Tag:Tips
Protect Your Belongings When Using a Hand Truck
I ran across this tip in American Profile. “Clayton Beggs of Kelseyville, California, pads his hand truck with foam pipe insulation to prevent damage to whatever he happens to be carting around.”
This is something we have done for years. It’s one of those things that seems obvious and makes you wonder why hand trucks don’t come this way… You can pick up pipe insulation in various sizes at your local plumbing supply store. (We actually have some here.) Select the size that will fit your hand truck rails. Slit it lengthwise with a packing knife and fit it around the rail. Generally it will stay in place on its own, but you can glue the joint back together with adhesive made for this or you can use a few zip ties to hold it in place. I wouldn’t recommend gluing it to the rails as you may want to replace it when it begins to wear.
You can read the American Profile article here.
Jeld-Wen Pet Doors
Jeld-Wen has a line of doors with integral pet panels, but recently I ran across their option for a pet panel integral to a sliding glass door which I found intriguing. In general I encourage the use of French doors in lieu of sliding glass doors in our area. The seals are much better, security is better and the mechanisms hold up better over time. That’s not to say that sliding doors don’t have their place. I have two at my house opening up to our deck. They are hard to beat when you want maximum glass and have limited floor space which makes a swinging door an issue.
One of the major down sides of our sliding doors is that we use them to let our dog Theo out. We lose AC in the summer and heat in the winter every time we open that door for him. A couple of weeks ago when we had all the wind, it didn’t take much time with the door open to kick the thermostat on again. This system has a passage flap that is held closed via magnets and a second locking window similar to a single hung window that provides a secure and weathertight seal the rest of the time. I don’t think I will be changing out our existing doors for Theo, but this would be something I would consider when the existing doors fail. It is definitely something I’ll point out to pet owners when we talk about remodeling projects!
Singing in the Shower
The Kohler Moxie Showerhead communicates with your Bluetooth device from up to 32 feet away.
Last year I told you about an iPod Docking Station from Amerec (You can read that post here.) that allows you to take your iPod into the shower with you. Now Kohler has a new option that lets you leave your Bluetooth enabled device, i.e. phone, MP3 player, etc. outside the shower, while your tunes are transmitted to a speaker in your showerhead. The Moxie showerhead is silcone coated showerhead with 60 spray nozzles around a Bluetooth speaker that mounts in the center of the showerhead via two magnets – one in the showerhead and one in the speaker. Currently the Moxie is available in white or chrome finish. (The Kohler site does not mention if additional finishes are forthcoming.)
The speaker has a rechargeable lithium battery and comes with a USB recharging cord. With the battery release, it should be easy to remove and the Kohler site touts the ability to take the waterproof speaker with you to the beach, kitchen or any other wet location where you want to listen to your tunes. It promises less than 1% distortion.
The Kohler Moxie Showerhead is $149.25 at Amazon.com Changing a showerhead is an easy installation, but if you need help, give us a call. We’ll have you singing in the shower in no time at all!
Grateless Shower Drain
One of the problems with tile showers is how to handle the drain. It is often difficult to get the water to flow to the low point when dealing with tile. I have seen tile installers get very creative with this – not always with an aesthetically pleasing result though.
California Faucets has come up with the StyleDrain, a decorative shower drain that provides a tile frame that can receive the same tile as the floor. (Shown above and to the right) The perimeter works like a mini trench drain allowing the drain to be much less obtrusive.
While I like this idea and it will help with some installations, I still think I favor the linear drain solution previously discussed here. The linear drain will be a more expensive solution, but it is much more versatile and would work with almost any tile pattern.
Decorative Exhaust Fans
Broan 761RB Exhaust Fan/light
This is one I’m excited about. I recently installed several fan/light kits similar to the one pictured to the right at our remodel project. I was able to put matching fans in the bathrooms and the utility room with light fixture trims that match the plumbing fixture trims, tying everything together. Pretty cool!
Broan has several models in their Quiet line in a choice of CFM’s. There are other manufacturers out there with similar products, so you should be able to find one that matches your style.
Exhaust fans are important, particularly in newer homes with tight building envelopes. They help reduce moisture in wet rooms such as baths, showers and laundry rooms. This helps prevent mold and mildew.
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