Home Appliance Input

[Scepticalscribe]

Thanks to everyone for your input!





@Scepticalscribe, it’s funny you not knowing the American brands. I know someone who recently bought a house (in the US), formerly owned by Europeans. Apparently a lot of the appliances, especially plumbing fixtures were European Brands none of the workers knew anything about. Funny how that works. Interestingly, I recently read Bosche dishwashers are made in North Carolina (or I supppse at least some of them)... not what I would have expected.

Not really.

There are very few products from the US for sale in Europe; when I was a child, you would see quite a few Ford cars, and mid range American watches had a very good reputation, but by the 80s, Ford's reputation - and the reputation for quality and craftsmanship that American goods used to have had taken a complete nose dive; nowadays, you will never see American white electrical goods in any European store - the brands you've named are completely alien to me.

Besides, these days you also have quite stringent consumer protection legislation in Europe, which is enforced.

 

[0388631]

Anyone know anything microwaves built into the cabinets (not installed over the cooktop), but in the cabinets. My parents have this and knock on wood they haven’t needed a replacement. My fear is microwave lifespans seem to be the most limited of all appliances and also the most variable in size. I’m afraid if it does years down the road it will be impossible to find a correct sized replacement. I need to find out if they do standardized sizing.

These are usually standardized sizes. I managed to break the front glass of ours last year or the year before. I was careless and smashed the glass with my ring finger. I was able to get a new one the same week. Fit in nicely. Microwaves are iffy, you're right. I think our current one is a Samsung. Fairly large, high power and when I ordered it I was given a choice of optional trim kits with stands and holders. So don't worry, but speak to your contractor. I can't remember what we had before. I've used microwaves most of my adult life to quickly heat up a mug of water or whatever. The typical brands you know of tend to suck. The worst was a very expensive $400ish GE I bought that died a year later. This was at a time when microwaves got really cheap in pricing. It had a bunch of fancy features and whatnot. Garbage. Sharp isn't bad either.

So here's the thing. Wolf/Sub Zero make microwaves, too. Very good ones. But also quite expensive for a microwave. And they open in unique ways, including drop downs that you can open when the machine is running and the motor thing that makes the waves will disengage, but the turntable motor will keep moving. It's weird the first time you see someone do it.

We didn't go with those when we did our remodel. For the most part, it's a microwave. It's used for two or three things in the house. Heating a single cup of water quickly, heating up food that can't be heated up in a pot or pan quickly, and anything else you'd want to use it for. There is no point in spending 2-3K on a Wolf microwave system when you can get an in cabinet with trim Samsung for under $600.

We still are torn between stainless and wood paneled appliances. I’ve always liked wood paneled (with the exception of side-by-side fridges which I don’t think look good in wood- not to mention suck functionally unless you have the space to put in a very large one). I’m not really concerned if future owners want to change out the cabinets- that’s a big project in itself and typically you can swap in a new wood or stainless panel. Stainless is pretty timeless but at the same time more susceptible to fingerprints and other imperfections. Stainless seems to be more en Vogue right now so I’m not sure if wood will look dated.

Depends on the wood and style/type of staining. Painted wood to match the painted cabinets? It's iffy. I haven't seen it done much. Stainless can splotch/stain, but it's simple to cleanup. Two adults won't have much trouble keeping it clean. It's a wipe down once a month at the most. With our kids, we do wipe down every other week if there's fingerprints. Knock on wood, the Pledge is better than the 100 or so stainless steel cleaners I've since our first remodel in the early 2000s.

I don't know much about GE Monogram, but if it's anything like regular GE internals wise, I wouldn't touch it if it were me. I can tell you running Wolf/Sub Zero cooling products will cost about half a dollar more per day, but food remains fresher, sometimes for weeks longer than a regular fridge. It's magical... almost.

 

[A.Goldberg]

These are usually standardized sizes. I managed to break the front glass of ours last year or the year before. I was careless and smashed the glass with my ring finger. I was able to get a new one the same week. Fit in nicely. Microwaves are iffy, you're right. I think our current one is a Samsung. Fairly large, high power and when I ordered it I was given a choice of optional trim kits with stands and holders. So don't worry, but speak to your contractor. I can't remember what we had before. I've used microwaves most of my adult life to quickly heat up a mug of water or whatever. The typical brands you know of tend to suck. The worst was a very expensive $400ish GE I bought that died a year later. This was at a time when microwaves got really cheap in pricing. It had a bunch of fancy features and whatnot. Garbage. Sharp isn't bad either.

So here's the thing. Wolf/Sub Zero make microwaves, too. Very good ones. But also quite expensive for a microwave. And they open in unique ways, including drop downs that you can open when the machine is running and the motor thing that makes the waves will disengage, but the turntable motor will keep moving. It's weird the first time you see someone do it.

We didn't go with those when we did our remodel. For the most part, it's a microwave. It's used for two or three things in the house. Heating a single cup of water quickly, heating up food that can't be heated up in a pot or pan quickly, and anything else you'd want to use it for. There is no point in spending 2-3K on a Wolf microwave system when you can get an in cabinet with trim Samsung for under $600.



Depends on the wood and style/type of staining. Painted wood to match the painted cabinets? It's iffy. I haven't seen it done much. Stainless can splotch/stain, but it's simple to cleanup. Two adults won't have much trouble keeping it clean. It's a wipe down once a month at the most. With our kids, we do wipe down every other week if there's fingerprints. Knock on wood, the Pledge is better than the 100 or so stainless steel cleaners I've since our first remodel in the early 2000s.

I don't know much about GE Monogram, but if it's anything like regular GE internals wise, I wouldn't touch it if it were me. I can tell you running Wolf/Sub Zero cooling products will cost about half a dollar more per day, but food remains fresher, sometimes for weeks longer than a regular fridge. It's magical... almost.

One of the salesmen was trying to sell us on a Wolf microwave drawer. Seems like it could get messy reheating something liquid. I do like the drop down doors similar to ovens, or the standard side open is fine.

My interim apartment has GE Profile appliances. My last apartment had GE profile. My parents summer home before the remodel has GE, as does their rental house. We’ve never really had a problem. That said, I’m not sure what their products are like these days (I believe their appliance dept has since been sold off).

Just to give you an idea of wood paneled Subzero here are some examples in a whiteish color (like I said, the side-by-sides aren’t really practical unless you get a very large one).

[doublepost=1515061904][/doublepost]

Any pro-grade-ish brand is good. Generally, Viking will have more faults and thus more repairs. Buying any of these upper brands is akin to buying a luxury vehicle. Wolf will have issues, but they'll be far and few in between. The major issue I've seen with people having problems are boilovers damaging their igniters. Realistically, it's very easy to clean them and get them to function. People don't want to learn and would rather pay a premium to have them swapped out. It's also easy to regulate how much gas is gonig to the burner. Burners are pretty much the same across the range of stoves, but they can have their own access points. For the most part, a very thing flathead or phillips will do just fine. You just need to figure out where to stick it.

For coil maintenance, I use one of my higher end Metrovac blowers. It globs up the dust and it comes flying out. It's messy, but it's way easier than moving the thing forward. If it'll be enclosed on both sides, you'll need a professional to bring it out of its cubby. Yes, that is the system I'd want and would recommend. If you run CAT cable through the walls, I'd aim for 2-3 wires, thus 2-3 ports.


Smart man. Their higher end paint is practically bullet proof. You could throw a soggy coffee filter at a white wall, leave it to dry for a month, come back and wipe it down with a wet cloth and it'll look brand new. Good paint.



You can go for large tile. There is another option. If your contractor can find a near matching wood plank tile (I don't know what their real name is), you can do that. This is becoming more and more popular, even in luxury builds because of its matte surface compared to other tile that is actually porous. It's difficult to scratch it, damage it or whatever. Works great in a bathroom.

If I had to go back 9 years ago, I'd have done all our bathrooms aside from the master in that material instead of the marble tile. It looks better and comes in just about any shade or color or pattern. It'll last longer than the marble will, too. The only drawback is that the prices you'll see online are not indicative of what you'll spend. Regardless, it's something to consider. You could do traditional tile in the kitchen and opt for the wood tile in the bathrooms or the guest bathroom. Dark style with a dark grout, dark cabinetry with some highlight looks reserved and clean. A bit modern, too.

I would limit carpet to the bedrooms. If you have a walk-in closet, I'd avoid the carpet in the closet, or rather use a very short fiber for it.

My parents did marble tile in their master bathroom. Looks nice but Terrible idea. It turns into a giant slip and slide when wet.

I’m not sure if Subzero has changed their design at all, but on a monthly basis one with both their current Subzero and the one in their old house, the front grate simply had to be removed and vacuumed out. I’ved noticed in some newer houses the coils are exposed from above the cabinetry and can be vacuumed from above.

We’re not planning on doing any carpet, aside from area rugs. Given were taking down a wall, it will be hard to get all the hardwood floors match unless we can recycle from other parts of the apartment or redo the hardwood entirely. I think I prefer the look of hardwood in the kitchen, but obviously title is far more durable in a kitchen.

The current hardwood is oak and being an antique oak floor it’s quite beautiful. I think ideally I’d prefer a naturally darker hardwood like cherry- though such woods are more susceptible to UV discoloration.

I am planning on doing at least 2 Ethernet jacks in each room as the interior hallway wall be demo’ed. I’m also planning on doing a Unbiquiti UniFi WiFi system... it might be overkill but it’s what I upgraded my parents (much larger) home and it works great. In that case I’ll probably do another 2-3 Ethernet lines in the ceiling/wall depending on what model access points I do. I’ll probably do a media cabinet with the equipment either in one of the built in cabinets in the living room, or a built in cabinet built into part of the closet off the living room that extends beneath the stair case (also possible location for central vac if we go that route).

I also have an existing built in cabinet in the main hallway that includes two upper cabinets, a countertop, and 3 drawers below. I’m not exactly sure what we’ll do with that area.

Lastly for the living room, I’m debating going within a conventional television- probably around 55”, nothing too big as I don’t want it to be the focal point of the room. The alternative option is doing a projection screen setup with a recessed electric drop screen, similar to what I had set up in my last bedroom. I guess to some degree that might depend on what way my ceiling beams run. If they run parallel to the projection screen it’s a lot easier to do a cleanly recessed screen.

 

[Gutwrench]

The house we just sold had Viking range in one and a Wolf in the other. Both were fine but expensive to service as expected. I liked their power and broad range surface. They’re both easy to clean and the broad surface eliminated or greatly reduced the splatter clean up on the adjacent countertops. I hate that! If you’re remodeling and looking at these, is there a strong existing ventilation hood? (Vented out of the house?) Will you be adding one if not?

It had two sets of LG front loaders which were perfect. I bought the optional stands which eliminated a lot of bending over and I could stuff crapola in their huge drawers. Lol.

Someone mentioned an odor associated with front loaders. I had that issue with an old set of Maytag but NONE with the newish LG. Obviously door on a front loading washer seals and needs to left ajar for air circulation after the cycle. The LG doors has a little magnet that will hold the door in a semi closed position while permitting plenty of air circulation. So you have two good functional ascetic options of open or the appearance of closed. I’m guessing this is available in every front loader by now.

We had granite everywhere even the floors and loved it.

[doublepost=1515076417][/doublepost]Wow...I’m rushing and left a trail of typos. Sorry.

 

[0388631]

My parents did marble tile in their master bathroom. Looks nice but Terrible idea. It turns into a giant slip and slide when wet.

Yeah. We knew about this before. Our previous master flooring was also marble. Ideally, you keep those microfiber bath towels (the small ones) and lay it folded on the ground as you step outside of the shower or bath. It's safe to walk after. For general spills from the sink, I'm fond of the automotive towels because they're felt-like and very absorbent. Though spilling water isn't a common practice.

I’m not sure if Subzero has changed their design at all, but on a monthly basis one with both their current Subzero and the one in their old house, the front grate simply had to be removed and vacuumed out. I’ved noticed in some newer houses the coils are exposed from above the cabinetry and can be vacuumed from above.

I'll have to look at ours. Generally, I don't mess around with removing grates and whatnot on stuff like that. I don't have much patience when it comes to that stuff. You need a certain amount of gingerly finesse I can't give a crap about. I blow it out and vacuum it up, or run both at the same time. Which reminds me, will you be upgrading the electrical wiring of the place or is it fairly new?

We’re not planning on doing any carpet, aside from area rugs. Given were taking down a wall, it will be hard to get all the hardwood floors match unless we can recycle from other parts of the apartment or redo the hardwood entirely. I think I prefer the look of hardwood in the kitchen, but obviously title is far more durable in a kitchen.

The current hardwood is oak and being an antique oak floor it’s quite beautiful. I think ideally I’d prefer a naturally darker hardwood like cherry- though such woods are more susceptible to UV discoloration.

I'd keep the antique oak. At the very least, you can have it sanded down and stained and sealed. Oak is a fantastic flooring choice. Ripping it out would lower the value of the place. Unless you replaced it with oak again. Cherry isn't bad, but I'm not fond of the reddish tinge it tends to have when stained darker. Though you've got it backwards. Cherry of all kinds including mahogany tend to darken when exposed to UV, and take on a reddish tinge, especially if they were stained with a stain that had a reddish tint to it.

I am planning on doing at least 2 Ethernet jacks in each room as the interior hallway wall be demo’ed. I’m also planning on doing a Unbiquiti UniFi WiFi system... it might be overkill but it’s what I upgraded my parents (much larger) home and it works great. In that case I’ll probably do another 2-3 Ethernet lines in the ceiling/wall depending on what model access points I do. I’ll probably do a media cabinet with the equipment either in one of the built in cabinets in the living room, or a built in cabinet built into part of the closet off the living room that extends beneath the stair case (also possible location for central vac if we go that route).

I've got no idea what that is. I was lucky with a simple repeater setup apart from having wiring through the house. There's only a few areas of the house that won't get a signal worth a damn. Though they're not placed you'd normally want to use the internet. I don't think you're as lucky.

I also have an existing built in cabinet in the main hallway that includes two upper cabinets, a countertop, and 3 drawers below. I’m not exactly sure what we’ll do with that area.

You can remove it or use it. You'll probably have to redo the cabinets. But I'd either use it for rarely used items or depending on how large, you can put alcohol there.

Lastly for the living room, I’m debating going within a conventional television- probably around 55”, nothing too big as I don’t want it to be the focal point of the room. The alternative option is doing a projection screen setup with a recessed electric drop screen, similar to what I had set up in my last bedroom. I guess to some degree that might depend on what way my ceiling beams run. If they run parallel to the projection screen it’s a lot easier to do a cleanly recessed screen.

If you go the TV route, buy it from Costco.
[doublepost=1515110123][/doublepost]

It had two sets of LG front loaders which were perfect. I bought the optional stands which eliminated a lot of bending over and I could stuff crapola in their huge drawers. Lol.

So I've never seen these myself, but what do people put in the drawers? Soap and towels and stuff like that?

Someone mentioned an odor associated with front loaders. I had that issue with an old set of Maytag but NONE with the newish LG. Obviously door on a front loading washer seals and needs to left ajar for air circulation after the cycle. The LG doors has a little magnet that will hold the door in a semi closed position while permitting plenty of air circulation. So you have two good functional ascetic options of open or the appearance of closed. I’m guessing this is available in every front loader by now.

I've never noticed a musty odor due to remaining water. But front loaders have been around a long time so maybe we lucked out. Though, during the summer, I'll wipe the inside down with hot water and a drop or two of disinfectant.

We had granite everywhere even the floors and loved it.

Yeah. There's some granite that's very nice and looks like marble. Tends to fool the experts, too. My issues with granite were and are it doesn't hold up to shock well. It will stain if given the chance and the resurfacing process is long and expensive. I tend to like thick counters for their durability and unique look, so we picked out a color scheme and design and it looks wonderful. The irony is that you pay more than you would have if you went with marble or granite. But it also means I can butcher meat right on the counter. I can slam the counter top with a hammer and it'll barely scratch. Good stuff. Corian isn't bad either but I'm not really sure what they use since it's a tradename.

 

[Gutwrench]

So I've never seen these myself, but what do people put in the drawers? Soap and towels and stuff like that?

Socks, lots of unmatched socks. Hundreds of them. You might even get an exwife in there, if she’s Asian like mine. Seriously, the convenience of the pedestals raising the two units off the ground is worth the price...whatever it was. $100-150/each??

I've never noticed a musty odor due to remaining water. But front loaders have been around a long time so maybe we lucked out. Though, during the summer, I'll wipe the inside down with hot water and a drop or two of disinfectant.

It’s my experience if the door is left shut it’ll mildew inside. The odor seems to impregnate the seals and difficult to fully eradicate. I’ve not had any problem since. Once a year or so, if I think of it, I wipe down the seals and the door. Then I’ll just run a empty cycle with bleach in the dispenser. I don’t know if it does any good.

 

[Huntn]

I might write more later but...

• I love painted cabinets number one. If I was going to have stained cabinets, they would be cherry.
• Cabinets, pull outs for all pots, and lower cabinets. Makes accessing pots in the back much more convienent.
• I like white appliances, they never go out of style. Stainless would be a second choice.
• Seperate cooktop from oven. Ideal is to stack two wall ovens or an oven and a microwave.
• Double porcelain farm sink, but that might not be your thing.
• Stackable dryer and front load washer, but only if you have to stack them for lack of space.
• I don’t care what is said, from first hand experience, if you get a dense granite, stains are not an issue. There is not much maintenance.
• Some glass doors give a nice touch to certain cabinets, like for dishes, but I would not go over board with all glass doors. We also have frosted glass doors on out pantry that look sharp.
• Consider a different color Island from the rest of your cabinets, just for some variation. We have cream cabinets and a stained mahogany island. Nice contrast.
• Consider the taller cabinets if those are being replaced.
• Brand matching to me does not seem all that important, but it may be. The same color on appliances, yes.
• Consider a nice tile design for behind your cooktop, if it’s not on the island.
• Pot filler by stove?

From my kitchen remodel check out the before and in progress pics. Page 3 of this thread has the mural: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/kitchen-remodel.1579283/page-2

 

[Gutwrench]

@Zenithal Ps - The original owners built the house and we added the granite afterwards. We liked it very much, but finding good granite people is like finding a good mechanic. The original owners used mahogany for all the interior woodwork. They used it extensively on the exterior too. Good grief was that a mistake, in my opinion. It cost a blooming fortune for upkeep.

 

[Huntn]

One of the salesmen was trying to sell us on a Wolf microwave drawer. Seems like it could get messy reheating something liquid. I do like the drop down doors similar to ovens, or the standard side open is fine.

My interim apartment has GE Profile appliances. My last apartment had GE profile. My parents summer home before the remodel has GE, as does their rental house. We’ve never really had a problem. That said, I’m not sure what their products are like these days (I believe their appliance dept has since been sold off).

Just to give you an idea of wood paneled Subzero here are some examples in a whiteish color (like I said, the side-by-sides aren’t really practical unless you get a very large one).
View attachment 745181 View attachment 745182
[doublepost=1515061904][/doublepost]

My parents did marble tile in their master bathroom. Looks nice but Terrible idea. It turns into a giant slip and slide when wet.

I’m not sure if Subzero has changed their design at all, but on a monthly basis one with both their current Subzero and the one in their old house, the front grate simply had to be removed and vacuumed out. I’ved noticed in some newer houses the coils are exposed from above the cabinetry and can be vacuumed from above.

We’re not planning on doing any carpet, aside from area rugs. Given were taking down a wall, it will be hard to get all the hardwood floors match unless we can recycle from other parts of the apartment or redo the hardwood entirely. I think I prefer the look of hardwood in the kitchen, but obviously title is far more durable in a kitchen.

The current hardwood is oak and being an antique oak floor it’s quite beautiful. I think ideally I’d prefer a naturally darker hardwood like cherry- though such woods are more susceptible to UV discoloration.

I am planning on doing at least 2 Ethernet jacks in each room as the interior hallway wall be demo’ed. I’m also planning on doing a Unbiquiti UniFi WiFi system... it might be overkill but it’s what I upgraded my parents (much larger) home and it works great. In that case I’ll probably do another 2-3 Ethernet lines in the ceiling/wall depending on what model access points I do. I’ll probably do a media cabinet with the equipment either in one of the built in cabinets in the living room, or a built in cabinet built into part of the closet off the living room that extends beneath the stair case (also possible location for central vac if we go that route).

I also have an existing built in cabinet in the main hallway that includes two upper cabinets, a countertop, and 3 drawers below. I’m not exactly sure what we’ll do with that area.

Lastly for the living room, I’m debating going within a conventional television- probably around 55”, nothing too big as I don’t want it to be the focal point of the room. The alternative option is doing a projection screen setup with a recessed electric drop screen, similar to what I had set up in my last bedroom. I guess to some degree that might depend on what way my ceiling beams run. If they run parallel to the projection screen it’s a lot easier to do a cleanly recessed screen.

I like the appearance of the left one better, but the right one may have more storage. Not a fan of cabinet looking fridges.
[doublepost=1515115435][/doublepost]

@Zenithal Ps - The original owners built the house and we added the granite afterwards. We liked it very much, but finding good granite people is like finding a good mechanic. The original owners used mahogany for all the interior woodwork. They used it extensively on the exterior too. Good grief was that a mistake, in my opinion. It cost a blooming fortune to have it maintenanced and protected.

I grew up on the east coast so I am partial to painted moldings. My favorite combo is dark rich red stained wood floor, highlighted with painted baseboards. This makes the floors pop. I don't want my wood baseboards competing with wood floors. I lived in the Upper Midwest which in 1980 had way too much stained wood imo in houses.. The following decade, painted molding influence started creeping in. The last house we built there, 1996, we still had to make special orders for white cabinets in the kitchen, and for painted baseboards. Stained was still a standard.

 

[0388631]

Socks, lots of unmatched socks. Hundreds of them. You might even get an exwife in there, if she’s Asian like mine. Seriously, the convenience of the pedestals raising the two units off the ground is worth the price...whatever it was. $100/each??

View attachment 745280



It’s my experience if the door is left shut it’ll mildew inside. The odor seems to impregnate the seals and difficult to fully eradicate. I’ve not had any problem since. Once a year or so, if I think of it, I wipe down the seals and the door. Then I’ll just run a empty cycle with bleach in the dispenser. I don’t know if it does any good.

I can't say I've smelled it. Might be the warmer and drier climate here. Though for general odors that may cling to clothes, running and empty, hot cycle with a half cup of vinegar and a third cup of hydrogen peroxide will work. I've heard of people using a bit of borax, but I remember people stopped eons ago because it messed with tubes and seals.

These pedestals are sturdy? The one in your post looks like it's made from laminated particle board...
[doublepost=1515116157][/doublepost]

@Zenithal Ps - The original owners built the house and we added the granite afterwards. We liked it very much, but finding good granite people is like finding a good mechanic. The original owners used mahogany for all the interior woodwork. They used it extensively on the exterior too. Good grief was that a mistake, in my opinion. It cost a blooming fortune to have it maintenanced and protected.

There's a few imported brands of granite that are nice, but they cost just as much as high end quartz, and more than marble. Thick marble at that. Silestone has a lot of selections but they can do a custom job to your liking in color or pattern. Due to the nature of my firm we deal with very... people with incredible taste. Let's just call it that.

They'll use marble in the bathrooms. Granite or custom quartz. I've seen people use Scandinavian marble which at one point was nice but it has a dated look to it now. And I've seen people blow a city street's income on custom quartz. The world is your oyster when it comes to remodeling as long as you don't mind paying for it. Anything, or rather nearly anything is possible.

There are better choices than oak for cabinets. Painted or unusual color stains are nice too, and much more modern/future proof. I really love dark stained matte cabinets, but you grow an unusual nervousness of spiders and other critters you won't easily see.

 

[Gutwrench]

These pedestals are sturdy? The one in your post looks like it's made from laminated particle board...

They’re all metal.
[doublepost=1515117461][/doublepost]

They'll use marble in the bathrooms. Granite or custom quartz. I've seen people use Scandinavian marble which at one point was nice but it has a dated look to it now. And I've seen people blow a city street's income on custom quartz.

Understood.

 

[A.Goldberg]

Yeah. We knew about this before. Our previous master flooring was also marble. Ideally, you keep those microfiber bath towels (the small ones) and lay it folded on the ground as you step outside of the shower or bath. It's safe to walk after. For general spills from the sink, I'm fond of the automotive towels because they're felt-like and very absorbent. Though spilling water isn't a common practice.



I'll have to look at ours. Generally, I don't mess around with removing grates and whatnot on stuff like that. I don't have much patience when it comes to that stuff. You need a certain amount of gingerly finesse I can't give a crap about. I blow it out and vacuum it up, or run both at the same time. Which reminds me, will you be upgrading the electrical wiring of the place or is it fairly new?



I'd keep the antique oak. At the very least, you can have it sanded down and stained and sealed. Oak is a fantastic flooring choice. Ripping it out would lower the value of the place. Unless you replaced it with oak again. Cherry isn't bad, but I'm not fond of the reddish tinge it tends to have when stained darker. Though you've got it backwards. Cherry of all kinds including mahogany tend to darken when exposed to UV, and take on a reddish tinge, especially if they were stained with a stain that had a reddish tint to it.




I've got no idea what that is. I was lucky with a simple repeater setup apart from having wiring through the house. There's only a few areas of the house that won't get a signal worth a damn. Though they're not placed you'd normally want to use the internet. I don't think you're as lucky.

You can remove it or use it. You'll probably have to redo the cabinets. But I'd either use it for rarely used items or depending on how large, you can put alcohol there.


If you go the TV route, buy it from Costco.
[doublepost=1515110123][/doublepost]

So I've never seen these myself, but what do people put in the drawers? Soap and towels and stuff like that?



I've never noticed a musty odor due to remaining water. But front loaders have been around a long time so maybe we lucked out. Though, during the summer, I'll wipe the inside down with hot water and a drop or two of disinfectant.


Yeah. There's some granite that's very nice and looks like marble. Tends to fool the experts, too. My issues with granite were and are it doesn't hold up to shock well. It will stain if given the chance and the resurfacing process is long and expensive. I tend to like thick counters for their durability and unique look, so we picked out a color scheme and design and it looks wonderful. The irony is that you pay more than you would have if you went with marble or granite. But it also means I can butcher meat right on the counter. I can slam the counter top with a hammer and it'll barely scratch. Good stuff. Corian isn't bad either but I'm not really sure what they use since it's a tradename.

At least with the older Subzero units, failure to vacuum our the dust would cause the compressors to overheat. Perhaps they’ve since changed the design. It might also be climate/heating dependent too. Oil heat tends to create more dust than other forms of heat or no heat at all obviously.

The thing is with the old oak is getting it to match the new oak. It might be possible to get some reclaimed hardwood that would match better. I prefer a darker hardwood myself. As I think I mentioned before, we’re not doing any wall to walll carpet. The both bathrooms will be tile.

The entire apartment was renovated around 2003 so the electric is modern. There is also venting for the stove exhaust fan to the exterior so we should be all set there.

Unbiquiti makes WiFi systems designed generally for larger homes or smaller offices or even schools. They also now have a more consumer oriented MESH product called Amplifi. Basically the system consists of various types of access points (ceiling/wall mounted, various protocols/ranges, MESH AP’s are now offered, in-wall mounted, outdoor, etc) powered via PoE. They are connected to a switch and router obviously. An optional device called a cloud key can be connected to add more services and also allow for remote accesss. It’s a great little system. Like I said I’ve used their UniFi system (original, more commercial grade)in my parents house as well as my company’s patiens’ residence. It’s great because everything integrates really well, it’s highly customizable, and astheticslly its very streamlined looking- many of the units just look like smoke detectors. (Disclaimer I do own UBNT stock )

Like I said. I’ll probably do a media rack in the built in cabinets or large closet off the living room which will include the networking equipment.

 

[0388631]

Understood.

You've lost me.
[doublepost=1515118868][/doublepost]

At least with the older Subzero units, failure to vacuum our the dust would cause the compressors to overheat. Perhaps they’ve since changed the design. It might also be climate/heating dependent too. Oil heat tends to create more dust than other forms of heat or no heat at all obviously.

It can, but dust won't stick in globs unless moisture makes it so. Which is an issue in the kitchen. A novel idea is to fit a fine mesh screen on the openings and vacuum off of that. Like I said, I usually pick a day or two out of the year and go nuts with the blower. Aside from a very fine smattering of dust you'd need to go over with a cloth, they're as good as new.

The thing is with the old oak is getting it to match the new oak. It might be possible to get some reclaimed hardwood that would match better. I prefer a darker hardwood myself. As I think I mentioned before, we’re not doing any wall to walll carpet. The both bathrooms will be tile.

Yeah that's going to be a headache for you. The easy way out is "painting" the wood or whatever the term is so it's a flat near opaque stain. During our remodel, in the areas where we decided to change the floor, we were able to salvage the majority of the product, clean and prep it and sell it off to people or groups who expressed interesting. You can get anywhere from 40-60% back on what you spent. Plus, it makes you feel good it isn't going to waste.

Unbiquiti makes WiFi systems designed generally for larger homes or smaller offices or even schools. They also now have a more consumer oriented MESH product called Amplifi. Basically the system consists of various types of access points (ceiling/wall mounted, various protocols/ranges, MESH AP’s are now offered, in-wall mounted, outdoor, etc) powered via PoE. They are connected to a switch and router obviously. An optional device called a cloud key can be connected to add more services and also allow for remote accesss. It’s a great little system. Like I said I’ve used their UniFi system (original, more commercial grade)in my parents house as well as my company’s patiens’ residence. It’s great because everything integrates really well, it’s highly customizable, and astheticslly its very streamlined looking- many of the units just look like smoke detectors. (Disclaimer I do own UBNT stock )

I'm interested. Our home is about 6K but we never really had issues with wifi, except back in the early 2000s when wifi tech was new. Ethernet outlets saved the day. Is it like a mesh network? Does it handle 5G, too? What speeds can it handle? We're currently on 330 down, and due for an upgrade to 450 down, but I may end up purchasing the ISP's gigabit net when it arrives in late 2018 or early 2019. How much headspeed does it slash off?

Like I said. I’ll probably do a media rack in the built in cabinets or large closet off the living room which will include the networking equipment.

You'll want ventilation. This is very easy to do. Very DIY when it comes to this. Though, if anything requires a high TDP processor or a lot of equipment that generates heat, you'll want your contractor to chime in.

 

[Gutwrench]

Unbiquiti makes WiFi systems designed generally for larger homes or smaller offices or even schools. They also now have a more consumer oriented MESH product called Amplifi. Basically the system consists of various types of access points (ceiling/wall mounted, various protocols/ranges, MESH AP’s are now offered, in-wall mounted, outdoor, etc) powered via PoE. They are connected to a switch and router obviously. An optional device called a cloud key can be connected to add more services and also allow for remote accesss. It’s a great little system. Like I said I’ve used their UniFi system (original, more commercial grade)in my parents house as well as my company’s patiens’ residence. It’s great because everything integrates really well, it’s highly customizable, and astheticslly its very streamlined looking- many of the units just look like smoke detectors. (Disclaimer I do own UBNT stock )

I wish I had known more. That house had numerous dead spots...frustrating.

 

[A.Goldberg]

You've lost me.
[doublepost=1515118868][/doublepost]

It can, but dust won't stick in globs unless moisture makes it so. Which is an issue in the kitchen. A novel idea is to fit a fine mesh screen on the openings and vacuum off of that. Like I said, I usually pick a day or two out of the year and go nuts with the blower. Aside from a very fine smattering of dust you'd need to go over with a cloth, they're as good as new.



Yeah that's going to be a headache for you. The easy way out is "painting" the wood or whatever the term is so it's a flat near opaque stain. During our remodel, in the areas where we decided to change the floor, we were able to salvage the majority of the product, clean and prep it and sell it off to people or groups who expressed interesting. You can get anywhere from 40-60% back on what you spent. Plus, it makes you feel good it isn't going to waste.



I'm interested. Our home is about 6K but we never really had issues with wifi, except back in the early 2000s when wifi tech was new. Ethernet outlets saved the day. Is it like a mesh network? Does it handle 5G, too? What speeds can it handle? We're currently on 330 down, and due for an upgrade to 450 down, but I may end up purchasing the ISP's gigabit net when it arrives in late 2018 or early 2019. How much headspeed does it slash off?


You'll want ventilation. This is very easy to do. Very DIY when it comes to this. Though, if anything requires a high TDP processor or a lot of equipment that generates heat, you'll want your contractor to chime in.

I think if you put a fine mesh over the coils you’d just end up with dust accumulating on the mesh and ultimately causing the same issue.

I’m surprised with a 6,000sq ft House you haven’t had issues with WiFi. My parents house is about 5,000 and has 3 indoor accesss points to get quality’s coverage everywhere. My temporary apartment is in an adjoining brownstone that hasn’t had the same level of renovation. Between the brick, lathe in the walls, wire mesh plaster had been applied to, likely lead paint somewhere, and interfering WiFi signals, the WiFi has been a nightmare. I’m. Not expecting qute the same level of interference given the previous renovations.

There are various models available. I’d suggest looking at ubnt.com. They have MESH units now for both commercial and general consumer use. They have 2.4 and 5ghz options. Their Pro series conventional access points can be daisy chained which can make wiring easier. The best feature is the PoE power so you don’t have to run separate AC power. The units are pretty affordable too.

My company’s patient residence I believe is slightly over 8000sq ft and 4 floors. Each floor has 2 Ubiquiti UniFi UAP-AC-Lite access points. Last year I installed an outdoor AP so clients can have reliable WiFi access outside. You could probably do 1 AP per floor but we did 2 to help distribute the bandwidth. The management software is great in helping determine the optimal channel for each access point. Each AP is connected via Cat6 to a 24-port UniFi switch, which also provides the PoE. The switch is connected to a UniFi USG (router) and CloudKey to alllow for offsite management which comes in handy. I can easily monitor the system and change settings from my computer or cell phone anywhere I have internet/cellular data service. The router is then connected to a cable modem- we have their maximum 250mbps service which seems to do fine even with about two dozen people’s devices connected. I’m waiting for Fiber to be available locally for a reasonable price. Alternatively I could get second ISP and upgrade the router to utilize both ISPs (I forget the name of that technology). There’s 2 SSID’s- one for non-clinical employees and one for patients, patients internet shuts off at midnight to try to encourage them to go to sleep. Anways, I digress... but that whole deal I did myself for I want to say around $1300, which is pretty cheap all things considered.

For my aparment I’d probably do one AP in the living room at one end of the apartment, one in the hallway at the other end, and maybe do an outdoor unit for the deck if the WiFi doesn’t significantly penetrate the brick exterior wall. Alternatively I could do the Ubiquiti Amplifi MESH system which includes a base station (with antenna) and two external MESH antennas for (depending on the model costs $200-350). I think this mesh base station only has 4 Ethernet ports, so I’d need a switch for the Ethernet ports I plan on putting in.

Last winter I upgraded my parents internet. Their two ancient Linksys WR54G or whatever routers were replaced with 3 UAP-AC-Lites. Their house was built around 2000 there’s Ethernet everywhere, but the 48 port switch wasn’t gigabit Ethernet so I replaced that. For the router I used a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter connected to a new Arris cable modem. One of these days I’ll get them an outdoor AP so they can have WiFi on the patio and by the pool.
[doublepost=1515124764][/doublepost]

I wish I had known more. That house had numerous dead spots...frustrating.

See my post above. It’s a great little system that more houses should have. The software setup is a little more complex than your ISP provided gateways but once it’s up and running it’s fantastic. It’s really not that difficult and they’ve made a lot of great improvements too over the past couple years to the software too. It’s far easier that true commercial grade systems.

 

[0388631]

I wish I had known more. That house had numerous dead spots...frustrating.

Euphemism? Dead spots are going to be a more common issue going forward. A lot of homes are being being with both wood and metal studding instead of one or the other. It offers longevity and other stuff. Don't ask, I think it's silly buy finding a stud in a wall is a PITA, so it might not be bad.

 

[iMi]

I will just chime in and say that I have had excellent experience with Kenmore and Sears when it comes to appliances. I really don’t think I’ll ever buy elsewhere. Kenmore has been 100% reliable for us. Now on the 3rd set, I believe. Plus the one we bought and then sold with the house. Sales person we had last time was amazing. She put together several options, compared all the deals and rebates and helped us pick out the right set. She even noticed when the microwave we chose had a different style handle that would’t match and helped us find one that would.

I honestly don’t understand why someone would not shop Sears for appliances.

We now have Kenmore Elite kitchen suite as as well as Kenmore Elite washer and dryer. Best appliances we’ve ever owned. Prior to Kenmore we had Bosch. Also great and also purchased from Sears. If you can find one of the new Appliance and Mattress Sears stores nearby then you can actually compare all the options on a giant screen. They even give you the ability to select the same color cabinets, granit counter tops, etc.

It’s pretty neat.

 

[0388631]

I think if you put a fine mesh over the coils you’d just end up with dust accumulating on the mesh and ultimately causing the same issue.

No. The faceplate you take off from the bottom of the fridge. On the back, you could attach a fine mesh. You can vacuum off of that. This is what I did with my current PC workstation in my home office. I didn't want to use the stupid mesh you could buy online, so I went out and bought my own nylon/plastic mesh that was finer. No dust inside, but a vacuuming of the openings twice a month solves heating issues. If I forget and it gets bad, all I do is take it outside and either wash it and let it air dry or use a blower/compressed air.

I’m surprised with a 6,000sq ft House you haven’t had issues with WiFi. My parents house is about 5,000 and has 3 indoor accesss points to get quality’s coverage everywhere. My temporary apartment is in an adjoining brownstone that hasn’t had the same level of renovation. Between the brick, lathe in the walls, wire mesh plaster had been applied to, likely lead paint somewhere, and interfering WiFi signals, the WiFi has been a nightmare. I’m. Not expecting qute the same level of interference given the previous renovations.

Wine cellar is dead. Den is dead for some odd reason and some other portions are as well, such as the garage. I use extenders, but that's old school compared to your suggestion. Realistically, I only need good wifi around the living room. Though that, it carries out into the yard some bit. Most of the stuff in the house is wired in. Yeah, that's why you're unfortunate per my post. Is wifi available in your dad's shop in the basement? I'd imagine all his power tools and whatnot may interfere.

I'll probably have to invest in Mesh Wifi or whatever is hot stuff now soon enough.

There are various models available. I’d suggest looking at ubnt.com. They have MESH units now for both commercial and general consumer use. They have 2.4 and 5ghz options. Their Pro series conventional access points can be daisy chained which can make wiring easier. The best feature is the PoE power so you don’t have to run separate AC power. The units are pretty affordable too.

What's the difference between consumer and commercial? Service level or features?

Long term, I'd like something bigger or rather not too big but make use of space more efficiently. Flat land, far from the hills. Better air quality. The only thing that keeps me here is the nice big yard and my trees. I love my fruit trees. Damned if I have to give them up.

 

[A.Goldberg]

No. The faceplate you take off from the bottom of the fridge. On the back, you could attach a fine mesh. You can vacuum off of that. This is what I did with my current PC workstation in my home office. I didn't want to use the stupid mesh you could buy online, so I went out and bought my own nylon/plastic mesh that was finer. No dust inside, but a vacuuming of the openings twice a month solves heating issues. If I forget and it gets bad, all I do is take it outside and either wash it and let it air dry or use a blower/compressed air.



Wine cellar is dead. Den is dead for some odd reason and some other portions are as well, such as the garage. I use extenders, but that's old school compared to your suggestion. Realistically, I only need good wifi around the living room. Though that, it carries out into the yard some bit. Most of the stuff in the house is wired in. Yeah, that's why you're unfortunate per my post. Is wifi available in your dad's shop in the basement? I'd imagine all his power tools and whatnot may interfere.

I'll probably have to invest in Mesh Wifi or whatever is hot stuff now soon enough.



What's the difference between consumer and commercial? Service level or features?

Long term, I'd like something bigger or rather not too big but make use of space more efficiently. Flat land, far from the hills. Better air quality. The only thing that keeps me here is the nice big yard and my trees. I love my fruit trees. Damned if I have to give them up.

I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the cooling equipment on the Subzeros is on the top of the unit. That’s whats behind that grill is above the doors. Anyways, you should adopt your idea and sell it to Subzero.

The UniFi units get the entire house including the shop in the basement... though I haven’t tested the other parts of the basement. The attached garage has service as well as there is an AP in the living space above the garage. The detached garage does not have service, though it might be handy. It would be an easy addition considering the space above it is unfinished but prepped to turned into apartment someday if desired and that includes Ethernet lines connected to the main house. It might be handy to WiFi our there, especially considering they recently replaced all the garage doors and openers- though I’m not exactly sure what the WiFi enables garage door openers involves. [Side Note: their old garage door openers were made by The Overhead Door, which are apparently the oldest garage door company and a premium brand. The House w/3 bays was built in 2000, the detached garage in 2002 w/2 bays. In that time 4/5 openers had issues and 1 failed completely (on the detached garage, that received the least usage) and another was beginning to sound like it was failing. They were chain driven design too, presumably more reliable.] Anways, I guess in addition to the outdoor WiFi unit, WiFi for the detached garage (where my father tends to do his automotive projects) might not be a bad idea. Unfortunately the outdoor living space is on the opposite end of the house so to speak. Thanks for the gift idea.

Back from my stream of consciousness- If you’re prewired with Ethernet and/or have easily accessible attic space they’re not too bad to install. Additionally, most of their models look like smoke detectors and designed to send the signal downwards and outward, generally being able to send the signal through at least one floor. The power can also be adjusted to ensure there’s sufficient coverage without overlapping too much with other units. With the software you can upload the blueprints of your house, set the scale, and it will estimate your coverage zone with the settings you have set for both 2.4 and 5ghz antennas.

The consumer line is called Amplifi- basically similar to any of the consumer targeted MESH systems- one base station (that includes an antenna) with 2 additional mesh points. You can purchase additional mesh points to add on.

The commercial line requires a bit more programming to set up. The units are designed to be ceiling or wall mounted. The MESH units are still PoE so you need to power them somehow. The software is much more sophisticated. You have the ability to remotely manage the network off site with the proper equipment. You also have the option of various access permissions, for example a voucher based system if you were charging for internet or only wanted people to have temporary access (ie if you had a hotel). Where the Amplifi system is basically plug and play of a few different products, the commercial line has various access points, PoE switches, routers, etc. They also make long range backhaul antennas for connecting buildings over a distance. I’m not sure how customer service varies, but the UniFi system has a great feature in the management software where you can instantly chat tech support and they can see your settings. The tech suppprt has always been very prompt and very knowledable. There’s also a massive support community online too. I’d suggest you look around their website to see all their offerings.

I’ll also add the remote management is great. If my parents or my company has an issue, needs settings changed, or requires an update, I can remotely fix it. I also get an email if there’s a problem detected as the system is all cloud based.

Your house would be a great candidate for their Amplifi MESH system if you wanted to do plug and play. If you wanted to be a little more sophisticated, you could probably do their UniFi MESH system as the antennas are wall mounted. You could splice in where your existing Ethernet ports are and mount the antennas following the stud upwards above where the old Ethernet jack is on the wall.

Anyways, if you have any more questions send me a PM. I don’t want to get too far off track here.

I like where I live, a good mix of urban and suburban. I don’t plan on living in an apartment/condo forever but for now it’s convenient. My work is about 6 miles away. My significant other can walk 2 min to the train and be to work in 15min without having to deal with the nightmare of parking in downtown Boston. Growing up in Connecticut, it’s nice to be able to for a walk, some shopping, and get a bite to eat. In Connecticut you have to get in your car and drive and park. That said, having a big yard with a pool, lots of trees, and tons of privacy was also nice. On the other hand, not having to worry about landscaping and snow removal is also really nice.

 

[0388631]

I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the cooling equipment on the Subzeros is on the top of the unit. That’s whats behind that grill is above the doors. Anyways, you should adopt your idea and sell it to Subzero.

Not quite. For the most part, that is true. But they have had models and maybe still do of bottom coils on select styles within niche ranges. Technically, you can still do it with a custom order of their integrated units and asking for the outside to be finished in stainless steel. It'll cost you extra. Bottom coils get dirtier provided your kitchen gets dusty or you don't vacuum or sweep often. Top coils will get dirtier slowly but the or fuzz will be nappy due to higher humidity and oil molecules from cooking.

It's really up to you. You can have several of them custom ordered and installed in the kitchen. Usually people who have the space and get a Sub Zero will have a second refrigerator nearby. You store fast perishables in the Sub and then your condiments and whatever crap in the other one including general beer and sodas/mineral water.

What I like about the Sub Zero is I can put in moist or slightly wet mushrooms and not worry about them going moldy in a week. I think right now we've got some romaine in the multi pack bag we bought from Costco in mid November. Assuming it's the same bag, we made a salad with a head of romaine tonight and it was as crisp. Maybe it's because it's organic or maybe it's magic. Though I've heard similar about Viking.

Thermadore is another good brand. Really good brand, very professional and durable, lots of choices. Not a whole lot cheaper. Sometimes certain models of whatever can be customized to your liking but also offer some neat alternatives. With Viking, I know you could or you could have back 9 years ago was a choice of like 5 stove knob styles. Which was freaking cool to me. You could even have different knob for different things. Red knobs for the main stovetop and a cylindrical knob with a digital readout in the middle for the oven.
[doublepost=1515139709][/doublepost]

The UniFi units get the entire house including the shop in the basement... though I haven’t tested the other parts of the basement. The attached garage has service as well as there is an AP in the living space above the garage. The detached garage does not have service, though it might be handy. It would be an easy addition considering the space above it is unfinished but prepped to turned into apartment someday if desired and that includes Ethernet lines connected to the main house. It might be handy to WiFi our there, especially considering they recently replaced all the garage doors and openers- though I’m not exactly sure what the WiFi enables garage door openers involves. [Side Note: their old garage door openers were made by The Overhead Door, which are apparently the oldest garage door company and a premium brand. The House w/3 bays was built in 2000, the detached garage in 2002 w/2 bays. In that time 4/5 openers had issues and 1 failed completely (on the detached garage, that received the least usage) and another was beginning to sound like it was failing. They were chain driven design too, presumably more reliable.] Anways, I guess in addition to the outdoor WiFi unit, WiFi for the detached garage (where my father tends to do his automotive projects) might not be a bad idea. Unfortunately the outdoor living space is on the opposite end of the house so to speak. Thanks for the gift idea.

What gift idea?...

Interesting. I'll have a look at it. Right now I'm using a pricey extender but it looks hideous. If you were to compress the Sith Lord into a rectangle column, it's like that. Chain is going to be reliable, but the motors aren't always well built. The doors themselves are well built, not so much the A really good one should last a long time. I'd write it off as a fluke. Maybe weather influenced failure.
[doublepost=1515139929][/doublepost]

Back from my stream of consciousness- If you’re prewired with Ethernet and/or have easily accessible attic space they’re not too bad to install. Additionally, most of their models look like smoke detectors and designed to send the signal downwards and outward, generally being able to send the signal through at least one floor. The power can also be adjusted to ensure there’s sufficient coverage without overlapping too much with other units. With the software you can upload the blueprints of your house, set the scale, and it will estimate your coverage zone with the settings you have set for both 2.4 and 5ghz antennas.

Stupid question: Do I have to put it in the attic? We don't have traditional attics like you east coasters do. Could I perhaps put it atop a high cabinet or somewhere out of sight, perhaps angled? Blueprints, like from the city's office? You're making this sound very complicated...
[doublepost=1515141465][/doublepost]

The commercial line requires a bit more programming to set up. The units are designed to be ceiling or wall mounted. The MESH units are still PoE so you need to power them somehow. The software is much more sophisticated. You have the ability to remotely manage the network off site with the proper equipment. You also have the option of various access permissions, for example a voucher based system if you were charging for internet or only wanted people to have temporary access (ie if you had a hotel). Where the Amplifi system is basically plug and play of a few different products, the commercial line has various access points, PoE switches, routers, etc. They also make long range backhaul antennas for connecting buildings over a distance. I’m not sure how customer service varies, but the UniFi system has a great feature in the management software where you can instantly chat tech support and they can see your settings. The tech suppprt has always been very prompt and very knowledable. There’s also a massive support community online too. I’d suggest you look around their website to see all their offerings.

Interesting. Most of this flew over my head not because of the scotch I'm nursing but I'm very much out of the loop on net tech. Though this sounds very interesting. Though I think it's a little overkill for a house.

I’ll also add the remote management is great. If my parents or my company has an issue, needs settings changed, or requires an update, I can remotely fix it. I also get an email if there’s a problem detected as the system is all cloud based.

So the home stuff, like your parents', it can also be remotely managed or just the commercial grade model?

Your house would be a great candidate for their Amplifi MESH system if you wanted to do plug and play. If you wanted to be a little more sophisticated, you could probably do their UniFi MESH system as the antennas are wall mounted. You could splice in where your existing Ethernet ports are and mount the antennas following the stud upwards above where the old Ethernet jack is on the wall.

Mhmm. Plug and Play sounds really good, especially for someone who'd rather not drill a bunch of holes all over the place and patch. I'll probably want to talk to them and maybe think about how I'd set up either system. We haven't had issues with dropped wifi signals in the solid places in the house, but I'd like to get my money's worth when it comes to higher speeds in the future. How many Mbps can these Mesh thingamajigs handle?

I like where I live, a good mix of urban and suburban. I don’t plan on living in an apartment/condo forever but for now it’s convenient. My work is about 6 miles away. My significant other can walk 2 min to the train and be to work in 15min without having to deal with the nightmare of parking in downtown Boston. Growing up in Connecticut, it’s nice to be able to for a walk, some shopping, and get a bite to eat. In Connecticut you have to get in your car and drive and park. That said, having a big yard with a pool, lots of trees, and tons of privacy was also nice. On the other hand, not having to worry about landscaping and snow removal is also really nice.

I like quiet suburbia. My drive to work is about an hour, add another 20ish minutes for our second location. I wouldn't really want to live near work simply due to the traffic and lack of easily accessible stores. I can drive into town in 10 minutes and do a ton of grocery shopping and from there I can make another 10 minute drive to clothing stores. I can get better acreage near work, fresher air due to being near the coastline, etc. Both have their merits and their drawbacks, like anything else really. For me it's the time I spent and the energy that went into caring for young trees that matured. That's what kills me.

I definitely understand what life there is like. For the cost of a car payment and insurance, it's often cheaper to Uber or Lyft into work and home each day.

 

[A.Goldberg]

Thermadore is another good brand. Really good brand, very professional and durable, lots of choices. Not a whole lot cheaper. Sometimes certain models of whatever can be customized to your liking but also offer some neat alternatives. With Viking, I know you could or you could have back 9 years ago was a choice of like 5 stove knob styles. Which was freaking cool to me. You could even have different knob for different things. Red knobs for the main stovetop and a cylindrical knob with a digital readout in the middle for the oven.

I think we’re probably going splurge on the Subzero, fridge on top, freezer on bottom. Still debating wood vs. stainless.

What gift idea?...

Getting my parents the access points for outdoor WiFi usage.

Stupid question: Do I have to put it in the attic? We don't have traditional attics like you east coasters do. Could I perhaps put it atop a high cabinet or somewhere out of sight, perhaps angled? Blueprints, like from the city's office? You're making this sound very complicated...

Well you’d run the Ethernet wires through the attack. Most of the UniFi (commercial grade) are ideally ceiling mounted. It’s like a wired smoke detector. Therefore you’d drill a hole in the ceiling, wire comes from the attic, through the hole, and into the AP which mounts on the ceiling (much like a smoke detector with the twist on bracket).

Interesting. Most of this flew over my head not because of the scotch I'm nursing but I'm very much out of the loop on net tech. Though this sounds very interesting. Though I think it's a little overkill for a house.

Those were just examples of how much you can do with the software. What you can do depends on what hardware you buy too.

So the home stuff, like your parents', it can also be remotely managed or just the commercial grade model?

They have UniFi, which is the commercial grade, not Amplifi (consumer- actually just launched less than a year ago). But yes their system can be remotely managed with the Cloud Key System.

Mhmm. Plug and Play sounds really good, especially for someone who'd rather not drill a bunch of holes all over the place and patch. I'll probably want to talk to them and maybe think about how I'd set up either system. We haven't had issues with dropped wifi signals in the solid places in the house, but I'd like to get my money's worth when it comes to higher speeds in the future. How many Mbps can these Mesh thingamajigs handle?

Yes, Amplifi is much more straightforward if your house doesn’t have Ethernet or easy wiring options. I think you can get around 1.3gbps if I’m not mistaken... pretty much around whatever he other MESH systems can manage. A review I read few months ago rating it at the higher end of the competition.

https://store.amplifi.com/

 

[Gutwrench]

https://store.amplifi.com/

Thank you. I wish I had known more back then or tapped on a knowledge base.

 

[Gutwrench]

You've lost me.

Just an example of a small fortune on a room that was rarely used. The closing is at noon today. It’s someone else’s problem now.

 

[jeyf]

tile
i would go with a glazed none absorbent class 5 tile. if your doing the job your self something 12x12 and less dimensional and 3/8" grout lines are easier faster to lay. We did not disturb any of the existing flooring but covered every floor surface with wonder board because of asbestos. HomeDepot has a 4.5" diamond blade for ~$20 and you mount it in a small Maketa hand grinder. A couple of beers and it cuts tile like butter, a little dangerous tho. Pick a light natural color, tile the whole house. afterwards if you want rugs buy them too. We re used the existing black marble kitchen counter tops, polished them with a diamond grit compound and a grinder on sloooow speed.

kitchen
I had gas ovens and cook tops all my other houses and just went to electric and things cook faster. Maybe if you buy a stove accepting a 3/4" gas line? speaking of a cook top; i got a white ceramic and it stains easy. Not easy to clean either. Looks super nice tho in my totally zero white kitchen and that was my goal. Ikea like white Formica covered cabinets were existing and looked nice. We washed them with TSP and re used these. Bought a used white fridge, microwave and a new larger size freezer. New appliances we got from abt.com the used stuff from a local re build shop. We kept our white washing machine and bought a re built electric dryer. The gas dryers catch fire easy. Stack able is nice but if one unit goes out the set will not work.

we painted the whole house interior
with zero flat white. Flat latex paint applies easier faster. covers cracks and nail hole better. Wash bathrooms with commercial bleach to eliminate mold and used any high gloss paint there. Most rooms took 3 coats for the white. I was skeptic at first but the flat white looks super nice. Even medium quality paint is expensive, $115/5gal. We used 25 gallons of paint for the whole inside. Buy it by the 5gal as its easier to apply from a bucket than a can. We used a roller and taped over save the oak molding. We keep a quart can + a bag of disposable brushes handy and if any spots dont wash off paint over the spot.

Life before the EPA was tenuous
-even 1950's bath tubs had asbestos glazing in them. Its in the floor tile, the adhesive, the plaster and cement; you can get a quarter sized sample of what ever tested for $40. Best just assume an older house has the asbestos.
-first thing we did on our 1955 ranch house is rip out all the portable plumbing pipe and replace it with pex. The galvanized steel pipe's yellow water was eeew. The 1980's lead solder copper pipe had to go as well. Denver has sub contractors that handle the whole up grade including the interior wall re plaster. Do it all way out to the street water tap.

this is what I did this summer

 

[Huntn]

tile
i would go with a glazed none absorbent class 5 tile. if your doing the job your self something 12x12 and less dimensional and 3/8" grout lines are easier faster to lay. We did not disturb any of the existing flooring but covered every floor surface with wonder board because of asbestos. HomeDepot has a 4.5" diamond blade for ~$20 and you mount it in a small Maketa hand grinder. A couple of beers and it cuts tile like butter, a little dangerous tho. Pick a light natural color, tile the whole house. afterwards if you want rugs buy them too. We re used the existing black marble kitchen counter tops, polished them with a diamond grit compound and a grinder on sloooow speed.

kitchen
I had gas ovens and cook tops all my other houses and just went to electric and things cook faster. Maybe if you buy a stove accepting a 3/4" gas line? speaking of a cook top; i got a white ceramic and it stains easy. Not easy to clean either. Looks super nice tho in my totally zero white kitchen and that was my goal. Ikea like white Formica covered cabinets were existing and looked nice. We washed them with TSP and re used these. Bought a used white fridge, microwave and a new larger size freezer. New appliances we got from abt.com the used stuff from a local re build shop. We kept our white washing machine and bought a re built electric dryer. The gas dryers catch fire easy. Stack able is nice but if one unit goes out the set will not work.

we painted the whole house interior
with zero flat white. Flat latex paint applies easier faster. covers cracks and nail hole better. Wash bathrooms with commercial bleach to eliminate mold and used any high gloss paint there. Most rooms took 3 coats for the white. I was skeptic at first but the flat white looks super nice. Even medium quality paint is expensive, $115/5gal. We used 25 gallons of paint for the whole inside. Buy it by the 5gal as its easier to apply from a bucket than a can. We used a roller and taped over save the oak molding. We keep a quart can + a bag of disposable brushes handy and if any spots dont wash off paint over the spot.

Life before the EPA was tenuous
-even 1950's bath tubs had asbestos glazing in them. Its in the floor tile, the adhesive, the plaster and cement; you can get a quarter sized sample of what ever tested for $40. Best just assume an older house has the asbestos.
-first thing we did on our 1955 ranch house is rip out all the portable plumbing pipe and replace it with pex. The galvanized steel pipe's yellow water was eeew. The 1980's lead solder copper pipe had to go as well. Denver has sub contractors that handle the whole up grade including the interior wall re plaster. Do it all way out to the street water tap.

this is what I did this summer

Yes, but the EPA costs us profits... (rhetorical, I will not respond )