RetailMeNot.com: Neat Solution for Saving $$$

Who doesn't love to save money? Every little bit helps...as they say. RetailMeNot.com helps you find coupon or coupon codes for many chain stores, online stores and restaurants. Here is how it works. Go to RetailMeNot.com. If you are looking for an online shopping coupon go to the "coupon code" tab. Type the website where you want to shop in the search bar. If any coupon codes area available they will be listed as a result of the search.  They don't guarantee the use of the code but it's certainly worth a try. I was doing some holiday shopping on HarryandDavid.com and was able to save $100 in shipping charges using the code! I was  also able save 20% on ClarkColor.com. Printable coupons are also available for retailers in your area and for groceries. There are a few other sites that also offer couons but I haven't used them... try to google  The product or store and the word "coupon" see what come up.  

WOT.com : Neat Solution for Online Security

What is WOT?  Web Of Trust, of course. It is a way to tell if a website you are unfamiliar with is safe, secure, child-friendly, trust-worthy. Here is how you use it:
1. Go to www.mywot.com.
2. Download the free program that interfaces with Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and Safari.

What happens is when you are on Google (or Yahoo!, Bing, Wikipedia and other popular sites) and you do a search, you will see a round green icon next to the sites that are trust-worthy. See the "O" in WOT? That's the green icon! If the site is questionable you might see a yellow icon. If you see a red icon DON'T GO THERE! If a site has not been rated you will see a gray icon with a question mark. As part of downloading WOT you are now able to rate any website. So now you are part of the WOT community!

Pandora Radio: Neat Solution for Online Entertainment

Sometimes you can learn a thing or two from your kids. For a few years my kids have been talking about and listening to Pandora.com. I just heard loud banging music coming from their computer and think that is the last site I want to visit. This week I decided to check it out for myself. Pandora is internet radio...but better. First of all its FREE. You very quickly register then start designing your own radio station. Yes.. I said design your own radio station. My station is called Laurie Radio. Very original, I know. I enter some of my favorite artists and songs. Based on this information Pandora chooses songs it thinks I will like. As I listen I rate each song with a thumbs up or thumbs down. The more songs I rate, the more Pandora learns about me. Sometimes artists come up that I never heard of...and I love it! That is the best reward. As someone who spends a lot of time on the computer working, communicating and "playing" it is a neat solution that I will use everyday.

Vinturi Wine Aerator: Neat Solution for Wine

A wine connoisseur I am not. I like red better than white. I like dryer better than sweeter. I like to spend less rather than more. That, in a nutshell is my wine knowledge.
The wine aerator is a gadget designed to improve the wine experience. The wine is poured through the funnel-like tube. It makes a delightful bubbly noise and comes out into your glass or decanter ready to drink. I am convinced the wine tastes better. I agree..it could be all in my mind. This neat solution is popping up in all of the best suburban homes so I am guessing there is more to it than that.
Here is the list of features from Amazon.com:

• Vinturi allows wine to display its intended aromas. Vinturi's wine tastes better. It is more flavorful and has better mouthful. It tastes like a richer, more expensive wine. It tastes like it was intended to and is more enjoyable.
• Smoother finish. Vinturi's aeration is very effective at softening tannins which results in a much more pleasant finish. Any bitterness or bad aftertaste is reduced or eliminated
• Mixes just the right amount of air with your wine at the precise moments
• Results in a better bouquet, enhanced flavor, and a smoother finish 

We purchased just the aerator (without the  lovely stand that is shown). The aerator alone retails for $27-$40. If you want the stand expect to pay $30 more. The best deal I found was at Amazon. It includes the aerator, pourer and stopper for $29 and free shipping.

Neat Solutions for Kitchen Remodel- #10

Entry #10 ... a nice round number to end our kitchen adventure on. Some math... Our final tally came out to 10% over budget. Not too bad. We forgot to budget for the sink and faucet ...somewhat necessary for a kitchen. We upgraded the floor tile a bit  so we went over there. The biggest unknown was the plumber. We hadn't budgeted for him at all. We thought that between the carpenter and Super Jim all of the plumbing would be covered. It was more complicated than we thought. Of the 10% overage here is the breakdown:
24% sink and faucet
22% plumber
20% floor upgrade
19% additional lighting/electrical
 5% demo
 4% outlet and switch covers
 1% dishwasher part

The cabinetmaker (Brown Woodworking) did a wonderful job. His quote was really a final price and he made sure every detail was complete and up to par. The cabinets were about 60% of the overall total price so it is your most important decision in the process. Let us know if you have specific questions that we can answer.  Enjoy the photos....



Photos here if cannot see: http://picasaweb.google.com/beaty4nc/KitchenRemodel?feat=directlinkhttp://picasaweb.google.com/beaty4nc/KitchenRemodel?feat=directlink

Neat Solutions for Kitchen Remodel- #9

Yesterday was the 3 week anniversary of starting the remodel project. We are feeling confident that by the end of this week all work will be complete. When last we posted, there were many loose ends. Today we tied up a bunch. The glass panels went into the doors. We love the "seeded" glass that we chose. The lights shine beautifully through them. The other cabinets that had to be placed on top of the granite went in. The baseboards were finished and we began painting them. All pulls and door knobs were installed .... correctly. The plumber returned to finish "plumbing" the sink, dish washer and ice maker. We have water! 

The electrician continued his work ...installing outlets in the island, under and in cabinet lights, and work on the appliances. What's left? Installing my special spice cabinets, adding trim around the appliances, installing doors on the laundry closet, clean-up and returning all of the kitchen items to their new and improved homes.What amazes us is the huge amount of the minutia that is involved. Tiny details that add up to a lot of work from a lot of people.But it is those same details that make your space special for you....

and makes your space YOURS. When all of our details are complete we will post the finished photos.


Here is a recap of the subs:

• Brown Woodworking-Cannot recommend after he did not come back with a few minor fixes after 4 months of calling him :(.
• Dugan Electric - 704-256-4234
• Ciccone Tile -704-881-3438
• Heel Stone Granite Works- 704-985-2546
• Alltech Plumbing- 877-576-6408

Neat Solutions for Kitchen Remodel- #8

After several slow days, Thursday was unbelievably action-packed. Suffice it to say .... It did not all go smoothly ... I spoke too soon when I said "Once in a great while a plan comes together BETTER than you expect it will." HA!! After expecting the granite to be installed Monday or Tuesday.  It finally arrived Wednesday late afternoon. "Mr. Granite" FORGOT several sections and had to return very early Thursday morning to finish. The cabinets and walls took a small beating with the 1000 lb rock that had to fit snugly between the wall, the fridge and the Viking. I couldn't watch and asked Jim to "help" them. We were thankful no one had to be hospitalized. Not long

after the granite guys left, the cabinets guys entered, followed by the electrician and then the plumber. Each of these professionals faced challenges ...none ever gave up on finding a solution. The result is that everything took longer than expected.... but we should expect that, right? The lighting went in with the least number of  problems. The plumber, however,  encountered several challenges...would my perfect faucet fit in the space between the sink and the back splash? Would  the pipes fit to the new sink?

Several door pulls were not put on correctly, so new doors will need to replace them. One whole set of doors were made to hold glass panels but we wanted solid doors. There were questions about baseboards, trim, light switches and on and on.......All problems will be solved. Next week we look forward to water actually running in the sink, the dishwasher hooked up, the last cabinet installed, glass panes and shelves installed. We are about 90% complete. The  fun starts after all of the workers are done .... painting the baseboards, placing all of the food, pots, pans, and dishes back in the cabinets and cleaning the layers of dust from entire house.

Neat Solutions for Kitchen Remodel- #7

Cabinets are in... well most of them. Brian and his crew showed up and like a well oiled machine placed and installed the base cabinets, the pantry, the bar and the hanging cabinets. Four guys and several hours later the empty room began to take on the appearance of a kitchen once again. Next week when the granite counters are installed, the finishing of the cabinets will take place... molding, hardware, glass doors. At that point we will be ready for Jesse, the electrician, to come back to install under and in cabinet lighting, room fixtures and outlets. Ed, the plumber, will come back to install the ice maker and Jim, the husband, will install the trash compactor, dishwasher and sink and faucets. As we said in a previous entry, once we came to the tough decision about the lighting, it really helped to narrow down the sink, hardware and faucet choices. Bronze accessories will tie everything together nicely. So this is how to shop....image -google sinks to see whats out there, narrow down to the size shape,

and material (stainless steel, composite, porcelain) and color. Who sells it online? how much? free shipping? how about no taxes? Then find out who sells it near you and GO SEE IT! If you can negotiate a comparable price to buy local... do it. It will eliminate the hassle of shipping a 75 lb. sink if you don't like it, it doesn't fit or if it's defective. We were interested in this cafe brown colored    Blanco sink that is a granite composite, but , having never seen one we were apprehensive. We went to our local high priced kitchen supply store in town and took a look ...Nice.... We got the best price from the local store and while there we took  a look at the high priced faucets, noted the one or two that we liked, got prices, and zipped out of there to price these items online. Once you know the manufacturer and style name  

or number you can look that up on any search engine (we prefer Google). Check out at least 20 sites that sell the item you want to comparison shop.You can also look at sites that will do comparison shopping for you like www.nextag.com , www.shopping.com , or www.bizrate.com. Don't forget to check www.ebay.com, too...you never know what you will find there. We found a site that carried both the sink and faucet we had liked. The price was less by about 30%, free shipping, and best of all NO TAX. This is a New Jersey company so unless they are shipping in NJ they do not charge tax. The site is www.homeperfect.com . We came across this site in my search and had not ever heard of them. If you are apprehensive about giving your credit card info over the internet...call and order. Once you speak with a human you can decide if you get a warm and fuzzy ...or not. Another choice...pay with Paypal. You do get some consumer protection with Paypal and you don't have to run to find your credit card every time you order online. The items were received with no

problems and we are excited to see them installed. We followed the same procedure for the cabinet pulls and found lovely pulls at www.knobs4less.com ... goofy name, huh? Should be a busy week. Next week we will unveil the new kitchen and also show you what we have been busy doing the the garage. Hint: it involves the old kitchen cabinets ....

Neat Solutions for Kitchen Remodel- #6

Once in a great while a plan comes together BETTER than you expect it will. So far that is how it seems with this project. The cabinet maker is on his way here right now. He says he will have the cabinets 80% installed by the end of the day. Next week he will finish the installation, replace the baseboards and  the granite will be installed (more on granite later in the entry). It is possible we could be done AHEAD OF SCHEDULE?!?!? The guys from Mr. Appliance showed up on time and very professional.  As you can see from the photo they did a great job. Some of the enamel is scratched and chipping so they could not do anything about that. But they cleaned it to a sparkle and checked and cleaned all of the parts. 

 Now a bit about counter tops. Our previous kitchen had Corian, a man-made material that is very durable and easy to care for. We really liked the Corian and if the color had been nicer we may have tried to figure out a way to reuse it in the remodel. In our area Granite is actually cheaper than Corian or other engineered materials. It appears there is a glut of granite so it became a good economical choice. Resale being of concern...we know it is desirable by the buying public. There are many different colors and patterns so it is good to go to a showroom and look at the entire slab. A friend had recently built a new home and installed a light color granite. To her disappointment, she found she has to be careful about staining the counter...wine, hot pans, grease.  Darker busy colors hide a plethora of problems. We agreed on Baltic Brown. It has browns, blacks and some terra-brownish coloration. It is dark but not too dark. Busy but not too busy. The color would

compliment the warm tone of the maple cabinets, bronze fixtures and be a nice contrast to the lighter floors. Because granite is a natural product it can vary tremendously from one slab to the next. Granite colors of same name can appear very different.... greener, redder, darker. Again..it is best if you can pick out your exact slab so there are no surprises. WOW! A lot has occurred since I started this entry 3 plus hours ago! CABINET INSTALLATION HAS BEGUN! Calvin,the granite guy (704-985-2546), came to measure for his cuts and took the sink and faucet to cut holes for installation.The unexpected issues arise as a result of our inexperience. PROBLEM: We should have had the plumber cut and cap the sink pipes. SOLUTION: We borrow and acetylene torch from the neighbor, the cabinet guy cuts the pipe, Jim calls the plumber and gets advice on a DIY temporary fix. Jim runs to Lowes, caps the pipes and we are fixed until our plumber arrives next week.  PROBLEM: When the demo was done our old tile backslash needed to be cut out of the wall leaving gaping holes. The demo guy...was Kevin the tile guy..he is not a drywall guy. So he patched the holes with drywall but left it undone. It was not smooth enough to paint. Brian, the cabinet guy needed to know what we were going to do there..so he would know how to proceed with the trim and cabinets that were adjacent to those "messy" areas. This is something we had not thought about and hadn't budgeted for. We made a quick trip to Lowes to see what was available. There are different materials available for back splashes some cheap, some expensive, nothing we liked. In the end Super Jim offered to do another tile backsplash :). He is not promising when. To be continued.....

Neat Solutions for Kitchen Remodel- #5

Kevin, the tile guy, made it back here Monday morning. He and Keith worked feverishly all day installing the tile. Tuesday morning they were back to do the grout. Floor done~! It looks gorgeous! We really love the lightness of the color, the largeness of the tiles. It looks much like the more expensive and less durable, travertine marble. Good news... There is just enough tile left over to do th powder room floor :) The cabinet delivery has been postponed until tomorrow. Something about ...snow..power outage...behind a day...
 guess it's to be expected. We took advantage of this down day to get the appliance repair guys in. Appliances can be up to 30% of
your remodel budget. Over the past 5 years here we have replaced the fridge, ice maker (we have a separate "party" ice maker) trash compactor and dish washer. So no need to replace them  now. Our home was already equipped with a  Viking Professional Range. It is a 20 year old Viking Range now.

Doing some quick internet research, we learned that a new 2 oven, 6 burner, griddle Viking with hood would cost  about $10,000 - $12,000! This is one expense we would personally never incur.  We like to cook and love good food..but really! So we decided to invest a little money to make sure our golden appliance would last much much longer.... a Viking make-over. Once again..the internet is your best friend when it comes to research. We found what needs to be done to maintain a Viking and found several Viking specialists in the area. We settled on Mr. Appliance. It is a national franchise. They offered a total maintenance package: Check operation of all parts, check temperature of range,clean igniters, clean outside and inside of range for $250. They are working on it right now so tomorrow I will show a before and after picture and see if it was worth it.

Neat Solutions for Kitchen Remodel- #4

As I said in my last entry.... electrical needs to happen after demo but before the cabinets are installed. It's a good time to talk about electrical and lighting. While Kevin the tiler was doing demo, Jesse the electrician was moving outlets and electrical boxes. Electric...we know dangerously little about it. And dangerous it could be. Please find a licensed electrician. Jesse Dugan (Dugan Electric - 704-256-4234) came highly recommended from a neighbor. During the initial meeting we went over the basic layout that we had in mind. Jesse was able to ask questions and make suggestions to refine and improve our vision. That's the great thing about finding knowledgeable and experienced subs... they can improve your ideas ...TEAMWORK! Based on this first meeting we received a quote on electrical work. The quote included labor & cabinet lighting but not new room fixtures. We agreed we would shop for those on our own. We decided we would keep the pendants above the island (for a while). The problem was the hideous gray tubes of fluorescent lights that  circle all four walls of the 80's "modern" kitchen. They lit the area well enough..but LOOK AT THEM! We thought one just goes to the lighting store, show them a picture of what you currently have, and ask what other choices 

will work! We received many, many quizzical looks with expensive and complicated answers. Apparently our current lighting was very .... "unique"...utilizing the same electric boxes would take creativity and an abundance of searching. You see... the current lighting is wall mounted, not ceiling. The "tubes" are mounted on narrow bands of wall..so size is an issue. We considered adding recessed lighting into the  vaulted ceiling...expensive and we just were not sure it would light our space adequately. We could not find wall fixtures that were suitable and to buy enough to light the circumference of the room would be mega expensive. Our current pendants hang on tracks... so we thought ...track lighting. Its not conventional to put track lighting on a wall and usually the designs are fairly contemporary, but, track lights allow you to point the lighting where needed and they would fit in the narrow space without tearing up the ceiling! We shopped local big box stores (ugly) and lighting showrooms (pricey). We literally combed the internet to see what was available. We finally found an appropriate style, but, it was shown as a ceiling mount. We called the manufacturer directly to ask questions. This is a great tip. The manufacturer can help you with technical issue and also direct you as to where to purchase their product. They directed us to a website (http://www.direct-lighting.com/) where we could purchase the style we liked and it was VERY reasonably priced. We consulted with the electrician via email about our choice. He was confident it would work... so we made the purchase. It was shipped from California and arrived unscathed in one weeks time. They even included the halogen light bulbs. We will let you know how this solution works out. This one is a bit scary, but, we put in the time and energy to ask questions and shop around. The track and light fixtures are a bronze color. This helped guide several future design decisions.... faucet, cabinet pulls and sink selections. Stay tuned....

Neat Solutions for Kitchen Remodel- #3

Now the cabinets have been chosen and layout completed. We actually came under budget on this so decided to add a few goodies... a bar with wine storage and new closet doors for the laundry area. Both of these are in the "sun room"...right outside the kitchen area.
I need to back track here for a minute about an important bit of info! The order in which the work needs to be carried out.....1) DEMOLITION OF THE OLD KITCHEN. 2) REWIRING AND RE PLUMBING. 3)FLOORING. 4)CABINETS. 5)COUNTER TOPS. 6)LIGHTING. 7)APPLIANCES. This could changes somewhat..but this is what was suggested to me. I will let you know later if that changes :).  Next choice... flooring.

Again, the choices are dizzying...wood, tile, laminate, stone. I am way too messy of a cook to choose a wood floor. Stone is pretty but is more expensive and requires some special care. Laminate...been there, done that. We decided on a tile that looks like a natural stone. This floor is neutral (remember resale), sturdy (we have boys and pets), and beautiful. We shopped all of the normal locations: Lowes, Home Depot, flooring retailers. We accidentally came across a tile showroom  (ITM Tile & Marble Importers) in the back of an office park in Mooresville. They generally supply direct to contractors but business being what it is these days, they put out a sign to try to get any warm bodies in. It worked! They had a great choice of porcelain, ceramic and stone tile and were able to give me names and numbers of local installers. We called Kevin at Ciccone Tile (a 3rd generation tiler from Boston-704-881-3438). He & his son, Keith, came over, measured, and gave us an estimate for

installing tile.  We were able to then go back to the tile showroom with exact measurements and get a quote on all materials (subflooring, grout, etc.). Because the old flooring needs to be removed, the flooring installer usually will do the removal....for a price.  We asked Kevin to give us an additional quote for removing the old floor as well as the entire demolition of the old kitchen. This included removing old cabinets and counters (carefully..so that they could be recycled in our garage) and moving out all appliances. The electrician is responsible for removing old lighting. The cabinets and appliances were easily removed on day one. Most of the old tile was removed on day two. Once the tile removal began, the dust accumulation started...all over my house. They put up plastic but we have crazy high ceilings so all of the dust could not be contained. The old tile literally needed to be cut and chiseled out. It was loud and messy. Day 3 & 4 were for finishing the tile removal and starting to laying the subfloor. We had some leveling issues so this

took a little longer than expected. Today was supposed to be for finishing the tile..but it's a snow day!  We called Brian the cabinet maker this morning and warned him that the floor would not be complete until Wednesday This photo shows the very beginning of the new tile. Still to share.....Granite, sink, faucet and the most painful selection......lighting.

Neat Solutions for kitchen Remodel- #2

Having come to the conclusion that we were going to attempt to take on the task of being our own contractor, we set about finalizing with our subs contractors and shopping for the many things necessary for a kitchen remodel. This installment will focus a bit on design choices and layout. Where to start....

 My background is textile and graphic design so I am comfortable making design and color choices on my own. For those of you not so confident, it can be overwhelming so try this....visit showrooms, look in magazines, books, online. Take notes of what you like...cabinet color and styles, floor types (wood, tile, laminate), color palettes (earthy, neon, cool, warm). You will start to see a pattern emerge in your preferences.

Don't forget to consider the style in the rest of your home...please don't try an ultramodern kitchen if the rest of your home is traditional colonial. In our case...we have a transitional/contemporary home. The previous  kitchen was contemporary...white laminate cabinets, gray counters, gray floors, crazy lighting. Over the years we tried to"warm" it up a bit with paint, accessories and artwork but it never quite got there. we decided to go with a transitional style. This is defined as classic with a contemporary twist. Warm colors, clean lines, natural materials. We wanted a "Tuscan-ish" color palette that is used throughout the dining, living and family areas...terra cotta, green, brown, gold. Unless you are planning NEVER move, one should always consider resale.

Neutral is the key to resale of a home, right? That helps narrow down the colors chosen for the more permanent items like floor, cabinets and counter tops. Add color with paint, accessories, art, towels, rugs, and dishes. Along with style you must also consider layout. Believe me, I am no expert in this area, but, whoever designed the layout of my original kitchen knew what they were doing. It always worked for me...everything had a place, the areas between the sink, oven, fridge and counters were convenient. Friends and family could help me cook or keep me company and not be in the way. We decided that except for a few minor changes we would keep a very similar layout. This would save some $$$ as we would not need to move plumbing or electrical. Where ever you purchase your cabinets (whether factory built or custom built-ins ) they should be able to help you layout the cabinets to suit your needs. In our case, we ended up with Browns Woodworking. They are a family owned wood shop. The cabinets are custom made to order....so we could choose style, color, layout. Brian Brown showed up at the house with a laptop computer and a few samples. The computer has a design program so we could visualize 4 drawers vs 5 drawers,  glass doors vs wood door, or 6 small cabinets vs 3 large. You would expect custom to be more expensive than factory built, but for the the same quality we were able to save about 25% off the cost of factory built AND get exactly what we wanted! Why? Because...NO MIDDLE MAN. No contractor, no retail overhead, no design staff to pay. If you choose this route just be sure to get references and see actual examples of the work. Coming up.... what's the difference between porcelain and ceramic tile and other stimulating questions.

Neat Solutions for kitchen Remodel- #1

Sorry for my long absence....but I'm back! I have been busy working on a kitchen remodel project. We started out shopping at kitchen stores and then quotes from contractors. What we experienced was STICKER SHOCK. So we got busy talking to friends and neighbors who recently did a similar remodel and learned a few things. They said if the remodel did not require a lot of wall-moving and engineering type work, that we should consider being our own contractor. They shared names of sub-contractors with us...electricians, cabinetmakers, tilers. I did some online research and asked builders many questions. Armed with too much information...we began to get some quotes from several subs...narrowed down the list....checked references....and came to only one conclusion.... we would save 25%-50% if we cut out a contractor and shopped wisely for products. So if you have the time, shopping savvy and organizational skills....this may be the way to go. We decided it would work for us...but will let know.

In future blog entries I will give you specifics as to where I found great deals on everything from sinks to lighting. I will also share tips and pitfalls that I encountered. So stay tuned for more Neat Solutions for kitchen remodeling.