We just remodeled our kitchen, and there was a lot of shopping involved. I am not a good shopper. That just means that I don’t like wandering around a store looking at every possible option. I like to narrow it down to at least two products, go in the store to look at both, buy one and bring it home. Lowe's Buying Guides can be very helpful. They give general information that is applicable in any home improvement store. The refrigerator buying guide gave my family tips on what size would work for us according to the size of our family, the space available, etc. There was also a list of refrigerator configuration information and one of possible features in refrigerators. When moving your focus from appliance to appliance, this guide makes it easy to choose the right model quickly. Now that’s my kind of shopping.
Handymen and women have always relied on precise measurements in order to complete a job in or around the home. A replacement for your standard issue tape measure can now be found in Bosch’s Laser Range Finder. This device is mostly appealing because of its compact size and its time-saving qualities. Bosch’s product finds distances instantly and can even compute simple equations such as the area of a room. It’s ability to find measurements from four different reference points on the device makes it more precise than other range finders. Personally, I think another notable feature is the fact that there is no chance that measuring tape will come flying back in your face when released.
If you live in a state with a perpetually wet basement like me, you're probably running a dehumidifier year-round. Ours sucks the moisture out of our always-wet walls and drains it into the sump pump.
If you're luckier than me, you may only use a dehumidifier for humid summer days and are dragging yours out of storage right about now. If you have an older model, you may want to consider upgrading to an Energy Star qualified one. It removes the same amount of moisture as a unit of the same size but uses 10 to 20 percent less energy, which could actually power your refrigerator for six months. Visit Energy Star's page on dehumidifiers for more information as well as a list of approved models.
The mounting number of foreclosures is taking a toll on condo owners associations. Many condo owners are now facing higher association fees and doing some of the building maintenance work themselves as more and more of their fellow residents default. This New York Times article calls the development "collateral damage" in the housing bust. Compounding the problem is the fact that new condo units are being added to an already flooded market. One researcher predicts the condo market will not hit bottom until 2009. Ouch.
CNNMoney.com has a pair of articles surveying the collapsing housing market. Hard to believe but even in these dark times, there are markets that are experiencing growth. Here's the list of the top 10 fastest growing real estate markets. The list reads from fastest growth on down:
McAllen, TX
Rochester, NY
Birmingham, AL
Syracuse, NY
Buffalo/Niagara Falls, NY
New Orleans, LA
Scranton, PA
Grand Rapids, MI
Baton Rouge, LA
El Paso, TX
And, according to this article, these are the areas expected to be hit the hardest in the downturn:
In prior years, we at BobVila.com made gift suggestions geared to men: “Real Men” with a cave man’s view of the universe. But the world she is a change’n and for the better. I am fine with giving my wife the keys to the shed. Here are some things she...err, you...may need to complete your DIY collection.
Storage and organization. From a full-out, complete garage or workshop system to a simple toolbox, knowing where to find your tools saves time, money replacing "lost" items and my favorite: the headache of a scavenger hunt for tools.
Tools. The favorite tool in our house is not so much a tool but a pressure washer with the right attachments. We use it to clean the outside walls of our house, the brick patio, the algae off our fence and even the cars. Just imagine the fun when you say to your spouse, ”Look, there’s a spider web the size of a parachute under the eaves of the house,” and you both race to pull out the giant squirt gun and blast it to infinity and beyond.
Things that make loud noises. And nothing makes a great buzz like the sound of my second favorite tool, the reciprocating saw. I have dismantled awnings and door frames, cut tree limbs and PVC pipe, and turned rusty screws that could not be turned. This is the Swiss Army knife of salvage sawing.
Did I say Swiss Army knife? They're great, but I got one a long time ago for my birthday. A much handier tool for the workshop DIYer is the Leatherman Multi-Tool. With this, a hammer and some duct tape, I can fix just about anything I can wreck with my Milwaukee ®Sawzall.
More about multi-tools. The kitchen has tons of gadgets and gizmos but the one we always come back to is our KitchenAid mixer. We have not found a more functional, useful device in the kitchen except maybe the appliances.
Just plain fun. If you like to eat (and let’s face it, most of us do) This Old House has compiled a list of edible tool gifts. I am just so glad they did not go as far as an edible plunger.
Happy holidays!
Author:Greg Posted: December 10th, 2007 Categories:Buying Comments:1 Comment
The slowdown in house sales may have hurt sellers, but there's finally some good news for homeowners. In a marked contrast to the boom days, the housing slump has lowered prices on "everything from lumber and drywall to labor and design fees" and made people in the building trade more available than ever, according to The Wall Street Journal Online. For instance, drywall is down 35 percent and framing lumber, which totals about 16 percent of building a house, is down 24 percent. "Now, some homeowners are moving forward on renovation or building projects they've put off for years," says the WSJ, and "others are exacting substantial price cuts from contractors desperate for work." So, if one of your New Year's resolutions is to complete that home renovation project you've been putting off, now may be just the right time.
