Two Hammers

Because of my child’s allergies I upgraded my home air filters six months ago; and there has been a noticeable improvement.  I installed pleated air filters in the central HVAC system and purchased two Honeywell room air filters.  The pleated filters in the central HVAC system catch alot of the airborne particulates in the house because of the high flow rate in the main system.  These filters will have to be changed about every 4-6 weeks depending on usage.  There cost is about $5-$15 each depending on the model.

The room air filters move about 200 cfm which is adequate for a living room or family room.  The units which I purchased do make a noticeable amount of noise, so we run them during the day when we are out.  They are also rather large, about 18-20 inches in diameter, so it is difficult to fit them in with anything but eclectic decor.  Though it is doubtful that smaller “personal size” air filters would have much of an effect.

So, after six months there is a noticeable decrease in airborne particulates, and the amount of dusting required around the house.  I strongly recommend upgrading to the pleated filters and adding separate room air filters in the more often used spaces in the home.

Update 23 Nov 2008

The room air filters in our house were life savers during the fires in Yorba Linda and Brea last week.  The air filters did a great job keeping the level of smoke in the house to  a tolerable level.

I feel pretty good about my obsessions now, after listening to the interview on NPR, about the folks in the upper Midwest ice spearing for sturgeon.  Casting a tuft of fur to a rising trout – or, staring down a hole in the ice, waiting to harpoon a passing fish.  To each his own I guess.

I do not get phone calls from my brother anymore.  He is either out fly fishing or getting his gear ready to go - or, occasionally trying to salvage his fading career.  I do get an occassional e-mail from him, penned late at night or during a storm shower.  The last e-mail which I recieved was a lengthy 3 pager itemizing all of his latest acquisitions from Cabela’s.

A new 3 wt. medium fast action 7 foot rod, reel with extra spool, floating and sinking tip lines, waders, etc.  Good job jump starting the economy brother.  I will hire some additional help in anticipation of the trickle down effect.

Every weekend brother dearest is out fly fishing, by mid week the only thing on his mind is going fishing again.  His yard is over grown, the dog is starving, his life is in shambles, and he tweaks when he talks.  Next year for Christmas I think that I will just get him a good book.

(Ed. This is an update on “Another Life Ruined by Fly fishing”)

When it comes time to make major purchases there still is nothing like touching and feeling in a brick and mortar store.  As convenient as the internet is; customers still visit showrooms to purchase kitchen remodeling products and services.  When we opened our kitchen showroom it was a major boost for business for several reasons.  Firstly, it gives you a comfortable place to entertain clients, with all of your samples at hand.  Secondly, it shows that you are a bonified player in the game.  The obvious investment in time and money separates you from all of the other ‘home office’ interior designers and ‘pickup truck office’ contractors.

In Orange County, CA these are some of our favorite showrooms:

Glass Creek Inc. in Fullerton – A full service Kitchen remodeling showroom with cabinet and countertop displays.  Featuring Diamond Cabinets and Decora Cabinets.

Tuscany Tile in Brea, CA – A stylish tile showroom which carries more upscale tiles.

Central Plumbing in La Habra, CA – A plumbing fixtures showroom.

To find these remodeling showrooms in Google maps or , please follow this link: Remodeling Showrooms Placemarks.

Again I was reminded of the importance of saying “no”.  Few times have I said no to a project and regretted it.  No matter how difficult it is, or how hungry you are, sometimes you have to say no; and stick to your guns when the customer appeals your decision.  I follow the following rules for accepting a project.  If is smells bad – it is, trust your gut instincts, you probably subconsciously detected something.  If you do not hit it off with the customer – walk away, the relationship will not get better with the stress of the job.  If the customer’s expectations and schedule are not realistic – find another customer.  If you are already overextended – do not make it worse by taking on more commitments.

There have not been many times when I have said no to a project and later proved to have been wrong.  Learn to say no when you have to.  And stick to it when the customer comes back 3 or 4 times.  There is nothing worse than getting involved in a bad remodeling project.

“My fly rod lost its virginity yesterday”, is how the conversation with my brother started the otherday.  “I caught six trout in an hour on the San Gabriel River.”

In a twisted act of brotherly love I gave my brother a fly rod for Christmas this year.  He was already an accomplished spinning rod angler, actually quite dangerous with his G. Loomis ultra light.  I thought that a little fly fishing frustration might add nicely to his losing battle to balance a job and kids.

His second day on the water with his fly rod and he was already into six trout.  What a Stud!  And on a dry fly.  He probaly can not focus his thoughts on anything else besides fishing.  The long slide down the slope has begun.  Stay tuned for future updates as another life is ruined by fly fishing.

Styling and warmth on the outside; convenience and function on the inside.  Soft closing door and drawer hardware is a must for any new kitchen, ending door slams and utensil crashes.  Pullouts and rollouts are a great way to store and access those larger pots and pans.  To accommodate the bulky Costco items there is nothing better than a pullout pantry, or a pantry loaded with rollouts.  And drawers still rein king for ergonomic access instead of large door cabinets.  Then of course, there is the required deep lazy susan in the blind corner and the recycling trash pullouts.

Hot door styles are the wide stile and rail shaker look; or a classical raised panel profile for timeless elegance.  Bucking the popular trend with the rustic look, stay away from the heavily grained and charactered species, such as, hickory, alder, birch, pine, and oak.  Unless it is a vacation home, then definitely use the local wood species.  The beautiful grain of cherry or clear maple underneath a semi transparent stain can not be beat. Medium light to medium brown stain colors (shifting more green than red with just a touch of black pigment) is a good choice.  The slight grey cast from the black pigment yields the coffee, espresso or mink looks.  A burnt umber or raw sienna glaze can give credit to detailed door styles while adding some warmth.  Black and chocolate should be used sparingly as accents.  If it has to be white, a cream or amaretto with a glaze can not be beat.  Decora Cabinets new Honeycomb on maple would be wonderful in a sunlight starved kitchen or bath.

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