Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

This is a little bit late but we just wanted to say merry Christmas and happy holidays. Everyone here at OPC is very excited about 2010 and all the great projects we have in store.

Miracle on 34th Street, Baltimore Style

Every year, a small subdivision of Baltimore City located on the 700 block of 34th street puts on a spectacular Christmas lights display–the kind of show that gives Vegas a run for its money.

We’ve been every year of the last five, each year before only driving amidst the bumper-to-bumper traffic to get a look at the light displays and decked halls. This year, we decided to park down the street and take a stroll down 34th street so we could share the scenes with you.

If you’re not from Baltimore, you probably only know Miracle on 34th Street as the 1947 classic with Natalie Wood and Gene Lockhart.

When that movie debuted, two of the folks who lived on 34th street in a subdivision called Hampden decided to start a tradition that has brought holiday cheer to hundreds of thousands of visitors. It’s grown over the years and now nearly every house on the block participates. In fact, they’ve done all but written the celebration requirement into the deeds of the properties!

The decorations are cheerful and eclectic, with Christmas trees made of lights, vinyl records, and even hub caps. One of our personal favorites: the Old Bay Christmas tree, decorated with hanging cans of Old Bay Seasoning, a MD crab-lovers favorite! The blizzard of 2009 added snow to the mix, really making this year special.

Aside from the thousands of lights, there’s peace signs, menorahs, blow-up santas, nativities, reindeer, dolls, and one house with a walk-in tour that featured snow flakes painted on the floor and metal artwork.

If you get a chance to visit the Baltimore area during the holidays, you must walk through! For those of you who can’t make it in person, here’s a walk down 34th street, in pictures…

34th Street Baltimore Picture Tour

Merry Christmas Eve!

As all of us here at One Project Closer are prepping our homes for the big celebration, we hope your families are together, safe, and healthy this holiday season. Thanks for reading and commenting here so frequently. We absolutely love this hobby – and you all make it really great for us.

What do you think? It is the most wonderful time of the year, isn’t it?

P.S. If any of our readers actually live on 34th street in Baltimore, drop us a line so we can say thank you! And keep up the good work!

DIY Christmas Tree Storage Bag

I know the thought of putting away decorations and Christmas trees is a bit premature but I wanted to share a really easy DIY project. A few years ago, Jocie and I took the time to create our own Christmas tree storage bag. It was a cheap, easy solution that still works well today.

Artificial Christmas trees are a popular choice because you don’t have to purchase a live tree year after year, they are easy to setup, and way easier to clean up. Jocie’s family has always had an artificial tree and, soon after getting married, we purchased one too. Jocie wrote a great post reviewing our artificial Christmas tree. Check it out.

Create Your Own Christmas Tree Bag

Tree storage bags are a good idea because they protect the tree from dirt and dust. They also make it easier to transport the tree from one place to another.

I have a one caveat to share.

• We don’t disassemble our tree. We actually leave it completely intact and decorated- lights and all. This makes setup even easier but also requires a little more storage space. We’ve also worked to ensure all the branches, lights, and other decorations are very securely attached.

Materials
To make this bag we used heavy duty, contractor trash bags and lots of duct tape. You’ll need a good pair of scissors too.
Making the bag
Cut each of the bags at the crease along the dotted line shown. Use long lengths of duct tape to attach each segment and use many short pieces to reinforce the new seam.
Storing
Place the bag over your artificial Christmas tree and use some rope to bind it at the bottom, around the base.

Dimensions and Tree Size

The end result is a tree bag that measures 92″ tall x 60″ wide. It’s quite a big bag and easily fits over our 7.5′ tall tree. We’ve used this tree bag for several years with great success.

What do you think? How would you improve on our tree bag?

How Long Should You Wait Before Refinancing?

It’s been about 7 months since we last refinanced, and we’re at it again.

Last March we locked in at 5.00% on a 30 year mortgage. Back then you could get a 15 year loan for about 4.75%. While we could afford the 15 year payments, we didn’t think it was worth it to lock into the higher payment for a reduction of only .25%.

About 2 weeks ago, loans were again at multi-year lows (I saw that the 30 year loan dipped down to 4.875% for a few days, and I’ve heard reports that it hit 4.75% briefly but didn’t see it).

This time, instead of just .25 points difference between the 30 and 15 year loan, the difference was .625 – taking the 15 year rate down to 4.25%. We simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to reduce our interest rate by another .75%.

Our loan balance is close to $300,000, making each point of interest worth about $3000/year. At 75 basis points, the interest reduction is $2250 / year, or about $185 / month.

Of course, our payment is going up–it’s a 15 year loan, so the principal payment each month will be higher. We’ll be working hard to stay within a smaller non-house budget. I’m OK with that… As I’ve said before, I think paying down a mortgage is the best choice for a conservative component of an investment strategy in today’s economy. If you’re interested in seeing just how much more the costs would be for your home, you can check out our simple amortization and payment analysis article for really simple math on the subject.

I mentioned to a friend that we were refinancing again, and I got a response I might have anticipated: didn’t you just do that?

Well, yes, we did.

In March, we reduced our interest rate by .75% with a payback period of about 18 months. That got us from 5.75% down to 5.00%. When we refinanced then, we had no idea we’d be faced with an opportunity to pick up 4.25%. Had we known it, we would have waited. But who can know these things?

No one can, so you have to make the best decision you can with the information at hand. And the information today is that rates are again .75% lower than our current rate. Our payback period on this new loan is around 20 months. We’re planning on staying in this house for years, so it makes sense for us to refinance.

There’s No Limit on How Often You Should Refinance

That’s right – there’s no limit.

See, even though we’re refinancing again, our payback analysis from that loan in March is still valid… Just because we’re refinancing now doesn’t mean we aren’t getting the savings from that early-year decision. It stood on it’s own then and it still does today. That loan will make fiscal sense 18 months after it’s close date in March, 2009.

And this loan will make fiscal sense 20 months after it’s close date in January, 2010.

If we wake up in February, and the market offers us a 3.5% fixed interest rate, we’re taking it… and so should you.

What do you think? Have you ever felt like you shouldn’t refinance because you “just did it?”

Delta Kitchen Faucet (with ToucH2O) Giveaway

I’m really excited to announce our next giveaway. Up for grabs is a beautiful, new Delta Pilar, touch activated, kitchen faucet (official site)!

ToucH2O Technology

This single handle pull-down faucet features the brand new ToucH2O technology. ToucH2O makes it easy to turn a faucet on or off with any part of your hand- raising the bar for modern kitchen faucets. For more in-depth information, check out Fred’s excellent review of the ToucH2O technology.

Delta Pilar Pull-Down Faucet

One lucky winner will be selected at random to receive a brand new Delta Pilar Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet- MSRP of $585.00 (official site)!! This faucet is loaded with features. Here are some highlights:

• ToucH2O technology
• Pull down sprayer with 54″ long hose
• Switch between an aerated stream and a sprayer
• Powerful magnet to easily secure the spray head in place
• Ceramic disk valve

How to Enter the Giveaway

We’re running this giveaway a little different to incorporate our forums.

• 1 Entry: Leave a comment on this post
• 10 Entries: Join our forums and create at least 2 forum posts
• 50 Entries: Blog about the Giveaway – If you have a site of your own, pass the word on to your readers! Each blog entry MUST link back to this entry (and should be no-followed since this isn’t about SEO tricks).

Sorry email subscribers, you’re gonna have to work for this one (no automatic entries).

Giveaway Deadline

This giveaway ends at 11:59pm, EDT on January 23, 2010. We’ll promptly select a winner and ship the faucet ASAP.

The Fine Print

Only residents of the U.S. and Canada are eligible. Spam entries will not be counted. Spam entries are determined at the sole discretion of One Project Closer. All rules are subject to change without notice.

Insulate Band Board / Rim Joist To Block Air Infiltration into a Basement

If your looking for ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home, you might turn to the area of your unfinished basement ceiling where the joists meet the sill plate (at the top of the wall) and the rim joist (or band board) at the edge of the house.

It’s in this area that most of the air infiltration into a basement takes place, and an area where you can make a significant improvement in the energy efficiency of your home.

Insulating Basement Joists at the Rim Is Important

The reason insulating in this area is important is because much of the heat loss in a home is due to convection – the loss of heat that is carried away by drafts whipping through the basement.

Since wood joists make imperfect joins, they are highly prone to air leaks. The area where the joists meet the rim will have literally thousands of gaps.

Ways to Insulate the Band Board

There are a number of basement insulation options to consider for this job. We chose open and closed cell spray foam for our own home. We believe spray foam is the #1 way to insulate this area and will yield the best results. Unfortunately, spray foam is expensive and generally requires a contractor for the installation. There are DIY kits available but the cost is nearly as high as hiring pro help.

Here’s a few suggestions for insulating this key area of your home:

Fiberglass: The easiest method is to obtain kraft-faced fiberglass batting (the pink stuff) and stuff it tightly in between the joists. We recommend going with an R-30 insulation as opposed to traditional R-13 wall insulation, since you’ll usually have the extra space and you want to maximize the seal. StuccoHouse just added fiberglass in their home and we’re sure it will pay dividends. You can visit that post for some great pictures of this job which only takes a few hours.  You can also add to the fiberglass installation with the following:

• Great Stuff Foam: If you want to sure up the seal, before adding fiberglass you can pick up a few cans of Great Stuff spray foam and spray it into the corners and butt joints on the rim joist, sill plate, and flooring above. Use the small straw that comes with to get into small cavities.
• Caulk: As an alternative to Great Stuff, caulk can be used to seal the gaps. Great stuff has the advantage of finding and entering small cavities as it expands, but caulk is also a viable option. After caulking, install fiberglass.

Wet Cellulose: Wet cellulose (like NuWool) is an option only if you’re doing all the walls in the basement. We like closed cell foam better for this option since it provides its own vapor barrier which you’ll need to prevent moisture from condensating on the block/concrete wall, but wet cellulose can work.

Spray Foam: The picture in the upper right of this article shows spray foam installed between the joists. Like Great Stuff, spray foam expands to fill the available space, creating an extremely tight seal. You can watch our video on spray foam for a complete rundown on the material.

Energy Savings & Tax Credits for Insulation

Each home is different, and the energy savings will vary. If you have no insulation in the joists today, you could be wasting more than 15% of the energy in your own. Leaks cost money… a lot of money. Stop them, and you get instant savings.

As a bonus, the U.S. Government will chip in if you tackle this job in the next 12 months. In 2009, and now extended through 2010, there are energy tax credits for insulation that will provide you as much as a 30% back for doing this job.

What do you think? Have you insulated your basement?

Fix a Snowblower that Won’t Start | Snow Blower Help

It’s a frustrating thing… to have a snowblower and not be able to use it. If you’re in this situation, there is hope… Here’s some things to check.

Snowblower Start-up Maintenance

Check for Bad Gas – By far the #1 reason a snow blower won’t start is because the gasoline is bad. Many people don’t empty out the snowblower’s gas tank at the end of the season and the gas goes stale. If you’re in this situation, the solution is to drain the gas tank, and refill it with new gas. You should always let the snow blower run out of gas at the end of the season, and add new gas the following year.

Check that the Gas/Oil Mixture is Correct – If you have a two-stroke snow blower, you need to be sure the gas/oil mixture is correct. Our Toro snowblower takes a 50:1 mixture. Other blowers will take 40:1 or 30:1. Check the owner’s manual. Most 2-stroke oil cans will give you instructions to get the proper mix.

Make Sure You’re Using the Electric Start Option – Most mid-to-high end snow blowers come with an electric starter and a pull starter. The only time you should use the pull starter is if the snow blower has already been running and you’ve turned it off briefly to clean it or add gas.

Check the Engine Oil Choke - Just like a riding lawn mower or gas string trimmer, you may need to choke the engine to get it started. There’s usually a slide lever somewhere on the blower used to control the choke level.

Prime the Engine – Most snow blowers have a primer button on them to prime the engine. This is very important, particularly if you previously ran the lawnmower out of gas.  Priming the engine moves fuel through the fuel lines and into the cylinder(s) where it can ignite.  Our Toro snowblower recommends pressing the primer button twice. We’ve found it actually requires more like 8-10 pumps to get going. Be careful not to over-prime, however, since it can flood the engine. Prime the least number of times required to get it started.

Check the Throttle – For starting, the throttle should be set to full-open so that no air is restricted going into the engine. Some snowblowers have throttle control, and will usually indicate the ’start’ position on the throttle selection lever.

Check the Blades for Lock-up – Ensure that the blades can move freely. Make sure the snow blower is off and disconnected from power, then check whether the blades can be moved by hand. When in neutral, locked blades shouldn’t prevent a lawn mower from starting, so this is rare.

Snowblower Engine Checks

If you’ve made it this far in the list and you still aren’t getting it started, it could be a bad spark plug. Consult the owner’s manual for assistance with these.

Check/Replace the Spark Plug – You should be able to find a replacement spark plug at the local big box.

Check/Replace the Fuel Filter – Some snow blowers will have a small fuel filter on the fuel line. This can become clogged over time and constrict fuel flow to such a great extent that it won’t run.

Check/Replace the Engine Air Filter – If the snow blower has an engine air filter, it can degrade performance. We’ve never seen an air filter prevent a snow blower from starting, but it’s still something to check.

If All Else Fails…

Try asking a question in our Tools Discussion Forum to see if someone can help… or take it into the local service center.

(photo: joebeone)

P.S. Our friends over at Charles and Hudson give us some more Blizzard Preparation Tips … worth a read on a cold Winter day.

Charities List for Household Item Drop-off

A little over a year ago, I posted about Charities with Local-Pickup service.  I’d like to follow up with a list of places to take your stuff if you don’t live in an area with door-step service or if you just want that stuff outta there and don’t want to wait till the next available pickup date.

So here is a list of charities that have drop-locations where you can take used items:

USA National Charities for Item Drop-off:

• AMVETS (American Veterans National Service Foundation) http://www.amvetsnsf.org/stores.html
• Goodwill: http://locator.goodwill.org
• Habitat for Humanity ReStores: http://www.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx
• Salvation Army: http://www.satruck.com/donate-goods

USA Limited-Location Charities for Item Drop-off:

• Planet Aid:  http://www.planetaid.org/TextPage.asp?MenuItemID=47&SubMenuItemID=155

In Canada:

• Canadian Diabetes Association (Canada only): http://www.diabetes.ca/get-involved/supporting-us/clothesline/find-a-dropbox/

I’ll continue to update these lists as I find out about more, so please DO leave a comment if you know of one I missed!

Don’t forget to:

1. Itemize your donations if you want to right them off on your taxes (I recommend taking digital pictures as proof & I recommend using itsdeductible.com as a guide for how much of a deduction to take for each item).
2. Obtain a receipt at the drop-off location.
3. Only donate goods that are in reasonably good condition. You can’t deduct items that are ‘fair’ quality on your taxes, and poor quality materials shouldn’t be donated, anyway. Please don’t donate what ought to be thrown away.

Home Improvement DIY Help Forums Are Here!

Have you noticed the change on the top menu bar? (If you’re reading by e-mail, you’ll need to visit the site to see this).

Every day we have thousands of folks stop by the site looking for help with all types of home improvement projects. They’re usually sent here by a search engine that directs them to a project we’ve worked on before, like laying self leveling underlayment, or installing recessed lighting.

Despite our best efforts, though, we’re sure our articles don’t answer everyone’s questions. In fact, we get a few comments per day on prior articles with questions from readers who are working on the same projects we worked, but usually with some tweak. We simply can’t keep up with it all on our own, so we’re taking action!

We’ve decided to stand up DIY Help Forums on the site. The idea behind the forums are simple: if you need help, just go to the forum, sign up for an account (it’s quick!), and ask a question. Hopefully, someone else in the community will know the answer. We selected forum software that allows you to upload pictures directly into the posts. That’s critical for home improvement questions, and we’re hoping users will take advantage of it.

How to Help Out Forum Users

How will the rest of us know when someone asks a question? The forums allow you to subscribe to individual threads, a whole topic area, or a single message for updates. So, if you’re an expert in say, spray foam insulation, you can subscribe to the forum on insulation and share your knowledge with anyone who asks a question.

We’re also going to integrate a feed onto the home page that shows the latest new posts in the forums, so that if you’re dropping by the site, you might take a minute to help someone in need.

Of course, these forums work best if our regular readers sign up for accounts and check in on occasion to see if they can help. We’re also interested in having moderators for the forums. If you’re interested in participating, let us know. (Basically, the only thing a moderator would do is answer questions when they can, and remove posts that are off-topic).

Right now, the forums are a bit sparse… I guess that’s to be expected; everything has to start somewhere. To get things going, we’re going to think of some ways to give you all incentives to participate (perhaps a giveaway!?)

The Upgrade List

We’ll keep you posted on how things progress with the forums. It’s a new area for us, but we’re excited about the prospect of increased reader-to-reader communication.  For now, here’s our short list of “coming soon” upgrades…

• An even better user interface / user experience on the forums (we’ve done a lot to improve vBulletin, but more can be done).
• Latest forum questions and answers integrated on the home page.
• Answer ‘ratings’ and a participant leaderboard.

We Want to Hear from You!

Tell us what you think about the idea. How else can we improve the forums? Leave a comment below, or e-mail me at fred@oneprojectcloser.com with your ideas.

Sears Appliance Coupons Rotate: Time Your Purchases Accordingly

Did you know we maintain an up-to-date Sears Coupons list all year long?  Sears releases updated coupons about once per week, and sometimes releases short-notification specials just before the weekend, so the page changes often.

The Sears Coupons list is part of our Home Improvement Coupons List, an e-mail list service we offer to notify readers of the latest home improvement deals from Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, and other stores.  The coupons also appear on the lower right of the home page, but if you want to get notifications of updates, we suggest signing up to receive the updates via e-mail.

What you might not know is that Sears rotates appliance coupons on a pretty regular schedule. In fact, there’s an appliance coupon in the list almost every week, so there’s almost always some deal you can get on a refrigerator, dishwasher, stove or other major appliance you’re looking to replace or upgrade.

But if you want to get the best deal, you’ve got to time it just right. We’ve been watching these coupons for over a year, and while you can’t predict for certain which weeks Sears will post the best deals, there’s a pretty regular trend and standard offerings.

• Most of the year, you can get 15% of Kenmore Appliances (Sears’ brand) and 10% off all other brands that Sears sells (e.g., Maytag, Frigidaire, GE, others).
• During most of the holiday season and intermittently throughout the year, they bump up the discount to 20% off Kenmore and 15% off all other brands. This is the deal listed on the coupons page today.
• About four times per year (usually just before a major holiday, like Fourth of July), they’ll run a 25% off Kenmore special but you have to buy three major appliances to get that special, otherwise it’s reduced to 20% or 15% off. Sometimes there’s a related non-Kenmore special, and sometimes not.
• Finally, about four times per year and usually not on major holidays, Sears runs Friends and Family specials.  These are the best deals you can get on appliances with the 20%/15% special active plus an EXTRA 10% off. That comes to a total discount of 28% off Kenmore and 23.5% off all other brands.

The trick with the friends and family specials is that most of them run only for 12 hours – usually between 6pm Sunday evening and 6am Monday morning. It’s a hard window to hit, but it’s worth an additional $8 off every $100 in appliances you purchase. That’s not a bad deal.

If you subscribe to the list, you’ll get a few days notice of F&F events so you can plan ahead…

(photo credit: Sears.com)

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