Asbestos Removal and Greener Alternatives

There are many things to consider when remodeling or purchasing an older home. Homes built before 1980 have the strong likelihood of containing asbestos. Due to a steady progression of technology and green sustainable methods, there are many ways to ensure your home or property is asbestos free. If you are interested in saving money, remodeling and improving your carbon footprint, here is some information to get you on the right track.

Used in millions of homes throughout the last quarter of the 20^th century, asbestos insulation can become a real dilemma for homeowners due to causing a variety of health problems, including Peritoneal Mesothelioma and Malignant Mesothelioma. These types of cancer take the lives of thousands each year.

Non-regulated asbestos material can be legally performed by homeowners, regular contractors, or licensed asbestos abatement contractors as long as the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) are not violated.
Asbestos removal in public facilities, homes and workplaces must be undertaken by a licensed asbestos abatement contractor. Once the removal is complete, green insulation options should be given serious consideration, such as: Cellulose, Cotton Fiber and Lcynene.

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC), in a study conducted in 2003, estimated a savings of $50-$65 per square foot for well-constructed green buildings in the U.S. (see table below) during that year. The numbers continue to improve as more eco-friendly options become available, and those kinds of figures have finally begun to attract those who thought eco-friendly construction was just a bunch of hogwash.

Craftsman Curtain Rods and Curtains

After 2 years of living here, we are getting ready to put up curtains and rods. The problem we have been having to this point is what will look good and compliment all of the wood. Well, we found something we like but the problem is that it costs anywhere from $200-$400 per curtain rod. The rods are made of oak with small ebony inserts as you can see in the picture.

If you remember, I have a lot of mahogany and ebony left over from the job so we will be using that and make it ourselves. On a related note, my contractor Rich Wright asked me if I could create a web site for him in exchange for some work I may need done. What great timing! Rich will be building the curtain rods in exchange for his site.

Craftsman Furniture Store

Through our partnership with Home Decorators Collection, we are able to bring their entire collection of home furnishings, including the Craftsman Collection, to the Craftsman Home Remodeling website.

Order from our Craftsman Collection to bring the classic look of the Arts and Crafts style into your home. Explore our vast selection to find furniture for every use, whether it's a desk to separate bills in your office or a bench that will store shoes in your entryway.

You'll enjoy how the extra details of cross-paneled doors, flared trim and cast metal hardware add fresh appeal to your decor. And the handcrafted construction contains solid hardwood and oak veneer, highlighted beautifully in your choice of warm finishes. See what our Craftsman Collection can do for you today; order now.

Faucets, Sinks, & Tubs Oh My!!!

We are pleased to announce the opening of our newest store; Faucets, Sinks, & Tubs. Through our recent partnership with eFaucets, we are able to bring their entire collection of trusted mega brands include Delta, Moen, Kohler, American Standard, Price Pfister, Danze, Grohe, Giagni, Hansgrohe, Blanco, Teka, In-Sink-Erator, and many more to the Craftsman Home Remodeling website.

This Old House Magazine

The magazine that had contacted me several months ago was This Old House. I had submitted a few before and after pictures and they really liked it. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough before pictures for them to run a story. If you remember, when this project started the plan was to add a room and try to save everything so there wasn't supposed to be any drastic changes. Also, the demolition guys worked so fast that I couldn't get any pictures after the first day.

I worked with one of the This Old House writers for about a month to get her all of the information she needed. After pitching it to the editor, it was decided they would not do anything with it due to the lack of before pictures.

If any other magazine people are reading this (American Bungalow, Sunset, etc.), you can feature this house if you like as it has not been in any magazine....yet.

Kids Arts & Crafts Area

Now that the palm tree is gone, we have a big space (4.5' x 9') that can be used for something. After looking at the space for about 6 weeks, we have decided to turn it into a kids' Arts and Crafts area. I just bought the lumber yesterday and will be building it over the next few days. Stay tuned.

We Won the Pond Competition!

Back on May 13th, my post talks about how we were cleaning up the koi pond for the pond landscaping competition. Well, I just found out that we took first place for small ponds under $10,000. As soon as I get a picture of the award I'll post it here.

The Yard Store is Open!

We are pleased to announce the opening of The Yard Store; our new landscaping and gardening tool area. Through our partnership with WORX Yard Tools we are able to offer their complete line of innovative outdoor power tools that make yard work easier.

They have taken that simple idea and tried to offer something even more... like products which are high-quality, environmentally friendly, and recognized as being the most ergonomic tools on the market today. My favorite thing is that all of these tools run on interchangeable battery packs! Click on the picture below to be taken to the store.

Seven Steps to Hiring a Contractor

This came up on the forum the other day and I think it is worth repeating here in the blog.
==========
Seven Steps to Hiring a Contractor
1) Get a referral from someone you know. In fact, I'll bet you know several people that have done remodels in the last few years that could offer up some opinions on local contractors; good and bad. I got some names from friends plus I used several contractor referral services that match contractors to you in your area based on your criteria. They are listed under Contractor Referral Services on the Contractors Used page.

2) Hire a contractor who specializes in the type of work you need done. Someone you hire to install wood flooring or to build a deck should be a carpentry contractor, while someone you hire to install recessed lighting in your kitchen should be an electrician. There are many different trade certifications, so be sure to check the title on your contractor’s certification to make sure he or she is a specialist.

3) Check licenses and insurance with your city’s Contractor Licensing Board. Ask the tradesman for copies of the Contractor’s Certification, Worker’s Compensation status and Liability Insurance certificate. A reputable contractor will have no problem providing copies of these documents. In some areas, you may also be able to get this information online. I know that I could see all of this information online for my contractor who is in the Los Angeles area.

4) Get at least three references for your contractor and call them. The contractor will likely give you references who had positive experiences, so be sure to ask them specific questions about workmanship that are important to you. You might be concerned about whether the contractor cleaned up his work area and kept to his time line or whether the final invoice matched the estimate. When I was interviewing former customers of some contractors, I was amazed at how willing they were to tell me what to watch out for and where the contractor messed up. Having these 5 minute phone calls was very enlightening!

5) Check with the Better Business Bureau to find out if complaints have ever been filed or are outstanding against the contractor.

6) Request a written estimate. Any contractor who does not provide you with a written estimate should be crossed off your list immediately. Get at least three estimates and then compare prices with what is included. Remember the lowest bidder is not always the best.

7) Sign a written contract. The contract should clearly spell out all the steps the contractor will take from beginning to end of your job, what supplies are included, the payment schedule and the time line for the project. Put into the contract that you will get a discount of X number of dollars for each day the contractor is past his completion date. A few years ago, during the construction boom you would have not been able to get a contractor to sign up to late penalties. With the economy slowing down, now is a great to time to take control again.


What To Look Out For
• Hire a contractor who shows up on time for the initial estimate and seems professional and knowledgeable. If a contractor doesn't show up on time to bid the job, why would he ever show up on time after gets it?

• Check with the building department about whether a permit is required for the work to be done. If a permit is required, the liability is on the owner of the property to procure the permit or authorize the contractor to pull the permit.

• Make sure you hire someone with a large crew if time frame is important. My house took 2 years to build instead of one year due to manpower issues. Just think, the Empire State building was built in 14 months. Manpower is extremely important.

• You will need to provide a deposit to start the work but don't give too much up front. Enough money should be given to cover the contractor’s large expenses like construction materials, flooring, fixtures and crew to start your project.

• Contact your County Licensing Board. They can educate you about licenses, permits and trades, as well as answer any questions you may have about your project or a contractor licensed in your county.

• Don’t hire an unlicensed contractor! If you do, you will have no recourse should you be unhappy with the job. You will also be responsible for any and all code or permit violations cited by your county.

The Palm Tree Was Removed

Southern California Edison has been trimming my palm tree every few months for the last 8 years. During that time, I have been trying to get them to underground the power lines before my tree reached them. The last trimming was one too many as they topped off the palm tree resulting in its quick demise. Here are some photos I took of the removal.

 
 

 
 

The House is Complete, Time to Make this Site Useful

As many of you have noticed there has not been too much activity on the house lately. The reason is that it is mostly complete with minor projects and ongoing maintenance tasks in it's future.With that being said, my plan is to continue to document any upgrade and maintenance tasks as they occur, but my primary focus is to evolve this web site into something that everyone finds extremely useful with how-to tips, shopping for books, Arts & Crafts style items, products to finish your home, tools you might find useful on the job, and a Woodworkers' Corner for you do-it-yourselfers out there. Most importantly, a Home Remodeling Forum where everyone can exchange pictures and ideas, has just been created. Please drop by and show off your remodel, ask questions, and help others with your lessons learned. Be sure to add your remodeling horror stories.

Just remember that this site is for you and together we can make this a great community for both the Arts & Crafts community and Home Remodeling in general. All I need is your help to tell me what you would like to see on the site or how I can make something better and easier for you to use.

Thanks for all your kind words and questions so far.

Regards,
Mike

P.S. I am still uploading the construction pictures in the Photo Gallery. It is just taking a ton of time to keyword tag them all. Over the next couple of months this will hopefully be done.

P.P.S. Please vote in our poll on the Home page. This will help steer me in the direction of which sections to update first.

Another Magazine Called!

I can't believe it but another magazine called asking for pictures and saying that they may want to possibly use the house in a future issue. This is quite exciting for us. I don't want to mention the name unless something is official but it is a major magazine. Keep your fingers crossed!

Flushing the Tankless Water Heater and Streamlining the Hot Water System

I want to streamline my hot water system setup to hopefully save electricity and money. Let me first explain my hot water setup.

I have a Takagi Mobius TM-1 tankless water heater that receives cold water and outputs hot water on demand. The initial problem I had with water being on demand was I would have to let the shower run for 3 minutes just to get hot water. To remedy this, I had a 10 gallon electric heater hooked up to the hot outlet of the tankless water heater to maintain a reservoir of hot water that I would recirculate through the house every 30 minutes through the use of a recirculating pump.

The problem I have with this setup is my electrical bills have been really high and I'm sure the electric heater is not helping matters so I'm trying to find ways to lower that expense. I'm not sure how much I'll save but I think it may be as high as $50 per month.

The following pictures show the tankless heater and recirculating pump right after the electric heater was removed. The plan is to bypass the electric heater and go straight from the tankless water heater to the recirculating pump.

Since the system is open, I decided to flush the tankless water heater. You are supposed to do this every year but it has been two years since I installed it and haven't done it yet. We are using two bottles of white vinegar.

A small pump is connected to the cold water line entering the tankless water heater and a return line from the hot side is fed back into the bucket.

Here you can see the whole setup in action.

Biometric Fingerprint Garage Door Opener

I still don't have any way to get into my garage and have been wondering about a fingerprint scanner mechanism so the kids won't have to remember a code. Well, I just found one that's made by Craftsman. According to info I have read, it can store up to four unique fingerprints and takes about a minute to program it. You can read more about it here.

What I like about it is that you can program a contractor's fingerprint into it for the one or two days he needs access without giving a numeric code. When he's done working, remove the fingerprint from the system and he's locked out!

We Really Need Window Shades

I have a problem sleeping when it's light out. Now that summer is coming the sun is rising earlier and as a result I'm waking up now at around 5:30AM. Some of you may have noticed in looking at the pictures that there are no shades, blinds, or shutters anywhere to be seen. It's not that we don't want any but we need to get a specialist in here that works with Arts & Crafts style shades and figure out how to incorporate them into the house without covering up all of the great woodwork.

In the meantime, I wanted to share with all of you that I just purchased some eyeshades which are extremely comfortable, soft, and they block out 100% of light.
Click here for more information.

Exterior

The Central Vacuum Won't Turn Off

Last week the central vacuum would not turn off. It is a Modern Day Silent Master S5. I couldn't figure out what was wrong so I unplugged the unit. I called the installer, All Makes Vacuum and Sewing Machine Co., who I also purchased it from, to see what they could do. The owner, Carl Tice, came out yesterday and in two minutes he removed the vacuum and put it in his truck. He thinks something went wrong with the circuit board. Today he returned with a new circuit board already installed in the vacuum and put it up in 30 seconds. No questions asked, it works great, and I got great service!!!

Koi Pond Gets One Last Update Before Landscaping Contest

The koi pond has been entered into a pond landscaping contest for the LA area during June 6th to June 8th. Due to its size, the pond was entered in the small category of under $10,000.

In preparation, Cor van Diepen of Paradise Landscaping, came over with his assistant Cesar (see April 16 blog post) for one last touch up before the judges come over this weekend. They spent time on details like making sure no rubber trim was showing and that every rock was in its place. There were a few bubbles showing at the waterfall that he called 'foam' and said we would lose some points if that was there when they came by. I'm going to see if I can find something to get rid of it tonight.

Cor thinks we have a really good shot at first place! I'll let you know next week. Maybe I'll get to stick a sign in my front yard. :)

A Magazine Called

A magazine I had emailed a few months ago just contacted me and said they would be interested in featuring the house. I'll let you know who it is when it's a done deal. Keep your fingers crossed. :)

Koi Pond Cleaning

Today I had the koi pond cleaned out. There was a bunch of muck on the rocks and it just seemed like the time since it has been 2 years since it was installed. They started draining the water before taking the fish out. Once there was only a few inches of water left, they started to catch the fish and move them to their temporary house; a large trash can. After Cesar caught all fish he could, he drained the pond completely and even sopped up the remaining water with a sponge. The troubling part to me was that 4 fish were in the rocks flopping around. I could here them but there was no way to get to them. I was told not to worry.

While Cesar scrubbed the rocks, Cor cleaned out the biotic filters. The picture below shows the lava rocks that sit in a bag at the top of the waterfall. There is bacteria living in those rocks so they get a superficial cleaning.

You are probably wondering what happened to the four fish. Well, after about 30 minutes of no water, the pond was refilled and the fish swam out of their holes. Amazing!

Landscaping is Blooming Well This Spring

The landscaping is filling out very nicely right now. I planted a Concord grape last summer and there are at least 50 bunches of grapes starting to form on it. The Haas avocado, Babcock peach, and Santa Rosa plum trees are full of flowers and small fruit. And last but not least, my little artichoke plant that was cut to the ground about 4 months ago is growing with a vengeance and about 5 feet tall now.

Concord grapes are starting to appear.

The artichoke plant is growing FAST!

One of my plans was to have wisteria grow up the columns around the house and frame out the different entry ways. I may be a few years off from that but they are growing quite nicely and the purple flowers are strikingly beautiful. I'm going to have to get a small trellis built between the columns as the wisteria will be tall enough to grab on soon.