Your Take: Home Phone Service or Not

Recently, I’ve been sifting through our spending, thinking of ways to save a few dollars. One popular way to trim down monthly bills is to cut out the home phone service. Just about everyone has a cell phone, so why keep a home phone too? There are some benefits to having a home phone but is it worth the additional cost?

Benefits of Having a Home Phone

Here are the reasons I found for maintaining a home phone. Feel free to comment with your own reasons.

• Safety – A huge reason for keeping a landline is safety. First, many home security systems work in conjunction with the home phone line. Second, it’s important to always be able to call for help. In an emergency, you don’t want to wonder if you have service. Plus, 911 call centers can quickly trace a landline. Third, some kids (less and less these days) don’t have cell phones.
• Backup – It’s easy to loose a cell phone. I’ve lost mine several time (and thankfully found it). But having a home phone as a secondary phone isn’t a bad idea. It’s also nice to have a home phone when your cell isn’t charged or you’ve gone over your alloted minutes.
• Odds -n- Ends – I’ve also read that some DVR’s actually use landlines to transmit information, and some schools require one (is that true?).

Vonage Phone Service

Jocie and I use Vonage for our home phone service. Vonage works well and is relatively inexpensive. Here are some more details.

• Reliable High speed internet connection required
• Unlimited local and long distance calling to the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
• Free Calls to Italy, France, Spain, UK and Ireland!
• Typical features like call waiting, voicemail, and caller ID included
• $30.02 a month

While writing this post, I came across an offer from Vonage for some significant savings. I can get the same service for $239.99 if I pay for the entire year. $239.99 / 12 = $19.99. Not bad!

Poll the Audience

I’m really curious what the audience has to say. Do you keep a home phone? What kind of service do you use? Has anybody cut out the landline to save money? Are there any odd benefits / requirements to have a home phone that I missed?
Image courtesy of aussiegall

Review: Apple Airport Express for Music Broadcast Over WiFi

If you haven’t already read our article on Apple’s latest set of gadgets that work together to broadcast music throughout your house, do that now. This review makes much more sense in that context.

One of the key components to Apple’s audio broadcast setup is the Airport Express, a simple device that plugs into the wall and boasts the following capabilities:

• Create a wireless network (it has an ethernet port).
• Extend an existing wireless network using a bridging capability.  This is nice if you want to make your wireless network work in a part of your house that has weak signal.
• Host a USB printer from the network (instead of connected directly to a computer).
• And our personal favorite (and the reason for the review): receive iTunes over your WiFi network using AirTunes, and output the signal to a 1/8″ headphone jack connected that will output both analog and fiber-optic digital.

We are currently using an Airport Express to receive broadcasted iTunes from Kim’s laptop to a receiver located in our master bedroom closet. The receiver powers Klipsch speakers on our deck. When I first heard about Apple’s capability, I was skeptical about the performance, particularly streaming music over WiFi. Here’s our experience with the device for those interested in giving it a try:

Apple Airport Express Review

Setup Review

Setting up the Airport Express should be pretty simple and straightforward. Unfortunately, we ran into a compatibility issue with our Verizon FIOS router and the default WEP encryption. We had to change our entire wireless setup to use WPA security.  After the switch, the router ran great. If you happen to find yourself in this situation, Apple’s support forums have a great article on Verizon’s Actiontec Router and the Airport Express.

Other than that hitch, the instructions Apple provided were very adequate. If you aren’t a techie, it might be useful to invite over that special someone in your life who can make gadgets dance.

Music Performance Review

We had three concerns going into the Airport Express purchase:

• The WiFi network wouldn’t keep up with the data rate required for streaming music.
• The iPhone Remote’s interaction with iTunes would interupt the music or make it skip.  This was happening on the laptop itself when the remote was in use.
• The quality of the sound would be degraded due to the number of “hops” in the system / bandwidth issues.

I’m happy to report that none of these fears came to fruition.  The Airport Express broadcasts music flawlessly from our iTunes setup.  There’s a minor 2-second delay that affects response times from the remote, but facilitates the streaming audio.

Printing, Creating and Extending a Wireless Network

We briefly used the airport express to create a wireless network.  It works well, but the broadcast range is shorter than our Actiontec Router. We didn’t try the extending a network feature or the printing capability, but would expect both to work well.

Where to Buy an Airport Express?

You can learn more about the Airport Express at Apple’s Airport Express Official Site.  If the device is right for you, you can save 5% off the retail price ($99) by picking up the airport express at Amazon.  Amazon ships the unit for free and you can avoid sales tax in some locations.

What do you think?  Do you own the airport express? Add your own experiences in the comments…

What Matters for Home Appraisals

Recently, we’ve been going through the process of refinancing our mortgage. One part of the process is a getting an appraisal done. I was very interested to find out how much our house is worth, and how the upgrades have impacted the value.

Fortunately, the house appraised well. It was at the top of the range! Most of the upgrades really helped our house stand out from the rest. However, it’s a bit of a shock how much the total value has dropped despite all our hard work. Three years ago, before all of our projects, our home was worth $22K more than today. Ultimately, it’s still worth enough that we can continue the refinance process, and that was my biggest concern.

What do Home Appraisers Look For

The entire appraisal process only took about a half hour of my time. The appraiser and I walked the house talking about the various features and any upgrades we’ve done. He had a really nifty ultrasonic distance measure to create a diagram of the house and check the total square footage. I tried to point out anything that might be of interest. He wasn’t concerned with things like a new thermostat, checking moisture levels in the basement, or the last time the chimney was swept. So I asked the appraiser what upgrades matter most. Here are the aspects of a home that have the greatest impact (at least for our area).

• Kitchen
• Master Bathroom
• Finished Basement
• Bathroom in Basement
• New Windows
• New Roof

A couple other features he took into account include: built-in book shelves, new air conditioning compressor, waterproof shower membrane, and that we’ve painted just about every surface in the house.

Does a Clean Home Appraise Better

The appraisal was scheduled amazingly fast. That didn’t leave me and Jocie much time to clean. We had a hunch that it didn’t matter too much but wanted to at least tidy up. Here’s what the appraiser said about the subject. Experienced appraisers don’t really notice how clean (or unclean) a house it. A house should appraise for the same amount either way. However, part of an appraisal is the perceived value of a home, and it’s easier for someone to appreciate the potential value in a clean space. I suggest tidying up but don’t go overboard.

What do you think? What projects have added to the value of your home?
Image courtesy of Miamism

Brazillian Cherry Prefinished Hardwood Flooring Boards, Moldings, and Trim

Brazilian Cherry Hardwood Floors are one of the most beautiful additions to any home. They instantly increase the warmth of a room with an elegant, vibrant blend of reds and reddish browns that deepen over time.

Brazillian Cherry flooring goes great with a wide variety of wall colors and decor.  It looks best when accented by medium tans and beiges that allow the floor’s life and color to energize the space.

Prefinished vs. Unfinished Brazillian Cherry

Prefinished hardwood floors eliminate three quarters of the tough work of a hardwood flooring installation. Prefinished floors are sanded and clear-coated at the factory and can be installed on site after a brief acclimation period.  After the floors are nailed into place, there’s no additional work and the floor can be used immediately.  Unfinished Floors are laid using the same tools as prefinished floors, but will require sanding and polyeurethane applied after the floors are laid.

Because prefinished floors are coated at the factory, more robust chemicals can be applied to the wood than what is available for an on-site job.  (For instance, BellaWood uses an aluminum oxide (AO) as a substitute for standard polyeurethane.  The AO surface has a longer durable life.  Plus, AO doesn’t haze or turn a slight yellow over time, a known issue with polyeurethane.

Stained vs. Natural Looking Woods

Some cheaper domestic woods, like white and red oak, are often stained to a darker or richer color.  In constrast, most exotic hardwoods like Brazillian Cherry are not stained.  They are only sanded and sealed.  We like unstained woods because scratch repair is easier.  There is no stain to match during the repair (only a finish match needs to occur).

Brazilian Cherry Hardwood Thicknesses

Traditional hardwood floors are 3/4″ thick.  More recently, a half-as-thick 3/8″ version of most hardwoods has been made available on the market.  The advantage of thicker woods is two fold:  (1) they can be refinished more times, and (2) they provide more structural support to the floor when laid across the joist, potentially leading to a more stable-feeling floor.

The advantage of thinner boards is the reduced price and lower environmental impact.  Brazillian Cherry hardwoods are available in both thicknesses, as well as a variety of widths (2-3/4″ is the standard).

Where to Buy Brazilian Cherry Flooring Boards and Trim

Our favorite online hardwood flooring shop is Lumber Liquidators. (see Where to Buy Hardwood Floors Online).  They have a fantastic selection of hardwoods and will ship them right to your front door.  We especially like their BellaWood 3/4″ x 2-3/4″ Prefinished Select Brazilian Cherry floors.  These particular floors are stunning, as you can see to the right.  The 2-3/4″ boards provide a traditional, elegant look.

If you’re in the market for hardwoods, here’s the link to Lumber Liquidator’s Brazilian Cherry Flooring Home Page, and below it to the 3/4″ x 2-1/4″ flooring boards we like best.   If you’re looking for other woods, we recommend following the Lumber Liquidators or “Where to Buy” links above to browse entire selections.

• Brazilian Cherry Prefinished Flooring Home
  
• BellaWood 3/4″ x 2-1/4″ Brazilian Cherry Pre-Finished Select

Buying flooring online offers significant savings opportunities over purchasing locally.  In some locations, sales tax is waived.  Plus, you can get the hardwood delivered right to your front door and bypass a local warehouse which generally has storage costs.

Tools for Installing Hardwood Floors

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day! We hope everyone has a great day with family and friends. But, before you start firing up the grill, remember what today is all about.

This is an excerpt from Fred’s post last year.

We’d like to take time out today to thank each of you who are serving or have served in our unformed services. We’d also like to thank those family members who have carried the burden of deceased or severely wounded loved ones. You have given selflessly so that the rest of us can go about our lives, often without a thought of the price that has been paid. You are to be commended for your service.

Thank you again to those who have served and the men and women who serve today.
Image courtesy of StuSeeger

Weed and Feed Review: Scotts Turfbuilder With PLUS 2 Weed Control

Early this Spring we started our lawn on the Scotts annual lawn care program, a system designed to make it easy for homeowners to get their lawns looking great over a 12 month period.  The program begins in the early Spring with application of a turf builder and crabgrass preventer, and proceeds throughout the year with products designed to kill weeds, promote root growth, and fill in bare spots.  About four weeks ago we applied the late Spring weed and feed product: Turfbuilder with PLUS 2 Weed Control.  The purpose: eliminate dandelions and other broad lead weeds and build strong, deep, thriving roots.

The Lawn Before a Weed and Feed Product

This is the part of the article where I show you what things looked like before we applied weed and feed. Unfortunately, due to operator error, I no longer have the picture.  So, you’ll have to generate your own mental picture of the lawn. The lawn was about 95% tall fescue, and about a 5% mix of dandelions, clover, and a minimal number of other broad leaf weeds.  The dandelions where tall and strong, with bright, yellow buds announcing their presence.  The clover was much more subtle, but had grown to at least a 2′ x 3′ patch in one area of the lawn.

Applying Scotts Turfbuilder With Plus 2 Weed Control

We applied Scotts Turfbuilder with Weed Control using a typical broadcast spreader, one of several types of spreaders that are suitable for spreading lawn chemicals. Since we used a broadcast spreader as opposed to a drop spreader, we only made one pass over each section of the lawn, with the goal of only a slight overlap on each pass.  This ensured the whole lawn was properly covered, but that no section was burned by application of too mcuh fertiziler.  We also took care to avoid garden areas completely, as weed and feed products hold the potential to destroy broad leaf flowers too.

Scotts Turfbuilder Review

We’re very pleased with how the product has performed to date.  Here’s a picture of a typical dandelion about 4 days after the application of Scotts Turfbuilder Plus 2 Weed Control:

The first application has killed about 95% of all the broadleaf weeds in our yard within the first 7 days.  The only exception to this has been the clover, which took much longer to die off.  At four weeks, we’ve seen about 70% of the clover die off, and as the fescue builds deeper root structures and grows tall, the clover has had much less of an ability to spread.

In the latter part of our four week experiment, we had a series of days that alternated between rain and sun.  Over this period, we saw  the lawn take off.  Here’s a shot during this period only seven days after the lawn had been mowed…

Pretty good looking right?  We think so, and so would recommend Scotts program to folks considering it for their own lawns.

Tips for Using Scotts Turfbuilder with Weed Control

• Follow the instructions exactly as they are listed on the bag.
• Do not overapply the chemicals.  The product can burn your lawn.
• Apply weed and feed a few days after mowing, and when the lawn is damp (either early morning, after rain, or after watering).
• Do not water the lawn within 48 hours of application.  Avoid spreading when rain is imminent.
• Take care to avoid spreading in garden and path areas.
• Apply when broad leaf weeds are growing (early application is a waste).
• Don’t walk on the lawn barefoot until the first good rain dissolves all chemicals.
• Aerate your lawn sometime during the season.  This promotes root growth and helps prevent thatch.

Thoughts on Professional Help

Spreading weed and feed is something you can easily do on your own, but if you’re considering professional help, Amy over at Green Gardenista offers some great advice on picking a lawn service that is a good place to start if you’re considering TruGreen or one of the other big guys.

What do you think? Have you used Scotts or another manufacturer’s weed and feed product? What were your results?

BEHR Premium Weatherproofing Sealer Better on Fences

Many of you read Fred’s review of BEHR’s Premium Deck and Fence Weatherproofer. Ultimately, he wasn’t so pleased with it. It’s already faded and looking a little dingy after just a few years. Another friend also used BEHR Premium Weatherproofer but on his fence. So far, it’s a totally different story.

Preparing the Fence

This fence was featured in one of our Before and After posts. The fence was about 20 years old and had taken on that grayish, dirty appearance. By using a pressure washer, my friend was able to remove the dirt, mold and years added by weather.

Be careful whenever you pressure wash. Make sure it’s not set too high or it will damage the wood. Generally, 1500 PSI is adequate for most wood surfaces. Try out the pressure washer in an inconspicuous area before you get started. Pressure wash as much as you can. Often tight corners won’t be accessible and you may need to do some hand sanding. BEHR also recommends several products to help get your fence ready. Read the label and make sure to follow manufacturers directions for each.

• BEHR premium stain & finish stripper # 64 to remove loose wood fibers.
• BEHR premium 2-in-1 wood prep # 63 to brighten the wood and clean away moderate stains.
• BEHR premium premium mold & mildew stain remover # 62 to clean up severe stains.

Applying BEHR Weatherproofer

Weatherproofer is best applied under these conditions (per BEHR’s website).

• Outside temperature is between 40°F and 90°F
• No rain is expected within 24 hours of the final coat
• Fence may be dry or damp but be sure to remove any excess water

Weatherproofing can be applied with a roller, pump sprayer, airless sprayer or a brush. In our experience, a brush works best. You get even coverage without any excess. Plus, you’re able to tackle any tough-to-reach areas. Apply the weatherproofer one board at a time to avoid any lap marks. BEHR recommends two coats for “optimal appearance and durability”. My friend only applied one coat.

BEHR Premium Weatherproofing Cost per Gallon

My friend’s fence doesn’t have too much surface area. He was able to seal his entire fence with one gallon (plus he only applied one coat). Big Orange sells this weatherproofer for $29.95 per gallon or $125 for a 5 gallon bucket ($25 per gallon). It’s not the cheapest option, but alternate sealers claim less durability.

BEHR Fence Weatherproofing One Year Later

My friend is still pleased with his fence even after more than a year later. The color (Redwood) became a little lighter over time, but the mildewcide seems to be working well and none of the grayish color has returned. I think the big difference is that fences don’t have the foot traffic that decks do. Decks have to withstand feet, toys, food and pooling water while fences don’t.

What do you think? How did you seal your fence? Any experience with BEHR premium weatherproofer?

Where to Buy Hardwood Floors Online

While troubling for many, the worldwide economic situation and corresponding slowdown in construction and remodeling has made this a great time to purchase hardwood flooring.  For instance,  iFloor’s bankruptcy proceedings gave rise to deep discounts from Lumber Liquidators on bulk stock they bought at the liquidation auction.

At this point, almost all of the online hardwood flooring stores are running some type of sale or discount to win your business.  Couple that with the fact that their regular prices are at least 20% below local retail stores, and you’ve got a winning combination for buying wood floors and adding value to your home.

Here’s our short list of online stores to comparison shop and make your hardwood purchase. Never ordered hardwoods online before? Don’t worry! Each of these stores makes the task extremely simple, even arranging the shipping right to your door.

Online Hardwood Flooring Stores

LumberLiquidators.com – Made famous by Ty Pennington and Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Lumber Liquidators is the most popular online hardwood flooring site.  We’re huge fans of their Bellawood floors, especially Brazillian Cherry and Brazillian Walnut varieties we’ve installed.  Lumber Liquidators keeps prices down by purchasing in large bulk quantities and offering limited hardwood brands (which is fine by us – they’re brands are great).  Selection includes hardwood, bamboo, engineered lumber, standard 3/4″ and 3/8″ boards, unfinished, prefinished and a whole lot more.

FastFloors.com – With more than two dozen brands offerred, Fast Floors offers unparalleled selection in hardwoods.  They offer a 110% price match guarantee (but only on brands they carry, not similar products from other brands). Shop fast floors for cork, bamboo, exotic hardwoods, engineered and solid woods, prefinished and unfinished, and more.  Fast Floors offers virtually every type of hardfloor flooring available.

SuperFloorCenter.com – Super Floor Center is a recent entrant in the online flooring business, but offers some compelling deals with a reasonably large selection. Our favorite part of their site: SFC will send you a free sample of any flooring they offer.  Seriously – they’ll even ship it for free.  That’s a great deal if you’re trying to choose between hardwoods to get the perfect look for a room.

Wood Flooring Installation Tools

Once you get the wood, we’ve gotcha covered for the tools.  Check out our complete list of tools required for hardwood flooring installation, including our recommendations for every tool you’ll need to get this job done!

(photo: randyr.net)

Baby-proofing the House

Well, Izzie is only 3 months old, but the time for crawling and walking is quickly approaching, which means baby-proofing the house. By nature, I am not an alarmist. I think it is important for children (even young ones) to learn realistic boundaries and have natural consequences. For example, Ethan and I will most likely not put away everything that is breakable because we want Izzie to learn what is appropriate to touch and what is not, otherwise she will not be a very good visitor to other people’s homes. The flip side of that is that I will not be leaving my fine china within reach, but maybe things that I am more okay with accidentally being broken.

Another big aspect of baby-proofing is safety. While I want Izzie to learn boundaries through some natural consequences, I also want her to live a long healthy life. So, with that philosophy in mind, here are some things I will be doing in my house to baby-proof:

Gates

Babies are naturally inquisitive and get quicker as they are more mobile. Putting gates at the top and bottom of stairs allowing both you and baby a little freedom without danger. I like pressure gates, so the walls (or wood banisters) are not marked. Look for gates that also have a door that can be opened with one hand. If you are holding a baby, you don’t want to have to step over a gate or use lots of effort to remove and replace the gate. Check out this highly recommended gate from Babies R Us.

Clear away the clutter

While teaching babies to stay out of clutter may be a useful skill, it also may be more of a headache than it is worth. Clearing away the clutter will make you and baby happy. I try to clean up piles of clutter and bags of grocery, but don’t stress about every small bit of dust or dirt. I vacuum and dust once a week, but daily is too much for me (unless you have pets).

Install Locks on Cabinets

It is not necessary that you put locks on every door and cabinet. Children can be taught not to play in the kitchen. However, when it comes to cleaning supplies or knives, it is not worth the risk! So make sure and put locks on cabinets and doors that hold hazardous materials. There are lots of products out there, but this Tot-Loks by Safety 1st looked like an interesting alternative to push down latches that older children can “un-lock.” Tot Loks use magnet keys to un-lock the cabinet, so that only the key-holder can open them. If you have used these I would love your feedback!

Cover the Outlets

I go back and forth on this – ultimately outlet covers provide peace of mind and safety. I do not like plugging outlet covers because they are so difficult to remove without breaking a nail and can be choking hazards. But check out these from Babies R Us.  This outlet cover automatically covers the outlet when a chord is unplugged.

Tie up loose strings and cords

Blinds and window treatments often leave long, loose strings hanging, a big danger to children. There are lots of products out there, but save your self some money and buy a ribbon or use a twist tie to gather the cords and put them out of reach.

Lock your Doors

While we often lock our doors to keep unwanted visitors out, it is also important to lock your doors to keep people in! Now that the kids are more mobile, keep your dead bolt locked so that the kids don’t escape and you keep your peace of mind.

What do you think? What do you do to baby proof your house? Any advice?
Image courtesy of Chris Paulis

What is a Power Impact Driver?

Have you ever had to drive a screw into a material that was so hard your drill driver simply wouldn’t drive it? Have you ever tried to loosen a tightened bolt that just won’t budge? If you answered yes to either, an impact driver is the tool you should have been using instead of that drill driver!

Impact Drivers Deliver High Torque

Impact drivers use a combination of standard rotational force and sharp, concussive blows to drive (or loosen) screws and bolts. While a standard drill driver delivers between 400-600 lb. ft. of torque to the screw head, most impact drivers deliver well over 1000 lb. ft. of torque. That’s twice the driving power than standard drill driver counterparts!

Even more impressive, because of the way an impact driver works, there’s virtually no torque transfer to the hands of the operator. The small, concussive blows are so short and quick that the operator hardly feels the force, yet screws drive in with ease. For those who haven’t used impact drivers before, this concept can seem a little unbelievable. Nevertheless, it’s true — you can drive a bolt or screw very tight without ever feeling the force of the drive.

Impact Drivers vs. Drill Drivers

This might beg the question: why not use an impact driver for every job? There are a few reasons to keep that drill-driver around: (1) for standard drilling activities that don’t require extreme force, a drill-driver is more efficient and faster, and (2) an impact driver won’t work well for drilling applications.

Bosch Impact Driver

The impact driver pictured in the upper right is a Bosch 10.8V Lithium Ion Impact Driver (official site).  The Bosch ID is one of our favorite tools. This impact driver is very light weight (50% lighter than 18V versions), comes with two Li-Ion batteries, and has a very good grip feel. You’ll be amazed by the driving power packed in this lightweight package. You can pick up the Bosch model with free shipping from Amazon at this link:

• Amazon.com >> Bosch 10.8V Lithium Ion Impact Driver

You can also pickup the Bosch Li-on Impact Driver online at ToolKing, Home Depot, and Lowes, although shipping policies may not be as favorable as Amazon’s.

Next Page »