If you own a car or a television, you’ve probably noticed — gas prices are surging to record highs. AAA reported a national average of $4.25 per gallon last week, with gas prices predicted to creep up even more in the near future. This extra cost is adding fuel to an already hot fire for business owners and consumers in the grip of inflation. But is this pressure at the pump going to impact homeowners looking to hire pros for their home improvement projects?

Most likely. Here’s what we know.

Angi recently polled our pros to find out how this recent spike is impacting their businesses. More than 90% of Angi pros say they expect higher gas prices this year and nearly 95% (94.9%) say those costs will impact their businesses. Due to surging gas prices, nearly 75% of pros say they will raise prices or rates (or already have) to make up for this added expense.

Joshua Belcher, owner and operator at Liberty Landscaping in Knightstown, Ind., used to offer all his customers free estimates. But now, due to gas prices and inflation, he’s had to start charging for that service and raise prices by 20%.

“You want to do the best you can for your customers and give them fair deals,” he said. “But in order to stay afloat, you have to charge for things you used to do for free before.”

About half of Belcher’s customer base has been able to afford the price increase. For the most part, homeowners understand where he’s coming from.

“Customers who appreciate your business and have the financial means do have your back during these hard times,” he said. “It’s a bummer for them but they understand. Certain customers we’ve lost because they say they can’t take the price increase.”

Phil Boonstra, owner of PR Builders in Windsor, Colo., says rising gas prices increase his subcontractor costs and he has no choice but to pass that on to homeowners.

“Some of my subcontractors are an hour away from the job, and every time they’re filling up, they’re seeing a $20 or $30 increase in cost,” he said. “They start adding trip charges to their work, and that gets passed on to the consumer. On a basement remodeling job, that’s an extra few hundred dollars. It really starts to add up.”

But there are ways for both homeowners and pros to work together and save on transportation costs.

Tips to budget for home projects amid gas price surge

Communicate with your pro and expect the extra charge

Pros have to factor in the extra cost of gasoline required to make it to your home. Asking about any extra fees related to gas prices can save homeowners sticker shock later on.

Many pros are now wrapping this additional cost into their home project quotes. Until gas prices cool off, it’s helpful for homeowners to budget for this extra expense when hiring a pro.

Consider bundling your home projects together

Have a few things that need tackling at your home? Think about hiring a handyperson who is able to handle a few different jobs in one visit. That way, you (and your pro) will save on transportation costs.

Book pros close to your home

Hiring a local service (as opposed to one that is a town or two away) can save homeowners money in transportation costs. Plus, pros may be more likely to take on jobs that are nearby, so they can avoid spending more money at the pumps.

Tweet your home care questions with #AskAngi and we’ll try to answer them in a future column.

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San Francisco is now the second major US city to require proof of vaccination in “indoor high-contact areas”, sending a clear message to art fans: It is no longer enough to see a show in a theater or concert hall to provide evidence of a recent negative coronavirus test or simply wearing a mask.

The mandate issued by Mayor London Breed on Thursday, August 12, goes into effect on August 20, ordering venues for events with a crowd of 1,000 or more to require a full vaccination for all guests 12 and older. The only exception is events where tickets were sold before Thursday, with a show date on or before September 15; these allow a negative test instead of a vaccination.

The citywide mandate also applies to employees at local arts and entertainment venues.

The artist Robin Lara puts on her mask in the West of Pecos restaurant before a performance in the Mission District on November 29th. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle 2020

“We know that in order for our city to recover and thrive from the pandemic, we must use the best method of fighting COVID-19 and that is vaccines,” Breed said in a statement. “Vaccines are our way out of the pandemic and our way back to a life where we can be safe together.”

BroadwaySF, that reopened “Hamilton” at the Orpheum Theater on Tuesday, August 10th, allowed the audience to provide evidence of vaccinations or a recent negative test, “but will shortly update our guidelines and inform our customers,” said Communications Director Scott Walton.

The Chase Center, which has already required proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test for entry to the 18,064-person venue, plans to honor the order, starting with the next concert under the heading of Tame Impala on September 15.

The co-founder of the San Francisco Playhouse, Susi Damilano, meets theatergoer Patrick Colford in front of “Hold These Truths” at the San Francisco Playhouse on August 8th. Photo: Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

“My gut reaction is okay, we’re pretty much doing that,” said Susi Damilano, production director of the San Francisco Playhouse, about Thursday’s order. She added that all but a few bystanders of the company had been in possession of vaccination cards as of June.

“If anything, I hope that people who are vaccinated but are nervous about going out will feel more comfortable with the introduction of this mandate.”

Indeed while lots Local venues and organizations in San Francisco and beyond have already begun demanding proof of vaccination from viewers in order to perform live.

“The Roxie feels great about San Francisco’s decision,” said Lex Sloan, executive director of the Mission District cinema. “We hope that it helps our employees and customers to feel safe so that everyone can enjoy their time in the cinema.”

Randy Taradash, Feinstein’s general manager and creative director at the Nikko, doesn’t think the mandate will be an issue for Bay Area art lovers. He cited studies that showed that the art audience was vaccinated more often than the general population. (On July 19, the art research firm WolfBrown Approved Data showing 98% of the arts audience in the Bay Area are vaccinated, based on 1,870 responses from local polls. It received applause from the start, ”he said. “I think I had a mean tweet the minute we announced it and that was it.”

Junru Wang is one of the cast members in “Dear San Francisco: A High-Flying Love Story,” by Club Fugazi Experiences. Photo: Jon Bauer / Club Fugazi Experiences

A number of San Francisco performing arts organizations, including the San Francisco Opera and ODC / Dance, have already issued guidelines requiring proof of vaccination from both patrons and staff. The San Francisco Symphony has adopted a similar policy and planned to announce it on Monday, August 16, according to an orchestra spokesman.

Likewise, David Dower, co-producer and executive director of Club Fugazi Experiences, a circus scheduled to begin performing in September, said his company is already planning a similar policy for itself. He is relieved that the San Francisco audience isn’t more has to navigate a confusing patchwork of guidelines every time they see a show in a different location.

“I’m actually pretty glad the city said something clear in time for most of our seasons to start,” said Dower. “It is a public health responsibility to protect the public.”

San Francisco Performances, which showcases chamber music concerts in the city’s fall theater, plans to implement the new policy in the coming season from October, said spokeswoman Nancy Bertossa.

“I think (the order) is appropriate for the moment we are in,” said Taradash. “Trust me, I’ll be the first in line to see everything. I’m just as much a fan as I am a theater maker and producer. But if we’re not sure right now, our business won’t return any sooner. ”

The Chronicle’s authors, Lily Janiak, Joshua Kosman, and Mick LaSalle contributed to this report.

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The damage caused by Hurricane Ida forced the Packers’ opening game against the Saints to be moved from New Orleans to Jacksonville. But what does this change mean for the Green Bay Packers? How will it affect the game itself and the preparation of the team?

The most obvious change is that the Packers are now playing in a neutral location. The Packers have not played a regular NFL game in a neutral location since 1938, when they faced the Chicago Cardinals in Buffalo on September 28.

The game was played on a Wednesday night in front of a crowd of 10,678 fans who showed up to see the pack defeat the Cardinals 24-22. Tiny Engebretsen scored the winning field goal in the fourth quarter and gave the Packers the win, improving their season record to 3-1-0. Arnie Herber, Clarke Hinkle and Don Hutson scored in-game touchdowns for Green Bay.

Going back to 2021, that game will now be played in a neutral location, although technically it will be a home game for the Saints. While Saints management reportedly picked Jacksonville because it was more difficult and expensive for the Packers and their fans to get to this game, it is still expected that there will be more Packers fans than Saints fans in the season opener. The Packers have fans all over the country and travel well. Additionally, Saints fans living in Louisiana are still grappling with the aftermath of the hurricane and many have more important issues to deal with.

The game will feel more like a Packers home game as most of the fans in the stadium will be standing for the Packers. That clearly speaks in favor of Green Bay. Last season there were no fans in the stands for most of the season because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Only a limited number of fans were allowed to participate in the playoffs. Having most of the fans cheering on the Packers will be an even bigger thing this year than it would be after a typical season.

The game is now played outdoors instead of the New Orleans dome. Last year the Saints were 6-2 in the Superdome. They also played another game in a dome, a 35-29 win over the Lions in Detroit. That means the Saints were 7-2 inside and 5-2 outside last season.

The Packers played five indoor street games last year, going 4-1 in their only loss to the Colts in Indianapolis. The Packers won indoors in Minnesota, New Orleans, Houston and Detroit. The Packers ended 2020 with a 9: 2 mark outdoors.

The game is now also played on natural grass. The Jacksonville stadium features Bermuda grass. The Packers played 11 games on grass in 2020, going 9-2, with their only losses in week 6 against the Bucs and at home in week 8 against the Vikings.

The Saints only played six games on natural turf in 2020 and went through 4-2 in those games. They were 8-2 on man-made surfaces.

While both teams were strong overall last season, with the Packers 13-3 and the Saints 12-4, the Packers are a turf team while the Saints play most of their games on artificial turf. For this reason, the change slightly favors the packers.

Now that the game is being played outdoors in Jacksonville, the heat and humidity are likely to be a factor. The average temperature in Jacksonville, Florida is in the low to mid 80s in mid-September, and the humidity in northern Florida is usually higher than in Wisconsin at this time of year.

As a result, the Saints will likely wear their white shirts for the game and force the Packers to wear their dark green home shirts. On a hot, sunny day, dark colors absorb heat while white reflects it. The Saints hope that wearing their white jerseys will give them an edge especially in the fourth quarter when the players on both teams are more likely to tire, especially in Week 1 when they are not yet in ideal football shape.

The Packers wore their white jerseys at home in the early games of the season, also to take advantage of wearing white in the heat. In 1989, the Pack played their first two games of the season at Lambeau Field, but wore their white street jerseys in each competition. In the first game, Green Bay lost the Bucs 23-21, while the Packers scored an exciting 35-34 win over the Saints in Week 2 when Don Majkowski received a late touchdown pass from Sterling Sharpe.

When all is said and done, the Packers and Saints have one more game of soccer to play. It is played in different environments and in different color uniforms, but it will still be the 2021 season opener and it will still count as one game in the NFL rankings.

Overall, the change in venue should give the Packers a slight advantage over the game in New Orleans. Now it is up to the team to take advantage of this.

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