« December 2007 |
Main
| February 2008 »
______________________________________________________
Click to see the latest on Kathy's Remodeling Blog
______________________________________________________
 Have you ever wondered how many planets it would take to sustain all 6.6 billion humans on Earth at your rate of consumption? Yeah, me neither. But it's an interesting question.
And to get the answer, American Public Media has created Consumer Consequences, an online "game" where you can calculate how sustainable your lifestyle really is. It's called a game to make it sound fun, but sometimes seeing the reality of the situation isn't all that fun. Oh, to be in denial!
However, getting that jolt that wakes me up to the consequences of my consumption could be fun if I decide to change or just fine-tune my behaviors.
At home, I'm keeping an eye on my energy usage, turning off lights when not needed, charging my laptop in the car when I'm driving (no one ever talks about that greenhouse gas saver!), not driving to the store each time I feel an urge. Unfortunately, my need to drive a car is not negotiable. There is virtually no public transportation where I live, and the so-called bike lanes are death traps. That's my fault for wanting a rural lifestyle.
For food, there's good news and bad news. I eat vegetarian, so don't fatten any cows for me. But I do drink coffee, and the survey says that "after oil, coffee is the commodity most heavily traded, and highly traveled." Anyone grow local coffee?
My shopping habits are great! I barely know where the malls are. And our recycling bin gets more action than our trash bin.
Still, after playing this "game," I find out the sad news: 3.7 planets would be required to support all humans at my current lifestyle.
The main culprits in my score are my auto emissions and coffee consumption. I hear that the price of solar panels will drop sharply by 2010, and that's also when electric cars will be coming back -- let's hope not to be killed off this time. So, shortly, my roof could power my car. And the coffee? I'll work on it.
How did you score?
______________________________________________________
Click to see the latest on Kathy's Remodeling Blog
______________________________________________________
 I'll be blogging live next month from the International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla., but manufacturers are introducing so many new products now that I'm getting a head start.
One of these is TimberWolf, a wood-composite fencing material made by FiberTech Polymers of Santa Ana. The fencing is manufactured, the company says, from 100% post-consumer recycled wood fiber and plastic. The phrase "post-consumer" is the key here, which means the materials were used and then recycled, rather than being scraps or overflow from a manufacturing process, which is what post-industrial recycling is all about. For me, finding a use for all these plastics and wood fibers (paper!) we recycle is a good thing.
The fencing material was introduced in 2007, and this year the company is offering complete kits. Fencing kits include boards and backer rails to build one 68-inch-by-70-inch fence panel, while post kits include a fence post, post cap and galvanized pipe.
TimberWolf fencing products, available in certain Lowe’s stores, are installed with normal wood-working tools, but coarse-tooth carbide saw blades are recommended to minimize clogging. (Read installation tips.) The fencing can be painted, but the company doesn't recommend it, as that creates a maintenance issue. The product does not need paint protection to withstand the elements, and it can be cleaned with water and trisodium phosphate, or TSP. It comes in five colors, including cedar and redwood.
The top photo shows a basket-weave configuration, and the bottom photo shows a shadow-box "good neighbor" style, which means you alternate the fence boards in front of and behind the framing members.
Trex also offers a line of composite fencing, and Fiberon plans to introduce composite fencing this year.
______________________________________________________
Click to see the latest on Kathy's Remodeling Blog
______________________________________________________
 Richard Gomez was on a mission to build a contemporary 2,250-square-foot home in Long Beach's East Village Arts District for less than $280,000, which is less than $80 per square foot, including the land. That is half to one-third the norm.
As you can imagine, Richard's budget required cutting costs at every possible juncture (though he did include what he considered necessary high-end elements such as granite counters and bamboo floors).
When it came to the interior doors, he saved money by eliminating most of them, as well as the casings, molding and hardware they would have required. After all, the floor plan is open and loft-like, with no door to the bedroom or the walk-in closet.
However, there are sliding doors across the openings to the bathrooms (thank goodness for that) and various hall closets; for those, Gomez used barn-door brackets to hang inexpensive wooden doors.
And here's where he encountered a situation that could have led to a needlessly bloated budget: Richard knew he wanted pulls that were massive and industrial-looking but balked at paying $125 each for them at a big-box store. He needed four, and he kept saying to himself: I am not paying $500 for door pulls!
Finally, Richard hit upon a solution when he spied some $20 grab bars that are normally used in bathrooms.
Voila! An elegant solution at a rock-bottom price. And that's how Richard built an avant-garde, architect-designed home for less than the price of a boring tract house.
See the whole story.
Got a story about an economical solution to what looked like an expensive problem? Please share below, and e-mail a photo if you've got one.
______________________________________________________
Click to see the latest on Kathy's Remodeling Blog
______________________________________________________
 Kitchen designer Susan Serra, author of the always-inspiring Kitchen Designer blog, has sat down and thought up 10 "secret" details to good kitchen design that you wouldn't really think of until you are deep into a project, when it's hard to make changes.
It's far better to think of these details now, in the planning stages, rather than on the day the carpenter shows up to install the moldings.
Here are three of Susan's tips:
• Microwave oven — Don't assume it can easily be built in snugly for a great tight look. Many microwaves have trim kits that MUST be used or the warranties will not be in effect. I've not come across any microwaves that can be built in tightly, ever.
• Large sink — You love the large sinks, but beware of how deep they are front to back. If they are undermounted, add the rim size to determine if your faucet will fit underneath the countertop. More and more, I am making sink bases deeper to accommodate these large sinks. This also affects adjacent cabinetry!
• Colliding casings and moldings — Will your cabinet crown molding and window or door casings collide? That's just not right! Check floor, cabinet and ceiling junctures.
Read the rest of the list
______________________________________________________
Click to see the latest on Kathy's Remodeling Blog
______________________________________________________
 Why do we elect politicians who pass legislation to benefit the rich? My theory is that we all think we could be rich someday (most of us won't be!) and we want the laws set in place when we get there.
I mean, isn't that one of the main advantages of living in the United States, the idea that a person of average means can become wealthy?
And so perhaps that's why I picked up a copy of Real Estate Tax Secrets of the Rich, a new book by CPA Sandy Botkin. I figured I should know what the rich know about real estate and taxes.
And here's something I learned: When it's time to sell my house, I will be taxed on the sales price minus my "basis," (which includes the purchase price and improvements, and maybe some other stuff) and I'll want my basis as high as possible. According to Botkin, improvements to a house are added to the basis, while repairs are not.
"The main key to whether something is a repair or an improvement," Botkin writes, "is determined by whether it is new or not. New doors would be an improvement, but repairing the door or door handle would be a repair."
The following, he writes, have been held by the courts to be improvements:
• New doors
• New iron grills on windows
• New skylights
• New windows
• New permanent partitions
• New roofs (although some courts have held this to be repairs)
• New floors
• Rewiring
Plus, he writes, I can also include these items that are not necessarily built-in, but which transfer with the house: bookcases, sinks, lighting fixtures, refrigerators, stoves, dishwasher, fire and burglar alarms, cabinets and storage sheds, television antenna and wiring, washers and dryers, and automatic garage doors.
And finally, he said if a repair is part of an overall improvement plan that will add value to the home, and I can prove it was part of a grander plan (maybe tucked inside a home improvement contract), that repair could be added to the basis.
The key to benefiting from the tax secrets of the rich is discussing all these strategies with your tax professional for your particular situation.
And then dahling (channel Katharine Hepburn's accent here), let's do get together for a latte when we're rich!
______________________________________________________
Click to see the latest on Kathy's Remodeling Blog
______________________________________________________
 If you've got even a slight touch of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (I'm raising my hand here), you've probably started one home maintenance project only to find three others to tackle at the same time.
Chris Erskine, who writes the Man of the House column for the L.A. Times' Home section, is in on that very same beam.
Read his funny essay here, and then answer this question:
Can you relate?
______________________________________________________
Click to see the latest on Kathy's Remodeling Blog
______________________________________________________
 Here's the chilling opening to a press release I got recently:
Quick — exactly what time did you leave for work this morning? Not sure? Well, maybe your neighbor knows. A new ServiceMagic.com poll revealed that nearly two-thirds of respondents claim to have (or have had) a nosy neighbor living nearby.
Of the 1,100 people surveyed nationwide, 64% said their neighbors follow their lives a little too closely. The same number of people reported that they’ve actually caught someone in the act.
However, when it comes to admitting to being a snoop, only 9% confessed to spying on their neighbor, and only 2% said they “see everything” that goes on around their block.
“Let’s face it . . . it’s a bit creepy,” said David Lupberger, ServiceMagic.com’s Home Improvement Expert. “It's disconcerting to know that every time you’re in the yard that you might have someone watching your every move.”
Yeah, it's a lot creepy!
And I have one thing to say about this: Co-Dependents Anonymous. Did you know there is a 12-Step program specifically designed for those who are obsessed with other people's actions?
OK, so if your nosy neighbor isn't looking for change and spiritual growth, what can you do?
See the complete results of the ServiceMagic poll on snoopy neighbors.
(Photo: This is a nice privacy solution at the home of Austin architect Michael Antenora. The tall gate creates an enclosed courtyard, while the translucent panels allow light. Photos courtesy of the architect.)
Continue reading "Need a taller fence? Poll says most of us have a nosy neighbor" »
______________________________________________________
Click to see the latest on Kathy's Remodeling Blog
______________________________________________________
 As the phrase "green building" becomes fixed in the American vocabulary, a big question arises: What exactly is it?
The concept of green building has evolved over recent decades. In the 1960s, the back-to-nature movement meant log cabins, sod roofs and wood-burning stoves.
However, the population of the country has nearly doubled since 1960, from 179 million to more than 300 million today. And with housing units increasing from 58 million in 1960 to more than 112 million today (according to the U.S. Census), there is growing awareness that buildings -- how they are constructed, operated and deconstructed -- are a major part of either the problem or the solution to current crises with energy, water, pollution and global warming.
Some estimates say buildings are responsible for 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions.
The focus today is not so much on "getting in touch with the Earth" as saving it from environmental catastrophe.
And a slew of new books aims to help us understand how building green can move that cause along. Among them are "Green Building A to Z: Understanding the Language of Green Building" and "Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies."
Both books have merit, but each provides a different perspective.
Green building is often broken down into three areas of concern: 1) energy and water efficiency, 2) renewable and recycled materials and 3) health and comfort.
That simple, and simplified, shorthand is good to remember when the barrage of green-building terms and abbreviations comes your way: on-demand water heaters, rigid foam insulation, gray water system, CFC, VOC, LEED and LED.
Continue reading "Two new books on green building" »
______________________________________________________
Click to see the latest on Kathy's Remodeling Blog
______________________________________________________
 Some kitchen layouts are awkward. Some without grace. But this one, in a Corona tract house, was flat-out stupid.
You can see, in the top photo, the kitchen after the $7,000 DIY remodel. It is truly wonderful.
But in the next photo you see the kitchen as it was originally laid out. The rough sketch on the bottom shows you the problem: the dishwasher, which was set in the peninsula next to the sink. When the dishwasher door was open, the homeowner, Stephanie Taylor, could not stand at the sink.
Have you ever tried loading a dishwasher when you were not standing at the sink? Whichever genius designed this kitchen may have never loaded a dishwasher.
A second layout problem was the distance across the room between the sink and the stove. With her short stature, Stephanie felt she was "ping ponging" across the kitchen from stove to sink and back again.
And finally: The stove was in a traffic pattern between the family room on one side of the kitchen and the dining room on the other. You don't really want children and others trekking past a stovetop filled with boiling pots, do you?
In the remodeled and reconfigured kitchen, you can see that Stephanie's husband Rick, who remodeled the kitchen over five weeks, got rid of the peninsula and placed the dishwasher right next to the sink. And he switched the places of the refrigerator and stove.
That's my nomination for Stupidest Kitchen Layout Award. Can you top this?
Read the whole story
Continue reading "Stupid kitchen layout: Can you top this?" »
______________________________________________________
Click to see the latest on Kathy's Remodeling Blog
______________________________________________________
 As wind slams against the old, rattling, leaky, single-pane windows in my house (not pictured here), a tempest brews inside about the merits of keeping the curtains closed in the daytime to keep the house warmer (which is about the most depressing idea I've heard in a long time).
And so getting new, snug, dual-pane, highly insulating windows is starting to sound pretty good to me. I've visited dozens, maybe hundreds, of remodeled homes with new windows and homeowners report the difference is drastic in how comfortable and quiet their homes have become.
And I mentioned recently, Remodeling magazine's Cost vs. Value Report calculates that in the Los Angeles area,window replacements actually return more than they cost upon the sale of a house.
So the question is: What's involved in replacing windows?
I came across a fascinating series of books by R.S. Means that shows how much remodeling projects cost, item by item of material and hour by hour of labor.
Here's what Exterior Home Improvements Costs said was involved for an expert to replace a 3-foot-by-5-foot window, parts and labor:
• Demolition, remove existing window sashes and interior trim: 0.4 hour labor
• Window, vinyl replacement unit, 3' by 5', insulated glass: 1 hour labor, $774
• Caulk exterior perimeter: 16 linear ft., 1 hour labor, $2.88
• Insulate voids as necessary: 16 sq. ft., 0.1 hour labor, $6.34
• Install window trim: 1 opening, 0.6 hour labor, $36
• Paint, interior, trim, primer and two coats, brushwork: 16 linear ft., 0.4 hour labor, $1.54
Totals: Labor: 3 hours, Materials: $820.76
And, the piece concludes, a contractor's fee for this job would be: $1,340.
The book says this project is not recommended for DIY beginners, and that experienced do-it-yourselfers should add 50% to the labor estimates.
Are these numbers accurate? It's hard to say. They are based on good data, but all situations are different. And if you're talking about breaking out exterior stucco that needs to be patched, and redoing flashing, those are whole other stories. And here's something I know to be true: Measuring the exact size of your windows to order new ones is difficult. Scan the classified ads sometime and look for new windows for sale with this notation: "Ordered wrong size." If you're going to be replacing several, buy them from a local store that will come out and measure for you. Then, if the sizes are wrong, it's on them.
Some other books in the R.S. Means renovation cost series are:
Interior Home Improvement Costs
Kitchen & Bath Project Costs
Home Addition & Renovation Project Costs
|
|
Have you ever wondered how many planets it would take to sustain all 6.6 billion humans on Earth at your rate of consumption? Yeah, me neither. But it's an interesting question.
