to call. Do I need a certified plumber? What about a general repairman - can he fix it? )
Thanks!

Thank you everyone for the thoughtful responses! I called Washington Gas and it seems our bill is in line with the house's history - around $200+ during winter months. In addition, I have 2 insulation guys (with great reviews on angie's list) visiting this week for free consultations on insulating the house better. We also have the temp up high throughout the day (I work from home) and night and we could program our thermostat a bit better.
Thanks!!

Hi,

We just bought and moved into a 2000 sq ft house and we use natural gas (provided by Washington "the worst utility provider in the world" Gas) for our oven/stove, hot water and heating. For the past few months (Oct, Nov) we've paid around $60 for a 27-30 day billing period.

This month, Nov-Dec, however, our bill is a whopping $234!! We've 5x our usage! (We've gone from 40 ccf to 206 ccf /41 TH to 216 TH).
What is a bit strange about all of this is (1) we've been out of town for some weekends and lowered the heat; (2) we had about 3 days of no heat (water in our gas line - long and painful tale) during this billing period!

So what gives? I have to call tomorrow -but in my past experience, the call center for Washington Gas offers just awful customer service...I'd love to know what other folks with a house this same size are using (in ccf or TH) and paying?

We can't compare to last year's usage as we were not in this house and the last owners had a separate account. Though, maybe I can ask for a historical breakdown based on the property address?

And any advice on figuring out what is going on? I'm worried that given all our "gas line" problems, we may have a faulty line/meter. And, any tips on dealing with Washington Gas' call center?

Thanks!!

We have a spot at Bright Horizon's East End and I'm curious what people think of the place, as well as whether it being a back-up care center impacts the day to day activities? My sister pointed out that back-up care will mean that the ration of teachers to children may change on any given day, the class will be disrupted, new faces entering/leaving etc.

What are folks experiences with this BH and/or back up care?

My son is 13 months old.

Thanks!

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! We'll def look into all of them. Appreciate it!

oh good to know! thanks!

Hi,

Any recs out there for a good DC plumber for a major repair/replacement work in an old house? We need someone in the next 48 hrs who can give us an estimate - the actual work can be done later in the month.

thanks!

Thanks everyone! Yes, it seems like we do need some external assistance and possibly some permits!

We're thinking of partially renovating an old house - all internal stuff. We want to pull down 4 internal walls - I don't think any are structurally necessary (and if they are, we're good with keeping pillars in their place), redo the basement flooring, add a kitchen island and do some plumbing.

We are totally new to all of this and DC and so:

1. Do we need city permits for indoor / internal work?

2. Do we need to hire a contractor or can we stick to just hiring a plumber, electrician, handyman etc (I understand that contractors cost a lot more).

Thanks!

Also looking in the same areas and I haven't found anything - this search site was recommended by a friend: https://www.mychildcaredc.com/

But the da ycares near our place get just so-so reviews.