New York Renovator

Is it any surprise that home entertainment has made tremendous advances in the past ten years. Remember WAY BACK when, about 15 years ago, when we all had one of these?

But now, there are these:

Yow. I have the first TV but certainly not the second. Actually, I’d purchased a newer, fancier model with a flat screen just a few years ago, only to be completely outdated by the plasma, HDTV, super fancified models. I feel so old.

TV really isn’t all that important to us. I still have a barebones tube TV (we picked it up off the curb, for pete’s sake), but I have a very high-end, high octane computer and an iPad for watching stuff. It’s all a matter of priorities.

As a family, we like to watch DVDs and Internet documentaries during dinner, but since we have no television reception, we are limited to watching movies on my small laptop screen. I’ve been investigating my choice for a few months (I take forever to make sure decisions), and am leaning more toward HDMI cables or a converter to rig the laptop to the TV. Getting the cables or converter at Optimization-World.com is WAY cheaper than buying a digital TV. They also sell nice VGA cables for computer to monitor connections.

So I’m pleased as punch that there are affordable options out there for old fogies like me. Maybe I’ll even write a tutorial once I finally get the ball rolling on the project….

The Old House Journal has a terrific article called How to Find Energy Efficient Bulbs That Don’t Suck: Nutrition Facts for Light Bulbs.

Starting in January 2011 light bulbs are required to be labeled with lumens, watts, kelvins and efficacy. Greek to you too? Not worry. The label is now clear, easy to understand and full of fun colors.

It’s good news to me. Here in New York State, we will be forced to use only CFLs (or LEDs) for lighting. I have discovered that not all CFLs are created equal, and have often wondered why the differences seems so enigmatic. I had no idea about kelvins and lumens and all that jazz. I recently purchased some “full spectrum” bulbs for our desk lamps, in the hopes that these bulbs would give us a little energy perk and cheer up our spirits on the gloomy days that New York often suffers. I’d heard that full spectrum bulbs simulate sunlight and therefore help improve mood and maybe help Thyroid imbalance and make you faster than a speeding bullet and etc. Honestly, I don’t rely on light bulbs to cure diseases! But if full spectrum bulbs give us a little psychological boost, then, hey- why not? Honestly, I can’t say I have noticed a huge difference. Maybe. I’m a pretty chipper person, anyway, especially when I’m at my desk.

Anyway, now we have a little guide for choosing CFLs. I like it. Here’s what Old House Journal said:

1. Bedroom and Living Room: Pick a bulb in the “yellow” range as close to 2700K as you can get.

2. Garage, Basement, Laundry and Utility Room: These are rooms where mimicking the sun is okay. So, look for bulbs in the “white” range and have a high color temperature of about 5800K. Don’t go too much higher than that or you’ll end up in the ugly “blue” range.

3. Computer Screen: There is a great free program I use called F.lux. It makes the color of your computer’s display adapt to the time of day, warm at night and like sunlight during the day.

For more specific information, see the U.S. Department of Energy’s CFL lighting facts chart here (opens as a pdf document).

Oh yeah, Find the Kitty. I left you in terrible suspense on Friday, didn’t I? Haha! Lin just can’t contain herself– WHERE’S Livvy? Were your guesses correct?!?!

Sorry if I haven’t been around. Since I got some new wheels, I’ve been zipping around town with my newfound FREEDOM, baby! Booyah!!! We have a travel vehicle once again! I’m thinking about getting some New York Traveler promotional items. How about a big car magnet with my logo on the side, huh? Or maybe some Mrs. Mecomber Bic Clic Stic pens or groovy GOPromos personalized notepads??? I think it would be SO cool. I actually will be getting some New York Traveler t-shirts for us to wear when we visit museums and such.

OK OK enough teasing. Here’s the original photo of Livvy.

She’s hiding here. Under the island.

Please excuse the dust bunnies. They are taking over the house. :-p

She literally SQUEEZED under the island. It was funny watching her. I only had a split second to snap a photo with the cell phone, so that’s why it’s a little blurry.

So you guys were RIGHT!!!!! You’re all professional kitty finders, you are!

When it comes to getting promo stuff, I REALLY ought to market the cat. I think she’s more popular on the Internet than I am. :-p

Besides being a clock freak, I LOVE signs. I love retro signs, safety signs, traffic signs, goofy posters, everything. I’m just as happy having a framed copy of the U.S. Constitution next to my tin sign “DRINK COFFEE! Do stupid things faster with more energy!”

Finding funny signs is another matter, though. I have located a very few online stores that sell retro signs, but they charge an arm and a leg!! But I just found a new website called http://www.safetysign.com/. This is neat! They have EVERYTHING– parking signs, stop signs, facility signs, recreation signs, OMG the lists are endless. AND I can create my own sign! *snicker* So I can be as eccentric as I want, and they’ll make it for me. This is very cool. Hm, I’m currently looking for a “Toxic Waste” sign for my kitchen, lol. Or maybe hang it over the dog’s area. :-p

I liked this one. Ha!

Oh, this would be PERFECT over my desk!

And I’d put this in all the kids’ rooms. (And in mine, ai chihuahua).

So there’s a sign for every body for every situation, lol. I there are a gadzillion different signs. The prices are actually pretty good, and you can order U-Channels Posts with mounting hardware in different colors. VERY COOL! Because I need to place a few “DO NOT PARK IN PRIVATE DRIVE” in my front yard. I live near a popular ice cream store, and all summer long I am asking people to please move their cars so I can get out of my driveway.

Check out the site! It’s cute. The site has mostly safety signs and such, but if you like quirky decor, or are in need a of gentle reminder for traffic passers-by, it’s a great place to get some signs!

Now that the heating season has officially begun, my thoughts turn to home safety and security. I’m a “be prepared” kind of gal; my family suffered a devastating house fire over 20 years ago. It was a scary thing. THANK GOD no one was home at the time, but the house was a total loss. I had just moved out to my own apartment, but I lost a lot of books and art work and other things. I am a stickler for security measures. So when winter rolls around every year, after the outdoor and renovation activities have ceased, I turn my attentions to “battening down the hatches” for another Upstate New York winter. And this is a great time to get deals for security items for the home. Here are some ideas that you can consider:

Smoke Detector
I know, this is a no-brainer, right? Everyone seems to realize that every room needs a smoke detector, but how many homes actually have a working smoke detector in every room? Since the renovation, I still haven’t gotten around to installing detectors in every room. Some local codes require that you have a detector in every room, or at least on every floor of the house (including the basement).

You can get very inexpensive smoke detectors anywhere, but I usually stick with the name-brands for stuff like this. First Alert is a good brand. I will be buying more of these.

Carbon Monoxide Detector
If you use combustible fuel sources to heat your home or your hot water, you need a carbon monoxide detector. You should install one of these on every floor of the house, and/or near the furnace or gas outlet equipment. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, highly toxic gas. A furnace or heater emits this gas when the fuel is not properly combusted. Local codes regulate the placement of these devices, so your codes may be more stringent.

Gas Alert
This is a new device that I found while shopping at Buy.com. I’m going to get one. This device senses and alerts you of gas leaks in the house. Natural and propane gas is odorless, but utility companies add a sulfuric compound to the gas, to make it smell like rotten eggs. This helps you know if there is a leak. But sometimes leaks are small, or your nose does not smell (or becomes accustomed to) the smell of gas. This device alerts you of a gas leak.

It may seem that if you get all these detectors, your entire ceiling and wall will be covered with these things! Some companies combine the detectors– I have seen combination smoke and carbon monoxide, and combination carbon monoxide and gas leak detectors.

Be sure to have batteries on hand, and replace them at least once a year!

A Safe Box
Also called a fire box or sentry box, this insulated, heavy-duty box will store your most important items in the event of flood or fire. Buy.com has a bunch of them in all shapes and sizes, from $25 to $500. Some are very sophisticated. I own the Sentry 1100 SentrySafe Fire-Safe Chest, and it suits our needs well.

Most boxes are locked with keys, although the expensive brands sport electronic keypads. These things weigh a ton, and the outside is a lot bigger than the inside, so get as big a unit as you can afford. Oh, and DON’T LOSE THE KEY. Yeah.

External Hard Drive or Data Storage
If you are like me, a good portion of your most important documents and photos are digital, on your computer. Should your computer hard drive die, or should your computer become damaged by some freak of nature or accident, you could lose everything. Set aside all your important digital data on a dedicated external hard drive. Place it in the safe box for safe keeping. Update it from time to time.

External hard drives can be pricey, but you can get very good deals if you keep your eyes on Buy.com for a good sale. I spotted this enormous Fantom G-Force 1 Terabyte External drive for $50! That’s a steal.

If you don’t want to get an external hard drive, you can also create a DVD with the digital data, and store it in a safe place like a safe box or in a shed or something. Additionally, if you have webmail or some online storage space, you can upload that data to keep it on someone else’s server. I wouldn’t place sensitive documents there, though, because a hacker could possibly gain entry to your data. But you can store your photos on Flickr or Photobucket, or on a web server.

So home safety and security just requires a few steps and some investment. You can decrease the cost by shopping around for deals, too. Be safe!

Wellll…. I still haven’t gotten “a round tuit” with some of the leftover projects after the renovation. Honestly, I have been having a bit of a hard time adjusting to the new kitchen. The dining room isn’t much of a big deal– I designed it to have the same colors and etc as the old one– but the kitchen is a shock. It is SO different. I have found it rather hard to adjust. I’m kind of ashamed. It’s totally, totally new, and I was so used to banging around in the old one. Now I have to be careful what I do on the counters– NO knifes! NO food stains! NO standing water! And the floors– are the planks staying together OK? Hey, you with the muddy shoes! And it goes on and on. I’m still walking on eggshells. The new room is a bit of a shock. I wanted it SO much, and now that it’s here, I’m stunned that it’s actually here. It’s like moving into a new house without going anywhere. I must be getting old or something…

Anyway, I still haven’t built my bench for the shoe area, nor have I constructed shelves for the phone area. Both areas are in the kitchen, so the half-completed construction looks out of place with the finished sections of the kitchen. The phone area is important right now. It’s the “dumping” area for my husband’s work paraphernalia. It’s important that he has everything neat and organized, so that he doesn’t forget anything when he goes to work. And I dislike the mess of it all, too.

I have been on a bit of a hunt for ways to organize the area. One thing I can do is make a small charging station for all the cell phones and mp3 players. I saw this at Buy.com and love it! It’s the SDI Technologies iB967B Charging Cradle, very affordable at $25 with shipping. It keeps all the electronic doodads in ONE location, charging them while they sit. I could hug the guy who invented this thing! Charging stations come in a billion shapes and styles, but this is nice to me because it’s so simple.

This is a great time to get anything. Buy.com has a ton of stuff on sale right now. They are gearing up for the Black Friday sale… but their prices are usually so low anyway. The customer service and speedy shipping just amazes me– I bought some software on their last sale, and the package arrived– priority shipping– in TWO days. And the shipping was free!

So I’m slowly, very very slowly, trying to chip away at all the leftover projects around here. Buy.com is a big help.

This is the story of our renovation, the toils and victories through a sweltering summer of blood, sweat and tears. Read all the gory details of Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Our kitchen project was finally coming to a close. Yet even now, three months since we moved back in, there are many unfinished projects awaiting me. Now that I am back to a normal schedule with kids’ schooling, my online job, and such, I can only chip away at these remaining projects, slowly but surely. My goal is to batten down the hatches for an Upstate New York winter, and I’ll pick up the hammer and saw again in the spring.

After we tackled the butcher block countertops, we collapsed for a few days. Almost all of the really intense physical labor was done. Except the flooring. We’d installed plywood sub-flooring over the 70s hardboard subfloor over the 50s linoleum over the 1855 pine planks…. thank God, they’d removed the funky 40s carpeting somewhere in there (although dregs of it appeared from time to time as we removed partition walls). I love wood, just LOVE it, but it is so expensive. I decided to go with TrafficMaster allure vinyl planks. It looks like wood– for a second or two, anyway– but it’s durable and easy to install. Cost me a small fortune, though, I’ll tell you what. I would much rather have spent the cash on Black Friday deals, believe me! But I had been waiting SO LONG for a new floor.

Very easy to install. I guess that's why it's so pricey.

It took me about 8 hours (straight) to install the dining room floor, 10 hours to do the kitchen.

Once the floor was done, the room looked like a real kitchen again. We moved in shortly after. Oh, the JOY!

This is our beverage area, which I conveniently tucked under the stairwell. Note the painted pantry shelf to the left. Still has no doors, though...

Our favorite appliance. Oh, how we dreamed for this moment! LOL, six adults in a home make a lot of dishes.

I’d mentioned before about the sink and window as the room’s focal point. I carefully crafted the trim around the window to reflect the home’s Greek Revival architecture. The Greek triangular pediment and fluted trim is repeated throughout the house. I stained this wood extra dark to make it stand out. Cellular blinds soften the hard lines. I need more color and decor here, but all in good time.

2010 was a wild, crazy ride for us.

I’m spending the winter quietly, taking things slower as best I can. I work at home to pay off the kitchen. If we had hired out to have all this work done, the job would have cost us a small fortune. By doing everything ourselves, we saved a ton of money. It was a lot of work, sure, but I think everyone was enriched by the experience, especially my kids. Here’s a quick breakdown of the economics:

According to this chart, we saved over $36,000 by doing this ourselves. That is a HUGE savings! Yes, I took time off from work to work on this renovation. I worked on reduced hours for four months. However, consider this: a kitchen renovation gives you an average of 70% return on the cost of the project, so I basically “earned” $25,200 on the value of the home. That’s more than I make in a year, let alone four months. So even though I’m not seeing a liquid $25,200 cash in hand, it’s part of my real estate investment. It was well worth it, I think, to go reduced hours on my job (with which, I figure, I lost about $2000 income) to earn $25,200 in capital investment on the property. Moreover, improving the electrical and water supply reduces our insurance premium, the insulation in the walls reduces our heating bills,  and everything in general improves the quality of our lives here.

I think my DIY project was worth it. But I’m SO GRATEFUL it’s over!

I’m trying to complete a few finishing touches for the kitchen yet. I’ve been (slowly) building a small phone and organzation station on one side of the kitchen, using cabinets I got at a discount. I need shelves to hang on the wall in the corner, and really don’t have time to make them myself. I found the perfect shelf– a kitchen cabinet end shelf, with rounded shelves– in the discount bin at the home improvement store. But it was $182!! ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-TWO dollars! For a little shelf 2 feet high! I was flabbergasted. What IS it about kitchen furniture that makes it SO expensive?

Another thing is finding affordable plate racks and wine glass racks. My cabinets were very inexpensive (as far as cabinets go), but the accessories for the cabinets is excruciatingly expensive. Why do cabinet companies charge extortion-like prices for a matching hunk of wood? The glass rack that my cabinet store is selling is $130!! Why so high?

Well, enter the Internet! What a difference! I found some classy wood stemware racks for $30! They also have metal styles, and a snazzy under-the-shelf hanging wine glass rack that requires no drilling into cabinets. Free shipping, too! No traffic, no long lines, no hunting through the discount bin… gotta love the Internet.

We have SO MUCH clutter. Ugh!!! Keys, papers, pens, doodads, doohickeys, thingamabobs… my new kitchen is starting to look like a tornado hit it! We’re still in the process of taking things out of storage and boxes, and finding places for everything. Today we went on a wild goose chase for the turkey roasting pan. It was buried in boxes, under the garage. My daughter had to go diving for it, behind the freezer amongst the books and boxes and styrofoam. :S

So anyway. Clutter. I still don’t have my little phone and Internet station yet. All these small projects take a lot of time! You wouldn’t think so, but today I got the following little projects done:

Scraped the old caulk and re-caulked the floor where it meets the tub (to prevent leaks through the floor from overly exuberant bathers)
Drilled a coat hook in place
PICKED UP THE HOUSE for the 100th time
Cleaned Livvy’s food area (she’s such a slob)
Searched for my turkey roasting pan
Cooked dinner
Wrote articles and tweets
Deposited money in my account (best thing I did all day)
Went shopping for coffee creamer, bananas, etc
Went to home improvement store to get shelf materials
Made goals for kids’ school week
Folded laundry
Made phone calls
Scored kids’ schoolwork

And that’s the stuff I can remember!

Anyway, because I am so busy all the time, doing a million different jobs, it is imperative that I be organized. If things start to become unraveled, my projects become unraveled. And right now, the kitchen organization area is a disaster. Hats, gloves, keys mail, pens… UGH! I have been mulling over a solution, and I think I finally found it.

An organizer. These things are neat! I spotted a nice one at the department store today, but my eyes popped out at the price. $50! Holy cow! That’s extortion for a cardboard wall-mounted organizer! I went home and promptly searched for a sale at Buy.com. This is a very nice one. It’s a Gadget Smarts Faux Leather Personal Charging Stand. My husband is always forgetting to charge his phone. I had a place for him to charge it, but we moved it because we have to fit the heater in that area. I must make sure his work gear (pen, ID badge, keys, phone, baseball hat) are all perfectly organized, or he just throws his stuff on the kitchen counter. And I hate things on the kitchen counter! So I think this organizer will do very nicely. Kudos once again to Buy.com!!!

Now that we are in the dregs of autumn, I see how desperately we need a mudroom. I realize that not all of you are from the Northeast– a mudroom is a vestibule or back room where you dump your coats and shoes and other outdoor items (such as umbrellas) before entering the main house. With six of us, plus two dogs and three cats, there’s a LOT of mud. :S I’ve never really had a mudroom here.

Our "mudroom" is just a small corner by the laundry room. I am ALWAYS cleaning it up.

I did not want to use up precious space in the kitchen to make one, either. I figure I will eventually rebuild the decaying back stoop into a small mudroom, next year, hopefully. It will be unheated, but it’s better than nothing. The space is very small, only about 5 feet by 5 feet, so storage will be premium real estate. I’m currently looking at our habits, and looking into our needs, so that when the time comes to build the thing, I’ll know what to do.

One very good idea for a mudroom is lockers. Yes, those old school lockers. They are perfect for storing tons of stuff: gloves, hats, coats, umbrellas, sports gear, maps, everything! What a phenomenal idea! It’s difficult to find lockers locally (WalMart does not sell them!) unless you know that some school is selling them or giving them away. And how often does that happen? I did find an online retailer that has lockers for sale. They have a nice selection. Besides the typical metal vented lockers (that I would find rather tacky in a residence), they have some very elegant wood ones, and some cool-looking European-style kinds. The prices aren’t too bad (typical furniture pricing for the wood lockers), but the selection is outstanding and the store allows you to buy large units or single lockers. So it’s a nice choice.

Coat hangers are another necessity. I can’t believe how many coats we have “hanging” around! For everyone, there is at least a spring/fall jacket, a nice winter coat, and a work winter coat. Plus we girls have sweaters and etc. That’s quite a number of coats. :S I need to find some way to organize things better. Because right now, my small hooks in the kitchen are buried with coats.

Anyway, organization and storage is a MUST for the mudroom. I’ll be doing some research over the winter, and by spring I’ll see what I’ve got (just in time for the mud season).