I had never heard the words granite and bacteria in the same sentence until the solid-surface manufacturers started using it to sell their products. They claim granite counters are not safe and harbor bacteria, while their composite counters (Corian, Silestone and the like) are safe. Really? Haven't we been using granite counters for decades, even centuries? Where's the outbreak of food-borne illness? And what about tile and grout? Why aren't we all dead?
Over at Garden Web's remodeling forum, homeowners are discussing the merits of Stonemark, a granite product carried by Home Depot that is soaked in some kind of super-duper sealer to make it more impervious.
With granite fabricators and sellers saying granite is safe, and with solid-surface manufacturers and sellers saying it isn't, whom do you believe?
For an impartial view, I asked Susan Serra, a certified kitchen designer who writes a robust blog called the Kitchen Designer. Here's what Susan had to say:
Is harboring bacteria a concern? Oh, tricky question here! How could I say no? Of course it's a concern. And the kitchen is a wonderful place to harbor all sorts of exotic bacterial living organisms. You're never really alone in the kitchen. . . !
I think there are several ways to look at this issue. The first is universal. Clean your hands and your countertops properly before and after working with food. Cleanliness goes nearly all the way in preventing food-borne illnesses, originating in the kitchen.
Probably, the most perfect of countertop surfaces to keep bacteria to a minimum would be stainless steel or solid surfaces. These countertops would have to have a curved (cove) turn at the rear of the countertop, to avoid a seam where bacteria could congregate and grow. The countertops would also have to have integral sinks of the same material, again, to avoid a seam. Then, you're as protected as you can be.
I don't know about you, but I'm not interested in going back to the '70s with a short, coved backsplash, and I don't necessarily want an integral sink of the same material.
My advice is NOT to be afraid of granite. Tests have shown that a mix of 10% vinegar, with water, will kill 99.9% of bacteria. Use it in a spray bottle.
Me, I see bacteria and granite as a nonissue, providing one uses appropriate cleaning methods. I might add, as an anecdotal note, that I have had three tile countertops in my life (supposedly the worst for bacteria) totaling approximately 22 years. My family is never sick, certainly never with gastro-intestinal illnesses. Hot, soapy water works for us!
Will you get these (more sanitary) countertops so that you can clean off your last bit of bacteria and settle for a different aesthetic than you would have chosen otherwise?
Just be aware that when you go to answer the phone, a pesky ant or fly may track raw chicken juice across the "better" countertop surface and then crawl or fly away before you return. A kitchen is not a confined laboratory. There will be some bacteria in the best of circumstances.
How about you? Do you have granite counters? Have bacteria taken over your home? Are we taking this bacteria thing too far so the corporations can sell us more chemicals?
You might think I'm making this up, but I actually saw the words to your right on a Los Angeles contractor's website. And it is an actual licensed contractor, with a freshly minted license number.
But when I saw this website, with the misspelled words, red flags went up.
Is it just because I'm a writer that I care about spelling, grammar and punctuation? Or do infractions like "licens & insurd" on a contractor's website or brochure indicate a deeper reality? Or are these things irrelevant in the world of remodeling?
What do you think? Does spelling matter? Would these words on a website cause you alarm?
Or would you figure this is an unsophisticated contractor from whom you could get a good deal, and who needs a contractor with a master's degree anyway?
Even on Halloween, a house shouldn't be so scary that your circuit breaker fails to trip when it's supposed to (because it's counterfeit!) and your patio chair collapses beneath you.
The counterfeit circuit breakers are black and labeled "Square D." Sixty-four thousand of these were sold in hardware stores nationwide between February 2005 and August 2006, distributed by Connecticut Electric of Puyallup, Wash.
For more information, call Connecticut Electric at (866) 264-3702, or visit the company’s website at www.connecticut-electric.com.
Out on the patio, your chair may collapse if it was one of 40,000 sets sold by Target. The chair can collapse when weight is applied to the front end of the arm rests, which is pretty much where you'd apply pressure if you were getting in or out of the chair, so those sitting stock still would be fine. For those daring souls who did put pressure on the front of the armrests, Target reports 35 collapses resulting in 18 injuries such as bruising to the back, hips, shoulders, arms and finger lacerations.
The set, which sold for $130, consists of a table, an umbrella and four chairs. The chairs and the umbrella have a black aluminum frame covered with beige fabric. They were sold between November 2006 through July 2007.
For more information, contact Target at (800) 440-0680, or visit the firm’s website at www.target.com
The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) is warning consumers about the dangers of hiring unlicensed contractors following a disaster, whether it is earthquake, fire, flood or mudslide. Unscrupulous, unlicensed contractors often prey on victims of natural disasters.
“Don't let a natural disaster result in a man-made one by hiring the first contractor who comes along,” said CSLB Registrar Steve Sands. “Take your time and protect yourself against con artists who will take your money and run –- or incompetent contractors who will perform shoddy work. Hire only licensed contractors and check their qualifications with the Board.”
Consumers can verify a contractor's license status and order publications, free of charge, on this Website. You can also call CSLB, toll-free: (800) 321-CSLB (2752).
Contractors working on a job –- from debris removal to rebuilding –- totaling $500 or more for labor and materials must be licensed by the CSLB. To become licensed, a contractor must pass a licensing examination, verify at least four years of journey-level experience and carry a license bond. As of July 1, 2005, all new licensed contractors have also had to pass a criminal background check.
The CSLB urges consumers to follow these tips when dealing with a building contractor:
• Hire only licensed contractors and ask to see the license. • Verify the contractor's license by checking online at www.cslb.ca.gov. • Don't rush into decisions and don't hire the first contractor who comes along. • Don't pay more than 10 percent down or $1,000 — whichever is less. • Don't pay cash, and don't let the payments get ahead of the work. • Get three bids, check references, and get a written contract. • Contact the CSLB if you have a complaint against a contractor.
The Contractors State License Board operates under the umbrella of the California Department of Consumer Affairs. The CSLB licenses and regulates California's 312,000 contractors, and investigates more than 20,000 complaints against contractors, annually. In Fiscal Year 2006-2007, the CSLB obtained nearly $45 million on ordered restitution for consumers.
So I'm walking along Las Vegas Boulevard, past the construction site for a new casino that looks to be about the size of Whittier, and I've got that smug, incredulous attitude one can have about Las Vegas, about the excess, the exorbitance, the waste, the sheer, mind-boggling stupidity of it all and . . . suddenly . . . I stop in my tracks. Solar panels! The bus stop has solar panels on it? Who would've thought?
And then a few steps later . . . stopped again. Plywood panels stamped with the FSC logo used for the barrier wall. FSC? In Las Vegas?
Not too long ago, I walked all around my local Home Depot in liberal, enlightened, environmentally ahead-of-the-pack Southern California looking for plywood, any wood, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and all I found that was green was pressure-treated wood with a spooky green tint.
FSC plywood in Vegas? So I do a Google search on the code stamped on the sheets — FSC SW-COC-376 — and I find out the wood was manufactured by Roseburg Forest Products in Roseburg, Ore., which is one of the most environmentally responsible lumber companies in the country.
And I think, if a massive casino site in Las Vegas can manage to go a little green, why not me in my remodel?
Later, back at the Luxor Hotel with its monumental pyramid structure (see the beast here), I think: Would it kill you to put some solar panels on that thing?
UPDATE: I see from the always-illuminating Jetson Green blog that the development I walked by is the future CityCenter and will include 18 million square feet of new construction on 76 acres. And if everything is done according to plan (and not all green intentions are carried out), it will be the largest LEED-certified green project in the world.
You know how everyone likes to sit up high on bar stools? But without having to be in a bar?
Steve and Marygrace Carpenter like that feeling so much they got rid of their lowly kitchen table during a recent remodel at their Westchester home and replaced it with this tall table. It's almost like an island in the kitchen, but it's for sittin' at.
This also illustrates the beauty of getting your cabinets custom made, which, strangely enough, often costs about the same or less than buying cabinets "off the shelf." In this case, Steve told the cabinetmaker what he needed to create this bar-height table, then got the granite fabricator to make a nice rectangular piece with rounded edges, and voila! It's where everyone wants to sit, including me during a visit. I mean, I could hardly pull myself away from it.
With some quiet consideration, you may find, as I did, that home-improvement author Judy Ostrow's new book has some sound and savvy nuggets of knowledge. Did you know, for instance, that because window screens are made of woven wire, you can repair a hole by weaving the loose edges of a patch over the edges of the hole? I didn't.
And this: "If you're going to take apart a faucet, clear an area where you can line up the pieces in the order you remove them." Then, "if you need to take parts to the store to find replacements, make a list of the parts and the order, so you can put things back the way you took them out."
If you're handy already, you're probably thinking: Only an idiot needs to be told that -- hence the title of the book, which is one of more than 450 Idiot Guides.
Add this to the "Dummies" series of books, and it's obvious publishers are hoping for a lot of dim bulbs. But when it comes to simple home repairs, I think the audience is big enough, starting with me. I'm supposed to know about houses, but, sad to say, I've always found it easier to commission the help of a handy boyfriend or husband than to learn how to fix a squeaky floor board. With a book like this, though, I could start acting like the feminist I claim to be.
Question: I'm curious what the effect of a native plant landscape would be versus a conventional turf grass and shrub landscape. Imagine that the native-centric landscape uses low-growing perennials such as sedge and yarrow as well as pavers in place of turf grass and that both yards have similar amounts of functional outdoor space. — BAM
In my experience, it does not matter either way. A well-landscaped yard is just that. Some buyers may prefer native grasses and some may prefer rose bushes and a lawn. I've never had a buyer say: "I don't want this house because I hate the plant choices."
But I like the question because many homeowners fail to recognize the value of landscaping, which has a major impact on creating curb appeal and a good first impression. In terms of native grasses versus turf, buyers do like the idea of low-maintenance landscaping. The trick is to make it beautiful and interesting, as well as functional and eco-friendly.
Popular features can include a fountain or pond, an arch or arbor, garden furniture such as a bench to relax on or a dining area. You may want to consult a landscape designer or architect. Or look through design magazines and find an overall look that appeals to you and try to replicate it.
But for greatest value, keep in mind that the hardscape should reflect the architecture of your house. You need to create a cohesive look. For instance, Mexican tile pavers would clash with an English-style cottage. In that case, you would go for brick pavers, slate, stone or gravel to tie in better.
Also, varying the heights of plants creates a layered look that is visually captivating. It can also help enhance privacy, which buyers will value. You will want to make sure that your irrigation system is right for the plantings, and that there is adequate drainage to minimize any water intrusion into your home.
Finally, I do think that the cost of most custom landscaping, as long as you do not overspend, will be reflected in the value of your home.
Got a question for David on the value of a home improvement? Click here.
As subscribers to AIG insurance company's Private Client Group protection, some of these homeowners were the happy recipients of fire-retardant foam sprayed over their multimillion-dollar homes and properties. But these folks didn't have to worry about shortages in municipal fire trucks, personnel or planes. This was a private company's Wildfire Protection Unit serving select private clients. Hey, I want it.
AIG's wildfire protection service is available only in certain "response zones" in California and Colorado. To see if your house is in a lucky location, click here.
You can get a stationary canister of fire retardant attached to nozzles on your roof or eaves, and the system can be designed to react to the presence of smoke. Or a portable 25-gallon system could be mounted onto a pickup, ATV, wagon or just placed in an easily accessible area so you could spray your property's perimeter. It is powered by 110V AC or 12V DC, and the latter would be important should the power lines go down. Each system comes with a 5-gallon container of a concentrated form of Phos-Chek retardant, which, when mixed with water, gives you 25 gallons of wildfire retardant. And 25 gallons of Phos-Chek will cover more than 800 square feet, or a line of treatment 10 feet wide by 80 feet long. According to the article in The Times, systems like this cost thousands of dollars, or the retardant alone can be had for about $1,000.
And by the way, Phos-Chek, the fire retardant mentioned above (the same stuff you see shooting out of fire-fighting airplanes), is manufactured right here in Ontario.
Taking a break from the wildfire coverage, let's consider load-bearing posts in a house.
Every now and again, a large and open room requires a post to hold up the roof or floor above. It's usually a matter of the budget, where a beam or beams strong enough to span the room and carry the load would be cost prohibitive.
So, rather than trying to hide the post, why not celebrate it?
I visited this Hermosa Beach house recently for a Pardon Our Dust feature that will run soon in the Sunday Real Estate section of the L.A. Times.
Until the feature runs, I wanted to share with you a tile-covered post I saw at that house. See a close-up of the tile.
As you can see, the family's youngest daughter has discovered that the tiles give her enough foothold to climb up and down like a little monkey. Looking on is the girl's uncle, architect Robert Nebolon, who designed the house.
Why live in Venice if you're not going to go eccentric with your remodel? You can move to Northridge if you want to be conventional, or Diamond Bar. It's not that those areas don't have their eccentricities, but when you live in Venice it's kind of expected that you will push the limits of design.
That was a goal of Shaahin Cheyene and Asa Soltan Rahma, whose remodel was featured this week in the L.A. Times' Home section. The couple admits that discussions with their young architects were fueled by whiskey, and that makes sense when you consider the fully functioning bathtub on the landing, in front of picture windows. Not that it's not outside the box. And clever. And a conversation piece. But practical? You know, practicality may be overrated.
If you're thinking about a similarly unusual remodel, you might want to consult with a real estate agent or appraiser in advance to determine the saleability of your home later on. Ask a Realtor here. However, if a future sale is not on your mind, why hold back?
This week on Fine Living's Real Estate Confidential, real estate agent Connie De Groot had quite an ordeal convincing a Beverly Hills couple to spend tens of thousands of dollars removing a massive mock tree from their living room.
The "tree," with mock branches traveling along the ceiling, was surrounded by distinctive (and expensive-looking) murals. According to the show, the couple had spent more than $1 million fixing up the house, and most of it was gorgeous. Trouble was, potential buyers were not enamored with the fake forest. In fact, offers were nonexistent. Thus, the remodel that required work to the ceiling and floor, as well as taking out a fireplace. When it was done, the house sold quickly for $2.8 million.
The moral of the story: It's great if you want to personalize a house. Go for it. But you've got to ask: how will those changes affect your ability to sell the house later on? That would be good to know. So who would you ask? A real estate agent, of course.
David Kean, a Los Angeles real estate (pictured), is finely tuned about what buyers like and what they don't like. And he's done a good bit of remodeling on his own homes. If you are thinking doing some improvements to your home, and wonder how much value they will add to (or subtract from your home), you can ask David his opinion by posting a comment below.
(If a photo will help David understand your question better, you can email it to podblog@aol.com.)
Isn't technology supposed to make our lives better in ways our ancestors never thought possible? So why are we still simply fleeing from our unprotected homes as fire approaches, like people have done for eons, rather than fighting back in a high-tech manner?
Specifically, I'm talking about homeowner-applied flame-retardant foams and gels, which we sometimes hear about after fires devastate, but rarely before. Where are these products? Why does not every homeowner in a wildland area have a few gallons of this stuff in the garage along with a sprayer? Why are we not seeing images of homeowners spraying their homes with these foams and gels in advance of the fire? Unlike our other local danger, earthquakes, fires generally do announce themselves in advance.
From what I can tell, these flame retardants are nontoxic to people, pets and the environment.
It might be soon to talk about recovery as the tragedy unfolds, but Southern Californians do rebuild after fires. I'm sure Claremont residents Vern and Deb Jahnke, who lost their house in the 2003 Grand Prix Fire, are thinking about and praying for (he's a minister, after all) the victims of the current fires.
After their house burned, the Jahnkes wanted to sell their charred lot and move on. But then they got excited about the prospect of building a "green" home they could grow old in, and a fire-resistant one.
In the bottom photo, you see the burnt house, which was covered with wood shingles. Very flammable wood shingles.
In the top photo, you see the house risen from the ashes, with these fire-resistant qualities:
• Stucco exterior • Tile roof • Dual-pane windows • No soffits
Also, you may notice the exposed wood on the exterior, which is typically a no-no for fire-prone areas. In order for the wood to be allowed by codes, it had to be of a certain thickness (notice how thick the posts and beams are?) so it will be very slow to burn if a fire comes this way again.
If you or someone you know faces fire tragedy today, it's not just the Jahnkes who are praying for you — millions of us are.
Of interest to me is an estimate of how much fire-protection retrofits cost. Of course, costs depend on how big your house is, where it is located and who does the work. But here are some approximates:
Under $300
• Creating a survivable space • Maintaining your survivable space • Installing fire-resistant signs and address numbers (to help the fire department find you) • Modifying your attic, sub-floor and basement vents • Installing a spark arrestor on your chimney
$300 to $1,000
• Boxing in overhangs and modifying other attachments • Boxing in your eaves, fascias, and soffits
More than $1,000
• Re-covering your exterior walls with a more fire-resistant material • Replacing single-pane glass windows, doors or skylights with dual-pane and tempered glass • Modifying your driveway, bridges and gates to accommodate fire trucks • Re-roofing your home with a Class A roof covering
At this time of year, a home improvement writer's interest typically turns to wet-weather topics like replacing the roof and cleaning out the gutters. But here we are in the heat of fire season.
This graphic in today's L.A. Times (click on graphic to enlarge) gives advice on increasing a home's ability to survive a wildfire. By now, we know to clear brush away from the house and not to install wood-shake roofs. And we're starting to learn that dual-pane windows help resist fire, as well as conserve energy in those moments when a fire is not raging outside.
Here are a couple of other ideas to consider:
• Wire mesh inside vent openings. This will prevent hot embers from getting inside the attic space, and the wire mesh should have spaces no larger than 1/8 inch. This is a simple home improvement project just about anyone could tackle with a few bucks' worth of mesh and a staple gun.
• Boxed eaves. If the eaves are closed up, hot embers will not fly up and under the eaves, where they could smolder before catching the roof on fire. (Overhanging decks present the same danger.) It might take a carpenter to do this job right.
The ultimate responsibility for fire safety lands squarely with individual homeowners. It is their duty to do everything they can to retrofit existing structures with low fire-risk features: boxed eaves, double-glazed windows, ember-resistant attic vents, sealed gaps between roof tiles and deck, and no exposed wood surfaces, including fences and roofing.
I found this DIY concrete countertop on the Instructables website, which bills itself as: "the world's biggest show and tell."
The DIY-er, screen name "doubleabattery," shows step-by-step how he created some handsome counters. Why did he choose concrete? He writes:
So I wanted to redo the kitchen in my 1916 Foursquare and I was bored with all the countertop options. Unless you're getting formica, they all cost about the same as granite or marble, look just like granite or marble, and are as typically typical as granite or marble.
And:
The one material that I found was much more customizable than the other solid surfaces was concrete. The colors and textures are endless, you can mold it into just about any shape you can imagine, and it retains the advantages of solid surfaces. But it's concrete, so it must be cheaper than milled stone, right? If you have a professional do it for you, it can actually cost MORE than other solid surfaces. . . . Do it yourself, and you can save a bundle. I priced granite countertops in my kitchen and they came out at around $4,000. My custom concrete counter tops ended up coming in at below $800, including the rental of the concrete mixer.
But, doubleabattery warns, there are drawbacks to the material, which he lists as:
• This is not a project that can be completed in a weekend. No matter how small the countertop is, there's at least a 10-day curing process for grinding and polishing. • Concrete needs to be properly sealed at the beginning and waxed about every 30 days to avoid staining. • The final outcome might not be exactly what you expected, especially if you're doing it for the first time. The good news is that there are ways to remedy many outcomes that you may not like.
And finally, he highly recommends the book Concrete Countertops by Fu-Tung Cheng, which I also believe is the very best book on the topic. See how it's done. And be sure to read the comments from other readers.
If you want to go really green with your kitchen counters, consider ShetkaStone, a durable and sustainable material that I found mentioned on Susan Serra's excellent blog, the Kitchen Designer.
Made in Minnesota, ShektaStone is made from various types of paper that are shredded, broken down and processed using hydrogen bonding, which does not require the use of formaldehyde or toxic glues. It is then polished to a lustrous gleam. Phone books, cardboard, magazines, newspaper and other post-consumer fibrous waste are used. And the latest material to be used is decommissioned paper money. The product, which you see here on the top, is appropriately called "Counterfeit." (Click photo to enlarge.)
The process was developed by Stanley Shetka, a professor of art at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn. The plant is in Le Center, Minn., and Shetka wants to open plants on both coasts so the material won't have to be shipped so far to the end user. See the full story in Waste News. According to the story, a ton of paper makes 400 square feet of material that is an inch and a half thick. The price for countertop material is said to be somewhere between the cost of Corian and granite. In other words, not cheap, but doable.
Some other products are seen here in the sample kit you can purchase for $25. From top left, clockwise, they are: Latte Brown Dark, Publisher Grey Dark, Publisher Grey Light and Latte Brown Light. Samples are 3-by-3 inches with a matte finish.
I like the idea of the money product. Imagine the karma in those bills. They could have been used to buy tickets to Disneyland, or pay rent for a family, or buy a Starbucks nonfat latte, or tip a good waitress or pay an allowance for a kid who did his chores. However you feel about money, I think it's mostly a positive thing, and using it for a kitchen counter sounds good to me.
Windows are great. Don't get me wrong. There's brightness and air flow and the feeling of balance you get when natural light comes from many directions. But when the view from a window is not so great — perhaps looking out on neighbors you'd rather not be looking at — what do you do? Make the glass opaque? Cover the opening with sheer curtains or shade? Forgo the windows on that wall altogether?
Los Angeles architect/contractor John Sofio had another solution for this Pacific Palisades kitchen. As you can see, he placed upper cabinets at eye level, and then placed windows above and below that. So these windows give you all the nice attributes of standard windows, without the detriment of the view.
In the bottom photo, you can see that where the views are good from an adjacent wall, with privacy and greenery, he took full advantage of that with a mass of windows.
To me, the upper and lower windows wrapping around eye-level cabinets are a much better solution than placing no windows on that wall altogether, or exposing the homeowners to views they really don't want.
People in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Francisco are being asked to turn off all non-essential lights for an hour this evening — from 8 to 9 p.m. — to conserve energy and bring awareness to the most basic global-warming-fighting principle of reducing energy demand.
A similar hour of darkness was held in Australia on March 31, when more than 2 million residents of Sydney turned off lights and reduced energy use by 10 percent. According to the organizing group's website, this reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 24.86 tons, which amounted to taking some 48,000 cars off the road for an hour, which is a lot of lost trips to 7-Eleven.
My take: I love the community factor, where we see how our cumulative actions make a huge difference. And I'm all for unoccupied skyscrapers and office buildings going dark at night. That should be required by law. But asking homeowners to sit in the dark, with perhaps one lonely bulb burning, taps into fears that the green movement is all about lack, denial and darkness. And it's not. The green movement is about innovation, personal responsibility and care for future generations. I just think an hour of darkness gives the wrong impression.
Question: I am thinking about doing a large remodel project at home using a contractor. While there's plenty of information available to educate a homeowner about how to find a qualified contractor — checking licenses and insurance, talking to past clients, etc. — there is a lack of books or other materials that give a homeowner reliable information about good construction practices.
By construction practices, I am referring to issues such as the correct/optimal way to perform a construction task, such as how many coats of paint applied to a wall are optimal or the optimal materials to be used for the construction of a kitchen cabinet. Other examples would be the type of electrical wiring that should be used to re-wire a house or how a new roof should be installed. It seems that the range and quality of materials used and the manner in which those materials are installed vary from contractor to contractor, leaving a homeowner at a disadvantage when discussing these topics with a contractor.
Do you have any recommendations for a book or books that offer such guidance to someone like me? — Ruben
Answer: Ruben, I think this is an excellent question. I’m going to give you my take on it, and then I hope other astute readers will weigh in.
I don’t believe such a book on best construction practices exists and for these reasons: regionalism, shifting industry and the enormity of the topic.
Regionalism: Unlike factory-produced goods like Rolex watches or Lexus automobiles, houses are very site-specific and construction practices depend on, among other factors, geography, climate, local codes, local talents, local customs, contractor preference, subcontractor preference, homeowner preference, and budget. A house built in Southern California will require a vastly different construction than will a house built in North Dakota or Oklahoma or Arizona or Alabama. There are issues of earthquakes, tornadoes, humidity or lack of it, heat, cold, wind and so on. Houses must be built to withstand the climate they are in. One book could not cover all climates. You could go to the website of Building Science Corporation to study up on requirements of various climates and conditions. (One of the highly regarded guides by building science expert Joe Lstiburek's [pronounced STEE-brook] is pictured here.) As for the optimal coats and type of paint and primer, I think you’d find vast controversy on painting techniques even within the community of professional painters. Line up 10 paint pros, and you’ll get 10 opinions on the "right" way to do things.
Green model brownstones will be open for viewing Saturday, Oct. 27, at the new Depot Walk development in the city of Orange. To help draw in the crowds, developer Olson Homes has joined with Green Truck, a mobile organic lunch service, to provide healthy treats from local farmers markets.
The event will be held 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Depot Walk, 501 W. Maple Ave., just a few blocks from the dynamic Old Towne Orange.
When the project is finished, developers hope it will be the first LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) neighborhood in Orange County.
Some of its green features:
• Depot Walk is an infill site, which means that no green open space was disturbed to build it. • It’s close to the Orange Metrolink station. For getting points in the LEED program, proximity to public transportation is critical. • All of the wood in the homes is from approved Forest Stewardship Council sources. • The paint and the cabinets are selected from environmentally preferred products. • The overall waste, which means how much lumber gets cut up but not used, is kept below 10%. • The ventilation and exhaust systems are designed and built to minimize heat loss and particulates in the air. • Hot water is provided with tankless water heaters, and toilets are efficient dual-flush models. • Some homes have bamboo or cork floors, or both. • All homes are solar-powered.
To fully appreciate the concept of our decentralized government, consider building permits.
While there are federal and state standards, the final word on whether you need a building permit for your remodel comes from your city (or county or town if your area is unincorporated).
Each city has its own permitting process, permitting prices and (thank goodness one more time for the Internet) website. As there are some 500 cities, towns and counties in California, generalized answers to building permit questions are hard to come by. You have to research the rules in your own area.
Here are links to some SoCal building departments:
I swear I don't sit in front of my computer all day and search for jokes. Not all day. But here are a few I happened to come across. And you know what's weird? They are on the website of the California Energy Commission:
How many safety inspectors does it take to change a light bulb? Four. One to change it, and three to hold the ladder.
How many procrastinators does it take to screw in a light bulb? One, but he has to wait until the light is better.
How many Zen masters does it take to change a light bulb? Two. One to change it, and one not to change it.
How many folk singers does it take to change a light bulb? Two. One to change the bulb, and one to write a song about how good the old light bulb was.
How many paranoids does it take to change a light bulb? WHO WANTS TO KNOW?
How many students does it take to change a light bulb? None. They are smart enough to use compact fluorescent bulbs that almost never need changing.
Here's the problem with green building: There is no firm agreement among all of us on what is green enough. Various green rating systems exist, and individual opinions abound. So what do you do? Wait until there is a consensus? Fiddle while Rome burns?
In Santa Barbara, Allen Associates, led by contractor and visionary Dennis Allen (who, by the way, has a master's degree in international finance from Princeton University), has decided on a set of minimum green standards that every project must meet to achieve company-wide goals of energy-efficient, durable, healthy and comfortable homes. These are not suggestions for the supervisor or homeowner to consider. This is the way it will be. And when a company does more than $20 million in projects each year, as this one does, that represents quite a few homes.
Of course, such a list will change as new products become available. Many of these standards make a building much more durable and resistant to water intrusion and mold. You would expect these standards to be part of the building code, but they are not. The building code is the lowest standard a building needs to reach to get permitted. It's kinda like getting a C-minus in math. You passed the course, but just barely. This company wants to do more than just pass. So here is the stand this contractor is taking:
Minimum Green Items for Every Project
• Waste management plan. Presented to Green Resources Manager before project begins.
• Zero or low VOC products: paints, finishes, mastics, adhesives, glues, etc. Exceptions to this must be approved by management.
• Radiant barriers using Tyvek thermal wrap, foil-faced roof sheeting, or Hy-Tech paint.
• Complete and fully sealed under slab and footing membrane. Stego is an approved option.
• Drainage plane behind all finish siding choices. (Not applicable when patching into an existing wall). Must be furred out air space for any wood or composite siding products.
• Proper flashing: A. FlexWrap @ windows with sloped sill. B. Flexible flashing or metal pan @ door pans. C. Flashing at bottom of drainage plane and opening at top for air inflow. D. Proper flashing of all roof and wall penetrations. E. General building flashing.
• Ducting to be metal with mechanical fasteners and approved mastics/tapes at all connections. All duct boots/openings covered tightly during construction.
I asked Liese my favorite how's-the-remodel-working-out set of questions. I wanted to know what she and Dave would have done differently, given the chance, during the 18-month-long remodel. And I wanted to know what turned out better than they expected. To my surprise, it was the floor tiles (pictured here), bought at Mission Tile for $2 each, that delighted her most. Read her comments:
I have to say, there isn’t anything I’d do differently. Perhaps it is because we took so much time with each detail following our belief –- do it right the first time and you won’t have to do it again (at least not for another 10 years when I’m sure it will have to be updated)!
As for the best part of it, I think that would just have to be the overall feeling of it. When I sit at the butcher block table with my coffee in the morning or glass of wine at night and look back at the kitchen itself, I’m always amazed at Dave’s talent at truly taking our vision and making it a reality. It makes up for all those tough moments like redoing the water lines under the house until 11 p.m. and dealing with the tenacity of black grout (it takes buckets and buckets and buckets of water to get that right) or scraping every bit of old paint off the woodwork.
But if I had to choose something, I’d have to say the floor. I LOVE it. It is exactly what I have always wanted. People said tile would be hard for someone who likes to cook (hard on the feet/body) but I haven’t found that to be true. When you are on your feet anywhere for a long period of time you are going to feel it!
And some friends have mentioned that they’d be afraid to have a copper sink, thinking it would be hard to clean, but in reality, it’s just as easy to clean as any other surface. It gets prettier as we use it and I just use the Bartender’s Friend on it lightly.
And the wine cooler is an added luxury that I really think makes the kitchen. But wait! I can’t forget the dishwasher! The first I’ve had in my life (aside from my childhood home). That is truly a treat! We really should never, ever take our dishwashers for granted –- take it from someone who did them for 18 months in a bathtub!
Here's my confession: I usually run away from homeowners and their contractors who are having disputes. The combination of home, passion and trouble is just so intense! I like to hear the story when the troubles are over. But in the heat of the moment . . . not my scene.
But here's some good news: If you are in the middle of a crisis with a contractor, a new television show is actually looking for you. A pilot needs to be shot and will eventually air on a cable network.
According to the producer, the show is looking for homeowners and contractors in the Los Angeles area who may be having what he refers to as "issues," which he defines as problems with the contractor's cost, schedule or work.
Or, it could be the other way around. If you are a contractor having a problem with a homeowner (making too many changes, won't make decisions in a timely manner), the show wants to hear from you too.
The ideal situation is that there is a dispute and both parties (the homeowner and contractor) can be contacted. So if the contractor has disappeared into the ether, that won't work. Then, the show may be able to mediate the dispute and save the project. They're offering dispute resolution, building support and design help.
The goal is to solve the problem for both parties and make sure your project gets done right.
If you find yourself in this circumstance, and you want a fair resolution (rather than just an opportunity to complain), you can e-mail your contact information and a brief description of your situation to homerenoshow@gmail.com.
Good luck! And let me know how it turns out . . . .
The just-released Picture Painter home and landscape design software from Better Homes and Gardens looks mighty fun. Too bad I have a Macintosh! This software can be used only on a PC.
If you are PC-equipped, I'm a little jealous. This software, developed by Chief Architect, allows you to use photos of your actual home to mock up changes you might want to consider. Thinking of hardwood floors? Granite countertops? A new paint scheme? A new fireplace surround?
Load up your pictures, click a few times, and there you go, a visual of your ideas.
Here's another neat thing: Among the 6,000-plus items you can select from, there are brand-name items from Corian, Formica, Armstrong, Mohawk, Jeld-Wen and so on, as well as Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore paints. So it's not just a vague product type you'll see reflected in the program, but the exact product you could buy.
Of course, the real test is in the use. How easy or difficult is this software to learn? What kind of quality do you get for the $20 sales price? Because me and my Mac are being discriminated against, I can't be the one to tell you.
The five reviews I read on Amazon seem to suggest the program could be slow and clunky for homes with a lot of architectural detail, such as Victorians.
If you have used this software, or any of the other six Better Homes and Gardens software offerings, please post your review below.
This three-minute YouTube video shows some befores and afters of SoCal remodeling projects I've written about. Perhaps they will inspire you. Be sure to turn up the sound.
This book sounded interesting because I've heard so many times that the trick to great house painting is preparing the surface. But that's usually all you hear. Surface prep is important. So how do you do it?
This book tells you how, along with giving you tips and tricks only a professional would know. For instance, you know how there's a rim inside a paint can to attach the lid? And you know how that rim gets filled with paint as you bring your brush in and out? Well, if you don't need to put that lid back on, here's a trick: You can remove the rim with an old manual can opener (never to be used again in the kitchen) to give you a smooth edge. This is now known as a "paint pail" rather than a paint can.
Another idea I like: A sanding block attached to a pole. It's known as a pole sander. I love the idea of sanding rough spots on walls and ceilings, but not at arm's reach from a ladder. Using a pole to reach up and out is much more my style.
This looks like a self-published book, and though there are plenty of photos in the book's 223 pages, they are all in black and white. That's how it is with short-run, self-published books; color pages are far too expensive to reproduce. So if glossy color photos are important to you, skip this book.
But I think it's a useful book, in which you'll learn about setting up and lighting your work area, removing wallpaper paste residue, applying caulk, skim coating, repairing holes and many other topics. It's a sincere book by a real expert. If you're going to spend hundreds of dollars on paint and countless hours applying it, perhaps some extra thought to the surface preparation would be a good investment.
A reader asked good question recently, one I’ve heard the likes of before: Who needs a Sub-Zero refrigerator? Who needs a $10,000 Viking range? Who needs to spend so much on appliances?
This reader said he got a kitchen full of good-quality appliances — refrigerator, stove, microwave, dishwasher — for less than $2,600 at Sears.
Ann Lippincott got a similar challenge during her Santa Barbara remodel, where she used some of the most prestigious subcontractors in a town where well-connected and talented subs work on Oprah Winfrey’s estate, or Ty Warner’s new beachfront mansion. When someone asked why Ann needed to use the best subs in town on her condo kitchen, her response was: Why shouldn’t I?
So what is the justification for choosing the best?
My take: I liken it to choosing a car. Some people want the economy of the least expensive Kia (the Rio, at around $11,00) or Hyundai (the Accent, at around $10,000), while some want the luxury of a Lexus (at way over $50,000) or the top of the line Mercedes-Benz (in the hundreds of thousands).
No matter which car you choose, I’m sure there are cheaper ones you could have bought. Will it be the same quality as the higher-priced cars? Not even. That’s how it is with remodels. Some people want the best.
What do you think? Would you expect a $20,000 kitchen remodel to be the same quality as a $60,000 kitchen remodel? Is there anything wrong with wanting — and paying for — the best?
In my efforts to write remodeling stories that will educate and inspire readers, I'm looking for remodels that are . . .
. . . less than 2 years old
. . . in Southern California
. . . interesting in some way
(i.e. the green kitchen was a lifelong dream, or you bought your childhood home and fixed it up, or the remodel was done with salvaged materials from an old winery, or was done against all odds, or?)
. . . visually attractive (perhaps colorful)
. . . not too expensive (i.e. the kitchen was under $30,000 or the bathroom was under $10,000, or you did it yourself)
If you have done a remodel that matches most of the above criteria, I want to see it!
Here's how you submit a project for Pardon Our Dust:
Via e-mail: Send a brief description of the remodel and attach digital before and after photos in JPEG format to: kathyprice@aol.com
Via regular mail: Send a brief description of the remodel along with before and after prints (reprints only, they will not be returned) to: Real Estate Editor, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.
Reader Pat Parrish wasn't very impressed with my most recent Pardon Our Dust feature about a Santa Barbara dream kitchen. Pat wrote: "I felt that these people paid way too much for what they got: $70,000 NOT including appliances! And 4 months!"
By the way, Pat's was not the only complaint I received about the Santa Barbara kitchen. And let me say now to one and all: Thanks for sharing!
In defense of that kitchen, none of the photos I've seen so far capture the exquisite artisan beauty of the tile backsplash, the concrete counters or the magnificent wood cabinets. I know mere words seem hollow. But if you trust me at all, even a little bit, please know that what I saw in person and what you saw in print or on the Internet are vastly different. I'm sorry the beauty wasn't captured. The beauty is there, however.
So, back to Pat, who told me she did a larger kitchen for much less money and in a shorter amount of time. So I'm like: Bring it on!
Here you see Pat's new kitchen, and here's what she has to say about it:
My condo kitchen is 9' X 17'. Three years ago I gutted it and started over. I used a project manager who charged me a flat $5,000. She brought excellent workers to the job and in 2 months it was my dream kitchen. All stainless steel appliances, limestone counters (which I love), a farmhouse sink, handmade subway tiles from Ann Sacks, a raised ceiling, hardwood floors, a Miele dishwasher, maple cabinets with a mocha glaze, etc. And they cut a window into the living room.
I'm sure few things excite architects and contractors so much as a full set of blueprints for a house or remodel. I also like those stacks of large paper sheets with thin lines and serious notations. But as for being able to visualize what these plans represent? I haven't got what it takes. And maybe you don't either?
For us, behold the computer. That's what architect Robert Nebolon used to show his Manhattan Beach clients, and the city building department, exactly what a proposed remodel would look like.
In the bottom photo, you can see the house in question before the remodel, with the mansard roof and a solid fence shielding the ground floor of the house.
In the top photo, the ground-floor remodeling has already taken place, with the fence removed and French doors added to bring light into the house.
But in this photo, the roof modification has not yet taken place. Rather, the changes were simulated in a computer so all parties involved could see if they would like the outcome. You like? It sure beats spending tens of thousands of dollars on a remodel and then grumbling that it didn't look like you thought it would.
In my experience, software that allows architects to mock up proposed remodels is complicated to learn. Many architects use Chief Architect, and the new rage is Google SketchUp. There's even a free version you can download and learn, if you have the patience, and a Google SketchUp for Dummies book.
Or, you can hire an architect or designer who can show you all your options in a visual format that you can understand, on a computer screen.
There are advantages and disadvantages to life in SoCal. In the plus column: There are a lot of TV shows, movies and commercials that need houses in which to shoot "on location." And that means you — if your house meets the criteria — could make some good money off your house.
I recently spoke (in an e-mail kind way) with location scout Pat Parrish, who scans the L.A. area for appropriate houses in which to shoot commercials.
I had never heard the words granite and bacteria in the same sentence until the solid-surface manufacturers started using it to sell their products. They claim granite counters are not safe and harbor bacteria, while their composite counters (Corian, Silestone and the like) are safe. Really? Haven't we been using granite counters for decades, even centuries? Where's the outbreak of food-borne illness? And what about tile and grout? Why aren't we all dead?
