New York Renovator

When I gut the kitchen in a few weeks, all the house plumbing will be exposed for us to see. I’ll be able to view the condition of the pipes and see for myself how miserably the system was installed previously. I’m expecting to find a disaster behind the plaster and lathe, so we’re gearing up for replacing everything. Unfortunately, even though I live a mere 30 minutes from the Copper City (Rome, NY), copper is very expensive. It’s also difficult to install (propane torch and soldering). We’re going to be doing the bulk of the plumbing ourselves, so we’ve opted to go with the PEX system.

In a nutshell, PEX is like heavy-duty garden hose. You use the piping for your water supply system. The pipes come in lengths anywhere from 5′ to 1000 feet, so the only connections you’d ever have to make are at the supply in the basement and at the fixture shut off valve. No joints, elbows, or fittings in the walls. VERY nice. PEX has been used in Europe for over 30 years now. I first heard about it on This Old House about 10 years ago. I’m looking forward to using it. The Family Handyman has a good article about it, too.

Right now, I’m shopping around for supplies. The PEX piping is not terribly expensive (a fraction of the cost of copper!), but the crimping tool is $100 or more, and the fittings are rather pricey (it’s a good thing I don’t needs loads of fittings). I was shocked and pleasantly surprised to see that my favorite online store, Buy.com sells PEX supplies! There’s not a ton of PEX, but enough to make it worth my while, especially with the piping. Buy.com has everything! I used to go there once a week or so, to check out their great sales on electronics every week, but then I started to peruse the store for my household stuff, like vacuum cleaner bags, cleaning products, garden products, and hardware. They also have a ton of books on home improvement (and some great textbooks, too).

So I’m happy. I’ll be saving a ton of money on plumbing by doing it myself, and doing it with PEX. I have a lot of homework to do– right now, I’m learning about pipe diameters for optimal water pressure. I’ll have more on PEX as I go along, and definitely give my opinions about installing the system. You already know my opinion about Buy.com– they rock!

I was browsing power tools at Buy.com (gearing up for the big renovation projects this year), and found this quirky little gadget. It’s a what?!

The Verilux Sanitizing Pocket Wand goes where you do to disinfect and sanitize with UV-C light. This handy UV-C sanitizer folds into itself to become its own carry case- so even on the move, you can protect yourself from harmful germs that are the cause of colds, infections, asthma and allergic reactions. The Pocket Wand is the most convenient way to deliver powerful UV-C disinfecting and sanitizing when you need it most- traveling! Verilux UVC Sanitizing Pocket Wand with CleanWave Technology!

I think that means that it uses UV rays to kill germs.

COOL!

It’s a pretty penny– almost $75 right now– but prices are always flexible at Buy.com because they are always having some sale every day, every week. This would make a very cool gift for the traveler (or school teacher or day care worker). I’m interested in the technology behind it, too. Is this why hanging clothes out on the clothesline in the sun helps to kill germs? I always assumed it was the sunshine that killed the germs, never thinking what “exact” rays they were composed of that did all the disinfecting. ?? This is a really neat gadget! I think it would be cool to have a petri dish with some germs in it, then wave the Pocket Wand over it, and then look through a microscope to see if the germs were really killed. I’d be tempted to get it, just to find out and watch it happen.

Wow! I cannot believe this– Buy.com now sells memory foam mattresses! I bought my memory foam mattress about a year ago now. We love it, but I bought it from a local furniture store and it cost us an arm and a leg (and then some). It’s been great for my back (herniated disks) and I haven’t had a relapse on my back since we got the mattress, hallelujah! I’ve been thinking about getting some of these mattresses for my kids, because they are so healthful. But the local stores sell them for outrageous prices. Spending that amount for FOUR children is… well, I could get a few new cars, instead! :-p

I was perusing some of the good sales at Buy.com, and look what I found! They now sell memory foam mattresses. These guys are totally amazing. The Memory Rest “Cool Temp” 10-inch Twin Size mattress is selling for $244 and comes with FREE shipping. Wow, I don’t think that can be beat anywhere.

You’d have to build or buy your own foundation. Memory foam mattresses cannot be placed on the typical coil box spring– it must be a firm, solid foundation, or the foam mattress will sag. We bought our mattress and foundation new, and have had nothing but problems with the foundation. We have to replace it every six months or so, it’s SUCH a poor design. We have a 10 year warranty on it, so every six months, that’s where it goes… it’s costing the manufacturer money to constantly send us new foundations, but they should FIX the problem. Then, we’d all be happy. But after the warranty runs out, we’re building our own foundation, and the same thing goes for the kids’ beds. My stepdad once built us kids solid wood bunk beds (with a cheapo rubber foam mattress) and those beds were rock solid. I’m going to do the same for my kids, and it’s not hard to make, either.

Anyway, if you’ve been waiting for a great deal on memory foam mattresses, here it is, right in your face! The prices are great!

We haven’t had hardly ANY snow this year, but the snowplows have gone wild! There are three road signs along the front of my property, and two of them are fallen on the curb, the victims of the maniac snowplow driver. One of them (a “No Parking” sign) is horribly mangled, as if the snowplow dude ran over it back and forth with sadistic glee. I hope the town gets the sign repaired before spring, or we’ll be inundated with parked cars all summer. Then again, we usually ARE, because the drivers practically ignore the sign, anyway.

My husband is a mailman, and he’s had his share of reaching for mangled mailboxes. People seem to like those new-fangled Rubbermaid plastic mailboxes, but I think they look like those Little Tykes toys… and I doubt they’d survive the Sadistic Snowplow Driver!

How about this sweet baby? CAST ALUMINUM! Now that’s what I’m talking ’bout! He hits that, and he’ll hear a “DING” all right! It’s a pretty penny– over $100 at Buy.com. May want to wait for it to go on sale, though. Knowing Buy.com, it wouldn’t take long… they are such a cool store! I always check them first before any other retailer now. Their deals are so sweet!

So what do you think? Do you think it would stand up to The Snowplow? Or at least make him think twice before slamming into it?

Wow. Surge protectors are getting pretty spiffy these days. I saw this monster on sale at Buy.com. It’s called the Monster Cable MP HTS850 Home Theater PowerCenter!

I have a few big surge protectors– but not enough and definitely not one as beefy as this baby. It’s a very smart thing to buy surge protectors for your electronics. That $2,000 HDTV or $1000 computer and monitor can fry in a second’s notice should your electrical system experience a power surge. We’ve had some pretty close calls here. The power system is sometimes unstable (and it doesn’t help that people slam into the telephone poles). We’ve had a few surges and all I can say is THANK GOD we had surge protectors.

This particular monster is specially designed for the home entertainment system. I think it’s very nice– it’s cool that surge protectors are now coming with special organization; I hate cord clutter! This has colored tabs for the VCR, DVD, TV, etc. No more guessing what cord belongs to what appliance, either! Nice. It’s on sale for $40, down from the typical retail price of $130, which is a terrific price for a surge protector this big. It comes with data surge protection, and a nice guarantee!

Get a surge protector for your electrical appliances! Thunderstorm season is coming soon… not to mention that down the street, we had a transformer explode last week….

All my kids love tools. One of the first “big kid” gifts I gave my daughter (years ago now!) was a hammer. She was SO happy! lol! I know the feeling– your very first HAMMER! Remember yours? Oooo the feel of that icy cold metal and the spunky rubber grip that fit so well in your hand; and remember the melodic clang of the hammer head as it hits your thumb the nail? Yes!! Brings back such memories!

I intend on getting all my kids their own tool kits when they are old enough. I still have two more to go! Here’s a really, really nice one– it’s the Trailworthy 25 Piece Tool Kit with Flashlight. Very nice! It’s on sale right now at Buy.com, 79% off for $10, with free shipping. It’s a perfect gift for a kid! They can fix their own bike, make their own birdhouse, take the set camping– and before you know it, they MAY even be renovating that horrible kitchen with the ikky orange laminate countertops!

The Trailworthy is nice– it has those small precision screwdrivers (that we are ALWAYS losing around here) and a very nice and sturdy plastic case. The flashlight takes 4 AA batteries. I love the pistol grip ratchet drive. The price is definitely right.

There’s more to be found at Buy.com! I love them. I’ve ordered quite a few things from them, and the shipping is incredible! Good service, good prices– Buy.com is a great place to shop. Right now they have some good deals going on for the holidays. You can shop by price, by item, by sale.

I am finding technology extremely difficult to stay on top of. I’m in the process of planning a centralized networking system for the home- we have problems with Internet wireless here- and I prefer to use ethernet cabling as much as possible. This means wiring the entire house with it. I’m slowly learning how to create a central networking hub where I can manage all connections from one station (preferably a built-in closet downstairs) and from one router (or an additional hub). But just when I think I’ve got a handle on the latest and easiest techniques and tools, technology changes everything all over again! I guess I am going to have to draw the line somewhere…

…but it is so neat to explore the possibilities! I’m checking out something called “POE” which is “Power Over Ethernet.” The technology is amazing. Basically, POE allows you to connect to ethernet Internet through the power system in your home. There are adapters that allow this.

And then there’s more! Buy.com has a bunch of equipment with informative videos about POE devices. The latest one, the D-Link DWL-P200 Power over Ethernet Power Injector, allows even more flexibility. Let’s say you want to create an access point from a room that has no electricity (hello, that’s us) or has no electrical outlet where you want to have your access point (such as, a ceiling or wall with no outlet). This handy dandy little gadget connects via network cable, providing power for an access point AND the connection power to create your own little Local Area Network.

I don’t know about you, but I find all this stuff both fascinating, complicated, and a little overwhelming! I think it’s great that Buy.com has the equipment AND some excellent videos that explain the products. The D-Link POE Power Injector is very affordable, too– only $38 with free shipping. That’s dirt cheap! Buy.com has loads and loads of things on sale, and not just in networking equipment. They have much more for the electronics geek! I love Buy.com. They have excellent customer service, speedy (and oftentimes, free) shipping, and their prices are amazing. The selection grows and grows more all the time. I am definitely going to Buy.com for all our networking needs– plus they have electrical supplies and equipment, too. Not to mention stuff like cookware, apparel, housewares, tools, books, computers, and more.

I’m not quite sure I’ll choose the POE system. It could definitely be useful for places such as an exterior patio or porch, or in place where I don’t have adequate outlets. But I still like the idea of a centralized wired system via cabling. Still… I may get one of those POE gadgets just to try it out, though. And it may cure our wireless problems upstairs until I can gut the rooms and add more wiring!

… they start to want the electronic gadgets.

Yep, I’ve managed to keep my kids away from the excessive electronica of our day for this long, but I’ve got a few sons who are suddenly into music. And cameras. And stereos. All we have around here is ONE CD player and one old cassette player (and I still have my old record player, by the way!). But problem is, we don’t buy CDs or cassettes anymore. Everything is moving to mp3 and digital files, and now that the boys like their music…. I guess I’m going to have to adapt. I am very comforted that they like good music, though– Hillsong, Kutless, Newsboys, Andres Segovia, etc. So while I do have to get them mp3 players, at least I don’t have to stomach the fingernails-on-chalkboard screeches of Metallica or anything. Whew!

So. MP3 player. Gosh, where do I begin?! They are expensive! $350 for an mp3 player, for a TEENAGER? That’s crazy! I don’t even have electricity in my upstairs bathroom! NO WAY am I getting an iPod or iPhone, NO WAY.

Ah, but looky here– an iPhone imposter! It’s at Buy.com and it’s very, very slick! It’s the V-Touch 8GB MP3/MP4 2.8″ Touch Screen, and it has a camera and earbuds, too. On sale right now for under $50, with free shipping. I love it, because it does everything a cell phone does except make and receive calls! (My sons have no need for a cell phone, but they like to play with mine because of all the features it has). The V-Touch has got a webcam, a digital camera, plays music and videos, has a voice recorder, an e-book function (very nice!), has a calendar, and more. I think this is perfect for kids, and not *too* expensive, either. It sure beats the $350 price tag for those other players. It’s on sale right now at Buy.com, along with sales on loads and loads of other stuff. I also use Buy.com for my household needs, such as small appliances and parts, garden supplies, etc. I love Buy.com! And I think my kids will love Buy.com, too. This gadget is definitely going on the Wish List!

I’m one of those women who LIKES getting housewares and appliances for gifts. I never liked chocolates, nor perfume, nor flowers (although I always like the intention behind them!). I do like the practical stuff, stuff that makes my kitchen and housework a little easier. So… *HINT HINT* to you(s) know(s) who(s)— check out this smashing item on sale from Buy.com: a Range Kleen wrought iron pot rack! And it’s a SHELF mount, not the kind you hang from the ceiling!

I do not like the ceiling ones, because I have a double dilemma: my kitchen has 9-foot ceilings (too high for me) and I have a 6-foot-1-inch high son, whose head (poor guy) is always dangerously close to my low-hanging chandeliers and hanging baskets! Seeing that I like the kid and would like to have him around for a long time, I’m avoiding heavy iron fixtures with swinging metal cookware hanging from the ceiling! I know, I’m such a devoted mom!

This shelf mount hanging pot rack is all iron, painted RED. I love it! Buy.com has it on sale for under $44, and it includes free shipping. It’s so classy. It would look beautiful in my Soon-To-Be-Renovated Kitchen, don’t you think? It comes in black, too, but I like the red. Classy!

Buy.com is having a huge sale on a lot of stuff right now. Their prices are always good, but there are some special deals just in time for the holidays. Buy.com has helpful gift-idea lists, too, where you can shop for things under certain dollar amounts. Check them out, I know you will find a lot of items for gift-giving. Plus, Buy.com covers a lot of the everyday household supplies that you need: vacuum cleaner parts and accessories, batteries, software, and much more. I love Buy.com! Many things qualify for free shipping, too. Happy shopping!

Power outages in winter in Upstate New York are lousy. I don’t have a fireplace! There is a twinge of uneasiness to be so reliant on the electric grid… we have a nice hefty pile of seasoned wood in the backyard should we ever really need it, and I can always gather all the kids together in the same room and make them do calisthenics to warm things up …but I like to be prepared. One thing I am in desperate need of is a battery-powered weather radio. I’ve procrastinated all summer long about the thing, so I’m finally checking specs and prices. Buy.com has a spectacular sale going on right now (how did they know I need a weather radio?!): the Eton FR350 Self-Powered radio looks terrific! I think I am going to get it. It’s like the Swiss Army knife of radio:

• AM/FM and 8 Shortwave bands
• Numerous power options: 3 AA batteries, or the AC adapter, or a built-in rechargeable Ni-MH that takes charge from a hand-crank or the AC adapter!!
• It has an emergency siren, a flashlight, built-in LED lights, and a built-in cell-phone charger
• Also includes kitchen sink

Well, I’m kidding about that last one. But I suppose it would if it could! It looks superb. The price is right ($30) with Buy.com’s amazing Free Shipping bonus. I think I may get a few- this would make a great gift for my sons!