When I have a design idea in my mind, I tend to get stuck on that as an only option. Especially if it is an economical one that will save me quite a bit of time.
I went to the Horizons Home Show and found a newel post that I really liked (pictured below). I decided that I had to have those posts in my latest fixer, but I didn’t want to go to the trouble to fabricate them. Lucky for me, I was able to locate the posts at Home Depot for about $65 each. The time savings in fabrication were well worth spending the $65. I could have purchased some 4×4 and then trimmed it out in poplar or MDF. I would still probably have been into it for $40-$50 per post without accounting for labor. To top it off the labor cost would have been higher and the quality of a site built post wouldn’t have matched the tight construction on a factory built post.
Box Newel Post
I did have an issue when trying to locate the posts at Home Depot. They were not listed as in stock ANYWHERE. To top it off, similar posts from other manufacturers ran about $160 each.
As an avid web user, I am always surprised by a large company who hasn’t yet embraced what technology can bring. When the post wasn’t in stock, I had to check the stock at each local store via the Home Depot web site. This was an in-store item only. None of the local stores turned up with a stock item for me. Worse than that, it displayed as in stock “at my local store” until I logged into the homedepot.com site. I called my local store and was essentially blown off. Called another and was basically told to come in and that they couldn’t check if an item was available elsewhere. Not too helpful.
As the title mentions, this was a bit of a quest after I determined that I had to have the posts. I then called the Home Depot customer service line. They put me on hold and called a couple of local stores. The rep came back and told me that they pretty much blew her off as well and she couldn’t check inventory other than store by store. WTH? Can you believe that? She did ask if I would like to be transfered to “customer care” (she was “customer service”). ”Why not”. The rep at Home Depot customer care was terrific. He let me know that their systems don’t allow a wide search, but that he can search within my city/region with a SKU. The item didn’t have a SKU on the web site (that was actually the primary issue with checking stock online). He went to the trouble to look up the SKU in their internal system and, with that, was able to search my region. He located my 3 posts at a local store and had them moved from the shelf to the customer service desk. My quest was over. I located my posts and picked up my posts at the Home Depot that happened to be the one closest to me.
The customer care rep that helped me was awesome. I wish that more people at that company had the same attitude and willingness to help. His name was Charlie and he was located in Atlanta. Charlie’s direct number is 800-654-0688 x: 76503. Charlie, if you ever read this, sorry about the additional calls you might receive. Thanks for your help!
My precious newel post:
Box Newel Post
Every once in a while, common sense slips in.
When working on a tile job, you don’t always need the high priced, high powered tool. Put away your inner Tim “The Toolman” Taylor and consider a manual tile cutter for your straight cuts. A tile cutter that scores and snaps can save you a lot of time and a bit of a mess compared to using a tile saw.
If you are in a tight space, and aren’t able to setup your wet saw nearby, you will find the back and forths will be a bit tiring and will add a lot of time to your project. A simple tile cutter will speed your project and keep the mess to a minimum. There are certainly cuts that can’t be made with a cutter and you will need to head down to your tile saw, but for the majority of your cuts consider the old school method of score and snap.
A decent tile cutter can be had for less than $40. When I say decent, you might wonder what I am comparing it to. Decent compared to a pair of nips, or decent compared to a high end wet saw? What I would say is that it is decent for a one or two time use. The materials used in the lower end tile cutters are not going to hold up to heavy use. However, if you pick up a tile cutter for $20 and use it for 2 jobs (before tossing it out for the junk collector) think of the money you will save over a rental charge.
You can purchase a decent unit at a tile shop, or at Amazon.com, or you can head down to Lowe’s or Home Depot and pick up a serviceable unit for about $20-$30.
Good luck.
Just picked up a rotary laser level to help with a couple of ceiling jobs on our latest fixer house. One of the rooms was formerly a porch and the ceiling has a drop off of about 2″ from one end to the next. The other ceiling has about a 1″ variation due issues with the way it was framed. 100 years ago, when lathe and plaster was the method, a good plaster job could cover a sin that large. Not today.
I picked up this Johnson level at Home Depot last night. It was $69 at home depot, so I paid a bit more than I needed to, but having it on hand for was more important. I’ll follow up with a review of the Johnson rotary laser level after completing a couple of projects. You can’t beat the price compared to some of the pro tools. This could save a handyman hours if doing a drop ceiling, chair rails, etc.
I just picked up this 18v Milwaukee Drill Driver combo kit. The reviews were terrific and I was in desperate need of a new driver. Home depot carries the same kit/product for $199 and I picked mine up there. You can pick it up at Amazon as well, and it qualifies for free shipping. Pretty good deal for a product combo kit with great reviews.
Milwaukee 2601-22 18-Volt Li-ion Compact Drill Kit
Lancaster, NY revaluation. It stinks!
Well, if you live in Lancaster, NY, you probably received a lovely letter yesterday regarding your property taxes and your property assessment. There were increases that appear across the board. The equalization rate is no longer as we have moved to 100% valuation. The increases are staggering in many cases.
The town of Lancaster continues to spend, and spend, and spend on projects that don’t benefit the town as a whole.
- There is a pricey new addition to town hall (approximately $985,000).
- There is a new police and courts facility in the works ($8,000,000 Plus).
- There is the new use of a former library for an emergency management office (that’s right, Lancaster has one).
- There is the proposed recreational facility that will certainly add long term costs.
- etc. etc.
Let’s not forget that use of these properties suddenly pulls them off the tax rolls. And, in the case where a sale is possible, eliminates the funds from a sale (Depew Library is a prime example).
Many will be fighting the new assessment figures. In a couple of cases, I will be one of them. If you aren’t familiar with the tools available to you for searching property information here are a couple:
I know that there is quite a bit of state and/or federal funding drying up for Towns and Villages. How about cutting costs rather than continuing to spend. If a surplus builds, cut taxes!
Politics suck.
Categories: Real Estate, Tools and Reviews, Uncategorized Tags: assessment, assessments, lancaster, new york, ny, revaluation, review, taxes, town, village
A couple of people have asked if I had a blank rental application that they could use for residential / apartments. I do have a very simple form that can be used to gather information. There are a number of rental applications that will include a number of items that aren’t of importance at this stage.
This simple rental application form is a single page and is not branded. Use as you wish. I am sure many of you will find this usefull.
On the topic of rental screening… Please check references. I have found that references are as good a gauge of a tenant as a credit score.
Rental Applications
Blank Rental Application (.DOC format for Microsoft Word)
Blank rental application (.PDF format – Adobe Acrobat)
The .DOC version should be editable. Feel free to contact us by posting a comment if you need this in a different format.
