Krypton vs Argon 'Is the extra $ worth it'
mckelligan
15 years ago
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calbay03
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Hardware:zinc vs solid brass? Is it worth the extra $$$
Comments (3)This is a really good question. And hard to get answered at a store. I asked at HD, but for door knobs (we're renovating our whole house), and I innocently asked what was the difference between the $14 and the $45 handle. Well, one fellow looked at me like I was a cross between an idiot and the scum of the earth. "You get what you pay for", was his erudite answer. Thankyou- anyhow I was looking for my basement, and I have three bedrooms, a family room, a kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and linen closet down there, and those rooms are rarely used- I didn't need top of the line, if the $14 one was going to be sufficient (It looked nice). Anyhow, I went and bought knobs for the linen/storage closet/bathroom and two bedrooms- I also wanted to make sure it was a line that wouldn't be discontinued soon as we're DIY and I want to pay as we go. They work fine. Anyhow, back to the kitchen- my DH says that when mankind has destroyed the earth, the only thing left will be brass long after all the rest of us have long gone. Don't think you'll still be needing your knobs by then- (but if they're brass- they'll still be fine! :>) If your design is fairly simple, I'd say go for the zinc- I did have a filigree type knob (and I'm going to assume it was zinc) break off a closet door(but it was probably 30+ yr old). I would say that all the knobs/handles in my house (that are in the process of gradually being replaced) are probably zinc- and they are 40+ years old. Now, if I had to choose between two that were close in price, and looked the same, I'd go for the solid brass- but only you know how close you are to your budget. YOu could always order a few extra zinc ones for high traffic locations- ie you could replace the knob under the sink 5 times and still be ahead!)...See MoreThermal Industries vs. Okna vs. Tri State
Comments (17)I think thats exactly what he is saying. He wrote that air and water can come through the sill dam when the testing proves it does not. He also wrote that "the sill wall is flimsy and moves with a slight push of the finger. What I see in the picture is is a red finger and thumb from the amout of pressure that must be applied to bend the sill dam.He also wrote that there is an issue with the header wall and movement.I would like to know where that is. This guy is talking like he is in a homeowners kitchen where no one knows better. Simonton is a good performing window but not the best and i have no problem with factual comparisons but these are lies. I am considering forwarding this thread to Simontons legal department....See MoreS/O: why aren't extras/upgrades/enhancements worth extra to buyers?
Comments (28)This is a new era of buying and selling after the real estate "bubble". Two years ago we sold a condo in Florida and a custom mountain lake home in Tennessee. Both buyers were obtaining mortgages, one being a jumbo mortgage. The Florida condo was appraised slightly below selling price. It was completely remodeled by us (new kitchen and two baths, etc.). The inspector told the young lady she would never find a condo in better condition. All new appliances, new water heater, new air conditioner. We owned it for two years, but decided even as snow birds we would rather have a house. But her Daddy told her not to pay over appraisal. The comps were condos in the same development that had never been upgraded or maintained. Many had been rented out. We sold it to someone else for our asking price. They didn't obtain a mortgage. The home in Tennessee was not on the market. A realtor showing another home in the neighborhood asked if they could see our house. They came back with an offer the next day, which was not the greatest offer We decided to accept the offer and move to the Florida house we had purchased two months before. It gets confusing, I know. :) The inspector was ruthless, but came back with nothing wrong in our new custom built home. The pest inspector came back with nothing (yup the bank required it). The appraiser on the other hand was a bit rude. When I said I wasn't too concerned about the appraisal price since the sell price was below tax appraisal value, he said, Oh, we often appraise homes below the tax app. value now. He told us our home was beautiful, but every home in the neighborhood probably had the same upgrades. No they did not. In the end they said there were really no comps, which wasn't true. But the most chilling experience I had was that the two appraisers used exactly the same words in two different states. It is beautiful, but this doesn't count. This is overkill, it doesn't count. Only the comps matter. Only square footage matters. I have bought and sold quite a few homes in my life. In a brand new builder developed area you get the basic house for the price of the model. Upgrades are paid for as an extra expense. Years ago we had no inspectors and no formal appraisals. It seems the banks do not want to pay for the upgrades, and are driving the prices. Now it has eroded into buyers with cash that look at comps and again do not want to pay for the upgrades. Even 11 years ago I sold a home in Ft. Lauderdale by myself (height of the market) and the buyer had an inspector, obtained a mortgage, but no appraiser came to my house. I sold my "model" for a higher price than anyone had ever sold for. Does anyone think that perhaps the banks are running the market??? Money makes the world go 'round....See MoreSingle stage vs. Two stage, worth it? My head hurts-help!
Comments (15)"The biggest cost in operating a furnace is the electricity that a fan uses. " I think your math is waay off. Read Mike's description above for what a multistage system offers. He prefers them, I personally don't but i also don't live in a humid summer climate. If I did, I might share his view. Here's an example for the money calculation. - My furnace's blower seems to be between 500-600 watts. Let's be generous and round it up to 1000 watts. Operating for one hour would be 1 kilowatt hour, which at my top tiered rate is 30 cents. Remember we rounded up. And in most parts of the US, this number averages about 15 cents and can be much less. My furnace is 120K btu/hr, input. Let's round that DOWN to 100K btu/hr. At the top tier, I pay over $1.50 per therm (which is 100 btus) but lets round that down too to $1.20. Operating my furnace for one hour costs $1.20 for gas, 30 cents for electricity. The real electricity number is less because I rounded up, and the real gas number is more because i rounded down. Did I get something wrong?...See Moremckelligan
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agomcsbldr
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agoskydawggy
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agooberon476
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14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoskydawggy
14 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
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