Over here at the Robinson/Price-Robinson abode, there has been a standoff concerning the new water heater we need so badly. Ours is likely 20 years old and not very efficient. Our gas bill would go down immensely if we replaced that beast.
But the choices are many. Do we get a new and efficient gas-powered tank model? Or a tankless gas-fired model?
Or, if we are planning to install solar power when the prices of photovoltaic systems are expected to drop by 2010, shouldn't we install either an electric-powered tank model or an electric-powered tankless model? (See a comparison of lifecycle costs.)
Trouble is, with the latter two choices, we need about $1,000 worth of electrical work done to give them the 220 volts of power they require.
I'm the one who wants the electric, tankless, on-demand system. And Bill wants the gas-powered tank system. Thus, a standoff.
But I think we might be getting closer to doing it Bill's way, and that's always so much easier all the way around. Spouses, can you relate?
Part of my thinking about the tankless system is that most of the cool green builders I respect are big, big proponents of the tankless systems. And that means a lot to me.
But I was recently contacted by Wes Harding, a green-leaning builder in Long Beach (Lic. No. 895042) who believes that new, super-efficient tank systems are actually the better way to go.
Wes provided a link to an article about a scientific analysis of all systems, but, he noted: "The only problem I see with the article is efficiency is measured in gas or electricity consumed, not the amount of water used."
Here's a chart from the analysis:
In terms of both water and energy savings, Wes is sold on tank water heaters for these reasons:
1. God forbid, but if we are ever in a major earthquake or disaster, where do we get our water supply from if we have converted to tankless? With a tank system, the water in the tank can be used in an emergency. 2. Water is wasted in a tankless system because it has to be heated through a coil before it reaches the point of use. 3. Tankless systems operate on the volume of water. If you set your faucet to a trickle, the heater won't kick in. This allows for "slugs" or cold spurts between the hot-water delivery as well as more water consumed. 4. A limited number of fixtures can be used at one time. 5. More electrical energy is consumed as the amount of water increases because of the energy it takes to provide water pressure.
Units: About 11,000 Distributor: Backyard Leisure LLC, of Pittsburg, Kansas Hazard: Hangers holding the chains for the gliders can break, causing a child to fall and suffer injuries. Incidents/injuries: Backyard Leisure has received 114 reports of glider hangers breaking, including three reports of minor injuries to children. Injuries included abrasions and a child being hit in the head by a chain that detached from a hanger. (See photos of more recalled sets.)
Units: About 7,500 Importer: Progress Lighting, of Greenville, South Carolina Hazard: A cable that supports the light fixture from the ceiling can fail, causing the fixture to fall. Incidents/injuries: Progress Lighting has received five reports of fixtures falling, including a report of an incident in which two consumers suffered bruises.
Units: About 5,100 Importer: Crate and Barrel, of Northbrook, Illinois Hazard: The large rugs fail to meet federal standards for flammability and could ignite, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers. The small rugs fail to meet federal labeling requirements. Small rugs are not required to meet the federal flammability standard; however, they are required to be permanently labeled with the following statement: “FLAMMABLE (FAILS U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE STANDARD FF 2-70): SHOULD NOT BE USED NEAR SOURCES OF IGNITION.” Incidents/injuries: None reported.
I don't really know why I've become so obsessed with recalled home-related goods. Some kind of personality disorder? A perverse interest in the wrongdoings of others? It's baffling.
But here's another example of something gone wrong in the manufacturing process. These log swings, made in China, are missing just one nail. But that nail holds the back of the swing to the seat. And without that nail, the back of the swing could fall away and cause someone sitting on it to come crashing down.
So far, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has gotten reports of six swings coming apart and three people getting hurt.
If you have one of these, pack it up and take it back where you got it. They sold for $150 at various stores nationwide from February through May 2008.
The moral of the story: We can't rely on workers in a factory in China to make us safe. It's probably a good idea to look at everything we buy in case anything obvious is missing, like a nail or a screw or stability or balance.
Each year, the Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC) holds a competition for the coolest building products. This year, 125 products were entered into the contest and were voted on by 679 home-building professionals.
Here are the 2008 cool-product winners in the green building category:
1. Rinnai LS Series tankless water heater
Rinnai’s LS Series tankless water heaters, the company says, save 30% to 50% in energy over traditional tank-style units, and offer installation flexibility and low emissions. Read more
2. Eagle Solar Roof (pictured above)
This is a solar-power system that integrates with Eagle's concrete roof tile. Read more
3. Cree LED Lighting Solutions LR6 light bulb
This bulb has a 20-year life span, the manufacturer says, or 50,000 hours under normal use. The LR6 is comfortable to the touch and so could reduce the burden and cost of the air conditioning system. The LR6 uses 85% less energy than a conventional incandescent and less than half that of a comparable fluorescent, the company says. And unlike any fluorescent, the LR6 contains no mercury. Read more
4. Akeena Solar’s Andalay solar panels
These solar panels have a modern, sleek design and feature a built-in rack, allowing panels to lie flat on rooftops and blend into the home’s architectural elements. Each panel is fit with electrical wiring, eliminating the errors that occur with complicated electrical grounding during the installation process, the company says, and the panels have a Lego-like snap-in-place process. Read more
5. GE Profile SmartDispense front-load washer and dryer
Using as little as 10 gallons of water for a small load, the company says, the Energy Star-qualified washer can save more than 5,800 gallons of water per year compared with a typical top-load washer. The new H2ITION technology automatically senses the load and adds just the right amount of water to each load. The washer's SmartDispense pedestals store and automatically dispense detergent and fabric softener based on each load's size, soil level, water hardness and fabric or cycle type. Read more
If you want to stretch your design vocabulary, you might consider attending the Dwell on Design conference this week at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Put on by the San Francisco-based Dwell magazine folks, the seminar descriptions include sentences like this:
"Not all designers set out to achieve the Platonic ideal in a concept for a chair, but few would argue that the promise of synonymy with a beloved design object does not motivate their process."
Go ahead. Look up "Platonic ideal" and "synonymy." I did, and I learned a lot.
You can also see a panel on prefabs that includes prefab guru Michelle Kauffmann. See her speak about her own delicious home:
Interview with Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti Los Angeles LEEDs the way? Nature meets the metropolis L.A. grows up: dealing with density The face of gardens in a densifying city Design developers The inventive spirit Single-family dwellings: green within reason (R)evolution in light, form and materials
Immortality through product Evolving modes of practice Home and away: lessons from the leisure zone Systems building and prefab Sustainable interiors
Plus, the exhibition floor, with 200 exhibitors and a "neighborhood" of prefab homes, is open Thursday through Sunday, and you can get in on the weekend for $50 at the door (though the full conference costs $349, or $149 for students). There are also home tours Saturday and Sunday, but Saturday's tour of Westside single-family homes is sold out. Sunday's tour, of private downtown homes (cost: $85), still has space.
Perhaps the 348,000 visitors to the recent Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, a showcase of new domestic furnishings, are way more arty than me.
I say this because the wacky way this new kitchen is displayed, with green food-looking stuff strewn all over, does not appeal to me at all.
Rather, I have a powerful urge to get in there, haul that green garbage to the compost pile, close the drawers and doors, get those two countertop ovens off the counter, and then see what we've got. It's probably not a bad-looking kitchen.
Locally, the Wallpaper Bin in Northridge and other shops have been waiting for this moment. You can find amazing books of wallpaper swatches at any paint store.
While the rest of us have gotten involved with trends like sponging and glazing and faux finishes, the wallpaper people have patiently tooled along, designing and manufacturing a plethora of wallpapers. And now, we may turn our eyes in that delightful direction and wonder: Where has wallpaper been all our lives?
Here are some other recent articles that talk about this new happening:
However, not everyone appreciates the beauty of this re-emerging decor trend. Paris Hilton was reportedly banned for life from the Hyatt Hotel in Moscow for signing her name in black marker on some very expensive wallpaper. On the other hand, maybe she was just in the discovery stage of designing her very own line of wallpaper.
Attic and foundation vents are a contradiction of sorts. The vents are necessary to allow free movement of air, which helps prevent mold inside. On the other hand, these vents can also allow in burning embers during a wildfire. Thus, the requirement that wire mesh be installed over the vents.
But here is the dilemma: The smaller the mesh on the vent cover (quarter-inch mesh is required by many building codes), the better the protection from embers. But the smaller the mesh, the worse for air flow and greater the tendency to get clogged.
And even the quarter-inch mesh does not prevent some firebrands (chunks of burning wood) from burning through the mesh.
"Quarter-inch mesh cannot stop embers and flames during wildfires," said Stephen Quarles, a wood durability advisor for University of California Cooperative Extension. "This is an example of conflict in code preferences between building and fire officials. Smaller mesh screens would do a better job of keeping out fire and embers, but these same screens plug up more easily."
Brent Berkompas, a city of San Bernardino firefighter, has had many occasions to think about this issue, particularly when fighting big wildfires in 2003 and 2007 and watching homes burn from the inside out after embers got into the attic or crawl space. So he came up with a solution.
Berkompas' invention, Brandguard vents, are baffled vent covers, made of 26-gauge galvanized steel, that allow air to flow freely but block embers from passing through, he says.
Engineered right here in Southern California by BMW DesignworksUSA, the sleek Ecopod is a compact recycling center that makes crushing cans fun! Just drop one in the top, step on the lever, and c-r-u-n-c-h, it's all over.
The bottom holds the crushed cans while the top holds other recycling.
At Gaiam.com, the regular price is $348, while the sale price is $169.
Or you could use the good old stomp-it-with-your-foot-and-toss-it-in-a-bucket method of can recycling.
Maybe I don't get out enough, or maybe it's the altitude, but when I'm in an airplane and I pick up Sky Mall magazine, I get excited about home gadgets and stuff. Here's a taste, clockwise from above left:
Pet chair — Where I live, the other human on the premises (a.k.a. my husband) doesn't like the idea of the dog on the furniture. But if my dog had his own chair, well, now, that would be different. This chair has a hardwood frame and microfiber upholstery with cushion covers that remove for machine washing. Chair is 19 inches wide, 18 inches deep and 21 inches high. $169
Hardwood privacy screens — What appeals to me about these are the aluminum stakes that anchor them into the ground, which means you can move them at will. No posts set into concrete necessary. These could add a sense of boundary to a patio area, or shield the views of trash cans or other not-so-pretty sights. And if you find a better use, just move them. They are 44 inches high and 22 inches wide, and come in a set of four. $199.99
Peel-and-stick crown molding — Let me apologize right now to the great finish carpenters I know. This is an abomination! Yet it's a compelling idea. The website says, "When it's 8 feet above your head, who can tell if it's wood or not?" So I'm thinking the shorter you are, the better it looks. The kit includes 16 pre-mitered, 6-foot, 3 inch-long plastic molding pieces with self-adhesive backs and four outside corners, or enough for a room 16 feet, 10 inches square. Not for textured walls. $69.99
Brick hangers — These spring steel brick hangers allow you to hang almost anything on brick, up to 25 pounds, without drilling or hammering, and no damage to the brick or mortar. Teeth grip standard brick 2 1/8 inches to 2 1/2 inches tall, and 1/8-inch minimum mortar recess needed. Pack of four hangers in zinc or antique brass. $9.99
Pet crate end table — I'm not one to crate animals, but plenty of people I respect do so. And it doesn't have to be a big plastic contraption in the corner. This slat side end table is wood and wood composites with a chestnut finish, protective floor pads, floor tray, and a pivoting block that keeps pet confined. Crate is 22 inches wide, 36 deep and 27 1/4 inches tall. $229
Palm-frond fan blades — These create, the website states, a more uniform air flow throughout the room and evenly distribute air from the ends of the blades, rather than directly down, so there's no downdraft. Use them to distribute cooled or warmed air. To install, slide each frond onto an existing fan blade and tighten the thumbscrews. Made of wipe-clean resin. You get five blades, each 15 inches wide, 23 inches long, for fan blades up to 6 inches wide, in natural, burl, oak, ivory or sand. Set of five. $139
Perhaps it was on the same the day scientists figured out how to nanotechnologize (a new word, you read it here first) Dockers slacks to repel all wrinkles and stains that home designers decided we no longer needed a place for an ironing board.
Au contraire! In fact, some of us prefer natural fabrics like cotton, which do, indeed, wrinkle and need ironing from time to time. And so we haul out the ironing board, which has no dedicated home, and retrieve the iron from the hobby room or the workshop table.
Wouldn't it be easier to install an ironing center right between two studs near the washer and dryer? That's where Marley Engineered Products is the answer to a prayer. The company makes the ironing centers you see here, which were named a Weekly Top 40 for architects and designers by Design Journal magazine.
You can get an ironing center with an electrical outlet or not. The full-sized board swivels and has three height adjustment, and there are shelves for various sprays. Plus, the shelf for the iron is adjustable to accommodate larger irons. The doors are sold separately, and you can choose between birch veneer, framed mirror and oak veneer.
You can read installation instructions in PDF to see what you'd be getting into. The center with electrical will run you somewhere north of $300, and the door is an extra $75.
In case a new deck is in your future, your decision-making-process just got more complicated. Here are some new products being introduced by TimberTech:
BuilderRail (top photo) is kind of cool looking with black metal balusters and composite rails. It was introduced at the 2008 International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla., and the rails are available in three colors: cedar, gray and redwood. The black metal balusters are galvanized inside and out and powder coated, and require virtually no maintenance.
XLM deck planks, which are made of PVC plastic, are available in three colors — SandRidge, RiverRock (center photo) and Mountain Cedar — and can be installed with TimberTech's system of hidden stainless steel fasteners.
RadianceRail (bottom photo) is made of composite material capped with a PVC layer and is now available in three new colors — SandRidge, RiverRock and Mountain Cedar — to match the company's new XLM deck boards. Kits are available in 6-foot and 8-foot sections in 36-inch and 42-inch rail height.
My two cents: There are so many decking and railing options available that I really can't say which is better. If you've installed composite, wood or PVC decking and been happy or unhappy with it, please post a comment below.
With-it people probably already know this, but I just found out:
Some modern ceiling fans have remote controls, not pull chains. I discovered this while watching "Find Your Style" on HGTV, and I think it's a pretty good idea.
The upside: no chain or string hanging down.
The downside: yet another remote in our lives.
So if you can handle another remote, here are three fans with remote control function:
As I asked in an earlier posting, what do you do if your front entrance is without distinction? Or your side or rear entrances, for that matter? Arnie and Lily chose one route to solve that problem at their Downey home.
But here's a neat plant-on solution I saw at the Builders Show. Offered by Feeney Architectural Products in Oakland, with offices in San Diego, these LightLine canopies are made of stainless steel brackets, aluminum bars and 3/16-inch thick acrylic glass sheets (clear or frosted).
They also have an integrated rain gutter and hidden rubber joints that divert moisture from the wall. According to the company, these canopies have "German engineering and quality." And as the owner of a German car, that sits well with me.
These canopies come in all-inclusive kits for about $500 to $1,800, depending on the size.
The truth is, many houses in Southern California could benefit from a little architectural interest, especially in some post-war tracts where features like front porches and overhangs were seen as luxuries. I could also see these jazzing up the sliding back doors of a plain stucco tract house, like the one my parents owned in in the San Fernando Valley.
But nosy visitors reading the labels on prescriptions — or even "borrowing" a few — was the first thought that popped in my mind when I saw this clever hidden cabinet on the Charles and Hudson blog. I mean, I don't even have any prescriptions.
But if I did, I'd certainly want to have them handy yet concealed, not in a standard medicine cabinet (should it be called a "drug cabinet") for all snoops to see.
This cabinet would work especially well in a bathroom like mine where the mirror above the sink is just that, a mirror, and not the front for a medicine cabinet.
You can find medium and large models for $250 and up in white, black, maple, espresso, coffee bean (hey, that's my favorite drug) at the Concealed Cabinet. Interiors are either white or natural wood, and you can special-order models with dark walnut or cherry frames. And by the way, you put your own photo or artwork behind the glass.
From what I could tell at the International Builders Show earlier this month, GE's research and development department has been working overtime. The new products introduced at the show number in the dozens. Here are a few to take note of:
• Smart frontload washer and dryer: With these latest editions to the smart appliance repertoire available to us, it looks like my home's IQ may soon surpass my own. This duo from GE, which will be available this summer, actually communicates with each other (and probably better than my husband and I do). The washer tells the dryer how much water is left in the load and the dryer features a "reverse tumble" action, again probably far superior than anything we humans can do. And that pedestal the washer sits on? That's where you pour up to six months of detergent and fabric softener so the washer can dispense just the right amount for the load. Estimated retail prices: $1,299 for the washer, $1,099 for the dryer.
• Tankless water heater: While the concept of heating water when you need it, rather than storing it in a tank, has been around for years, some of the popular brand names, such as Rinnai or Takagi, are not familiar to many consumers. This summer though, you'll be able to buy a GE tankless water heater, which the company says will save you up to 25% on your water heating costs. You'll have your choice of models for inside or outside. See more on tankless water heaters.
• Refrigerator with two-drawer bottom freezer: According to GE, the popularity of bottom freezers grew 330% from 2000 to 2007. And here's another twist to the story: a bottom freezer with two drawers, a smaller top drawer for everyday needs (like pizza snacks for the kids or frozen wheat grass for vegans) and a larger bottom drawer to store items like that leftover Thanksgiving turkey meat you're still wondering what to do with. It's available in a 25-cubic-foot or 21-cubic-foot counter-depth capacity with stainless steel finish. The estimated retail prices are between $2,299 and $2,999.
Trends are a big deal here at the International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla. That's because the housing market is down, way down, and builders need to figure out what buyers want.
A trend forecast conducted by researcher Gopal Ahluwalia, with the National Assn. of Home Builders, and Gayle Butler, editor-in-chief of Better Homes and Gardens, predicted these desires by homeowners (in no particular order):
• Relaxing master bedrooms, which means that people want to get a good night's sleep. This could include climate control, dimmable lights, soundproofing and fireplaces.
• Outdoor living space with decks and patios. Of particular concern is the connection between the kitchen inside and the grilling area outside. You don't necessarily want to carry plates of sizzling foodstuffs through the family room. And outdoor lighting is really big. Who knew?
• Bigger, better laundry rooms, with more storage, under-counter appliances and even a TV. Why didn't I think of that? Butler wants to see the return of built-in ironing boards.
• Bigger space for some TV use. Have you ever tried Wii golf tucked between the sofa and the coffee table?
• Green features, which include Energy Star-rated appliances and windows, better insulation, ceiling fans, nontoxic paints and lots of natural lights. Some homeowners are willing to sacrifice upper kitchen cabinets in favor of bigger windows.
But here's a contradiction: Even though homeowners want to save energy and are willing to spend up to $5,000 for energy-efficient features that save $1,000 a year (for a five-year payback time), they still want higher ceilings (which are not energy-efficient) and they still want to live out in the country and drive to work. The increase in gas prices has not shown its effects in that regard. How much will gas have to rise before people's habits are changed? Will $15 a gallon do the trick?
And that price could be "electrical shock and burns," according to a recent recall notice by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
This device, called a Crafters Square Hot Melt Mini Glue Gun, was made in China and about 253,000 of them were sold at Dollar Tree, Dollar Bill$, Dollar Express, Greenbacks, Only One $1 and Deal$ stores nationwide from February 2007 through August 2007 for about, you guessed it, $1.
The recalled glue guns can short-circuit, the notice says, causing the gun to smoke and catch fire. Dollar Tree is aware of seven incidents in which these glue guns short-circuited resulting in two injuries, including electrical shock and burns.
If you own one of these guns — which are black with a yellow trigger and about 4 1/2 inches from the back of the gun to the tip — the CPSC suggests you immediately stop using it and "return it to the store where purchased for a full refund." And of course, that would $1.
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.
There must be an art to chair and stool making. I say that because some manufacturers seem to have missed that mark.
All the chairs and stools on this page (and many more than this) have been recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission for being unsafe, with some collapsing and causing bruises, cuts, and even a fingertip amputation. No, I'm not making this up.
And the sheer numbers! The two rocking chairs you see were among 643,000 sold by Wal-Mart that were recalled. As the CPSC website stated: "Poor construction and over-curvature of the chair's runners can cause instability, imbalance, fracturing of the wood, and tip-over during use."
It went on to say this about the rockers:
Wal-Mart has received 55 incident reports including 45 injuries. Those injuries include a cut in the leg requiring 16 stitches, a slight concussion, fractured ribs, wrist and cervical/lumbar sprains, upper back injuries, a pinched nerve, a shoulder joint tear, and one incident in which a pregnant woman began having contractions after the display chair in which she was sitting flipped over backwards.
Ikea sold 100,000 of the folding chair bed (along with a larger folding sofa) seen in the center of this montage. It seems, the recall notices states, that "Fingers can become caught in the folding mechanism of the chair bed/sofa bed, posing a laceration and/or amputation hazard."
See all the recalled chairs and stools (along with heaters, Christmas ornaments, rugs, lamps, coffee makers, a Starbucks coffee mug and so many other items) on the Recalls Related to Household Products page at CPSC.gov.
If you have a deserving DIY-er on your holiday gift list, one of these new small cordless screw guns is a cool way to go. Bosch came out with its little 10.8-volt Pocket Drive powerhouse less than two years ago. Designed to fit in a construction worker's tool belt, it will drive 300 3-inch screws on one charge, the company claims. As one reviewer wrote, it's got: Lotsa Guts in a Small Package.
I used this one to take down gadgets from my house in preparation for a paint job, and I found myself wishing I had more screws to remove. At less than 2 pounds, this drill feels like nothing in your hand. At around $110 to $130, it will cost more than your typical home handyman screw gun.
You can read an opinion of the driver from Consumer Reports. If you want pro tools — such as Makita, DeWalt, Hitachi, Porter-Cable, Bosch, Skil, Milwaukee — you generally find them at a tool store.
But if pro tools are too pricey, you can certainly find nonprofessional and less expensive screw guns at Sears, Lowe's or Home Depot. But first, go to your local tool store and hold one of these Bosch minis in your hand. Let me know how it feels.
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
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.
This is kind of an old story: Stand 'n Seal grout sealer was found to be dangerous and was recalled in 2005.
But this is just the kind of home-improvement product you would have in your garage or under your sink for years and not even realize the use of it could put you in the hospital.
The article is not so much about this product in particular but about how difficult it is for the Consumer Products Safety Commission to get dangerous products pulled off shelves. And when it does issue a recall, it's easy for all of us to miss it.
One of the most compelling products to be displayed at the upcoming West Coast Green building conference (San Francisco, Sept. 20-22) will be American Clay plaster, a natural clay application that can give otherwise ordinary walls depth and a warm glow.
Manufactured in and using materials from the United States, American Clay, based in Albuquerque, uses natural clays, recycled and reclaimed aggregates, and natural pigments in three finishes: Loma, Porcelina (smoother) and Marittimo (stronger).
This nontoxic plaster helps earn green buildings a LEED rating (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for good indoor air quality, low-impact packaging and the use of recycled or reclaimed products, or both.
American Clay Plaster can be applied with a trowel over new drywall, painted plaster and firm paints, but it's not recommended for use over OSB (oriented-strand board), tongue-and-groove paneling or any other material that expands and contracts at a high rate due to changing moisture content. It's also not recommended over tile. See more about surfaces.
Plus, you can purchase a kit (pictured) for $36 plus shipping so you can try it at home. The kit includes three small bags of premixed samples of each of the three finishes, three practice boards and a trowel.
There are electronic wrist bands to keep track of kids, and wireless internet capacities, and electronic signs that show drivers where the empty parking spots are.
But the futuristic features I like best are the trash cans equipped with a solar-powered sensor that sends an email to cleanup crews when the cans are three-quarters full and ready to be emptied. I've been to quite a few beaches that could benefit from that kind of trash technology.
And the technology could follow us home. Imagine your teenage son getting a text message on his cell phone regarding the status of the kitchen trash can he's supposed to be emptying. See, it's not you nagging. It's just a matter of scientific fact that the thing is full and needs to be emptied. He can't argue with that. Can he?
You know what's needed during a stressful remodel? A shower experience!
This new offering from Kohler is so over-the-top decadent that, well, it demands to be tried out.
The Kohler DTV custom showering experience combines water flow and temperature, chromatherapy (colored lights), sound, and steam mist with aromatherapy to create individual showering experiences.
Let's say you've had a horrendous day followed by a tough drive home and you want to get relaxed and rejuvenated for a dinner party. Would a few minutes in a tropical rain forest help? Set the water to fall like rain, the lights to pulse greens and blues, the speakers to play bird songs and the mist to emit the scent of tropical flowers. I feel more relaxed just thinking about it.
Or, in the morning when you want to get pumped up for a sales presentation, set the water to blast out like a torrent, the lights to pulse reds and oranges, the speakers to play Aerosmith, and the mist to emit the smell of blood. Just kidding on that last one.
It's a little hard to tell how much all this costs. Like most elements of remodeling, you have to get a price for the exact configuration you want. There's the rough plumbing, the fixtures, water ports, sound panels, controls, interfaces and goodness knows what else. I saw one at the Builder's Show costing $20,000 for a totally custom shower with swanky tile. But I assume the components could run $5,000 or $10,000.
What you've got to remember is that it's therapy, and therapy is expensive.
When you buy new appliances, do you fill out the warranty registration cards? I don't. I get tired of spreading my information to marketers.
However . . . as I've been perusing the product recall website of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission I realized, uh oh, those cards are how I would be contacted if my purchase is recalled for a defect.
The good news first: there have been no recalls announced by the CPSC this year for any refrigerators, espresso/cappuccino machines, clothes dryers, toaster ovens, garage door openers and many other well-made items.
But there have been recalls. Here's a small sample of the action in just the past few months:
Relating to my previous post on warranty registration cards as a means of being informed of recalls, sometimes a recalled product had no card to fill out. So how are you going to know if something you bought for your home or remodel is unsafe?
Manufacturer: Sauder Woodworking Co., of Archbold, Ohio
Hazard: The TV stand can collapse if the fasteners used to connect the metal legs to the lower shelf are not completely tightened during assembly, posing a risk that the TV set can fall onto children or adults.
Incidents/Injuries: Sauder has received 43 reports of TV stands collapsing. Most of the reported incidents involved stands that had recently been assembled. Three injuries required medical treatment including a broken arm, a torn rotator cuff with a concussion, and an injured finger. These injuries occurred when consumers attempted to prevent a TV from falling off the stand. In addition, a 6-year-old child received a bruised shoulder when the stand collapsed and a TV fell on her.
When I visit newly remodeled homes, the owners often name their contractor, their architect, their window and door suppler, among others. They also name someone I wouldn't think to hire: the person who helped choose the colors.
I'm an intuitive color-picker, going with what feels right at the time.
But if I did a massive remodel and had to choose colors, all at the same time, for the paints, stains, faux finishes, carpeting, tile/grout, countertops, cabinets, wood or laminate flooring, fabrics, wall coverings . . . well I might need some help, as well.
To make this easier, I found a cool product at the Builder's Show in Orlando: Design Plan in a Can.
Color specialist Edith Snell has grouped dozens of coordinated samples together for a complete palette in one package, which just happens to be a can. There are over 70 palettes to choose from with samples and finishes for each of the needs listed above. Also included is a color recommendations guide with tips on where to use each product, and where to get these fabrics, paints and products.
Of the latter, Edith writes, "This authentic color vignette boasts bold and rich colors of ebony, oregano and warm ginger. The palette is accented by fabulous Arts & Crafts heavy linen fabrics and cottons."
Each can costs $100, and could make a nice housewarming gift.
OK, so this contraption that chills and then cooks your dinner — and responds to phone prompts — costs nearly $8,000. That’s ridiculous, of course. But once the early adopters help work out the kinks (as with the iPhone), and the technology geniuses make it more affordable (ditto), this may be our future.
The new Connect Io Intelligent Oven by TMIO — voted by developers as one of the coolest products to be displayed at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference in San Francisco — is a refrigerator and oven in one.
Want to come home from work to a home-cooked meal? Well, get a wife. Just kidding. A simpler plan is to put your chicken in a pot in the morning or the night before, surround it with potatoes, onions and carrots, and leave it in the TMIO on refrigeration mode.
Then, an hour or so before you’re set to arrive home, call your oven and tell it, via voice prompts, to get cooking. Or, use your computer at work to make the commands. And if something comes up, maybe a late meeting or impromptu drink that makes you want to delay the oven's starting time or switch to the warming mode, even single people will have a reason to say, "Excuse me, I've got to call home."
Where is it written that hot water must be heated and then stored 24/7 in a big tank that needs a whole closet to itself? Those days are fast fading.
Whole-house on-demand systems, about the size of a breadbox (remember breadboxes?), use electric or gas to heat water at the moment you need it and are increasingly replacing tank-storage systems.
Now, German manufacturer Stiebel Eltron has taken the concept one step further with its new mini on-demand electric water heater, which is pretty cute at about 7 inches square and 3 inches deep.
Though not big enough to fill Kohler's new 84-inch overflowing bath for two with any efficiency, the new mini could provide hot water for a guest-bath sink or a wash-up area you've been considering for the garden shed. Or a pool house? How about on a boat, small cabin or RV?
Stiebel Eltron's whole-house electric on-demand heaters are available online for about $400 with free shipping; the mini costs less than $200.
I saw this deep bubbling baby at the International Builders Show in Orlando and all I can say is: Oh my. I want it.
It's called the "Sok" overflowing bath for two by Kohler, and it has effervescence (bubbles) and chromatherapy (colored lights). It's deep enough to submerge your shoulders, and if it overflows, well that's the point. The bubbling waters from the inner tub overflow into the outer tub. Look here for more pretty pictures.
This is so politically incorrect I don't know where to begin. The enormous amount of water it would take for one bath? The gas or electric needed to heat that volume of water? The 240 volts of power to amp up those 13 bubble jets? The decadence? What if one had a fireplace in the bathroom? And a flat screen TV? Would you feel compelled to hide those facts from the rest of the world?
Over here at the Robinson/Price-Robinson abode, there has been a standoff concerning the new water heater we need so badly. Ours is likely 20 years old and not very efficient. Our gas bill would go down immensely if we replaced that beast.
