normjohnston14 - You probably know this already, but The Brick owns Transglobal. If you buy your appliance at The Brick you will be getting Transglobal. We used to have (emphasis on "used to") an appliance repair contract. The company used Transglobal. I do not put a lot of faith in the Cdn. home service rating company, but Transglobal has practically a 0 rating. We recently had to buy a new fridge. We were seriously challenged by space due to the height - cupboards can't really be cut. So we had to go with a top mount fridge that just fits under the cupboards with the minimum requirement of space above it. I shudder to think of the issues if this fridge dies in the short term because even most of the top mounts are starting to be made at a height of 67 - 69 inches - and many are 33 inches in width. Heck we couldn't get that size of fridge in the doorway. A lot of people have found that while an appliance might fit their space, getting it into their homes can be a major issue - if not impossible. It was also the only top mount we could find (in Ontario) that was Energy Efficient and since you live in Ontario you will know all about that issue. People in the U.S. have considerably more options. I looked at every website out there. We did take out the Extended Warranty just in case - I was afraid not to. It is stainless steel but the type that you can't use stainless steel cleaners on. It is a good thing I knew this because the manual was written by someone I am certain had never seen the fridge and was one of those manuals that cover every single fridge the company makes. But we did not buy the fridge from The Brick. I was told by the fridge manufacturer that if we bought it from The Brick they would have to send Transglobal. Never! The warranty was purchased directly from the manufacturer. I am aware that cosmetic issues are not covered. Actually if you read the Limited Warranty that came with your fridge you will see how hardly anything is covered. We had major issues with our Whirlpool starting at age 1.5. At least it had a bottom mount freezer. You want to speak about rust. Yikes.

Ruthie here, I work at the nonprofit thrift store mentioned (I hope this doesn't violate Garden Web's rules for businesses, I just want to share some tips & info for shopping & donating at organizations like this) CEFreeman - Thanks so much for this post! Everyone knows you can donate clothing to Goodwill, but so few people even know that this kind of resource exists for reusing building & landscaping materials. I'm glad you had fun and found such useful stuff! For folks in other places: there are several U.S. directories that list home improvement thrift stores. Between the three directories, you should be able to find every building materials reuse center in the country. They are: http://loadingdock.org/about/NationalReuse/index.html http://www.bmra.org/listings/browse-by-state?sobi2Task=search http://www.habitat.org/restores Earth911.org is also a great resources for things you want to get rid of - you can enter your zip code and what kind of item you have, and it gives you all sorts of local donation and recycling options. Graywings - you're exactly right about it being hit-or miss. It's like going to a flea market or a clothing thrift store; often folks come in looking for one thing, but they walk out with something else entirely. I have noticed that the people who get the most amazing stuff visit a couple times a month, at least. As for the pricier furniture - I suspect that some of the furniture you saw may have been from the store's consignment partner. He is an antiques dealer who travels around the East Coast to estate sales, auctions, etc. to get his vintage items and architectural salvage. So unfortunately, his consignment stuff is not nearly as value-priced as the donated materials in the rest of the thrift store (the staff was a bit nervous that the regulars might be scared off when that section was added - and even now, the staff keeps bugging him to offer more sales!). However, it has turned out to be a good decision: commercial warehouse space in the DC area is terribly expensive, and the nonprofit was really struggling for survival for the first few years. But since adding Salvage Arts in 2008, the customer base has grown, and the consignment revenue has helped to stablize the finances. Basically, without the pricier furniture, antiques, and decor, the thrift store wouldn't exist, and wouldn't be able to have 10-cent lumber and $5 sinks for the folks who really need them. But if you don't like the price on something and you're willing to gamble, you might try waiting and keeping an eye on the sales. That's where you'll find the really deep discounts, often when the store receives a lot of a particular kind of item and needs to clear out that department. The same is true at the other nonprofits around the country - you can usually sign up for the mailing list at your local store to find out about their weekly or monthly specials. Some have a particular day of the week when everything is discounted. At some reuse stores, you have to look at the date on the tag because they lower the price each month that the item sits there. Happy re-using, everyone :-) -Ruthie

Yes, there is a Mrs. Fred, and he has two sons. Mrs. Fred is evidently used to him working 2 sometimes 3 jobs. And somehow he finds time to work on his own house, and work on his hot rods. (Hot rods?!) I asked if he'd like to bring her around to show her his beautiful work and he told me she'd seen his stuff and wasn't impressed because he does it all the time. I'd love to meet this patient woman. I am under the impression she thinks he'll drop dead working. I have a feeling I'll have work until both he and I die. I don't know what I'd do without him. 'Tis the season to work on the outside...

It looks great and that was a good idea. I did something similar with the door to my laundry room but I had to buy one at the salvage yard and it was really grungy but we finally got it cleaned up and painted. I much prefer having the door with little curtains that I can pull back than a solid-wood or hollow-core door.