Picking the right bathroom sink

Picking the right bathroom sink

Q: You are our last hope for making our new master-bathroom planning stage a little easier. We're at the point of choosing and ordering our final plumbing fixtures. The toilet, tub/shower unit and even the faucets were pretty easy. But we were never told that choosing a new bathroom sink could be so confusing. Our heads are spinning and we have read some of your past columns on choosing plumbing fixtures. Can you walk us through this category?

— Jill and Fred, Nevada

A: If it makes you feel any better, many people write in to tell me that their bathroom plans were sunk while trying to choose a sink. The good news is that since I grew up in a plumbing family and I've been a master plumber for more than 25 years, I can break down the basic categories for you. This can make your choice a lot easier, and hopefully you'll end up with the dream sink for your new bathroom.

Let's start with the proper name for any bathroom sink: the pros call them "lav" sinks, which is short for "lavatory" sinks.

Now, let's talk about your first choice, the material that you want your lav sink made of. We'll keep to three basic materials to choose from: China, cast iron and, on the higher end, spun glass. Pick the material, texture and color that will best fit your family's needs and your bathroom.

Once you choose the material, move on to the style of sink. Here you can choose from five basic types:

1. Countertop: Also called "drop-ins" because they are self-rimming and are placed on and into a vanity countertop.

2. Under-counter: Similar to a drop-in, but these sinks are mounted completely "under" the countertop.

3. Vessel sink: Technically a top-mount sink, but these high-end lavs expose the entire bowl above the countertop. This sink gives the look of an old-time wash basin.

4. Pedestal sink: These are decorative lav sinks anchored to the wall, and sit atop matching pedestal bases.

5. Wall-mounted lavs: Often called wall-hung sinks. Wall-mounting a bathroom sink not only saves space, but can increase accessibility for special-needs bathrooms.

Bottom line: If you concentrate on just these basic choices, you shouldn't get bowled over by too much information when choosing a new bathroom sink.

2010 Remodeling Design Awards

For two days in June, six judges — award winners themselves — scrutinized the merits of 245 projects from around the nation in this year’s Remodeling Design Awards. They discussed and debated each project’s creativity, originality, and power of presentation. Judges considered the flexibility of floor plans as well as the relationship between each structure’s exterior and interior design.

Concepts including simplicity, craftsmanship, livability, and connection to the outdoors played their part in the judges’ assessment of the projects, as well as more technical attributes such as scale, balance, and transitions. The jury panel pointed out some projects where entrants “missed opportunities” to elevate the design, but overall, they were impressed with the entries.

Sustainability was an overarching theme in the entries submitted. However, for the judges, even in the green remodeling category, quality of design was the focus. “Green is not a permission slip for bad design,” one judge commented.

Awards entries are organized into 10 categories, with an additional 31 subcategories based on price. Judges are not required to award a winner in each category, and they have leeway in determining which projects show the highest degree of design expertise and craftsmanship. As expected, kitchens, baths, and whole-house remodels dominated the entries. This year, a new category, basement remodeling, brought in six strong entries. The 2010 Design Awards also brought us more strong commercial projects, including two Grand Award winners.

In the end, our judges selected 20 projects for distinction: one Best of the Year, five Grand Awards, and 14 Merit Awards.

Sink your teeth into bathroom remodeling

Sink your teeth into bathroom remodeling

Q: You are our last hope for making our new master-bathroom planning stage a little easier. We're at the point of choosing and ordering our final plumbing fixtures. The toilet, tub/shower unit and even the faucets were pretty easy. But we were never told that choosing a new bathroom sink could be so confusing. Our heads are spinning and we have read some of your past columns on choosing plumbing fixtures. Can you walk us through this category? -- Jill and Fred, Nevada

A: If it makes you feel any better, many people write in to tell me that their bathroom plans were sunk while trying to choose a sink. The good news is that since I grew up in a plumbing family and I've been a master plumber for more than 25 years, I can break down the basic categories for you. This can make your choice a lot easier, and hopefully you'll end up with the dream sink for your new bathroom.

Let's start with the proper name for any bathroom sink: the pros call them "lav" sinks, which is short for "lavatory" sinks.

Now, let's talk about your first choice, the material that you want your lav sink made of. We'll keep to three basic materials to choose from: China, cast iron and, on the higher end, spun glass. Pick the material, texture and color that will best fit your family's needs and your bathroom.

Once you choose the material, move on to the style of sink. Here you can choose from five basic types:

1. Countertop: Also called "drop-ins" because they are self-rimming and are placed on and into a vanity countertop.

2. Under-counter: Similar to a drop-in, but these sinks are mounted completely "under" the countertop.

3. Vessel sink: Technically a top-mount sink, but these high-end lavs expose the entire bowl above the countertop. This sink gives the look of an old-time washbasin.

4. Pedestal sink: These are decorative lav sinks anchored to the wall, and sit atop matching pedestal bases.

5. Wall-mounted lavs: Often called wall-hung sinks. Wall-mounting a bathroom sink not only saves space, but can increase accessibility for special-needs bathrooms.

Bottom line: If you concentrate on just these basic choices, you shouldn't get bowled over by too much information when choosing a new bathroom sink.

State House votes to repeal sprinkler requirement

State representatives passed a bill Monday that would repeal state-required sprinkler systems in new homes.

Fire officials said the sprinkler requirement saves lives and money, but builders and Realtors backed the repeal, saying the requirement was too burdensome for an already floundering housing market.

The sprinkler requirement was part of the Uniform Construction Code that went into affect Jan. 1. Firefighters, investigators and fire officials praised its implementation, noting that sprinklers would save lives. However, builders and Realtors lobbied heavily for its repeal, noting that tacking on more costs to home construction would only hamper new home sales.

"It's ridiculous," said Ottsville Fire Chief Thomas Rimmer. "With all the lightweight construction now, a single truss fails and a fireman falls through the floor."

Rimmer said sprinklers can be the difference between putting out a trash-can fire or extinguishing a fully engulfed home.

"I guess money means more than lives," Rimmer said.

Last year Lingohocken Fire Chief Greg Jakubowski pointed out two deaths in Hilltown and a third in Tinicum could have been avoided if the homes had been equipped with sprinkler systems. As an example of sprinkler success, he pointed to a December 2009 fire that was contained to the garage after sprinklers were activated by the smoke.

Several local representatives voted for the repeal, including, Paul Clymer (R-145), Robert Godshall (R-53), Kate Harper (R-61), Marguerite Quinn (R-143), Todd Stephens (R-151). Representatives Frank Farry (R-142), Bernie O'Neill (R-29), Katherine M. Watson (R-144), Thomas Murt (R-152), Scott Petri (R-178), John Galloway (D-140), Steve Santarsiero (D-31) and Tina Davis (D-141) all voted against the repeal.

Robert Godshall said he felt the sprinkler requirement was an excessive cost to pass on to first-time homebuyers given current economic troubles. Clymer said construction has always been a key foundation for the economy and given the economic concerns and job losses he felt the sprinkler mandate would hinder an economic revival in Pennsylvania. Costs for the sprinkler systems vary based on the square footage of the home and if public water is accessible, and lobbies for and against the repeal offer different estimates, as low as $1.65 a square foot to $24,000 a home.

In a statement on its site, the Pennsylvania Builders Association celebrated the repeal, stating that the bill strikes a compromise between safety and consumer costs. The bill requires new construction to use fire-resistant flooring and requires hardwired smoke detectors. However, fire officials said fire-resistant flooring can be replaced by homeowners, leaving firefighters entering a building unsure of the conditions they will find.

"We could almost avoid all loss of life in sprinklered buildings," Don Konkle, former Harrisburg fire chief and executive director of the Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Services Institute. Konkle said with decreases in volunteer manpower, some suburban departments are hiring career firefighters, which will be paid for year after year by local fire taxes. Konkle said that instead of paying for firefighters each year, homeowners could pay the one-time cost of sprinkler installation that would diminish the need for paid firefighters.

He said he also opposed an amendment that would have exempted rural communities, because those homes are farther from fire stations.

With Monday's vote, 154-39, the bill goes before the state Senate.

State Sen. Chuck McIlhinney, R-10, said he opposed the Uniform Construction Code when it was first voted in six years ago.

"I knew that one-size-fits-all was never going to work," McIlhinney said.

McIlhinney said that a sprinkler system is appropriate in some of the more developed parts of the state, but economically prohibitive in some of the more rural regions.

Rep. Frank Farry said he also thinks the answer lies somewhere in the middle. He voted against the repeal.

But he said he understands concerns about the costs in rural areas and the affect of a statewide mandate on construction.

Farry had supported an amendment to Bill 377 that would have empowered municipalities hoping to pass sprinkler requirements at the local level. Previously municipalities that chose to pass local ordinances requiring sprinkler systems were subject to lawsuits where they had to justify enacting a building requirement that added to or superseded state requirements, Farry said.

How to survive a kitchen remodeling

Set up a temporary kitchen in some place like your garage, basement or utility room.

Whether you're doing a small remodel or a big renovation, living without a kitchen can be hectic, crazy and expensive. And eating out every night could end up blowing your remodeling budget. But if you plan and prepare, you can survive, thrive and even have fun while waiting for your new kitchen to be done.

Plan on setting up a temporary kitchen in some place like your garage, basement or utility room (ideally, someplace with a sink). Ask your contractor if he can help. Before you get rid of your old cabinets, have him place a few in your temporary kitchen. If the cabinets don't have a countertop anymore, lay plywood on top so you'll at least have a work surface and a place for small appliances.

Set up a bulletin board in your temporary kitchen to track the remodeling progress. Take photographs often, and make a checklist and a calendar so you can cross off each step as it happens.

Keep commonly used kitchen items in clear plastic storage containers and label them accordingly. Parcel up stuff that you use only occasionally and store it in an out-of-the-way place.

If you're still going to have a freezer during the remodel, make some big meals ahead of time and freeze them in smaller portions.

Offer a friend a home-cooked meal in exchange for using her kitchen. If you bring the food and the fixings, she'll probably be delighted.

If you're lucky enough, your remodel will take place in warmer weather during barbecue season.

Start clipping restaurant and takeout coupons before your remodel starts. If you plan and budget for dining out, you'll have more money to invest in your remodel.

Plan on picnicking. Even if the weather isn't nice, spread a plastic tablecloth on the floor of your living room or den.

6 Easy Tips for Home Improvement

6 Easy Tips for Home Improvement 

After the holiday’s your home is looking a bit dowdy.  So like getting a new haircut or a makeover to uplift yourself, it is necessary to refresh and uplift your home.  Why do we want to do this?  Well, your home is what supports your sense of  well being and peace of mind everyday!   And, what better time to re-fresh then at the start of a New Year to set the tone.  Here are 5 easy and inexpensive ways improve your home today:

via Luciana at Homestyle blog

3. Amp up the Wattage:  In the dark of winter there is nothing like shining a bit of light during these drab, grey days.  Amp up the wattage in your lamps; add a few new “spot” lights to highlight dark corners, favorite paintings, and book shelves that hold prized collections. Turn on the light!
4. Re-Energize Your Rooms: move your furniture around. Things that never move are stagnant and create stagnant energy.  By simply moving things and cleaning out, energy will be able to move freely again.  Sometimes, simply moving your furniture to clean can be enough to move the energy.  Re-arranging the furniture can also make your space and the things in it look new again.  It’s amazing how we often no longer see our things in the repetitiveness of everyday life.  Moving things around creates “new” energy and is refreshing and uplifting.
5. De-Clutter and Organize: If your space is cluttered, chances are your mind is cluttered, and if there is no empty space there is no room for something new to come in.  So throw out, clean up, give away, re-use and re-cycle what you no longer need.  Between our busy lives and all the change in our world, the more organized we are the easier it is to function in our daily lives.

6. Send Yourself Flowers Monthly:  There is nothing more delightful then receiving a beautiful bunch of flowers to brighten up your day and your week.  Why not send yourself flowers every month?  They are cheerful, colorful, smell good and always are a Little Bit of Beauty™ for your home!

Second arrest warrant issued for man charged in home improvement fraud

Second arrest warrant issued for man charged in home improvement fraud


TERRE HAUTE — An arrest warrant for forgery has been issued for a Terre Haute contractor who is already facing unrelated allegations of home improvement fraud stemming from the 2008 flooding in the Wabash Valley.

Lyman Roberts, 39, now faces six counts of forgery, a class-C felony.

Vigo County Sheriff Greg Ewing told the Tribune-Star on Thursday that police were seeking Roberts to serve the warrant, which was issued Wednesday from Vigo Superior Court 3. The warrant has bail set at $15,000 cash only.

Terre Haute Police have investigated the allegations of forgery involving a checking account for the Amvets Post 222. According to police, Roberts allegedly forged the name of a signatory on a checking account, and received funds totaling more than $1,000.

The case is not related to seven counts of home improvement fraud that were filed against Roberts in February. According to a probable cause affidavit in that case, Roberts received $80,700 from the Wabash Valley Disaster Relief Coalition to do home repairs for seven clients affected by the June 2008 flooding in the Wabash Valley. The coalition had received a $6 million grant from the Lilly Foundation, and the grant was administered by the United Way of the Wabash Valley, which hired Roberts Construction to perform the repairs.

Roberts is scheduled to appear in Division 3 court on Monday for a hearing related to the home improvement fraud allegations.