Black Computer Desk from Target.com Review

Ethan and I decided to move our office to the basement. With the move, we also needed to down-size our current computer desk. We were looking for a black, small, basic, and relatively inexpensive desk. After many hours of searching stores and the internet, I found this desk at Target.com.

Black South Hampton Desk

This desk can be ordered from Target for $149.99.  It is also available in the color white, and a matching chair and hutch can be purchased separately.  The desk is made of composite wood and is painted glossy black.  The front “drawer” is actually a pull-out computer keyboard tray. The dimensions of the desk are: 21″ deep X 47″ long X 30″ high.  It is the perfect size for us so that we could incorporate the computer into our existing living room decor.

Shipping

Shipping can add huge costs, when ordering furniture on-line.  However, once I found this desk on target.com, I waited for free shipping to become available for this item.  Once ordered, it was delivered, undamaged, four days later (ordered on a Monday and delivered on Friday).  A bonus to ordering on-line with free shipping from Target is that if the product is damaged or not what you were expecting, the costumer can return it to any Target store at no penalty.

Assembly

The assembly of this desk was quicker than other furniture items I have ordered from Target.com.  The main “body” of the desk came assembled, including the pull-out tray.  The only assembly required was to fasten the four interchangeable table legs to the main “body” and screw the nob onto the pull-out tray.  The directions and labels of the parts were also very user-friendly. All the screws and washers were clearly labeled and grouped according to the steps outlined by the instructions.

Pros

• Size
• Price
• Sturdy
• Attractive
• Free shipping
• Easy assembly

Cons

• Very little storage room in the desk

What do you think? What’s your experience with Target.com?

The End of our Summer Before and After Event…

Wow!  It seems like just yesterday we were getting ready for the Summer… and just like that, it’s over.  Unfortunately, that means our Summer Before and After event is also over!

Thanks so much to those of you who made this Summer’s event a success.  OPC donated more than $300 to Habitat, and hopefully inspired several of our fellow bloggers to donate and volunteer as well.

Next week, we’ll have summaries of each article posted so we can vote for a winner and award them a $50 gift card to the home improvement store of their choice.  This week, we’d like to honor all those who submitted articles, told others of our event, or made a personal commitment to donate to Habitat’s cause.  If we missed you, we promise it was a mistake.  Please let us know so we can ammend this article to include you!

Bloggers (& others) Who Submitted Articles

Thanks to each of you!  Your projects were very inspiring and made for great stories week after week.  I hope you’ll submit B+A articles next year – I’m sure your houses will be even more fantastic!

• Mary @ Not Before 7
• John & Sherry @ Young House Love
• Todd @ Home Construction Improvement
• Beth @ A Cotterpin House
• Melanie in Richmond
• Amy @ Cape Cod Makeover
• Nicole @ This D*mn House
• Jon @ Tales from the Eye
• Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality
• Andy in Odenton
• Carol @ Painter Gal’s Cottage
• Jane @ Beach House
• Katie @ In Pursuit of Our Place

Bloggers Who Wrote About the Event

In addition to all those mentioned above, these folks ran articles publicizing our event.  Thanks!

• Jennifer @ Tiny Old House
• Paul @ Homeowner’s Blog
• Larry @ Simpson’s Folly
• WhyS @ The House on Red Hill
• Amy @ Green Gardenista

Folks Who Committed Their Own Money

Paul @ Homeowners blog gets the big mention here, for committing his June blog revenue to Habitat.  Thanks Paul!

What do you think? Did you enjoy the event?  Did you donate to Habitat?  If so, let us know so we can honor you here.

Removing Algae / Fungus from Stained Roof

Ever notice discolored shingles on some roofs? I’ve seen a couple homes in my area with the dark streaks. This post will focus on what causes the dark streaks, how to best remove it, and what you can do to keep if from coming back.

What Causes Discolored Shingles?

The short answer: fungus. The longer answer: It’s actually a build-up of dead fungus cells. The fungus is an algae (Gloeocapsa magma) that thrives in warm climates with high humidity. Morning dew and rain create a moist environment for the fungus. And limestone from shingles provide the nutrients. There is some debate weather the fungus actually damages the roof. Some say it just looks bad, while others claim the fungus will accelerate the deterioration of your roof.

How to Remove fungus from a Roof

Obviously you can replace your roof. If your roof is old, and the shingles are failing, this may be a great option. Knock out two problems for the price of one. Make sure you purchase shingles with small granules of copper. The copper will prevent the algae from returning.

But what about fulling functional roofs? The best way to clean algae from a roof is a 50/50 solution of water and oxygen bleach. First, wet nearby plants with clean water to protect them. Soak the roof with the bleach solution and then sweep with a stiff brush. Always work down the slope of your roof to prevent damaging the shingles. When you’re done, rinse the entire area with clean water. Don’t use a pressure washer. The high pressure will tear up the shingles.

How to Prevent Algae from Returning

To keep your roof Algae free, install strips of zinc or copper underneath the shingles near the apex of your roof. Make sure that some of the metal is exposed. Tiny amounts will seep out with rain, inhibiting regrowth. These strips will keep moss away too.

What do you think? Know anyone that needs to fight roof algae?

Replace Broken Hoover Vacuum Belt

My vacuum cleaner broke a little while ago. And the evidence was beginning to show. It’s not like our house had slipped into the hazmat category, but it was time to fix the vacuum or replace it. FYI, I have a Hoover Savvy Vacuum (model number U8174900).

Required Materials

For this project, you’ll need a screw driver, and new belt. Amazon sells the Hoover Savvy Belt for $5.89. I recommend changing the HEPA Filter too. Amazon also sells the HEPA filter for $12.99. This is a great deal as these filters usually run about $30.

How to Replacing a Hoover Vacuum Timing Belt

There’s only a short list of vacuum problems I am capable of fixing. Fortunately, replacing the timing belt is one of them. This seems like it would be included in the manual, especially because they recommend replacing the belt every 3 – 6 months, but it isn’t. Take care when removing screws. My vacuum is plastic and a few screw housings have broken over time.

Step 1: Several screws secure the agitator brush in place. Remove these screws and the bottom plate. These are marked in the picture with red circles.

Step 2: The agitator brush will slide out. Observe how the brush was housed. Normally the timing belt helps keep it in place. Locate the broken timing belt and remove that too.

Step 3: Next, we need to remove the cover on the opposite side (that goes over the height adjustment knob). There are 5 screws to remove. Hoover placed 4 screws on the underside (marked in blue) and the last screw underneath the red Hoover emblem on the top side.

Step 4: Feed the new timing belt through the gap and around the cog that drives the agitator brush (highlighted in blue).

Step 5: Put the agitator brush through the remaining loop. Make sure the belt sits on the grooves/teeth in the brush, and push the brush back into place. Put all screws back into their original position.

New HEPA Filter

We’ve had our vacuum over two years and haven’t replaced the HEPA filter yet. I thought it was probably overdue. All I had to do was remove the waste canister and pull out the filter. The plastic top and bottom snap off. Easy as pie.

___

What do you think? Ever needed to work on a vacuum?

Review: Mosquito 86 Mosquito Prevention System

No, you’re not having deja vu.  You probably recognize Mosquito 86 from yesterday’s September giveaway announcement.   If you haven’t entered the contest yet, follow that link to enter.  It’s quick, easy, and you just might win one valuable Mosquito prevention system.

Besides sponsoring a giveaway on OPC, the folks at Mosquito 86 also gave us one to review.   What follows is our experience with the product.  To catch you up (if you didn’t read through yesterday’s post thoroughly), Mosquito 86 is a mosquito prevention system that attaches to a standard leaf blower to spread permethrin (dubbed “Agent E” by the Mosquito 86 folks).  Mosquito 86 promises to eliminate Mosquitos and other nasty pests from your yard with just a little effort on your part.  Overall, our experience with the Mosquito 86 product was positive, but not perfect.  See below for all the juicy details.

Mosquito 86 Setup Experience

Mosquito 86 sent us a complete gas blower kit containing: a gas blower, spreader attachment with backpack, Agent E, 2-cycle oil additive and all the instructions needed to get started.  From the time we opened the box until we were ready to spread was about 15 minutes, and that included mixing the gas in a new can.  Setup steps included:

• Unpacking the box and reading instructions.
• Mixing Agent E with water to fill the resevoir.
• Mixing 2-cycle oil additive with 1 gallon of gas.
• Starting the blower.
• Attaching the resevoir to the blower attachment via the quick-connect cord.

Mosquito 86 Application Experience

Once the blower is started and the resevoir connected, the Agent E & water mixture flows to the front of the blower attachment where it is atomized and then blown out about a dozen feet or so.

Spreading the mixture is quick and simple.   Mosquito 86 claims a typical yard will require 15 minutes to treat.  Larger yards may take as long as 30 minutes.  Their estimate was correct.  We covered our 1/4 acre in about 20 minutes, and spent some extra time underneath our deck where we’ve had a serious Mosquito problem for more than a year.

Overall, from start to finish took us about an hour.  That accounted for time to snap a few pictures for this review.

Our only gripe in spreading the mixture is that the mixture flows from the resevoir to the front of the blower powered by gravity only.  This means if you lift the blower up over the level of the resevoir (say, to spray a tree or up a hill), the mixture stops flowing.

Did Mosquito 86 Work?

The simple answer is yes. The more complicated answer is not completely.  We saw a significant reduction in mosquitos in our yard, and even 8 feet up on our elevated deck.

We had a dinner party on the same day we applied Agent E under our deck. Most folks in our party who had experienced our back yard in the past noted an improvement.

We’ll continue to use Mosquito 86 throughout the Fall and into next year and post a long-term review sometime next Summer.

Want to Give it a Try for Yourself?

Mosquito 86 sponsored this month’s giveaway on One Project Closer. Visit the giveaway article and sign up to win a complete Mosquito 86 system.  It’ll help prevent Mosquitos and other annoying pests, and you can use the gas blower to help with all those Fall leaves we’ll be experiencing soon.

Where to Buy Mosquito 86

If you aren’t the lucky winner of this month’s contest, you can still pickup the complete Mosquito 86 system on Amazon for only $199.  You’ll get it just in time to use it to prevent Mosquitos and clean up the millions of falling leaves that are just a few months away.  Mosquito 86 is also available at Target.

More configurations, including getting only the blower attachment and the Agent E are available directly from Mosquito 86 at www.mosquito86.com.

What do you think? If you’ve used this product, feel free to add your own thoughts below.

Home Improvement & Tool Giveaways at One Project Closer

Do you love free stuff? We do!  So we know you’re going to love what’s coming next…

Starting in late September ’08, we’ll be selecting one lucky reader each month to receive a fabulous new tool or home improvement item shipped right to their front door.  Imagine getting home from work to find a new lithium ion drill driver, a high quality bench grinder, a gas powered leaf blower, or even a pro series table saw awaiting on your doorstep… for FREE.  We’re not talking just any old tools either.  These are high quality, brand name tools that you can actually use to get your house projects done.

So you’re thinking to yourself, “What’s the catch?”  The answer:  there is no catch.  All you have to do is enter the contest.  In fact, you might already be entered if you’re receiving this article by e-mail (see below).

How to Enter OPC Tool Giveaways

There are three ways to enter the contest each month.  In fact, you might already be entered into the contest and not even know it!  Here’s how to maximize your chances of winning:

• 1 entries:  Leave a comment. Leave a comment on the month’s giveaway article to get one entry into the contest.
• 10 entries: Subscribe via e-mail. Just follow this link to subscribe to receive e-mail updates every day.  We’d love to be able to reward our RSS subscribers as well, but unfortunately RSS subscriptions don’t report any identifiable information for us to link you with the giveaway.

Why do we value subscriptions and blog entries more than comments? In the past, we’ve had a few online sweepstakes sites pick up our contests.  These sites redirect hundreds of people to the giveaway articles.  While we want to allow these folks to enter, we want to give our regular readers and fellow bloggers the best chances of winning each contest.  After all, the blogging community is really what keeps us going!

See the Fine Print below for additional details.

Current & Past Giveaways

• Irwin Vise Grip Tools Set (ended 9/21/08)
• Mosquito 86 Mosquito Prevention System (ended 9/30/08)
• Ceiling Fan ($175 Gift Card) from Home Depot (ended 10/31/08)
• DIY Network Tape Measures (5 Winners!) (ends 11/30/08)
• $100 Home Depot Gift Cards (2 Winners!) (ends 12/17/08)
• Dewalt Tracksaw ($500 Value) — Coming Soon!

What are the Odds of Winning?

That depends on the number of entries received.  Needless to say, writing an entry on your own blog or becoming an e-mail subscriber gives you a leg up.  For example, if there are a total of 300 entries for a giveaway, an e-mail subscriber has about a 3% chance of winning, and a blogger who wrote an article has a 25% chance.

We expect that, over time, more and more people will enter these contests.  We fully intend to increase the frequency of the giveaways as our budget grows, and as additional manufacturers and retailers contact us.

Why Are We Giving Away Tools?

Well, there’s actually a lot of reasons.  The first and most important is that we want to encourage increased participation and readership at our site.  We really enjoy the conversation this venue generates, and the resulting sense of community.  We’ve met some great people through our participation in others’ blogs, and their participation here.

Second, we want a regular venue for tool manufacturers and retailers to highlight their products.  We receive regular e-mails from these groups looking to gain publicity for their products.

Finally, we absolutely LOVE to make people happy.  It really is tremendous fun to receive a gift in the mail, and these giveaways allow us to share in our readers’ happiness.

For Manufacturers, Retailers, and PR Firms

Welcome to One Project Closer and thanks for your interest in sponsoring a giveaway!

More and more, customers are turning to the internet to research and purchase home improvement products.  Independent, well-designed home improvement blogs like One Project Closer have become a trusted source of information for prospective buyers.

Sponsoring a giveaway on One Project Closer guarantees you two articles focused entirely on your product (a giveaway announcement and a winner announcement).  Each article provides a summary of the features and benefits of your product and contains links back to your product’s sales and information pages.   Both articles will be submitted to all major search engines, and will remain available online in perpetuity.  In addition, a permanent graphical link is placed on the home page of this site (www.oneprojectcloser.com) for the duration of the giveaway (normally, 30-31 days).

Articles on One Project Closer can generate many thousands of brand and product impressions and hundreds of follow on sales.  Sponsorship is a great way to gain publicity for your product, obtain links back to your product’s sales pages, and create goodwill in the online home improvement community.

For more information on sponsorship, send an e-mail to giveaways@oneprojectcloser.com and ask for additional details.  You can also see our Giveaway Rules and FAQ for more information.

A Note to Financial Product & Service Companies

One Project Closer engages in the marketing of financial products including credit cards, loan products, etc. In the past, we have had financial institutions question their ability to work with us due to the giveaways provided on this site.  Accordingly, please note:  we do not provide any, giveaways, “points”, or any other incentives for trying products or services on our site, unless specifically requested to do so in a written agreement on the part of an advertiser.   The only giveaways we provide are free products or services, usually in the home improvement field, that are provided by advertisers or that we purchase.  The only way to gain entries for our giveaways is by using the methods identified above (leave a comment on the article, subscribe via e-mail, or write an article on your own site).  A reader cannot gain entries by trying products or services, etc.

Federal Law prohibits certain types of affiliate marketing that encourage users to sign up for financial products by offering additional points or incentives to do so.  We never modify the terms of an agreement and market financial products only in accordance with the advertiser’s / financial institution’s requirements.  We never provide giveaways, points, or other incentives to encourage users to try products or services unless we have gained prior written authorization from the affiliate.  For financial affiliates, we have a strict policy never to offer these types of incentives for fear of jeopardizing our ability to work with them.

Before & After: Kim’s Powder Room Renovation

This weeks Before and After is brought to you by Kim (Fred’s better half). She took on the challenge of updating their first floor powder room. I think you’ll agree that it is an amazing transformation.

As with every week, OPC will make a $25.00 donation to Habitat for Humanity.

The Powder Room Makeover

Buying a fixer-upper has left us with years’ and years’ worth of renovation and all-out conversion projects.  Sometimes it seems like we’ll never get there.  So, to encourage myself, I decided to tackle the smallest room in the house first: our main floor powder room.

When we bought the house, 20 year old wall paper “hung on” (read “was peeling off”) the walls.

After buckets of Dif-y-water and hours of scraping and drywall patching,

I was finally ready to paint and accessorize.  As mentioned in a prior post, I used flat paint the first time but have recently have gone back and repainted in eggshell, due to child-wear on the room.  The gray-purple color has remained the same, however:  Duron #8875 “Pigeon Isle.”  We found a color like it while attending a friend’s wedding in North Carolina.  Their reception hall’s walls popped with the white trim and were enough of a muted purple that Fred liked it as much as I did.  Once home, I pulled out my paint fan and found “Pigeon Isle.”  For my most recent re-paint, I used Jocie’s brand comparisons information and bought Ralph Lauren eggshell paint and had Home Depot color-match the Duron chip.

When we bought the house, the bathroom accessories were all different metals.  For the re-do, I went with brushed nickel, since the room is tiny, and I wanted to keep the accessories light like the trim to make the room feel as “airy” as possible.  I replaced the lighting fixture over the sink, removed a medicine cabinet and closed the drywall and hung a mirror over the sink as well, replaced the toilet paper holder and removed a towel bar (more drywall patching), added a towel ring, replaced the faucet, replaced the toilet seat (no, we didn’t keep the pink one), and found two pieces of wall art that incorporate the wall color.

Some time in the future, we’ll replace the vinyl flooring with the hardwood we hope to carry throughout the first floor of our house, and we’ll replace all the trim and the door.  For now, though, the room looks finished and coordinated.  It’s the one place I go to remind myself that we’ll get there with the REST of the house.  Someday.

Thanks from OPC

Obviously, your hard work paid off. The bathroom looks great. And this is a relatively, low-cost remodel. You have a new bathroom for the cost of some paint, art, and hardware!

Habitat Quick Fact

From Habitat’s website about World Habitat Day:

World Habitat Day, an annual event created by the United Nations, falls on the first Monday in October and unites people of goodwill and organizations around the cause of housing to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat.

This World Habitat Day will focus on the estimated 1 billion people living in slums, and breaking the cycle of poverty.

Secure tenure signifies that an individual has protection against eviction from housing or property they rightfully own or rent. Right now, families in many parts of the world are being forced from their homes as a result of harassment, corruption, excessive bureaucracy and discrimination against women and minorities.

Please join Habitat for Humanity in support of World Habitat Day 2008, as we raise our voices and take a stand in support of those facing wrongful eviction in our communities, in our countries and in our world.

For information on how you can help, e-mail worldhabitatday@habitat.org.

What do you think? Let Kim know what you think of her awesome bathroom makeover.

Selecting a Fire Extinguisher

Many of you read the post about extinguishing a grease fire. That was the night I learned that not all fire extinguishers are created equal. Fire extinguishers vary in size and type, so make sure you’ve got the right one.

Which Extinguisher to Buy

Most extinguishers have a number associated with how much fire they can put out. I highly recommend an extinguisher larger than 1-A / 10B,C for your home (I explain the naming system below). Also, multi-class extinguishers are better because they can be used for more types of fire. I do think the smaller extinguishers are good to have in you car, or by your grill. Count it as the backup as they don’t last very long.

Fire Extinguisher Classes

In the Unites States, there are 5 fire extinguisher classes. Each class is based on the fire fuel type. Many extinguishers can be used on more than one type of fire. Double check what types your fire extinguisher is rated for.

Class A

Class A is used to extinguish fires fueled by ordinary, solid combustibles. This includes things like paper, wood, and most plastics. These extinguishers are labeled with a green triangle. Class A extinguishers contain water and the number (i.e. 4-A) indicates the amount of fire it can put out.

Class B

Class B extinguishers are used on flammable liquids and gases like gasoline, kerosene, grease, and oil. These extinguishers have a red square identifier and the numerical rating indicates the approximate number of square feet of fire it can extinguish.

Class C

Class C fires involve electricity or energized electrical equipment such as wiring, appliances, or outlets. These extinguishers are marked with a blue circle. Never attempt to use regular, pressurized water to put out an electric fire. You could be seriously injured by an electrical shock.

Class D

Class D extinguishers are used to extinguish combustible metals like magnesium and sodium. These extinguishers have a yellow star but won’t have an area / amount rating.

Class K

Class K extinguishers are used to put out burning cooking oils and fats. They are commonly found in restaurant kitchens (think K for kitchen). They are identified with a black hexagon and were developed for use with cooking appliances.

Types of Fire Extinguishers

This may sound a little redundant but each extinguisher dispenses some kind of agent to put out the fire. That agent determines which classes it falls into.

Water Extinguisher: Water extinguishers can be used with Class A fires (solid combustibles). These extinguishers are inexpensive, and typically easy to clean up. Pressurized water extinguishers are usually chrome. Never attempt to use a water extinguisher on a grease fire as that will splash and spread the fire. Also, water can provide a path for electricity. So never use water extinguishers for electric fires.

Water Mist Extinguisher: These have similar properties to pressurized water extinguishers except that they can be used on Class C fires (electrical). This is because the misting nozzle doesn’t create a path for the electricity.

Dry Chemical: Dry chemical extinguishers are usually multi-purpose. They contain a compressed extinguishing agent like potassium bicarbonate that prevents a necessary chemical reaction for fire. Dry chemical extinguishers emit this non-flammable agent, covering the fire which can reduce the likelihood of re-ignition. However, take care to clean up after this extinguisher as the agent is mildly corrosive.

Halon: This type of extinguisher contains a gas that also disrupts chemical reactions for fire to take place. Halon extinguishers can put out fires without damaging electrical equipment (great for Class C). Be careful as they have a limited range.

Carbon Dioxide: CO2 extinguishers are best for Class B and Class C fires. They contain highly pressurized, liquid CO2. When the CO2 is released it becomes a gas which cools the surrounding air and smothers the fire.

Extinguisher Maintenance

Extinguishers should be checked regularly. Verify the extinguisher weight (volume) and pressure. Look for signs of corrosion. Use a rubber mallet to hit the bottom of dry-chemical extinguishers. This will “fluff” the powder making sure it is free flowing.

What do you think? What kind of extinguisher do you have?

Image courtesy of The Jamoker

Selecting Baseboard Molding

It’s time to put on the baseboard! That’s right. The floors are in and it’s time to move on to the next step.

Baseboard (kick board, skirting board) is installed on the lower part of a wall to conceal the joints between the wall and floor. It provides a small amount of protection for the wall and acts as a decorative touch. So what’s are the options?

Baseboard Materials

I checked out plastic and wood baseboard but MDF is another candidate.

• Plastic baseboard can be glued or nailed. It’s very flexible making it a great choice for not-so-straight walls. Plastic also works well in bathrooms as it won’t absorb moisture. It’s manufactured to be nice and uniform.
• Wood is another other popular choice. It’s not as uniform and can split. Wood baseboards often have finger-joints; another potential problem area. On the plus side, wood can be cheaper
• MDF or wood composites have great uniformity. And they are light, making them easy to work with.

Baseboard Sizes

When selecting baseboard, you need to consider the height and length. Our current baseboard is very short. You can only see about an inch and a half. It doesn’t look good. Select baseboard tall enough to be a noticeable accent without becoming overpowering. I think 6″ is a good rule of thumb.

Longer pieces of baseboard require less scarf joints (where two pieces meet along a straight run). Scarf joints aren’t bad, but it’s better to avoid them if you can.

Baseboard Style

Baseboard can be a simple board or an elaborate assembly with multiple parts. Choose a baseboard molding that fits your space. Decide if you want a painted baseboard (usually white) or stained to bring out the natural beauty. What kind of wood do you want? Pine and poplar are common choices, but just about any wood can be special ordered. Pre-fabricated corners can add more decoration and make installation that much easier by eliminates angled miter cuts.

Baseboard Prices

It just about always comes down to price. These prices are for basic style molding from my local Big Orange. Details like length, height, and material can really effect the price. Decorative style, and type of wood can also increase the price.

• Wood: Go for the pre-primed wood unless you plan on staining the base molding. A 12′, pre-primed piece of pine costs $1.29 per linear foot. I also found a Pro-pack which consists of 10 count, pre-primed, 12′ boards (so 120 linear feet all together). The Pro-pack amazingly cost $0.29 per linear feet. I chose the Pro-pack.
• MDF: The only option for MDF is pre-primed. A 12′ board will cost $1.06 per linear foot.
• Plastic: Like MDF, plastic is also considered pre-primed. A 12′ board runs $1.21 per linear foot.

What do you think? What baseboard do you prefer?

SAM vs. PODS: Moving and Storage Compared (Prices, Sizes, and More Reviewed)

Back in May we had our first opportunity to use one of those fancy new PODS containers (PODS is a clever acronym for Portable On Demand Storage). We helped two friends move locally from a townhome to a single family home they bought in a bank sale.  PODS really made the move easy, and prompted me to write this review of PODS’ service.  If you’re not familiar with the offering, here’s a brief overview to get you up to speed.

How PODS Works

PODS drops off a container (a.k.a. a POD) at your starting point. You can take as long as you want to load it (subject to local regulations and the depth of your pockets).  At your request, they pick up the loaded container and will either move it directly to your destination, or store it in a secure warehouse until you’re ready to have it delivered. After you finish unloading it at the new place, a call to the PODS hotline will summon them back to pick up the container and be on their way.  PODS sells simplicity and convenience in the self-moving business, and they’ve really nailed it.

Of course, the PODS business model isn’t rocket science.  Buy a few hundred containers, paint them, hire some drivers to move the containers around, and collect payment. (Ok, ok… I know its more than that). But there’s no huge technological advancement in this business. They’ve taken containerized shipping–an innovation that has given us the myriad of goods at our favorite big box stores–and brought it to residential moves. The lack of barriers to entry was sure to attract some new players to this market, and it already has.

About a month ago I was watching my favorite cable news network and up popped an ad for SAM, the latest entry into the residential container self-moving market.  For what its worth, SAM is a not-as-clever acronym for Store and Move.  Not surprisingly, they do just that: store and move your stuff (although I suppose they actually move, then store, but MAS was found a worse acronym than SAM).  I could explain their business model, but that would make this post repetitive.  If you need to understand it, back up two paragraphs, replace PODS with SAM, and you’ve pretty much got it.

What follows is a comparison of a few facets of their business that should help someone make a decision between them.  Note that I’ve only experienced PODS.  The information on SAM is from their own advertising material.

As always, experience speaks louder than advertising.  If you’ve got experience with either, weigh in below and make this comparison even better.

Local Availability

I’ll say up front that it is a bit unfair to compare these services based on their local availability.  That’s why this section came first.  After all, if either company doesn’t do business in your departure or destination location, you’ll rule them out without further examination.  But, for the sake of completeness, I took a look.

What I found was that SAM was more up front with the locations they service.  SAM provides a map and list of serviced cities on their site.  PODS requires you to query their system with a start and end destination in order to find out whether they serve that area.  I understand the motivation for this: no need to give your competition easy access to the data.  The only issue I have is that PODS requires your e-mail address to process the request.  The system doesn’t do an e-mail confirmation, so any fake address will work.   Even if it did, you could always use Guerilla Mail (or in my case, test@test.com).

Container Storage Facilities

Both PODS and SAM offer climate controlled, secure facilities.  SAM also offers non-climate controlled facilities. Climate-controlled facilities are essential to the self-storage business.  Most people don’t want to store their goods outside for any period of time.

Container Sizes, Shapes, Weight Capacity and Quality

Container Shapes, Sizes & Weight Limits:

PODS: There are three sizes:

• 7′x7′x8′ (49 sq ft., 392 cu ft.) (weight limit not listed)
• 8′x12′x8′ (96 sq ft., 768 cu ft.) (weight limit not listed)
• 8′x16′x8′ (128 sq. ft., 1024 cu. ft.) (weight limit not listed)

SAM:  One size fits all:

• 8′x16′x8′ (120+ sq. ft., 900+ cu. ft.)  7500 pound weight limit

Container Quality and Aestetics

SAM containers with their silver finish and polished lines are more attractive than PODS, although I suspect PODS containers work better for visual marketing.  Both container styles are weather resistent (PODS says theirs will withstand 110mph winds when partially loaded).  Neither have climate control options (no air conditioning / dehumidification on the container).  As a result, you’ll want to load furniture quickly and have the container shipped to a climate controlled facility.

Bottom line: as long as you need an 8′x16′x8′ container, either of these solutions will do just fine.  If you need something smaller, only PODS will accommodate you.

Web Site Ease of Use

Both web sites are very easy to navigate and reserve your container.  Both offer online payment options and guaranteed delivery dates.  SAMS gets a slightly higher mark in this category for being a little more streamlined and less cluttered… Mostly because they are in fewer business lines than PODS (which has expanded into the broader containerized shipping market.

Container Costs & Pricing

For both companies, pricing varies directly by the following factors:

• Number of containers rented & container size.
• Length of rental period.
• Shipping distance.
• Number of drop offs and pick ups.

Rather than analyze each of these factors for pricing effects, I took the easy route.  I’ve created two scenarios to compare these titans of the container shipping market.  Here’s the two scenarios:

Move Scenario #1: Local move with two (2) 8x8x16 containers.  Container #1 will be delivered first, loaded, and stored at a storage facility for <1 month.  Container #2 stays on property until it is moved directly to the new location.  Total move will take less than 1 month.  Both containers will be shipped to the new location and then picked up by the company.

• PODS Price: $314.25 (Container #1) + $333.75 (Container #2) = $648.00*
• SAM Price: $344.00 (Container #1) + $301.50 (Container #2) = $645.50

*Surprisingly, PODS system charges more to move the container than move and store the container.  Had we selected to “move and store” both pods, the price would have been only $628.50.  I tried forever to figure out why this pricing anamoly is the way it is.  The best I can tell: PODS screwed up.

Move Scenario #2: All the same options as scenario one, except the move is interstate from Maryland to California.

• PODS Price: NOT GIVEN.  (Requires a phone call – UGH!).
• SAM Price: $5513.60 (both containers shipped together – WOW!)

Thoughts on Price: For any move, it wouldn’t hurt to call these companies to gain competitive pricing.  Let them know you’re looking at other store and move companies and you need their most competitive offer.  The reality is that $5513.60 is a monster of a price to pay to ship goods!

Overall Evaluation

At the end of the day, for local moves, these companies are pretty much equals.  PODS offers a few more options, SAM’s web site is a bit easier to use.  If you choose to use either, make sure to give them a call and tell them you’re scoping the competition.  It will certainly be worthwhile.

What do you think? My comparison of PODS and SAMS is based on their claims, but real experiences speak louder than advertising.  Have you used either of these?  What has your experience been?

Containers Photo by photohome_uk.

Next Page »