stores

Garage Organization

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The garage was a terrible mess and in desperate need of organization. It didn’t start that way though. At first, all the Costco supplies were packed into the pantry. But, in a bid to clean-up the house, all that got dumped into the garage. And, one by one, the boxes multiplied until they occupied a fair amount of space.

I had always intended to pick up some shelving. However, every time, I spotted a stainless steel shelving rack at Costco, the size and weight of the box was just enough to dissuade me. Finally, I just ordered the shelving rack online from Costco. It took one business day to deliver, and one hour to assemble. If I had to put together a second one, I should be able to cut down on the time dramatically, especially if I started with a tape measure in hand. Mount the shelves at the same height on each leg!

After I assembled the shelving, I organized what I needed and disposed of the rest. Now, I have a mini-Costco in my garage.

Costco Shelving

Gutter Dripping Sound

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This morning, I stopped by the local Orchard Supply Hardware store. This has been an unusually dry winter. However, the recent storms have woken me up in the middle of the night. I don’t mind the soft sound of rainfall. What I do find maddening is the drip, drip, drip sound once the rain tapers off.

I had previously used The Silencer, which is a sponge glued to a magnet. I don’t believe that the price has changed in six years! It was still $2 and change at OSH. But, for a product that last a season or two, I was open to trying a different solution.

Beside The Silencer, OSH also had RainQuiet for $6.99. Each box contains two pads. So, that is $3.50 per gutter versus $2.39 for The Silencer. If RainQuiet lasts for more than a season or two, it’ll be worth the extra buck.

rainquiet

So, what you get this about a 1/2-inch course mesh pad affixed to a plastic backing. This pad can be cut to size. I ended up trimming about 3/4-inch from the long side of the pad. It attaches to the gutter via a standard office binder clip. It’ll probably rust over time, but should not wash loose like the magnet.

In a few hours, I’ll be able to tell if RainQuiet delivers a good night of sleep.

Costco Garage Doors

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When I shop at Costco, I expect to receive a quality product at a competitive price. Usually, I am extremely happy with my purchases, but that garage door I purchased from them has turned out to be quite a doozy. Mind you, the garage door itself is fine. The problem is with everything else attached to that garage door.

So, three years in, one of the torsion springs broke. Only three years? So, I found another contractor to replace both of the torsion springs and I didn’t think much about the garage again until a few months ago when the garage door opener started failing intermittently. Sometimes the door would not open all the way. Other times it would not close all the way. I had not problem with the opening, because I could always click on the garage door opener a second time. However, the closing was a serious issue because unless you monitored the garage door every time to make sure that it closed completely, there was always a chance that the garage door was not securely shut.

Long story short, I replaced the Chamberlain Whisper Drive 1/2 HP Belt Drive garage door opener, which was not all that quiet, with a LiftMaster 3850 DC Motor Belt with EverCharge Standby Power System. After I changed the garage door opener, the problem completely disappeared and the new opener is amazingly quiet. No more rattle and shake when the door is opening or closing. Just solid and quiet.

Garage Torsion Spring Replacement

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Three years ago, I had purchased a new garage door and opener through Costco. A local contractor handled the installation. Other than the light bulb repeatedly getting loose, the door and opener worked flawlessly. I really like the new steel sectional garage door for two reasons:

  1. I didn’t have to worry if I parked too close to the garage door anymore. That’s a real problem with tilt up garage doors.
  2. When I was inside the garage, I no longer had to worry about the garage door whacking someone when it opened. Again, a problem with tilt up garage doors.

Anyways, the honeymoon ended last night when one of the torsion springs broke. Ugh. At first, I wasn’t sure what was happening. The garage door would only open about 3 inches and then stop. It also could not completely close by itself. I ended pulling the release so that the garage door could slam shut. After some inspection, I discovered that one of the springs was broken. Now, I’ve fixed many an extension spring on tilt up garage doors before, but torsion springs were something new. I spotted this page on replacing torsion springs and it looked entirely unappealing. Anyways, I called one contractor who quoted me $239 to replace the one spring. Not sure if that was the after hours price or their regular price, but since I was in no hurry I waited until day break to call again. This time, I called Halcyon Overhead Doors in San Jose. $159 to replace one spring and $199 to replace both. Of course, I replaced both with high cycle torsion springs that should last 12-15 years. We’ll see how these perform, but a garage spring failing after three years? C’mon.

torsion-spring

Home Depot EXPO is Closing

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Home Depot EXPO is closing. The official news release on the Home Depot corporate website announced that Home Depot will be closing 34 EXPO Design Center stores. A quick check on the EXPO store locator web page confirms that Home Depot only has 34 EXPO stores. Also, when I viewed the news release, it displayed a mismatched photo showing enthusiastic associates flashing the #1 sign.

ir-homedepot-com

Anyways, I love Home Depot because their prices are competitive and I can usually find the products I need in stock. As for Home Depot EXPO, it offered a few items in stock for a great price, but most items required a special order. In other words, not too different from any other plumbing, appliance and tile store. I’ve spent a lot of money at Home Depot and I’ve spent a lot of time at Home Depot EXPO. That’s probably why the EXPO Design Centers are closing.

Home Depot Expo Sells Grohe

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I’ve had positive experiences with both

Home Depot EXPO Comes Through…

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Nothing comes cheap at Home Depot EXPO. However, EXPO does offer a broader range of selection if you are looking for more upscale hardware, plumbing and household appliances. For lock sets, I was surprised to discover that EXPO’s prices for Baldwin locks were competitive with several online no-name retailers. I was sure that EXPO would be selling at a higher price and I WAS WRONG. Now, their prices aren’t always the lowest, but it wouldn’t hurt to stop by and jot down some prices if you can find an EXPO nearby.

For locks, EXPO certainly didn’t stock every single style of Baldwin locks available. However, there was a decent selection with a variety of finishes. If one of the suits your needs, all the better. You can take advantage of their low prices and generous return policy.

Desperate Times…

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Perhaps, nothing strikes more fear into me than walking into Home Depot and discovering that they don’t stock a particular product I am searching for. The latest incident was when I was looking for some #8 3-inch screws to attach a handle to some kitchen cabinets. The HD store I went to had a half aisle of screws, bolts and other fastening items, but no 3-inch #8 screws. What to do, what to do?

When back to the contractor and confessed that I could not locate the screws he requested. He returns the following day with the screws in hand from Orchard Supply Hardware. Not a small mom-and-pop hardware store, but also no Big Box when stacked up against a Home Depot or Lowe’s. That’s not the first time something like this happened where OSH stocked something that I could not locate at Home Depot, Ace Hardware and some small mom-and-pop hardware store. Even though one-stop shopping is extremely convenient, glad I have these back-up places around.

Just because Home Depot doesn’t stock an item, it doesn’t mean that the item doesn’t exist.

Retail Websites Need Meaningful Feedback

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I can’t think of a retailer that offers a better online shopping experience than Amazon. I never have any problems finding a product on their site. However, the real key to their website is the customer reviews. While the sample size may be limited, you are getting feedback from (presumably) real life users. That’s the power of the community working for you.

Now, I won’t call them out, but I see other retailers trying this approach. However, instead of truly informative customer reviews, I see a stupid 5-star scoring system. What I really want to know isn’t whether someone rates a product as a 3 star or a 4 star, but the reason behind the scoring. Does a product work as promised? Is their technology truly revolutionary? What problems do people keep experiencing. That’s what I want. Not a meaningless 5-star scoring system with no real commentary.

Natural Stone Variation

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If you are shopping for natural stone tile for your kitchen or bathroom, be aware that the tile you see on the showroom display may not even resemble the tile that is boxed up in the warehouse. Naturally, the tile dealer wants to put his best foot forward, so he selects the best looking tile for the showroom. What you need to figure out is whether the showroom display represents 10%, 25%, 33%, 50%, 66% or 75% of the boxed tile. Ask them to bring out a box so that you can take a look.