Wet basement, tired roof, or a crumbling wall? Get matched with Pittsburgh-area pros.

Pittsburgh houses are their own category

A large share of the region's homes were built before 1940, more than in most U.S. metros. Brick and frame houses sit on steep lots with stone or block foundations, and many still have original plaster, old wiring, slate or several layers of roofing, and lead paint. Add freeze-thaw winters, heavy rain, and hillsides that slide (2018 was a record year for rain and landslides), and you get a distinctive list of local projects: basement waterproofing, retaining walls, masonry repointing, roofs and windows.

There's also a lot of local governments. Allegheny County alone has 130 municipalities, and each one handles building permits through its own code office or a third-party inspection agency. We note which office handles each area.

Pennsylvania consumer protections to know

• Contractors doing home improvement work generally must register with the PA Attorney General (HICPA) and show their registration number
• HICPA contracts must be in writing and give you a 3-day right to cancel
• For contracts over $1,000, HICPA generally limits the down payment to one-third of the price, plus the cost of special-order materials