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Richard
I don’t mean to sound like any uncaring wise guy but I don’t care how much Lowes makes as long as I like their price. When I was given the price for the Grohe faucet I said I was expecting a high price because it is a Grohe but that seems way out there as far as I’m concerned. She said it is a very good faucet; your wife has good taste. That might be true if she were eating it but since we’re only going to wet our hands from it, taste doesn’t mean that much to me, at least not at their price. She goes on to say the price she gave me is not list price it’s discounted almost 15%. Yippee, it was still too high for me. That’s why I went on line. Lowes hit my high price point, something like $180 for the brushed nickel finish. Keep in mind we’re going to have a double bowl vanity so I have to buy 2 of these. We’re already over the contractors allowance for a single faucet. I’m not the least bit surprised by this but I’m not paying almost double the Lowes price at this plumbing place now turned decorating center.
Many internet dealers are nothing more than drop ship customers for large wholesalers and may leave you stranded if you have a warranty issue. At least at a B&M dealer, you have someone that will try to help you out.
Lowes was not the cheapest online price but they weren’t that much higher, maybe 3 or 4 percent. So because they are Lowes I like the idea of dealing with them if I have a problem rather than some internet address place. You have to remember that I’ve had my fill of dealing with warranty issues. Maybe Lowes is better than Hyundai. How could they be worse? :mad: :mad:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
I bet that black SRX looked better than mine. Both of our cars have been sitting in the driveway for two weeks while the garage is being remodeled. The SRX is filthy. They finished the garage today, and I'm off to the car wash in the morning.
Richard
When we were finishing our lower level, I purchased a Kohler faucet for the bathroom (from Home Depot), and the plumbing contractor (labor only) showed me the difference between the Kohler faucet from HD and the Delta faucet I bought for the bar from the wholesale plumbing supplier.... the Kohler was basically as cheaply made as most generic faucets while the "real" Delta faucet was a bank vault in comparison.
Sometimes, you really do get what you pay for...
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Not cheap, and some is eye wateringly expensive, but quality does cost!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
"Maybe Lowes is better than Hyundai. How could they be worse?"
Believe me. They can be worse. The store here is a disaster. They misquote estimates, have lousy subcontractors, poor in store service, rude sales persons, don't show up on the appointed day, etc. One clerk told me that he hadn't seen the manager in six months. He calls in from his home to check on things! I know three contractors who constantly complain about Lowe's. Their closest large competition is 30 miles from here. There are two local independents that we use for quality products. How can I compare Lowe's for you? Oh yes, have you ever heard of Wal-Mart? :P
Richard
Most of what I sell is very low end. Mostly Gerber. Symmons is another brand I sell. I also sell copper, black, steam, galvanized, brass, PVC, no hub pipe & fittings. Air valves, radiator valves, gate valves, ball valves, check valves...
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Oh boy, now you're talking my area of expertise!
A properly constructed septic system doesn't pose any more threat to the water supply than any other human activity. If you have a well you just have to site your septic down hill of your well. Most problems come from " city folk" who don't know that you have to pump out the tank every three years or the leach field will get plugged up. Once that happens you might as well be throwing your chamber pots out on the lawn. :sick:
BTW, Erma Bombeck was wrong. The grass is always greener over the leach field, not over the septic tank.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Richard, may I ask what was done to refurbish your garage?
I've been trying to get ideas for the floor. I'm thinking light blue with color flecks and clear coat. But what's in a complete redo?
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
Based on the preliminary evidence it appears either the distribution system or the home plumbing is adding lead to the water. You'd have to sample the water at the connection between your home and the distribution pipe to determine how much is coming from where, but odds are that it's the home. Brass fittings and copper pipes with solder connections will be the culprits.
Regardless of the source, dissolved lead is going to be difficult to remove at your tap as you're already aware. A high-end RO system will reliably remove lead, but it's an investment. Going with a single-faucet system helps bring down the cost.
Our home is rather new and was constructed with the plastic plumbing tubing, which is nice for preventing lead leaching into our water, but I still prefer traditional copper for long-term reliability.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
As some of you know, I bought my son his faithful steed he used throughout high school and college....a 2002 Hyundai Elantra. After his graduation from college, I took the Elantra back and gave him a 2007 Honda Accord, which is still serving him. I used the Accord as a 2nd car, and it's still going strong for him with 50K+ miles on the odo.
The Elantra has been a great little car. I bought it new in '03 for $11K. That was tax and title included. It was a base model with a manual tranny and had A/C, PW, PL, cruise. That's it.
It has about 140K miles on it now. It's used primarily as the car I take to the airport when I travel. It's even done some duty hauling mulch. Mostly, it sits in the driveway at the GG estate through all sorts of weather, sometimes for weeks at a time, going unloved and unused. It's rusting a bit where the bottom rocker panels meets the rear qtr panels. It has plenty of road rash. The carpet under the brake/clutch area is worn to the floor pan. It's overdue for it's 2nd timing belt. It needs tires....and probably shocks. Brakes are due soon. And, it needs a battery before winter really gets nasty around here.
However, it runs. And, it runs well.
I've been thinking about selling it (or more likely, donating it to charity). As soon as I'm ready, I find I'm using it for "this" or for "that" and would miss it. But, I have no idea what it's worth.
So, before I decided what I was going to do with it, I wanted to shop it around a little to see what it might bring. First up, the local Hyundai store where I bought it. I understand it needs work. I understand that it's not a good looker. I also understand that with $1,500 worth of work, it would be good to go for another 50K-75K miles. First offer, straight buy......$1,500. Not bad....a little low I think.
Next place is a large dealership that has lots all over the city, including a BHPH lot. It's also the place I bought my BMW as they have one of those stores, too......$1,700. Getting better, but I still feel I'm being low balled given the strength of the used car market.
To be continued......
That's the issue I have - continued downward pressure on prices created by the WalMarts, HD's and Lowe's of the world. Once a manufacturer gets into bed with a big box, you can almost guarantee that the product quality will go down and manufacturing will be moved off-shore. When a retailer starts to represent 25, 30, 40% of your business, you've destroyed your business. Breaking up the relationship is financially difficult and getting back your old customers after your dalliance with their competition is almost impossible.
Did you shop on-line by model number or by style? As noted by others, the product may be dumbed down for the big boxes.
We’re already over the contractors allowance for a single faucet.
What did he give you as an allowance? I'm guessing about $100. I'll be the jerk, since the bid was for a double vanity why did he only give you an allowance for one faucet?
As a matter of professionalism - and staying within the TOA of Edmunds - I'd rather not say.
Gerber and Symmons make great entry level products. It sounds like in your market, that's what you have to offer. To be honest, the Symmons valve is fantastic. It's simple, it works and it's been pretty much the same since day 1.
There is another factor that complicates the situation. The water company that handles our village system is from Illinois of all places. They had an office here in the village for several years, but closed it last year. These people are difficult to deal with at best. We received a letter from them last week giving advice about how to handle the high levels of lead content in the water. They said to run the water between 30 seconds and two minutes before drinking or cooking with it. They also said to draw cold water from the tap for boiling in cooking. We're not falling for any of that garbage. They're trying to compensate for a problem that they don't want publicized. In this resort area, it would be a death sentence for village development and vacation facilities.
Personally, we won't have that problem much longer I don't think. We're putting our house on the market after Christmas. We'll be looking for a little larger home in either Pinehurst or Southern Pines. Not only do we want more space, we are weary of the 10 mile trip into town each day (20 miles round trip). We made three trips to town yesterday as an example---using separate cars for various reasons. That's 60 miles in one day. It's not a convenient situation. Thanks again.
Richard
This is a 31 year old garage. First, we replaced the cabinet doors with new ones, as well as replacing the shelving. The walls were dark paneling, and the four doors leading out of the garage were painted dark brown. We painted the paneling a medium cream color (French Vanilla) and used pearl white for the two windows and four doors. The ceiling and attic entrance were retaped and caulked at the seams, then painted white. What a difference! The garage looks twice as big and more inviting. As for the floor, we painted it a dark tan with NO color flecks. I've used those color flecks before and they just didn't last. The clear coat wore away more easily because of the flecks. Then I had scrapes and streaks in the floor. I'll admit that they look great for about a year, but then it seems to wear away from the floor.
We also renovated the laundry room and half bath off of the garage. We took down the wall paper, added chair railing and crown molding in white, painted the walls in kaki gold, replaced the mud sink, put down tile floors, etc. That end of the house really looks good and completes what we wanted done when we purchased the house. It's now ready to put on the market.
Richard
I agree with that and I have seen the same quality differences you mention with various items that the big box guys carry with name brands on them but made only for them. However, in the case of the Grohe faucet I’m looking at, it is the same identical Grohe part number. That’s how I found it on the Lowes web site (along with others) when I Googled the Grohe part number.
I see a few Grohe faucets at Lowes and their price reflects that they are made for Lowes by Grohe but to be honest they don’t look bad to me. The problem is that what they have in stock is only the bright chrome finish and Mrs. j wants to go with the brushed Nickel finish for this project.
Sometimes, you really do get what you pay for...
True again but FWIW, I have never worn out a faucet that we bought at the big box places. We haven’t gotten the cheapest chrome plated plastic but rather the chrome plated brass ones. The last time I bought a faucet was for the kitchen redo in January 2010 at Home Depot. IIRC I paid about $230 for a Kohler. That was one of their more expensive faucets at the time but it was what she wanted, given the use of some common sense about what it was. Of course we saw some 5 and 6 hundred dollar jobs at kitchen and bath centers that she also liked the style of but they were never under consideration once we saw what they cost.
I have a friend who did a kitchen in 2009 and he bought some brand that I never heard of. It was pretty high line but it was the style that his wife liked. It cost a lot more than what I paid and he has had to replace the cartridge and the flexible hose to the pull out spout already. He said there was a leak in the hose under the sink so it wasn’t noticeable right away and there was a little bit of damage to the sink cabinet as a result of the leak before it was noticed. They didn’t charge for the replacements because it came with a lifetime warranty but they did have to put up with the inconvenience of being without a kitchen faucet each time for a few days while they waited for the replacement to arrive. He said one more failure and he’s going to a big box store. His wife agrees. While she really likes the style they can’t put up with the seemingly lack of quality anymore. :mad: Classic case of form not following function.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
As I said in post 75705, I shopped by the Grohe part number. So I have to assume it is the same faucet that the design center has a mind numbing price for.
What did he give you as an allowance? I'm guessing about $100. I'll be the jerk, since the bid was for a double vanity why did he only give you an allowance for one faucet?
The allowance was about $120 dollars IIRC (I’m at work now) which isn’t too bad.
This project has changed several times from where we first started. That’s why we now need two faucets. Originally we were going blow out a wall and go into the 4 th bedroom behind the bathroom. We killed that idea because we weren’t too keen on committing house suicide by turning a 4 bedroom house into a 3 bedroom house. Although that would have been one hellava bathroom; pretty much like the house we built in SC in ’92, which she still has pleasant dreams of. Ok, that’s gone, not on the table anymore. Now we’re just taking out the closet that was in that bedroom. Obviously it’s not going to be as large of a space but still better that what is there now. So that bathroom layout was going to have a 4 foot vanity with a single bowl in the space where the shower is now. In trying to get the best layout for this new space I got into the real details. I broke out my tape measure again and found that I have another 8 inches of space along the wall that was going to be blown out. Thus we can now fit a 5 foot vanity with a double bowl along that wall.
The funny part of this is that my contractor has not gotten back to me so he doesn’t know the latest on this redo. I think I’m actually going to save a couple bucks because the shower will stay where it is now so only the plumbing for the vanity and toilet have to change now and not by that much. Not with all 3 items like he first thought.
The money I save will go towards her new Subie. Still an overall loss but I’m groping for savings from wherever I can find it.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
I've got a big problem with the big boxes. If I could get Home Depot's prices on a lot of the same items we sell, I wouldn't have to work on Saturdays.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Did you leave a closet in that bedroom? If you didn't it's no longer a bedroom - it's a den or office.
The allowance was about $120 dollars IIRC (I’m at work now) which isn’t too bad.
Really?? Builders sure are skimping out. IMHO, you can't get anything nice for only $120. Especially when an average bath remodel is $10K.
To give you an idea, I'm in the middle of finishing the master bath. The rough framing was part of the major addition I did so I can't count those dollars but I'm into in materials and rough labor for about $6000 and that includes courtesy discounts from suppliers, customers and competitors.
That bit about running the water before you use it only applies if the house has the problem with lead. Doing that will minimize (not eliminate) the amount of lead that is carried to the spigot by the water. Hot water helps to leach out lead so that’s why they want you to use the cold water supply for cooking. If the supply to the house has the lead you are not going to minimize any of it no matter how much water you run through the house piping. If that is the case you’re stuck. Only a lead removal system can help that situation but as ‘tyguy’ said it ain’t cheap.
I hope if/when you move you’re not going to have the same problem.
Who would ever have thought that people would have to look into the safety of a municipal water systems before they looked for a house? A few years ago it was Radon. What next?. :sick:
The craziest part of all of this is that bottled water does not have to pass the same requirements that the municipal water system do. Most people don't know this and continue to drink that water thinking it is healthier than what comes out of their homes. I guess what you don't know can hurt you, after all. :surprise:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
The closet we are taking out was the only closet in that bedroom but we’re going to put one in along another wall. I just haven’t decided yet which wall is best. If I (we) make up our minds I’ll have the contractor do it while he’s there. If not I can do that myself.
Really?? Builders sure are skimping out. IMHO, you can't get anything nice for only $120.
Personally, I wouldn’t have a problem finding a faucet for $120. The American Standard faucet that’s in that bathroom now was less than $100 about 11 years ago and it looks the same as it did when it was new and operates just as well. Another personal thing, when I go into that room I don’t spend a lot of time in there. I’m in and I’m out just about that fast so I look at that room altogether differently than a lot of people do. Mrs. j is still complaining about not having a whirlpool tub like we had in SC. We were there 5 years and I think I used it maybe 5 or 6 times. I’d be willing to bet that she used it at least 3 times a week. When I got an ache somewhere I just stayed in the shower until the tank ran out of hot water. That worked far better for me than sitting in the bubble machine.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Wish I could get a bath remodel for that price. My four estimates were $17,500; 18,900; $22,500; and $23,900. That includes floor, shower with inserts and bench plus three shower heads, commode, two vanity sinks with Cherry cabinets, paint, and lighting. The allowance for the three shower heads and two sink faucets was $1,200 for one estimate and $1,000 for the other three estimates. If you remodel your bath for $6K, you have done well indeed. With my estimates, they didn't even have to move any of the plumbing around the room. Perhaps the estimates are higher because I live in a resort area, but I would have thought that Boston would have been pretty high as well.
Richard
Of course being in a resort area does affect things...
We did move much of the plumbing, made the shower bigger, used a boatload of tile, good fixtures, and splurged on really nice high end frameless shower glass (that was 2K all by itself.)
In my case, I actually got all of the fixtures and tile myself. the contractor just supplied labor, construction type materials, and recessed lights and various witches/boxes.
I got all the bath fixtures myself, the cabinets, even the tile (through the kitchen designer). no allowances to deal with, but I did have to to a bit more coordination (but skipped all the mark up!)
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Cost: $30K to jack up the house and fill in the sink hole; $35K for new hardwood floors and tile floors; $10K to repair cracked walls and ceilings, $10K for new plumbing; $4k for new garage doors; $30K for remodeling the baths; and other costs that I don't even remember. I heard that a total of $150K was spent to put the house back in shape.
To make matters worse, the husband lost his company a year after that. The house was sold on the courthouse steps for $200K to a realtor. It hasn't sold after four years. Everyone knows the story and no prospective buyer will touch it. It is currently rented. We sold it for $325K in 2007, just before the crash. My wife often says, "What if we had waited to move just a year later?" My response, "Save for the good Lord, there goes I." Bless their hearts (and I mean that sincerely), the former owner is doing better today. He and his wife returned to Michigan; he found a good job; they built a new house; and all is well with them.
Richard
Richard
That's a great double entendre.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Richard
A couple of months ago he bought a newer low mileage BMW 5.
My pseudo hippy sister got pining for a new car too, and just got a new replacement hybrid a couple of weeks ago.
I decided to get my BIL some car detailing products, so I bought a few bottles of some good quick detailer and some microfiber cloths.
Since I still need to get my sister something, I saw some 'green' wheel cleaner and bought a bottle of that, too.
Now I have this thought of buying a bunch of 'green' products for her as kind of a goof.
Definitely on the list is some Simple Green. What else can I put in the box that we can all get a chuckle about as she unwraps the contents?
I will also buy her some books as a more mature gift to make sure I don't hurt her feelings.
So you can watch TV in the bathroom? It's tough enough here getting in bathroom because there are books in there......
When Jesus comes back he is not going to be happy about this.
That's just fixtures and tile. I've done all the labor except the plumbing which was about $1K. And since I'm in the business, I've gotten the fixtures at special discounts or at no charge. The only things I've paid retail for have been the tile and the vanity. If I weren't in the business and not able to do the work, it would probably be about $15K.
Average remodel is $10K. High end remodel is $18-20K.
That's exactly what we all told the village council. They disagree. One neighbor bit the dust and purchased the lead removal system. I refuse to spend thousands on a problem that I didn't create or cause. One foolish councilman suggested that we all replace our plumbing. My response was, "Why would we do that and end up with the same problem?" The local newspaper covers these council meetings. They won't do a story on it because the publicity would kill the new development in the village. It's politics as usual.
"Most people don't know this and continue to drink that water thinking that it is healthier..."
True, true. Still, we're taking our chances with the bottled water. It's all a Catch 22. At my age, I don't suppose that it matters a great deal. I'm not pregnant and my brain is nearly fried anyway. :P
Richard
So you can watch TV in the bathroom? It's tough enough here getting in bathroom because there are books in there......
Better yet are the medicine cabinets that have LED TV's built into the mirror. When it's off you can't even see the TV.
There's also a steam shower system with blue tooth so you can bring your iPhone into the bathroom and listen to music during your steam.
Richard
Richard
Richard
Been reading that new car inventories are building up.
You may be faced with the new car prices dropping more than the value of your pre loved Hyundai.
I would put a new battery in it to buy some time.
A picture of Al Gore would be nice.
Richard
Door #1
Door #2
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Pretty safe bet there.
Ironically today I spent the day talking about lead with a treatment facility, so your situation was on my mind. In my experience treatment plant managers are highly ethical and conscientiousness of their responsibilities, and fabricating a report is almost guaranteed jail time. But the distribution system can be something different entirely as there can be a multitude of owners. Chlorine and fluoride residuals are typically the most frequently monitored parameters at the tap.
jmonroe, you were spot on with your observations. Most people don't realize public drinking water is far more regulated and monitored than bottled. Most bottled water is sourced from public drinking water supplies, though, so I guess you could say in those instances it's just as regulated.
Richard
A neighbor called and asked me if I had a high lead content level in my water. A few days later, I received with my monthly water bill the annual water standards report from the company which services our village. It's one of those reports that most people throw in the trash. I sat down and read it carefully. There was a paragraph that contained a sentence that caught my attention. It said that some homes in the area "may" have a higher lead content level than others. I decided to test ours. The lab report indicated that we were 55mg conpared to a 15mg state average....if I remember those figures correctly. I think that the danger zone began at 35mg. I called our local water supervisor who agreed that the report was dangerously high. He also agreed that the village had some problems with lead content---especially when any of the lakes were drained. I was shocked when some of us addressed the village council with the problem. Knowing that we would be on the agenda, the council made sure that the water supervisor was in attendance. He DENIED having said those remarks to me! Since my lab test was done immediatley following a lake drainage, I decided to test it again later, using the same lab. The second report showed a decline in the level to 35mg as I remember. I then decided to call the lab to get more explanation about the written report. Those reports are difficult for a laymen to understand. A nice lady walked me through the process, and indicated that our house level was still too high compared to the state average. I've had it tested twice since then. Only once did the reading come in as close to normal.
Until we moved here, I had never in all of these years heard about, thought about, or experienced any problems with water. Will I do a water test before buying our next house? You had better believe it. It will be a contract offer stipulation for the inspection---clearly spelled out in writing. Who would have ever thought that such was needed? I now caution every one about this possibility. Just think. When I was growing up, I drank from the garden hose and my grandmother's old rusty well pump. I never felt bad at all. What a shame that we have come to be afraid of our drinking water.
Richard
If the lead content is still high, get back on the agenda any tell the city council about your testing.
A municipal water system has to adhear to federal specs, and I'm sure there is some federal office you can complain to.
Of course, this might lead to replacement of massive parts of the distribution sysem, with the associated increase in taxes, or water cost.
Let me see, run the water for between 30 seconds and 2 minutes before drinking or cooking with your water. How do you know if 30 seconds is enough and how much lead will be removed after 2 minutes compared to 30 seconds?
How could you possibly know 30 seconds was enough time or 2 minutes is wasting water? My guess is, it is just some useless information to make you feel like you are doing something that will protect you.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250