One Project Closer

So this isn’t exactly related to Home Improvement. But, it is about getting money for free and most people who stop by here are into both.

We just signed up for Revolution Money Exchange (RME), a new online money exchange program that allows you to send and receive money for free online (much like PayPal).

Once you sign up, RME deposits $25.00 into your account and gives you the ability to refer others and receive $10.00 per sign-up.  (Yep, that’s what we’re doing here).   After you sign-up, you can add the RME sign up button to your site and refer your visitors to the program.

Sign up takes less than 5 minutes. You’ll be instantly $25 richer and on your way to referring others! What’s not to love about that?

In response to a few questions I’ve received:

1. The offer expires May 15, 2008. 
2. You do not have to link a bank account to get the funds, but if you do, you can have a withdrawal of funds transferred to your checking account for free.
3. If you don’t link an account, RME will mail you a check for a $2.50 processing fee.

This week’s Before and After is brought to you from our old and new home office. 

When we looked for a house three years ago, one of the criteria for our purchase included the home having at least four bedrooms… One for us, two more for kids or house guests, and the remaining one for a home office.  We had a home office in our prior home and had grown accustomed to sitting in it for hours working on our computers (which both happened to be desktops).   This year, I upgraded my 7-year-old PC to a new Dell Vostro 1400 laptop, and all of the sudden Kim and I found ourselves trading the laptop back and forth on the first level.  Rarely did we walk upstairs to use our desktops.  In fact, we only did when the other person was on the laptop and we were forced to.  This led to the purchase of a second, identical laptop for Kim.  The office started seeming more like Siberia.  There’s were still great resources there, but who really wanted to visit.  We’d much prefer to sit in front of the TV with laptops on … laps.

At the same time we began to find our home office too confining, we received news from friends, BJ and Kimberly, that they will be moving back to the area from Scotland so BJ can pursue a Ph.D. (Congrats, bud!).  They are planning to stay with us for a few weeks/months while they shop for a place in this area and get established in jobs, etc.  Since Lori is already living with us due to the house fire and we’re not sure when she’ll be able to move back into the townhome, it seemed like the signs were all pointing in the same direction: downsize the home office to make room for more people.

Kim and I had talked about moving the computers to the first level of our home once the kids were big enough to use them, anyway.  The catalyst of more house guests just sped up the move.  We started combing Craigslist for a computer armoire that would house all of the computer stuff in one place, and would fit in with the rustic/country look we like.  Since we like using our laptops on the couch, and the kids can use them sitting at the dining room table, we didn’t need to be able to work at the armoire sitting down.  We found a woman about 30 miles away in Crofton selling a Pier 1 Imports solid pine armoire in very good condition for $50.00.  We contacted her, met her at her storage unit, and hauled it away in our minivan on the same day.  (This armoire retailed on clearance for $300.00.  Yep, we LOVE Craigslist).

The pictures below show the result.  We’re still in the process of cleaning out the office upstairs and Craigslisting lots of things we no longer need.  We’re also still looking for where exactly to store our file cabinet, the only other essential thing from the office.  Our master bedroom closet is one option for the short term.  Once we finish the basement, we’ll either build or buy a pine file cabinet to go with the armoire.

Before (the Home Office):

After (Office in an Armoire):

Now it’s your turn!  If you’ve had any great Before and After successes recently, link in your posts below (and be sure they have a link back here).

Just as I began to pen this article I realized that my before, during and after pictures were accidentally deleted from my camera.  I was able to take the replacement “after” picture to the right, but the rest will be up to your imagination.  I’ll try to be vivid in the description.

A few weekends back we poured the second area of self leveling cement over the ThermoTile radiant heating wire mats in the basement.  Prior to the pour, we secured the heating wire to the slab with hot glue every 16″ on the loop ends to ensure the wire did not protrude from the self leveling cement after the pour.  Overall, the pour worked great - all the heating wires were fully encapsulated. 

After the cement hardened, I noticed one small wire protruding from the surface about 3/4″.  (Sorry, this is where a picture would have been helpful).  The offending wire was the end of one of the temperature probes that is embedded in the cement between two parallel heating wires.  The probe has leads that run back to the baseplate in the wall and then up to the thermostat. 

I followed the steps below to repair the wire, which I’m sure would work just as well for a heating wire as it did for the probe.  I haven’t finished step 5.  I’ll fill in the hole with self leveling cement when we pour the 3rd area of the basement a few weekends from now.

Steps to Reseat the Heating Wire

1) Carefully chisel out the self-leveling mortar around the wire, ensuring the you don’t cut or nick the wire.  Severing the connection in the wire will render the probe or heating element useless.  This would be very costly to fix. 

2) Continue chiseling out the cement out until you reach the spot on the wire that is firmly fastened to the slab.  Ensure that you have created a large enough hole to refill it will self-leveling mortar or thinset easily.

3) Use hot glue to re-attach the wire to the slab.

4) Prime the area in and around the repair with the appopriate primer for your self-leveling cement (e.g. LevelQuik Primer).

5) Fill in the area with additional self-leveling cement or thinset.

What do you think?  Have you ever run into this situation with self-leveling cement or radiant heating?  Was this article helpful to you?

There’s a headline you probably won’t see in the evening news.  Unfortunately, it’s the only punishment dolled out to the arsonist that set Amy’s and Lori’s house on fire last October.  (FYI - Amy and Lori are Kim’s sisters, my sisters-in-law). 

I’ve been reluctant to post about the ordeal online, primarily because writing about someone else’s misfortune can remind them of the pain of the incident. Also, the story is so detailed, it is hard to do it justice in a blog-sized post.  That said, it’s been 6 months, and Amy said I can write about it, so I’ll give it a shot.  The big question for the community is at the end - I hope you’ll weigh in.

In late October 2007, around 10pm, Amy and Lori were talking in their kitchen.  A domestic dispute in the neighbors’ place had just died down.  (These disputes were not uncommon and the wall between the units was thin).  Apparently frustrated with the situation, the owner of the left side of the duplex, a man in his late 60s, left to go to the local bar.  The woman living with him, in her 50s and apparently high on drugs, was so mad that she decided to light a fire in the back room on the first floor to get back at him. 

Another neighbor saw the fire and thought it was an accidental kitchen fire.  He came running in to help.  The woman wouldn’t let him in, saying that she had lit the fire and wanted to let it burn!  She then went outside to survey the damage and discovered the fire wasn’t burning fast enough, and that the fire department was audibly on it’s way.  So, she went back inside and lit a second fire, this one on the second floor in the front of the house!  The neighbor who tried to help put out the fire quickly alerted Amy and Lori – banging on the door and yelling (thank goodness!).   In minutes, the left side of the duplex was engulfed in flames.

When the fire department arrived, they did what all firefighters do. They aggressively contained and extinguished the fire, which of course created more damage on Amy’s half.  The picture on the right is of her master bedroom.  We had spent months refinishing the upstairs.  You can see the remains of the original pine floors beneath the ash.  The combination of smoke, soot, and water damage in both homes is in excess of $150,000! 

Amy has been working with the insurance company to get her half restored.  That process has been long and arduous, but is finally under way and looking promising.

The police charged the woman with multiple crimes, but, the case never went to trial.  This April, the arsonist agreed to a plea deal that allowed her to walk with only 3 years probation and a requirement to get mental health / drug addition treatment.  Amy was not given any opportunity to testify. 

As a result of the fire, Amy and Lori will be displaced for about 12 months, and of course could have been killed.  We’re hopeful that insurance will completely restore the place, but that hasn’t been an easy road, either.  Things are progressing now, and I’m hoping to do a great Before and After post when everything’s wrapped up.

—

So my thought on this is that the arsonist should have been required to serve significant jail time - at least 1 year, and should have been sentenced to probation and community service after that.

What do you think?  Was the sentence fair?  Would any additional information make it easier for you to decide?

I was born and raised just outside Baltimore, Maryland and continue to live nearby. Two years ago I was married to my beautiful wife Jocie (short for Jocelyn) and we purchased our first home. It’s an end unit, town home built in 1985. The house wasn’t in bad shape but we wanted to make it our own.

Growing up, my step-father was a very handy guy. I helped him with projects ranging from building a gazebo to laying shingle on the roof. It seemed like he was always planning something. And he was generous enough to teach me a few things along the way.

Now I look around my home and see projects that I can do rather than hiring someone. I like the work and being able to shape my home. I take a lot of pride from finishing a project. Some major milestones include remodeling my kitchen and master bathroom. I’ll write about them one of these days. We’ve painted just about every wall in our home and the hope to lay hardwood floors this summer(2008).

Some of the other things I love include listening to music (U2), playing Ultimate Frisbee, video games and technology in general.

I really enjoy blogging about my home improvement experiences. And I’ve gained plenty of know-how, discovered creative solutions and avoided many problems from reading about other peoples home projects. A couple blogs I really enjoy reading are Homeowner’s Blog by Paul and The Box House by Joanne.

Feel free to shoot me an email or leave a comment. I always enjoy the feedback. Hope to see you around.

The Chase Business Platinum Visa offers the most appealing set of credit card features for landlords, rental companies and home contractors interested in saving money on their many of their everyday business purchases.  

With 3% cashback on the most common purchases these companies make, this card reduces expenses by an additional 2% over more common 1% cards, leaving more money in your pocket on every job.  Further, with online account management capabilities, you can keep track of all your business spending in one place.  See below for sign up details and more features of this card.

Sign Up for the Chase Business Rewards Card

Apply for the 3% cash back Chase Business Rewards Card

3% Cash Back Bonus Explained

The Chase Business Platinum Visa offers 3% cash back* on business purchases made at the store types listed below, and 1% back on all other purchases. 

• Home Improvement Stores
• Hardware Stores
• Office Supply Stores
• Restaurants
• Gas Stations

*Some terms and conditions apply.  See the secure sign-up page.

Other Features

• 0% on Balance Transfers Feature
• 0% on Purchases Feature
• Free additional cards for employees/partners
• Free account management reports
• Free online management tools

What if I’m not a Corporation, LLC, or Partnership?

It is both customary and acceptable to operate a business as a sole proprietership using only your social security number as your tax ID.  The Chase Business Rewards sign-up page allows you to substitute your social security number for this employer/tax ID.

Most independent landlords and other rental property owners operate as sole proprietorships.

What if I’m not a Landlord or Contractor?

This card may still be right for you. For instance, you may purchase $500 a month at major office supply stores. This card will pay you 3% for those purchases, even though you don’t take advantage of the Home Improvement and Hardware Store benefits.

Our tenants recently informed us that they plan to renew with us for another year.   When they first started renting from us 4 years ago, I was in the midst of a law course as part of my MBA program.  I decided to put some of the information I was learning to (good?) use.  I developed the lease agreement that follows on my own based on information from that class, conversations with other landlords, and some general themes from other leases I had seen.

Please note that I am not an attorney.  If you use this agreement in whole/part, you do so at your own risk.  Realize that states, counties, and communities have differing laws governing rental real estate.  These laws frequently include limitations on:

1. The amount you can require for a security deposit.
2. How you handle security deposits (may be required to be in a separate interest-bearing account).
3. What you use security deposits for (types of qualified repairs).
4. The amount of rent  you can charge up front (frequently limited to two months rent).
5. The amount of any lease-break fees you charge (frequently limited to two months rent, or the amount you actually lose.  e.g. if you find new renters, you cannot double-charge for the property)
6. The amount you charge for late fees.
7. Restrictions you can make in terms of the types of tenants you would rent to (e.g. you probably cannot include age / marital status restrictions.  Many other classes are also protected).
8. Auto-renewal clauses.
9. How/when/why you enter the property after it is occupied.
10. Many many more things.

Your state housing authority should have all the information you need.  Many housing authorities are now available online.  You can use Google Search at the top of this page to find the authority you need (just search for “rental regulations [state name]” or something like that).

Please feel free to leave feedback on anything you would add/remove from this agreement.  I’ve been polishing it for 4 years, but I’m sure I didn’t think of everything. 

The fun picture above is a birdhouse “for rent.” Courtesy of tifotter.

Fixed Term Lease Agreement (Continuing Occupancy)

(1) Agreement: This lease agreement is being entered into on Date between Landlord(s) Name(s) (hereinafter Owner(s), Landlord(s), or Lessor(s)) and Tenant(s) Names (hereinafter Tenant(s), Resident(s) or Lessee(s)), each being competent and capable under the laws of the County of County and the state of State to enter into legally binding agreements related to real property, and the renting and occupying thereof.

Read the rest of this entry »

Everyday, millions of people turn to the web to purchase goods and services.   Potential customers increasingly rely on the new media (independent blogs and web sites) for guidance on what product or service to choose among the myriad of options available.  As a result, a positive review on a trusted, well-designed site like One Project Closer provides high value to product and service vendors.

For any questions related to reviews on this site, please feel free to e-mail oneprojectcloser@gmail.com.

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Regular visitors will read the review as it runs in the chronology of articles on the site.  More valuable, however, are search engine results pages that include our reviews.  One Project Closer is a heavily search engine optimized site designed to encourage search engine users to visit our pages to find the information they seek.  If they are searching for “[Your Product Name] Review” it is probable (although not guaranteed) that our review will be within the top 1-20 rankings.

Are Your Reviews Objective?

As a trusted source of information, One Project Closer provides independent, objective reviews of products and services.  That said, we really enjoy and prefer to write positive reviews whenever possible. There’s no more enjoyable part of publishing than to let everyone know of a positive experience with a good or service.  Please be sure your product lives up to your claims.  If it doesn’t, either clearly disclose those limitations, or go back to the drawing board and fix them.   Remember, people tell 3 friends when they have a good experience, and 10 when they don’t. 

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1. Product Giveaways:  Provide us a product to give away (at random) to our readers.  This often generates incoming links to your product review on our site, and usually results in a review of your product on the recipient’s site (assuming they also operate a site).
2. Paid Advertising:  Pay for ad placement on this site.

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