Remodeling - Home Improvement- Energy

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Why don't women get any respect from Contractors?

Submitted by Lily Milani on March 13, 2010 - 17:04

Home Remodeling

The last thing I need is a contractor who doesn't pay attention or disrespects my observation and comments regarding the construction drawings or quality of workmanship. Yet that is what I am increasingly having to deal with. Does this sound familiar or am I the only woman who has experienced this?

I'm a successful woman, who juggles a career, family with kids, and 70 year old mother who requires a lot of care. Sound familiar? My husband works and travels a great deal, so overseeing our home remodeling project is my second job. Now I will confess that I am an not handy and am not an engineer. However, I am a project manager and deal with complex technology projects. I know when someone is blowing smoke at me and when they make absolutely no sense.

Cool Bathroom Sinks for Tiny Powder Rooms

Submitted by Tom on March 13, 2010 - 15:53

Bathrooms

There are many more choices for small powder room these days. Best of all they come in a variety of shapes that will definitely add a Wow factor and not take up much space. See details in our article on sinks for small bathrooms. All of the bathrooms beow are from Porcelanosa.

My Kitchen Remodel- what went right and wrong

Submitted by Tom on March 10, 2010 - 11:15

Kitchens

This is the fourth in a series of articles on what went right and wrong during our renovation. We've already discussed our bathroom, basement and family room renovations so see those too. You may be puzzled as to why we are even doing this. It's really simple. It's not often that your architect or interior designer is going to tell you what went wrong in their previous jobs, but lets face it, they learned from their mistakes and so have we. Hopefully these tips will help you get the best out of your kitchen remodeling project.

Initially, we planned to:

Renovate our existing 12'x 13' kitchen.
Retain our 12' x 13' dining room.

We ended up combining both rooms into a large kitchen with eating space. Take a look.

My Family Room Renovation- what went right and wrong

Submitted by Tom on March 10, 2010 - 11:10

Rear of family room flows on to deck and kitchen

This is the third in a series of articles on what went right and wrong during family room renovation. We've already discussed our bathroom, basement and kitchen renovations so see those too. You may be puzzled as to why we are even doing this. It's really simple.

Whats the best pull out SS Kitchen Faucet?

Submitted by SharonS on March 9, 2010 - 23:02

Introduce Yourself or Your Problem

I am looking to replace two kitchen faucets. One for my deep sink and one for the prep sink. I have brought home a Moen and was very disappointed that it was almost all plastic.

Soundproofing and Fireproofing Approaches

Submitted by Tom on March 4, 2010 - 18:19

Is your next door neighbor nosy or driving you crazy?

Noisy neighbors in the condo or apartment next door, street sounds, the night owls in your family, or that "man den" are all reasons to consider soundproofing in your home. If you are converting that basement to a rental apartment or mother-in-law suite, you may be able to sound proof and make your home more resistant to fire too. We'll show you how to spend your money wisely on both below beginning with the least expensive.

My Basement Remodeling Project- what went right and wrong

Submitted by Tom on March 3, 2010 - 23:03

Turning that unfinished basement from a cold, damp and dreary place was one of the best things we did. Besides making use of existing space, we also turned it into a welcome and pleasant space that could be used by teens, guests, an au pair suite or a home office. Overall we made some very good choices and everything went relatively well.

What we did
The basement now consists of a kitchen/laundry room, bedroom, storage room, hallway, bathroom and living room with fireplace Take a look at some before and after pictures of the kitchen/laundry room.

Kitchen cabinets- lightening them

Submitted by Brenda Finoia on March 3, 2010 - 11:21

Remodeling and Decoration

I am remodeling my kitchen but want to keep the current cabinets and add a few more. I know the original color but they have darkened over the past 10 years. I need to lighten them so they match new ones of the same color. Any suggestions?

3 comments

My Bathroom Remodel Projects- what went right and wrong

Submitted by Tom on February 28, 2010 - 18:05

Bathrooms

We remodeled several bathrooms in the last several years. Each had its challenges, but all came out reasonably well. Did we make some mistakes? Sure. Did we do some things very well? You bet. Here's a synopsis of what went right and wrong and more specific information on the issues so you can benefit when you remodel your bathrooms.

Alternatives to Building a Watertight Shower Base and Floor

Submitted by Tom on February 25, 2010 - 18:39

Bathrooms

Installing a rubber membrane on shower base by DIY network

Most bathroom remodeling projects entail a stone, ceramic or procelain tile shower complete with bench. While this is not rocket science, homeowners have to be sure that the shower base and floor are water tight and sturdy to avoid costly repairs to areas below and adjacent to the shower.

Google makes a splash in power markets and home energy monitoring

Submitted by Enviroman on February 22, 2010 - 15:55

Energy

The Federal government recently granted Google the authority to trade power and to buy and sell wholesale power. With this new authority, Google hopes to reduce its electricy bills by trading directly with suppliers. The federal government will specifically allow a newly created subsidiary, Google Energy, to do everything that a traditional utulity does.

Quick drying Polyurethane on Steps

Submitted by kathymably on February 22, 2010 - 13:40

Introduce Yourself or Your Problem

My husband and I just replaced our stairs. We have already stained them, but our problem now is:
1. Our bedroom is upstairs
2. We both work
3. We have 3 dogs and 2 cats

Is there anything we can do to be able to go up and down the stairs (even barefoot, if need be)? Can we put down a wax paper while the polyurethane dries?

Ecobold- doing heavy lifting for finding green products

Submitted by Tom on February 19, 2010 - 19:46

Going Green

Ecobold interviews green baby products manufactuer ZoLi

Most of us are quite willing to pay a bit more for a green product that delivers environmental benefits and meets our individual needs. Finding such products is not so easy and then evaluating fact from fiction is another matter. Enter EcoBold, a small startup company, whose mission is to help us do all of the above and to live a greener and more sustainable lifestyle.

EcoBold's founder Steffany Boldrini does the leg work for us. She finds green products and talks to the people behind the products. Then each week, EcoBold delivers a product review and a video of the interview every Tuesday and Friday, respectively.

Our take on Ecobold
We listened to two very different videos to get a flavor for how helpful EcoBold is. The first was an interview with ZoLi, a manufacturer of green baby products and the other was on recycling tires by West Coast Rubber Recycling. As far as we're concerned the videos were just the the right length- less than 6 minutes.

Reducing Your Personal Carbon footprint one step at a time

Submitted by Enviroman on February 14, 2010 - 21:46

Many of us realize that if we are to make any progress in reducing our carbon footprint and energy use, it has to start at a personal level just like Ed Begely and Bill Nye did. It's really up to you and me to do something and certainly not the government or the politicians. The government is quite capable of getting it's own house in order. In fact, the Administration might take some cues from the three carbon calculators to determine their agency's carbon footprint and energy consumption and also two distinct paths to take to control them.

Better Shopping Experience at the Home Depot and Lowes

Submitted by Tom on February 11, 2010 - 20:00

Home Remodeling

Obama thinks insulation is sexy at the Home Depot, courtest bittenandbound.com

Is it really possible to enhance the shopping experience at Lowes or the Home Depot? God we hope so and of course President Obama is counting on it. Not really, but at least I grabbed your attention didn't I? And besides the President did meet with labor leaders at the Home Depot in Alexandria Virginia about installing insulation so at least he is counting on the Home Depot and Lowes to be a part of that solution.

Despite the fact that many people have strong feelings against or for these stores or certain products like Pegasus faucets that the Home Depot provides. I've been pretty amazed that there is no middle ground when it comes to these home improvement stores for a variety of reasons. I've often asked myself "how come?" and what could be done about it. Here's some suggestions Home Depot and Lowes.