Andy's Discussions

I completely agree with Betina when she says "shortcuts always show in the long run". Last month my family and I stayed in a rental house that had tile countertops that had been hastily laid over laminate. It was easy to see because the underside of the laminate was still visible from beneath, the counter's features were all bulkier than they should have been, and the counter was higher than normal, the latter two problems because it was built up on top of a normal height counter.In my opinion, as soon as you realize that the pretty tile countertop is built on top of laminate, it makes the whole project feel kind of cheesy. I'd do the extra work to pull out the laminate and do it right.

Good point about contacting your local planner's office, Michael. They'd know exactly what antihandy would need to do to be legal. They'll probably require a permit, but I'd be surprised if any place in the country allowed putting up new walls without a permit. And doing a project like this without a permit is a bad idea: if you ever have to make a claim on your insurance, they can potentially use that unapproved work as a reason to deny the claim.Interesting side note about vapor barriers: when we finished off one portion of our basement several years ago, the inspector told us we needed to put up vapor barrier on all external walls. We just recently finished off the other portion, and I added vapor barrier as well. This time, when the inspector came out he saw the vapor barrier he suggested taking it down. Apparently, the new school of thought is that trapping moisture between the concrete foundation and the vapor barrier isn't such a good thing. It causes moisture to accumulate in the insulation and against the studs (though that's less of a concern since you're using treated studs). Anyway, it's interesting to see how even today, when so much thought and attention goes into home construction, they're still rewriting best practices for building a long-lasting home.

I've never tried this, but I've always wanted to see the Scarecrow Sprinkler in action. You can find it on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Contech-Electronics-Scarecrow-Motion-Activated-CRO101/dp/B000071NUS) and the reviews seem almost unanimously favorable. It's safe, uses no harmful chemicals, and I imagine it makes for some good entertainment!

Just a guess, but I'd bet that they've considered it and decided that the CFLs make the fixtures look just a little bit less attractive, either because of the funny bulb shapes or because the light they put out is a bit different from incandescent. When you're trying to sell a product, anything that makes it look a little less desirable will translate into reduced sales.I don't think it's because the home improvement centers are clueless or don't care about energy efficiency: all the ones I've been in have skylights in the roof to let in natural (and free) light, and supplement it with what I believe are fairly efficient light fixtures.